How IMS and CICS use the ISC interface

When designing and implementing an ISC network that contains both IMS and CICS® nodes you should be aware of the issues involved.

For ISC connections that are supported by VTAM®, you should also be familiar with the basic system design concepts of both IMS and CICS running in a VTAM environment.

For ISC connections that are supported by TCP/IP, the TCP/IP support is provided by IMS Connect and most of the VTAM protocols do not apply. Communication between IMS and IMS Connect is enabled by the Structured Call Interface (SCI) of the IMS Common Service Layer (CSL).

The CICS information provided here is for planning purposes and should be verified in the CICS documentation or with a CICS system programmer.

Related reading: For more information on the design and coding of a CICS application that communicates with IMS through LU 6.1 ISC, see CICS Transaction Server for z/OS CICS Intercommunication Guide.