Choosing a debugging mode

Use the following list to determine which debugging mode to use for your programs:

For TSO programs
Choose full-screen mode. If you want to use a supported remote debugger, choose remote debug mode.
For JES batch programs
If you want to interact with your batch program, choose full-screen mode using the Terminal Interface Manager. If you want to interact with your batch program using a supported remote debugger, choose remote debug mode. If you don't want to interact with your batch program, use batch mode and specify commands through a commands file and review results in a log file.
For UNIX System Services programs
Choose full-screen mode using the Terminal Interface Manager. If you want to use a supported remote debugger, choose remote debug mode.
For CICS® programs
If you want to interact with z/OS® Debugger on a 3270 device, choose full-screen mode and one of the following terminal modes:
  • Single terminal mode: The application program and z/OS Debugger share the same terminal. Use this terminal mode to debug a transaction that interacts with a 3270 terminal. When you create your DTCN profile, set the Display Device to the terminal ID that the application program uses.
  • Screen control mode: z/OS Debugger displays its screens on a terminal running the DTSC transaction.

    If you use screen control mode, the DTSC transaction runs in the same region as your application program on a terminal of your choice, and displays z/OS Debugger screens on behalf of the task you are debugging, which might not have its own terminal.

    Use screen control mode to debug application programs which are not typically associated with a terminal, and which are running in an MRO environment.

    Screen control mode works in the following manner:
    1. Enter DTSC on the terminal that you want to use to display z/OS Debugger. This terminal can be connected directly to the region where the application program runs, or connected to the region with CRTE or Transaction Routing. If you use Transaction Routing, you must ensure that DTSC runs in the same region as the application program using it.
    2. Set the Display Device in your DTCN profile to the terminal running the DTSC transaction.
    3. Start the application program.
    4. Press Enter on the terminal running the DTSC transaction to connect to z/OS Debugger.
  • Separate terminal mode (formerly called Dual Terminal Mode): z/OS Debugger dynamically starts the CDT# transaction on a terminal.

    Use separate terminal mode to debug application programs which are not typically associated with a terminal, and your terminal is connected directly to the region running your application program.

    Separate terminal mode works in the following manner:
    1. Set the Display Device in your DTCN profile to an available terminal and that terminal can be located by the CICS region running z/OS Debugger.
    2. Start the application program.
    For CICS 6.3 and later, you must set up SURROGAT and DFHTRMID when you use separate terminal mode. For more information, refer to the following pages:

If you want to debug your program with a remote debugger, select remote debug mode. Make note of the TCP/IP address of your remote debugger as you will need it when you update your DTCN profile.

If you do not use single terminal mode and your program sends a screen to the terminal without the WAIT option, CICS Terminal Control holds that screen until the program runs an EXEC CICS SEND or EXEC CICS RECEIVE statement.

If you want to debug programs that use Distributed Program Link (DPL), you can select one of the following debugging modes:
  • Select remote debug mode and use the remote debugger to debug both the DPL client and DPL server.
  • Select full screen mode and use two 3270 terminals, one for the DPL client and one for the DPL server.
    You can connect the 3270 terminal to the DPL server in one of the following ways:
    • Directly to the server region.
    • To the client region. If you choose this option, use one of the following terminal modes:
      • Screen Control Mode with DTSC running on a terminal that is connected to the server with CRTE
      • Separate Terminal Mode with the terminal connected to the client region and configure the server region so that it looks for the terminal in the client region. To configure the server region, see Separate terminal mode terminal connects to a TOR and application runs in an AOR in the IBM® z/OS Debugger Customization Guide.
For Db2® programs
Choose full-screen mode using the Terminal Interface Manager. If you want to use a supported remote debugger, choose remote debug mode.
For Db2 Stored Procedures
Choose full-screen mode using the Terminal Interface Manager. If you want to use a supported remote debugger, choose remote debug mode.
For IMS TM programs
Choose full-screen mode using the Terminal Interface Manager. If you want to use a supported remote debugger, choose remote debug mode.
For IMS batch programs
If you want to interact with your IMS batch programs, choose full-screen mode using the Terminal Interface Manager. If you want to interact with your IMS batch programs with a supported remote debugger, choose remote debug mode. If you do not want to interact with your IMS batch program, choose batch mode and specify commands through a commands file and review results in a log file.
For IMS BTS programs
If you want your program and your debugging session to run on a single screen, choose full-screen mode. If you want your BTS data to display on your TSO terminal and your debugging session to display on another terminal, choose full-screen mode using the Terminal Interface Manager. If you want your BTS data to display on your TSO terminal and your debugging session to display on a supported remote debugger, choose remote debug mode.
For ALCS programs
You must choose remote debug mode.

Refer to the following topics for more information related to the material discussed in this topic.

  • Related references
  • IMS/VS Batch Terminal Simulator Program Reference and Operations Manual