Distributed transaction processing

When CICS® arranges function shipping, distributed program link (DPL), asynchronous transaction processing, or transaction routing for you, it establishes a logical data link with a remote system. A data exchange between the two systems then follows. This data exchange is controlled by CICS-supplied programs, using APPC, LUTYPE6.1, or MRO protocols. The CICS-supplied programs issue commands to allocate conversations, and send and receive data between the systems. Equivalent commands are available to application programs, to allow applications to converse. The technique of distributing the functions of a transaction over several transaction programs within a network is called distributed transaction processing (DTP).

Of the five intercommunication facilities, DTP is the most flexible and the most powerful, but it is also the most complex. This section introduces you to the basic concepts.