Applications of multiregion operation

Multiregion operation provides an environment for a number of typical applications.

Program development
You can isolate the testing of newly written programs from production work by running a separate CICS region for testing. This isolation permits the reliability and availability of the production system to be maintained during the development of new applications, because the production system continues even if the test system terminates abnormally.
Time-sharing
If one CICS system performs compute-bound work, such as APL or ICCF, as well as regular DB/DC work, the response time for the DB/DC user can be unduly long. You can improve the response time by running the compute-bound applications in a lower-priority address space and the DB/DC applications in another address space.
Reliable database access
You can use CICS storage protection and transaction isolation to guard against unreliable applications that might otherwise stop the system or disable other applications.
Departmental separation
MRO enables you to create a CICSplex in which the various departments of an organization have their own CICS systems.
Multiprocessor performance
Using MRO, you can take advantage of a multiprocessor by linking several CICS systems into a CICSplex, and allowing any terminal to access the transactions and data resources of any of the systems.
Workload balancing in a sysplex
In a sysplex, you can use MRO and XCF/MRO links to create a CICSplex consisting of sets of functionally equivalent terminal-owning regions (TORs) and application-owning regions (AORs).
Virtual storage constraint relief
In some large CICS systems, the amount of virtual storage available can become a limiting factor.

Parent topic: Multiregion operation

Related concepts

Intercommunication facilities available using MRO
Cross-system multiregion operation (XCF/MRO)
Conversion from a single-region system
ISC and IPIC intercommunications facilities

Related information

Steps after configuring MRO
Defining links for multiregion operation