CICS ONC RPC operational considerations

The server controller uses EXEC CICS® START to start the aliases that run the CICS programs.

CICS limits on the numbers of tasks that can be started may prevent aliases from running as soon as they are started by the server controller. This leads to delays in servicing the client requests, and this may lead to timeouts in the client.

In the XDR routines, storage allocation is done using MVS facilities, not CICS facilities. The storage is owned by the RP TCB. If an XDR routine abends, the storage is not freed by the server controller or the alias, nor is it freed by MVS, since the RP task does not end. Repeated abends in XDR routines may lead to shortage of storage that can only be corrected by stopping CICS.