Deploying new versions of applications on a platform

Use the export wizard to deploy the updated application and application binding to the platform home directory on z/OS® UNIX, and use an APPLDEF resource definition to install them on the platform.

1. Export the new version of the application and application binding to the platform home directory on z/OS UNIX.
   • To open the export wizard, in the Project Explorer view, right-click your Application project or Application Binding project, and click Export Application Project to z/OS UNIX File System or Export Application Binding Project to z/OS UNIX File System.
   • Alternatively, open the application or application binding in the application editor or the application binding editor, and click Export Wizard in the Actions list.
   The new version number for the application is used as part of the name for the directory, so the previous versions of the application remain in the platform home directory. Any CICS bundles for which you did not increment the version number, that are already deployed to the platform home directory and installed in the CICSplex at the correct version, are not included in the export. See Deploying a CICS Application project for help with exporting the application.
2. Create a new APPLDEF resource definition with a new version number to point to the application directory for the new application version. An installed APPLDEF resource definition represents a single version of the application, and it cannot be edited. You create a separate APPLDEF to manage each version of the application.
   • To create an APPLDEF resource definition during the export process, select the checkbox in the export wizard.
   • Alternatively, in the Cloud Explorer view, right-click and select New > Application Definition to open the New Application Definition wizard.
   Use the same name that you used for the existing APPLDEF resource definitions for the application. Specify a new version number for the APPLDEF that matches the new version number for the application project, such as 1.1.0. See Deploying a CICS Platform project for help with creating a new application definition.
3. If your application uses resources that are not supported for multi-versioning, disable and discard the installed APPLCTN resource that represents the previous version of the application. If your application uses only resources that are supported as part of multi-versioned applications, or you have renamed all the resources that are not supported for multi-versioning, you do not need to disable it, so skip this step to avoid an interruption in the service to users.
   1. In the CICS Cloud perspective, in the Cloud Explorer view, locate the relevant version of the installed application in either the Platform hierarchy or the Application hierarchy. Right-click the application name and click Make Unavailable, then OK to make the application unavailable. The application is now no longer available to callers through its application entry points.
   2. Double-click the application name to open the installed application version in the online application editor. On the Overview tab, select the Disable and discard action from the Disable button. CICSPlex SM disables then discards the CICS bundles for the application version in the CICS regions, and uninstalls the application version from the platform. Alternatively, you can disable and discard the application version in the Cloud Explorer view as follows:
      • Right-click the application name in the Cloud Explorer view and select Disable, then click OK to confirm.
      • Refresh the Cloud Explorer view, and check the application status to confirm that the application is disabled. If the application is not disabled, see Checking the status of an application for more information and suggested actions.
      • When the application is disabled, right-click the application name and select Discard, then click OK to confirm.
   3. Refresh the Cloud Explorer view, and check that instead of the application name, you see the name and version number of the application definition (APPLDEF resource) for the version of the application that you just discarded. If CICSPlex SM fails to disable or discard any of the bundles, the application is not discarded. In this situation, see Checking the status of an application for more information and suggested actions.
4. Install the new APPLDEF resource definition for the new version of the application, enable the application version, and verify the installation.
   1. In the Cloud Explorer view, locate the application definition with the correct new version number in either the Platform hierarchy or the Application hierarchy.
   2. Right-click the new application definition and select Install, then click OK to confirm. CICSPlex SM creates the new APPLCTN resource to represent the new version of the application in the CICSplex, and installs the CICS bundles across the regions in the platform. The resources that are defined inside the CICS bundles are dynamically created in the CICS regions. In the Cloud Explorer view, the application name replaces the APPLDEF name.
   3. Right-click the application name and select Enable, then click OK to confirm. Alternatively, open the application in the online application editor and click the Enable button on the Overview tab. CICSPlex SM enables the CICS bundles in the CICS regions in the platform, but the application version is not yet available to callers through its application entry points.
   4. Refresh the Cloud Explorer view, and check the application status. If the status has not changed to ENABLED, follow the troubleshooting procedure in Diagnosing application errors.
5. To make the new version of the application available to users of the platform, in the Cloud Explorer view, right-click the application name and click Make Available, then OK to make the application version available. Alternatively, open the application in the online application editor and click the Make Available button on the Overview tab. The application version is now available to callers through its application entry points, which can be PROGRAM or URIMAP resources.