Managing platforms

Use CICS Explorer® to manage installed platforms. For example, you can add more CICS® regions to a region type or remove regions from region types. This allows you to scale up or down the capacity of an active platform. You can also modify your platform architecture by sharing CICS regions that are already part of a platform between multiple region types in the platform.

In this section, find out how to:

For information about securing platform resources, see Security for platforms and applications.

Add a CICS region to a region type

In CICS Explorer, you can see the regions that are currently in your platform. Follow the information in Adding a CICS region to a region type in the CICS Explorer product documentation.

Be aware of the following considerations:
  • Before you add an existing CICS region to a platform for the first time, or add it to a different region type in a platform, the CICS region must be shut down.
  • To increase the capacity of the platform, you can add or create regions. If you add an existing CICS region in the CICSplex to an adopted region type, the CICS region is added to the region type, and its system definition (CSYSDEF) is added to the corresponding system group (CSYSGRP) in CICSPlex® SM. The CICS region has now become an adopted region and part of the platform.

    Alternatively, you can create a new CICS region in a created region type. You can either set up a new CICS region, or you can use an existing CICS region that was not previously managed by CICSPlex SM. A CICS system definition (CSYSDEF) is created for the new CICS region, and is added to the corresponding system group (CSYSGRP) in CICSPlex SM. If you set up a new CICS region, create the region with an APPLID, SYSID, and other attributes that match the system definition that you created. The CICS region is created as part of your platform.

    As a best practice, CICS regions in a region type should be clones of each other. For instructions to do this, see Setting up a CICS region.

  • Adopted regions can only be added to adopted region types, and created regions can only be added to created region types. The CICS region can continue to be included in its previous region type as a shared region, and assist with both workloads. Or you can remove the CICS region from its previous region type, if it is no longer required there (see Remove a CICS region from a region type).
To begin using the added CICS region as part of your platform:
  • Start the region using your normal method. If necessary, use the COLM transaction to connect the CICS region to CICSPlex SM. When you start the CICS region, the CICS bundles for the applications that are deployed to the region type are installed in the region.
  • Refresh the Cloud Explorer view and confirm that the status of the region is ACTIVE.
  • Using the Cloud Explorer view, verify that the CICS bundles for the appropriate applications have been installed in the CICS region, and that the status of the applications shows a successful install. If an application is enabled or available in the CICS regions that were already in the region type, the status of the application and the installed CICS bundles should be ENABLED in the newly added CICS region. CICS enables the application in the CICS region if the installation is successful, but does not make it available immediately.
  • Using the Cloud Explorer view, make the application available. The application is now available to callers through its application entry points.

Remove a CICS region from a region type

In CICS Explorer, you can see the regions that are currently in your platform. Follow the information in Removing a CICS region from a region type in the CICS Explorer product documentation.

Be aware of the following considerations:
  • Before you remove a CICS region from a platform, the CICS region must be shut down.
  • When you remove a created CICS region that was only included in one created region type, the system definition (CSYSDEF) for the CICS region is deleted. The created CICS region is therefore no longer part of the platform, and it cannot be started because it does not have the required CSYSDEF.
  • When you remove an adopted CICS region that was only included in one adopted region type, the CICS region continues to exist in the CICSplex. However, it is no longer an adopted region and is no longer part of the platform.
  • When you remove either a created or an adopted CICS region that is also included in another region type (a shared region), the CICS region continues to exist in the other region type. An adopted region continues to be an adopted region. It is only removed from the region type and the associated CICSPlex SM system group (CSYSGRP) where you selected the Remove from Region type action. If it is now only included in one region type, it is no longer a shared region.
To continue to use a removed CICS region:
  • If the CICS region is still part of your platform, start the region using your normal method. If necessary, use the COLM transaction to connect the CICS region to CICSPlex SM. Refresh the Cloud Explorer view and confirm that the status of the region is ACTIVE. When you start the CICS region, the appropriate CICS bundles for the region type are installed in the region, and it is available for the workload in the platform.
  • If the region was an adopted CICS region that was only included in one adopted region type in the platform, to continue using the region outside the platform, start the region using your normal method.
  • If you removed a created CICS region that was only included in one created region type in the platform, choose what to do with the CICS region now that it is no longer part of the platform.
    • If you do not want to use the created CICS region again, delete the data sets and other resources that were created for the region.
    • If you do want to use the CICS region again as a CICSPlex SM MAS, create a new CSYSDEF for it so that it can be started and connected to CICSPlex SM. For instructions to do this, see Configuring CICSPlex SM.
    • If you want to use the CICS region again, but you do not want it to be managed by CICSPlex SM, reverse the steps that you performed to make the CICS region into a MAS, so that it can be started independently. For the list of steps, see Setting up a CICSPlex SM managed application system (MAS).

Make unavailable, disable and discard a platform

Disable a platform to make it temporarily unavailable. If you no longer require a platform, disable and discard it. When you discard a platform, CICSPlex SM removes the installed platform resources from the CICSplex where the platform is deployed.

In CICS Explorer, you can see the status of the platform. Follow the information in Disabling and discarding a platform in the CICS Explorer product documentation.

Be aware of the following considerations:
  • You can disable a platform while applications are still installed in the platform, and while CICS regions are active in the platform.
  • To discard the platform, you must disable it first.
  • Before you discard a platform, you must first disable and discard all the installed applications in the platform, but you do not need to delete the application definitions (APPLDEF resources). See Managing applications.
  • Before you discard a platform, you must also shut down the active CICS regions in created region types, that is, CICS regions whose CICSPlex SM topology was defined when the platform was created. The lifecycle of these CICS regions is associated with the lifecycle of the platform, and they become unavailable when the platform is discarded. CICS regions in adopted region types, whose CICSPlex SM topology was set up independently of the platform, do not need to be shut down.
  • When you disable or discard a platform, all the CICS bundles that were deployed with the platform are also disabled or discarded. You can remove an individual CICS bundle that was deployed with the platform, without disabling or discarding the platform.
  • When you discard the platform, CICS system groups (CSYSGRPs) that had been adopted as region types are restored to their status before the installation of the platform, and the adopted CICS regions continue to exist in the CICSplex. However, for created CICS regions in created region types, the system definitions (CSYSDEF) for the CICS regions are deleted. The created CICS regions can therefore no longer be started because they do not have the required CSYSDEF. For these created CICS regions from the discarded platform, choose what to do:
    • If you do not want to use the created CICS regions again, delete the data sets and other resources that were created for the regions.
    • If you do want to use the CICS regions again as a CICSPlex SM MAS, create a new CSYSDEF for them so that they can be started and connected to CICSPlex SM. For instructions to do this, see Configuring CICSPlex SM.
    • If you want to use the CICS regions again, but you do not want them to be managed by CICSPlex SM, reverse the steps that you performed to make the CICS regions into a MAS, so that they can be started independently. For the list of steps, see Setting up a CICSPlex SM managed application system (MAS).