How you can define CICS resources
You can define CICS® resources using the CICS Explorer®, CICS bundles, CICSPlex® SM Business Application Services, resource definition online (RDO), CICS system programming commands, the DFHCSDUP offline utility, autoinstall, or macro resource definition. Compare the relevant methods of resource definition to choose which way to define each of your CICS resources.
- The CSD file for the CICS region
- The CICSPlex SM data repository
- zFS (the z/OS® UNIX file system), for CICS bundles
- Control tables in a program library, for macro resource definition
- CICS Explorer
- You can use the CICS Explorer to define, install, and manage resources. If CICS Explorer is connected to a CICS system, definitions are stored in the CICS system definition (CSD) file, and are installed into an active CICS system from the CSD file. If CICS Explorer is connected to CICSPlex SM, definitions are stored in the CICSPlex SM data repository and can be installed either automatically, during CICS initialization, or dynamically, into a running CICS system.
- Bundles
- You can define and package resources in a CICS bundle using the CICS Explorer or IBM® Developer for Z. CICS creates the resources dynamically when the bundle is deployed, and you manage their lifecycle through the CICS bundle as a single unit in the CICS system. The CICS bundle can also specify any system resources that are required in the CICS regions where the bundle is deployed. You can deploy a CICS bundle individually to a CICS region as a standalone bundle, or you can use it as part of an application bundle that is deployed to a platform, or you can deploy it directly to a platform. For information about CICS bundles, see Defining CICS bundles.
- CICSPlex SM Business Application Services
- You can use CICSPlex SM Business Application Services (BAS) to define and manage resources. Definitions are stored in the CICSPlex SM data repository and can be installed either automatically, during CICS initialization, or dynamically, into a running CICS system. For information about CICSPlex SM BAS, see Administering BAS.
- Resource definition online (RDO)
- This method uses the supplied online transactions CEDA, CEDB, and CEDC, which allow you to define, alter, and install resources in a running CICS system. Definitions are stored in the CSD file, and are installed into an active CICS system from the CSD file. This method updates resources on the CSD file, which means you can define, alter, and install resources in a running CICS system. For information about RDO using the CEDA transaction, see Resource management transaction CEDA commands.
- System programming, using the EXEC CICS SPI commands
- You can use the EXEC CICS CREATE commands, and the EXEC CICS FEPI INSTALL commands for FEPI resources, to create resources independently of the CSD file. For further information, see Creating resource definitions.
- System programming, using the EXEC CICS CSD commands
- You can use the EXEC CICS CSD commands to manage resource definitions in the CSD file from a user-written program. The EXEC CICS CSD commands can perform all the functions of CEDA except CEDA CHECK.
- DFHCSDUP offline utility
- DFHCSDUP is an offline utility that allows you to define, list, and modify resources using a batch job. DFHCSDUP can be invoked as a batch program or from a user-written program running either in batch mode or under TSO. Using the second method, you can specify up to five user exit routines within DFHCSDUP. You can use the DFHCSDUP utility to make changes to definitions in the CSD file. The definitions are stored in the CSD file. For information about the DFHCSDUP utility, see System definition file utility program (DFHCSDUP).
- Automatic installation (autoinstall)
- Autoinstall minimizes the need for a large number of definitions, by dynamically creating new definitions based on a “model” definition provided by you. This applies to VTAM® terminals, LU6.2 sessions, IPIC connections, journals, programs, mapsets, and partitionsets. You set up “model” definitions using either RDO or DFHCSDUP. CICS can then create and install new definitions for these resources dynamically, based on the models.
- Macro definition
- You can use assembler macro
source to define resources that cannot be stored on the CSD. The definitions
are stored in assembled control tables in a program library, from
which they are installed during CICS initialization.
You must use macro instructions to define non-VTAM networks and terminals, non-VSAM files, databases, and resources for monitoring and system recovery. For information about CICS macros, see Macro resource definition.
Which methods you use depends on the resources you want to define. Table 1 suggests some of the things you should consider when deciding which definition method to use. Table 2 shows you the methods you can use for each resource.
