Debugging CICS applications from a workstation

You can debug a CICS application using debugging tools that run on a workstation.

Components of the debugging tool

There are two components to the debugging tools in this environment:
Debugger client
The debugger client runs on the workstation and provides the graphical user interface (GUI) for you to interact with the application program. For example, you can use the debugger client to set breakpoints, to step through your program, and to examine the variables used by your program.
Debugger server
The debugger server runs on the same system as the application program, and communicates with the debugger client.

What CICS applications can be debugged

You can debug the following sorts of CICS applications using a debugger client on a workstation:
  • Applications written in a compiled language (COBOL, PL/I, C, C++)
  • Language Environment-enabled Assembler subroutines
  • Java applications running in a JVM
  • Applications that use a combination of compiled language programs and Java programs

You cannot debug PLT programs using a debugger client on a workstation.

Debugging tools that you can use

You can use IBM® Developer for z Systems as your debugger client.

For compiled languages and Language Environment-enabled Assembler subroutines, you can use Debug Tool for z/OS® as your debugger server.

For Java programs, the debugger server is the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) executing in debug mode.