Planning CICS Explorer installation

CICS Explorer® is a system management tool that is delivered as part of CICS® Transaction Server. It provides an easy-to-use way to manage one or more CICS systems. It is based on an Eclipse platform and provides a view of some CICSPlex® SM functions in a CICS Transaction Server, and a platform for the integration of CICS tools.

Before you install CICS Explorer, you must decide how you want to run it in your organization.

The CICS Explorer product is a combination of two Explorer products: IBM® Explorer for z/OS® (z/OS Explorer), which provides the host connection and z/OS functions, and CICS Explorer, which provides the CICS functions. CICS Explorer consists of three features:

CICS Explorer, for management of CICS resources and resource definitions.
CICS SDK for Java™, which provides support to develop Java applications with the JCICS API to run in any supported release of CICS.
CICS SDK for web and JSP, which provides support to develop web applications that can run in a Liberty profile server in CICS TS for z/OS, Version 5.1 or later. With CICS Explorer Version 5.3 or later, this SDK includes a subset of the WebSphere® Developer Tools to support Liberty application development and enable export of OSGi application projects in EBA format.

With CICS Explorer Version 5.1.1 and later, CICS Explorer includes the CICS SDK for Java. The CICS SDK for web and JSP is provided as a separate feature that you can install with CICS Explorer, or add later.

To install CICS Explorer, it is advisable, where possible, to use IBM Installation Manager. It is also possible to use a direct download or an Eclipse p2 update site. These installation scenarios and downloads are listed on the Download Eclipse Tools web page and on the product download site that is available from the CICS Explorer web page.

Before you install CICS Explorer, always read the CICS Explorer release notes for the latest information, including limitations and restrictions, about CICS Explorer. The release notes are included on the CICS Explorer product download site that is available from the CICS Explorer web page.

Upgrade considerations

To use CICS Explorer with CICS TS for z/OS, Version 5.3, you must install CICS Explorer Version 5.3 or later.

If you are upgrading from a previous release of CICS Explorer, it is advisable to back up your CICS Explorer workspace first. See Taking a backup of the CICS Explorer workspace. Also, consider whether you want to change the workspace location when you start the new version of CICS Explorer. See Changing the CICS Explorer workspace location.

If you used IBM Installation Manager to install CICS Explorer previously, you must also use Installation Manager to upgrade or to install a new version.

If you used Eclipse p2 to install CICS Explorer previously, you must also use Eclipse p2 to upgrade or to install a new version.

If you downloaded a compressed file to install CICS Explorer previously, you must use the Eclipse p2 update method to install updates or additional features.

CICS Explorer prerequisites

To install and use CICS Explorer, you must have the correct operating system on your workstation, the correct service applied to your CICS systems, and CICS or CICSPlex SM configured to use the CICS management client interface.

For the CICS Explorer prerequisites, see the system requirements on the CICS Explorer web page.

For a successful system connection, CICS Explorer must determine the CICSPlex topology. To determine the topology, CICS Explorer requires at least READ access to the following CICSPlex resource tables:

CMAS resource table
CICSplex configuration definition resource table
CICS region data operations resource table

You must ensure that your security manager configuration provides this minimum level of access to the function and type combinations CONFIG.DEF, TOPOLOGY.DEF, and OPERATE.REGION for each user ID that uses CICS Explorer.

CICS Explorer also requires that a default CMAS context is set for the WUI. This context is set in the WUI parameter DEFAULTCMASCTXT. Failure to set the context results in the error IZE0106E error with INVALIDPARM CONTEXT while connecting CICS Explorer.

Configuring CICS or CICSPlex SM

You must configure CICSPlex SM or your CICS regions before you can connect to them with the CICS Explorer. You can connect the CICS Explorer to the following systems:

To a CICS TS for z/OS, Version 4 or later system through a CICSPlex SM WUI server or a CICSPlex SM MAS. This option provides the ability to view, change, and perform actions against CICS resources in the CICSplex.
To a single CICS TS for z/OS, Version 4 or later CICS region. This option provides the ability to view, change, and perform actions against CICS resources in that region.
To a CICS TS for z/OS, Version 3 system through a CICSPlex SM WUI server. This option provides the ability only to view CICS resources in the CICSplex.

To connect to a CICS TS for z/OS, Version 4 or later system, you can configure CICSPlex SM or your CICS region to use the CICS management client interface. For detailed instructions, see Setting up access for CICS Explorer in the CICS TS V5.3 product documentation.

To connect to a CICS TS for z/OS, Version 3 system through a CICSPlex SM WUI server, no setup is needed in CICSPlex SM. Follow the connection instructions in Configuring a CICS system connection.

The CICS Explorer workspace

When CICS Explorer starts for the first time, a workspace directory is created. The workspace contains the following information:

Connection details for connecting to CICS systems or CICSPlex SM WUI servers
User IDs for accessing CICS systems or CICSPlex SM
User-customized view and perspective information
User files, for example bundled projects and text files that are created in the CICS Explorer Resource perspective.

Therefore, because the workspace directory contains user files and most user preferences, it is important to back up the CICS Explorer workspace before an upgrade and for disaster recovery.

By default, the workspace is stored in a directory on the local workstation. You can use a startup option to specify that CICS Explorer uses a different workspace location, for example an alternative local directory, removable storage, or a remote network drive.

CICS Explorer can be used with more than one workspace. For example, a system administrator might administer systems for two different clients and need to keep the connections and sets of bundles separate. An application developer might develop applications for multiple releases of CICS and need to work with each release separately.

Location of CICS Explorer code

The following table outlines where you can install the CICS Explorer code and the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

Table 1. Options and implications of Explorer code installation
Explorer code location	Workspace location	Update method	Advantages	Disadvantages
Local on user's workstation.	Local, including removable storage Remote network drive	Users must update their own software.	Starts quickly. Runs quickly. No remote network drive required.	Users need to get regular updates and install them, otherwise problems with earlier levels of software might occur.
Remote on a network drive.	Local, including removable storage Remote network drive	Software is updated centrally.	CICS Explorer can be run from any workstation with network access. Centrally managed software; every user is at the same level. Runs quickly.	Slower to start; code is downloaded to user workstation before running. A network failure would prevent users from saving their CICS Explorer configurations. A network drive failure would stop all users from using CICS Explorer.

For more details about using a network drive for installation, see IBM Redpapers: Managing Enterprise-wide Deployment of IBM Explorer for z/OS or CICS Explorer.

After you decide where to install CICS Explorer, how to manage the users' workspaces, and which installation method to use, you can begin the installation.