Method | Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|---|
CICS Explorer |
|
FEPI resources cannot be defined with CICS Explorer. |
Bundles |
|
|
CICSPlex SM BAS |
|
Not all application resources are supported by BAS. |
RDO | RDO is used while CICS is running, so allows fast access to resource definitions. | Because CEDA operates on an active CICS system, care should be taken if it is used in a production system. Use some form of auditing as a control mechanism. |
EXEC CICS SPI commands | It enables configuration and installation of CICS resources for large numbers of CICS regions from a single management focal point. It also allows you to write applications for administering the running CICS system. | CREATE commands neither refer to nor record in the CSD file. The resulting definitions are lost on a cold start, and you cannot refer to them in a CEDA transaction. |
EXEC CICS CSD system commands |
|
Requires more work to implement than some other methods. |
DFHCSDUP |
|
|
Autoinstall | If you have large numbers of resources, much time is needed to define them, and if they are not all subsequently used, storage is also wasted for their definitions. Using autoinstall reduces this wasted time and storage. | You must spend some time initially setting up autoinstall in order to benefit from it. |
Macro |
|
Resource | CICS Explorer | CICSPlex SM BAS | RDO, EXEC CICS SPI, and EXEC CICS CSD commands | Bundles | DFHCSDUP | Autoinstall | Macro |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atom documents | Yes | Yes (ATOMDEF) | Yes (ATOMSERVICE) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Bundles | Yes | Yes (BUNDDEF) | Yes (BUNDLE) | N/A | Yes | No | No |
Connections | Yes | Yes (CONNDEF) | Yes (CONNECTION) | No | Yes | LU 6.2 only | No |
DB2® Connections | Yes | Yes (DB2CDEF) | Yes (DB2CONN) | No | Yes | No | No |
DB2 entries | Yes | Yes (DB2EDEF) | Yes (DB2ENTRY) | No | Yes | No | No |
DB2 transactions | Yes | Yes (DB2TDEF) | Yes (DB2TRAN) | No | Yes | No | No |
Document template | Yes | Yes (DOCDEF) | Yes (DOCTEMPLATE) | No | Yes | No | No |
Enqueue models | Yes | Yes (ENQMDEF) | Yes (ENQMODEL) | No | Yes | No | No |
Event bindings and capture specifications | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Event processing adapter | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Event processing adapter set | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
FEPI node lists | No | Yes (FENODDEF) | Yes (NODELIST) | No | No | No | No |
FEPI pool definitions | No | Yes (FEPOODEF) | Yes (POOL) | No | No | No | No |
FEPI property sets | No | Yes (FEPRODEF) | Yes (PROPERTYSET) | No | No | No | No |
FEPI target lists | No | Yes (FETRGDEF) | Yes (TARGETLIST) | No | No | No | No |
Files (BDAM) | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes (DFHFCT) |
Files (VSAM) | Yes | Yes (FILEDEF) | Yes (FILE) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
IPIC connections | Yes | Yes (IPCONDEF) | Yes (IPCONN) | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Journals | Yes | Yes (JRNLDEF) | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Journal models | Yes | Yes (JRNMDEF) | Yes (JOURNALMODEL) | No | Yes | No | No |
LIBRARY resources | Yes | Yes (LIBDEF) | Yes (LIBRARY) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Local shared resource (LSR) pools | Yes | Yes (LSRDEF) | Yes (LSRPOOL) | No | Yes | No | No |
Map sets | Yes | Yes (MAPDEF) | Yes (MAPSET) | No | Yes | Yes | No |
OSGi bundles and services | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Package set | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Partition sets | Yes | Yes (PRTNDEF) | Yes (PARTITIONSET) | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Partners | Yes | Yes (PARTDEF) | Yes (PARTNER) | No | Yes | No | No |
Pipelines | Yes | Yes (PIPEDEF) | Yes (PIPELINE) | No | Yes | No | No |
Policy | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Process types | Yes | Yes (PROCDEF) | Yes (PROCESSTYPE) | No | Yes | No | No |
Profiles | Yes | Yes (PROFDEF) | Yes (PROFILE) | No | Yes | No | No |
Programs | Yes | Yes (PROGDEF) | Yes (PROGRAM) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Recoverable service elements | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes (DFHRST) |
Sessions | Yes | Yes (SESSDEF) | Yes (SESSIONS) | No | Yes | No. | No |
TCP/IP services | Yes | Yes (TCPDEF) | Yes (TCPIPSERVICE) | No | Yes | No | No |
Temporary storage (defined by macro) | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes (DFHTST) |
Temporary storage models (resource definition) | Yes | Yes (TSMDEF) | Yes (TSMODEL) | No | Yes | No | No |
Terminals (non-VTAM) | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes (DFHTCT) |
Terminals (VTAM) | Yes | Yes (TERMDEF) | Yes (TERMINAL) | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Transactions | Yes | Yes (TRANDEF) | Yes (TRANSACTION) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Transaction classes | Yes | Yes (TRNCLDEF) | Yes (TRANCLASS) | No | Yes | No | No |
Transient data queues | Yes | Yes (TDQDEF) | Yes (TDQUEUE) | No | Yes | No | No |
Typeterms | Yes | Yes (TYPTMDEF) | Yes (TYPETERM) | No | Yes | No | No |
URI maps | Yes | Yes | Yes (URIMAP) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Web services | Yes | Yes | Yes (WEBSERVICE) | No | Yes | Yes | No |
WebSphere® MQ connection | Yes | Yes (MQCONDEF) | Yes (MQCONN) | No | Yes | No | No |
XML transforms | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |