Virtual storage below the 16 MB address in a z/OS® address space. Addresses below the 16 MB address are accessed by 24-bit addressing, and programs can use this storage when they run in AMODE 24 or higher.
31-bit storage
Virtual storage above the 16 MB address but below the 2 GB address in a z/OS address space. Addresses above the 16 MB address but below the 2 GB address are accessed by 31-bit addressing, and programs can use this storage when they run in AMODE 31 or higher.
64-bit storage
Virtual storage above the 2 GB address in a z/OS address space. Addresses above the 2 GB address are accessed by 64-bit addressing, and programs can use this storage when they run in AMODE 64.
A
abbreviated trace
Optional format for CICS® trace entries which summarizes the information in full trace entries. See also full
trace.
access method control block
A control block that links an application program to Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM) or Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM®).
accessor environment element (ACEE)
A control block that contains a description of the current user's
security environment, including user ID, current connect group, user
attributes, and group authorities. An ACEE is constructed during user
identification and verification.
access program
A user-provided part of a FEPI application that handles the main communications with application programs in CICS or IMS systems.
access register mode (AR mode)
The address space control mode in which the system uses general-purpose registers and the
corresponding access register (AR) to resolve an address in an address space or a data space.
An activity that a program executing outside the process that
contains the activity has gained access to, by issuing an ACQUIRE
command. The activity remains acquired until the next sync point occurs.
Acquiring an activity enables the program to read and write to the
data-containers of the activity, read the data-containers of the process
that contains the activity and issue various commands, including RUN
and LINK, against the activity. See also acquired
process.
acquired process
The process whose root activity a program currently has access
to. A program acquires a process in one of two ways: either by defining
it; or, if the process already exists, by issuing an ACQUIRE PROCESS
command. The process remains acquired until the next sync point occurs.
Acquiring a process enables the program to read and write to the data-containers
of the process and root activity, and issue various commands, including
RUN and LINK, against the process. A program can acquire only one
process (root activity) or one descendant activity within the same
unit of work. See also acquired activity.
active partition
In BMS, the partition that contains the cursor. It can be scrolled
vertically. While a partition is active, the cursor wraps round at
the viewport boundaries, and any input key transmits data from that
partition only.
active task
A CICS task that is eligible for dispatching by CICS.
During emergency restart, a task that completed an LUW and started
another, but that did not cause any records to be written to the system
log during the second LUW.
activity
In BTS, one part of a process managed by CICS business transaction services. Typically, an activity is part of a business transaction. A program that implements an activity differs from a traditional CICS application program only in its being designed to respond to BTS events.
activity completion event
An atomic event that fires when an activity completes.
activity identifier
A means of uniquely referring to an instance of a BTS activity. Activity identifiers are assigned by CICS.
activity keypoint
A record of task and transaction definition status on the system
log made on a periodic basis to facilitate the identification of transaction
backout information during emergency restart. In the event of an uncontrolled
shutdown and subsequent emergency restart, activity keypoints can
shorten the process of backward scanning through the system log. Activity
keypoints are written automatically by the system (system activity
keypoints) or by the user (user activity keypoint).
addressing context
An XML document that CICS uses to store WS-Addressing message addressing properties (MAPs) before they are sent in SOAP request messages and after they are received in SOAP request and response messages.
addressing mode (AMODE)
The attribute of a program module that identifies the addressing
range in which the program entry point can receive control.
adopted region
A CICS region that is incorporated into a platform, but that was originally defined outside the platform environment. See also created region, created region type.
adopted region type
A container for CICS regions that is incorporated into a platform, enabling the regions to be managed as a unit in the platform. See also created region, created region type.
after-image
A record of the contents of a data element after it has been changed.
After-images are used for forward recovery.
agent
In a two-phase commit sync pointing sequence, a task that receives
sync point requests from an initiator.
In distributed transaction programming, an IRC or SNA session
that is obtained by a transaction by means of an ALLOCATE command.
See also principal facility.
In a CICS cloud environment, a management bundle used to describe and create the CICS bundles that contain the resources and policy that comprise a business application. The application can use versioning and is bound to a platform by using an application binding. See also application binding, management bundle, platform.
One or more computer programs or software components that provide a function in direct support
of a specific business process or processes.
application binding
In a CICS cloud environment, a management bundle that
defines an association that maps, or binds, an application to a target platform. An application
binding can use CICS bundles to provide additional CICS resources and policy for the applications deployed to them.
See also application,
management bundle, platform.
application context
In a CICS cloud environment, data that identifies tasks that are running in the context of the application and platform when a CICS resource is declared as an application entry point for an application.
In event processing, the filtering options defined in the capture
specification for application events. These options define the environment
for the event capture.
application context data
In a CICS cloud environment, metadata that identifies the operation, application, application version, and platform in which the application is running.
application data
In event processing, the predicates in the capture specification used for filtering on application data specified in a CICS command.
application domain
CICS domain that contains several major components, including application and system services, intercommunication (ISC and MRO), system control, and reliability. Application programs run in this domain. Most application domain functions are either provided by modules that are an integral part of the CICS system and are loaded at system initialization, or they are system application programs that are loaded as needed, in the same way as user applications.
application event
A type of business event that contains application data. See also business event.
application group name (AGN)
In DBCTL, the name of an application group. An application group is a set of PSBs that can be accessed by one particular CICS system or BMP as a single entity.
application identifier (APPLID)
The name by which a logical unit is known in a VTAM network.
application-owning region (AOR)
A CICS address space whose primary purpose is to manage application programs. It receives transaction routed requests from a terminal-owning region (TOR). See also data-owning
region, terminal-owning region.
application partition set
The partition set that CICS loads into the buffers of a display device when a user application program issues an output request. By default, this is the partition set that was named when the transaction was added to the CICS system. Alternatively, it is the partition set named by the most recent SEND PARTNSET command that the program issued.
In event processing, a method of emitting events in which the emission occurs synchronously
within the unit of work.
atomic event
A single, "low-level" non-composite event. The types of atomic
event are activity completion, input, timer, and system. See also composite event.
autoinstallation
A method of creating and installing resources dynamically as terminals log on, and deleting them at logoff. Autoinstall can be used for VTAM terminals, MVS™ consoles, APPC connections, programs, map sets, partitionsets and journals.
autoinstall control program
A user-replaceable CICS program used to select some of the data needed to automatically install terminals, notably the CICS terminal identifier (TERMID) and the model name to be used in each instance.
automatic initiate descriptor (AID)
A control block used internally by CICS for scheduling purposes. An example of AID use is scheduling a transaction, optionally associating it with a terminal and a temporary storage queue. Another use is scheduling MRO, LU6.1, and LU6.2 ALLOCATE requests.
automatic transaction initiation (ATI)
The initiation of a CICS transaction by an internally generated request, for example, the issue of an EXEC CICS START command or the reaching of a transient data trigger level. CICS resource definition can associate a trigger level and a transaction with a transient data destination. When the number of records written to the destination reaches the trigger level, the specified transaction is automatically initiated. See also trigger level.
auxiliary storage
All addressable storage other than main storage.
auxiliary trace
An optional CICS function that causes trace entries to be recorded in the auxiliary trace data set, a sequential data set on disk or tape.
auxiliary trace data set
A sequentially organized data set on disk or tape, used to record
all trace entries generated while the auxiliary trace function is
active. Either one or two auxiliary trace data sets can be defined;
the latter allows the data sets to be switched when the one currently
being used is full.
AXM
The "authorized cross-memory" server environment. A series of modules providing runtime services for CICS-related cross-memory servers which run in MVS authorized state (unlike CICS itself, which runs unauthorized once initialization has completed) such as the temporary storage data sharing server.
B
backward recovery
The process of restoring integrity to databases and other recoverable
resources following a failure.
The state of a terminal as set by CICS before sending data to it, in the absence of any instructions either from a user application program or from its terminal resource definition. In this state, the terminal behaves as an ordinary (unpartitionable) display device.
basic mapping support (BMS)
An interface between CICS and application programs that formats input and output display data and routes multiple-page output messages without regard for control characters used by various terminals.
batch data interchange
A program that is used to extend the facilities of CICS terminal control to simplify further the handling of data streams in a network.
batched repository-update facility
A CICSPlex® SM facility that applies multiple updates to a CMAS data repository.
before-image
A record of the contents of a data element before it is changed.
Before images are used to backout incomplete or incorrect changes
in the event of a failure.
begin-session handler
A user-provided part of a FEPI application that handles begin-session
processing.
bind request
A request to establish a connection between systems or logical
units.
In temporary storage, a control block used by intrapartition transient
data to show the VSAM control intervals (or BSAM tracks) that have
been used and are available. It is updated whenever a control interval
or track is assigned to or released from a destination.
The concept that you can use a different instance of a selected tool. For instance, bring your
own Liberty means that you have an existing installation of Liberty and want to use that instead of
a CICS supplied version.
One part of a process managed by CICS BTS. Typically, an activity is part of a business transaction.
BTS-set
The set of CICS regions across which related BTS processes and activities may execute.
builder
A module in CICS that, in conjunction with other builders, makes the autoinstall process possible, allows the terminal control table (TCT) to be changed dynamically on a running CICS system, and reduces the times needed for warm and emergency restart on systems that use autoinstall.
bundle
In the OSGi service platform, a Java™ archive file that
contains Java code, resources, and a manifest that describes
the bundle and its dependencies. The bundle is the unit of deployment for an application.
A collection of CICS resources, artifacts, references, and a manifest file that can be installed as a unit. See also management bundle.
bundle part
A resource that is contained within and managed by a CICS bundle. They can be either a resource definition, dependency declaration, or resource modifier. There may be one or more CICS bundle parts in a CICS bundle.
Business Application Services (BAS)
The component of CICSPlex SM that provides the ability to define and manage business applications in terms of their CICS resources and associated CICS systems. BAS provides a central definition repository for CICS systems, complete with installation facilities and the ability to restrict a CICSPlex SM request to those resources defined as being part of the business application.
business event
An event that occurs during a business process. See also application event.
An occurrence of significance to a business. Application events
and system events can be business events.
Business Transaction Services (BTS, CICS BTS)
An application programming interface and set of services for implementing complex business transactions in CICS.
C
CALL interface
A part of the external CICS interface (EXCI). The CALL interface consists of six commands that allow you to allocate and open sessions to a CICS system from non-CICS programs running under MVS; issue DPL requests on these sessions from the non-CICS programs; and close and deallocate the sessions on completion of the DPL requests.
capture data
The business information collected by CICS for inclusion in an event.
capture point
A point in application logic or CICS system activity where an event is generated. Capture points are defined in a capture specification.
capture specification
A capture specification provides the information that CICS will use to detect an event within an application or in the system. The capture specification can include the capture point, capture data, and predicates for filtering and is defined in the event binding file.
category
The recommended security specifications needed for both the CICS transaction definitions and the corresponding RACF® profiles.
category 1 transaction
A set of CICS transactions categorized according to the level of security checking required for them. Transactions in this category are never associated with a terminal: that is, they are for CICS internal use only and should not be invoked from a user terminal. For this reason, CICS does not perform any security checks when it initiates transactions in this category for its own use.
category 2 transaction
A set of CICS transactions categorized according to the level of security checking required for them. Transactions in this category are either initiated by the terminal user or are associated with a terminal. You should restrict authorization to initiate these transactions to user IDs belonging to specific RACF groups.
category 3 transaction
A set of CICS transactions categorized according to the level of security checking required for them. Transactions in this category are either invoked by the terminal user or associated with a terminal. All CICS users, whether they are signed on or not, require access to transactions in this category. For this reason, they are exempt from any security checks and CICS permits any terminal user to initiate these transactions. Examples of category 3 transactions are CESN and CESF, to sign on and off, respectively.
In CICS intercommunication, a grouping of one or more request units to satisfy a single request. Instead of an input request being satisfied by one RU at a time until the chain is complete, the whole chain is assembled and sent to the CICS application satisfying just one request. This ensures that the integrity of the whole chain is known before it is presented to the application program.
child activity
An activity that is launched during the processing of another
activity, which becomes the parent activity.
CICS
Customer Information Control System.
CICS-deployed JAR file
A deployed JAR file that has been produced specifically for the CICS EJB server and stored in the hierarchical file system.
CICS dynamic storage area (CDSA)
A storage area allocated from CICS-key storage below the 16 MB line. The CDSA is used for all non-reentrant CICS-key RMODE(24) programs, all CICS-key task-lifetime storage in 24-bit storage, and CICS control blocks that reside in 24-bit storage.
CICS EJB server
One or more CICS regions that support enterprise beans. A logical CICS EJB server typically consists of multiple (cloned) CICS listener regions and multiple (cloned) CICS AORs. The listener regions and AORs may be combined into listener/AORs.
CICS-key
Storage protection key in which CICS is given control (key 8) when CICS storage protection is used. This key is for CICS code and control blocks. CICS-key storage can be accessed and modified by CICS. Application programs in user-key cannot modify CICS-key storage, but they can read it. CICS-key storage is obtained in MVS key-8 storage. See also user-key storage.
CICS-maintained data table
A type of CICS data table, for which CICS automatically maintains consistency between the table and its source data set. All changes to the data table are reflected in the source data set and all changes to the source data set are reflected in the data table.
CICS monitoring facility
The CICS component responsible for monitoring and producing task-related statistics information, such as task CPU usage and waits for I/O request units on an individual task basis. Reporting is divided into classes.
CICSplex
A set of CICS systems that are managed and manipulated as if they were a single entity. A CICSplex can be managed by CICSPlex SM. See also multiregion operation.
CICSPlex SM address space (CMAS)
A CICSPlex SM component that is responsible for managing CICSplexes. A CMAS provides the single-system image for a CICSplex by serving as the interface to other CICSplexes and external programs. There must be at least one CMAS in each MVS image on which you are running CICSPlex SM. A single CMAS can manage CICS systems within one or more CICSplexes.
CICS region
An instance of CICS Transaction Server that runs in its own z/OS address space.
CICS region user ID
The user ID assigned to a CICS region at CICS initialization. It is specified either in the RACF started procedures table when CICS is started as a started task, or on the USER parameter of the JOB statement when CICS is started as a job.
CICS segment
The portion of a RACF profile containing data for CICS.
CICS system
The entire collection of hardware and software required by CICS.
In CICSPlex SM topology, a definition referring to a CICS system that is to be managed by CICSPlex SM.
CICS system definition data set (CSD)
A VSAM KSDS cluster that contains a resource definition record for every record defined to CICS using resource definition online (RDO).
CICS system group
A set of CICS systems within a CICSplex that can be managed as a single entity.
In CICS business transaction services (BTS), a BTS set, that is the set of CICS regions across which BTS processes and activities may execute.
In CICSPlex SM topology, the user-defined name, description, and content information for a CICS system group. A CICS system group can be made up of CICS systems or other CICS system groups.
CICS-value data area (CVDA)
An argument to which CICS has assigned a specific and limited set of meaningful values. When a CVDA is specified in an EXEC CICS command, CICS converts the CVDA value name to the corresponding numeric representation.
class
In RACF, a collection of defined entities (users, groups, and resources) with similar characteristics.
In object-oriented design or programming, a model or template
that can be used to create objects with a common definition and common
properties, operations, and behavior. An object is an instance of
a class.
class descriptor table (CDT)
A table containing a definition of general resource classes. The CDT contains the classes supplied by IBM® and the installation-defined classes.
classification rule
A rule used by the workload manager component of z/OS to assign a service class.
client initialization file
A file containing configuration information used to inform the CICS Client of the CICS servers it can connect to, and the communication protocols to be used.
cloud enablement
In CICS, packaging a CICS application to use in a CICS cloud environment for deployment in a platform. Resources that comprise a CICS application are packaged into an application bundle to deploy, manage, and monitor the application as a single entity.
A method of starting CICS where all local resources are refreshed, but information relating to remote systems and resource managers is preserved.
command language translator
A batch program (part of CICS program preparation utilities) that prepares a source application program that includes EXEC CICS or EXEC DLI commands. The translator program translates the EXEC commands into CALL statements in the language of the application program. The translator output can be compiled or assembled in the usual way.
command-level interpreter
A transaction that enables CICS commands to be entered, syntax-checked, and executed interactively at a 3270 screen. It provides a reference to the syntax of the whole of the CICS command-level application programming and system programming interface.
command security
A form of security checking that can be specified for the PERFORM,
COLLECT, DISCARD, INQUIRE, and SET commands. Command security operates
in addition to any transaction security or resource security specified
for a transaction. For example if a terminal invokes a transaction
that the user is authorized to use, and the transaction issues a command
that the user is not authorized to use, the command fails with the
NOTAUTH condition.
command thread
A thread which is reserved by the CICS Db2® attachment facility for
commands issued to Db2 using
the DSNC transaction. See also entry thread, pool thread.
To apply all the changes made during the current unit of recovery
(UR) or unit of work (UOW). After the operation is complete, a new
UR or UOW can begin.
committed change
A change that is not backed out in the event of a failure. Changes
made by a logical unit of work (LUW) are committed when the sync point
at the end of the LUW is complete.
common error bucket
An additional error status element (ESE) generated for each terminal error block (TEB), if fewer ESEs than the maximum number of error types recognized by the CICS terminal abnormal condition program are specified when the terminal error program (TEP) tables are generated.
Common Services
A component of CICSPlex SM that provides commonly requested services (such as GETMAIN, FREEMAIN, POST, and WAIT processing) to other CICSPlex SM components.
common system area
In MVS, an area that contains system control programs and control blocks.
A major CICS storage control block that contains areas and data required for the operation of CICS.
common work area (CWA)
An area within the CSA that can be used by application programs
for user data that needs to be accessed by any task in the system.
See also transaction work area.
communication area (COMMAREA)
A CICS area that is used to pass data between tasks that communicate with a given terminal. The area can also be used to pass data between programs within a task.
component trace
A facility provided by CICS to track transactions through CICS components and user programs.
composite event
A "high-level" event, typically formed from the combination of
two or more atomic events. However, composite events can be "empty"
- that is, they may contain no sub-events. See also atomic event, user-defined event.
connection control block (CCB)
A control block created by CICS for each IRC session. The CCB contains control information for the inter-region connection and a pointer to the CSB.
container
An entity that provides life-cycle management, security, deployment,
and runtime services to components.
context
A named part of the CICSPlex SM environment that is currently being acted upon by CICSPlex SM. For configuration tasks, the context is a CICSPlex SM address space (CMAS); for all other tasks, it is a CICSplex. See also scope.
context data
A set of data values describing the context at the capture point
in a running system; for example, the transaction ID, the user ID,
and the current program.
context switch
The activation of a process or activity either in a separate unit
of work from the requestor or with the transaction attributes specified
on the DEFINE PROCESS or DEFINE ACTIVITY command, rather than with
those of the requesting transaction. The relationship of the process
or activity to the requestor is as between separate transactions,
except that data can be passed between the two units of work. A context
switch occurs when a process or activity is activated by a RUN command,
but not when it is activated by a LINK command.
control block
In CICS, a storage area used to hold dynamic data during
the execution of control programs and application programs. See also
control table.
control flow
Transmission of control indicators over a link when there is no
user data available to send. This is often necessary during complex
procedures, such as establishing synchronization points.
control subpool
A CICS area that holds the dispatch control area (DCA), interval control elements (ICEs), automatic initiate descriptors (AIDs), queue element areas (QEAs), and other control information. Generally, the control subpool occupies only one page.
control table
In CICS, a storage area used to define or describe the configuration or operation of the system. See also control
block.
A container for CICS regions that are defined for use in a platform, enabling the regions to be managed as a unit in the platform. See also adopted region, adopted region type, created region.
A form of BMS output mapping in which data stream generation is
delayed until a SEND PAGE command is received or a page overflow occurs.
current connect group
In RACF, during a terminal session or batch job, the group with which a user is associated for access checking purposes. On MVS, if a user does not specify the current connect group on the LOGON command or batch JOB statement, the current connect group is the user's default group. On CICS, users cannot specify a group other than their default group. If list-of-groups processing is in effect, users are associated with all the groups to which they are connected. See also default group.
current list
A list name, specified with a resource definition online command,
that is "remembered" until another list name is used.
In CICS intercommunication, the chain of sessions that results when a system requests a resource in a remote system, but the remote system discovers that the resource is in a third system and has itself to make a remote request.
database resource adapter (DRA)
Component of the CICS-DBCTL interface in the CICS address space. Its functions include requesting connection and disconnection from DBCTL, telling CICS when a shutdown of DBCTL has been requested or if DBCTL has failed, managing threads, establishing contact with the DBCTL address space, and loading the DRA startup parameter table.
Data Cache Manager
A component of CICSPlex SM that manages logical cache storage for use by other CICSPlex SM components.
data container
A named area of storage, maintained by BTS, and used to pass data
between activities, or between different invocations of the same activity.
Each data container is associated with an activity; it is identified
by its name and by the activity for which it is a container. An activity
can have any number of containers, as long as they all have different
names.
data control block (DCB)
A control block used by access method routines in storing and
retrieving data.
data definition name (ddname)
The name of a data definition (DD) statement that corresponds
to a data control block that contains the same name.
data interchange block (DIB)
A block created by the CICS data interchange program (DIP) to control input and output to SNA batch devices. The DIB is chained to the appropriate TCTTE for the batch device, and is released at the termination of the transaction.
data interchange program (DIP)
A CICS program that communicates with batch data interchange terminals, such as the 3790, for bulk transfer of dumps, data sets, and so on.
An area that represents a physical VSAM data set that is being accessed through one or more CICS files.
data set name sharing
An MVS option that allows one set of control blocks to be used for the base and the path in a VSAM alternate index.
data set profile
A profile that provides RACF protection for one or more
data sets. The information in the profile can include data such as the profile owner, universal
access authority, and access list. See also discrete
profile.
In RACF, the group specified in a user profile that is the default current connect group. See also current
connect group.
default user
The user whose security attributes are used to protect CICS resources in the absence of other, more specific, user identification. For example, except in the case of terminals defined with preset security, the security attributes of the default user are assigned to terminal users who do not sign on.
deferred work element (DWE)
A work element created and placed on a chain (the DWE chain) to
save information about an event that must be completed before task
termination but that is not completed at the present time. DWEs are
also used to save information about work to be backed out in case
of an abend.
defined user ID
A user identifier (user ID) named on a DEFINE PROCESS or DEFINE
ACTIVITY command. It specifies the user ID under whose authority the
process or activity will be run, if it is activated by a RUN command.
definition signature
In a CICS resource, information about when, how, and by whom the resource was defined or last changed. See also resource signature.
delete lock
Lock acquired by CICS file control whenever a DELETE, WRITE, or WRITE MASSINSERT operation is being performed for a recoverable VSAM KSDS or a recoverable path over a KSDS.
destination
A queue of data used with the CICS transient data facility.
One of the data sections of a CICS monitoring record written to SMF. The dictionary data section defines all the performance data that is being gathered or can be gathered during this CICS run.
A CICS domain that provides resource-table lookup services for CICS Transaction Server for z/OS components such as transaction manager, program manager, and user domains. The resource definitions for which the directory manager domain provides services are transaction definitions, remote transaction definitions, transaction classes, TPNames, user attributes, programs, BMS mapsets, and BMS partition sets.
discrete profile
A RACF profile that contains security information about a
single data set, user, or resource. See also data set profile
and profile.
dispatcher domain
Major component of CICS concerned with attaching, running, and detaching tasks and scheduling task control blocks for the various modes: quasi reentrant, resource-owning, or concurrent.
dispatching priority
A number assigned to tasks, used to determine the order in which they are to use the processor in the CICS multitasking environment.
distributed identity
User identity information that originates from a remote system.
The distributed identity is created in one system and is passed to
one or more other systems over a network.
distributed program link (DPL)
A function of CICS intersystem communication that enables an application program to ship LINK requests to another application program on a different instance of CICS.
distributed routing model
A "peer-to-peer" dynamic routing system, in which each of the participating CICS regions can be both a routing region and a target region. The distributed routing model is implemented by the distributed routing program.
distributed routing program
A user-replaceable program that can be used to dynamically route BTS processes and activities, and transactions started by non-terminal-related EXEC CICS START commands.
distributed transaction processing (DTP)
A process that enables a CICS transaction to communicate synchronously with a transaction running in another instance of CICS.
distributed unit of work (DUW)
In a distributed process, all processing between two sync points
taken by two or more intercommunicating transactions using a two-phase
commit protocol. A DUW is a distributed LUW.
DL/I interface block (DIB)
A block containing variables automatically defined in an application
program using HLPI to receive information passed to the program by
DL/I during execution. A block automatically inserted into a program
by the DLI command translator. Whenever a program issues an EXEC DLI
request, DLI responds by storing information in the DIB.
document
A logical structure that a CICS transaction can use to manipulate text or other structured information.
domain
A functionally isolated area of the CICS system that owns resources to which it has sole access and that communicates with other parts of CICS through strictly defined interfaces called gates.
domain gate
An entry point or interface to a CICS domain. A domain gate can be called by any authorized caller who needs to use some function provided by the domain.
domain manager domain
Major component of CICS responsible for maintaining, through the use of catalog services, permanent information about individual domains.
A sequential data set (optional) used to record dumps of transactions (tasks) within the system. It can be formatted and printed by the CICS dump utility program (DFHDUP). If required, the user can define two dump data sets (DFHDMPA and DFHDMPB), switching between them during online execution of CICS.
dump domain
Major component of CICS responsible for producing storage dumps and for handling the associated data sets and dump tables.
dump table
A table of dump codes to enable a user to vary the system actions
taken when a dump is produced for a particular dump code.
dump utility program (DFHDUP)
An offline utility program that formats and prints the output
from formatted dump, and prints transaction dumps. It operates in
batch mode and, for formatted dumps, identifies each storage area,
program, and table entry, and prints them separately, with actual
and relative addresses.
Assignment of system resources to a program when the program is
executed rather than when it is loaded into main storage.
dynamic backout
A process that automatically cancels all activities performed
by an application program that terminates abnormally.
dynamic parse
A method of parsing TSO commands according to syntax given in
an external file.
dynamic partition
A partition configured at the time of program execution according
to the storage requirements of the application program or program
to which the partition is allocated.
dynamic routing
The automatic routing of a service request, a message, or an event
that is based on conditions at the time of the routing.
dynamic routing program
A user-replaceable CICS program that selects dynamically both the system to which a routing request is to be sent and the transaction's remote name. The alternative to using this program is to make these selections when a remote transaction is defined to CICS (static routing).
dynamic storage
An area of storage that is explicitly allocated by a program or
procedure while it is running. See also static
storage.
dynamic storage area (DSA)
A type of storage allocation in which storage is assigned to a
program or application at run time.
dynamic transaction routing program (DFHDYP)
A user-replaceable CICS program that selects dynamically both the system to which a transaction routing request is to be sent and the transaction's remote name. The alternative to using this program is to make these selections when a remote transaction is defined to CICS (static transaction routing).
A user-provided part of a FEPI application that handles end of
conversation and end of session processing.
entity
A user, group, or resource that is defined to a security service, such as RACF.
entry thread
A thread which is used by the CICS Db2 attachment facility for
transactions with special requirements, such as high priority transactions, or transactions with
special accounting needs. See also command thread, pool thread.
Environment Services System Services (ESSS)
A component of CICSPlex SM that implements the formal MVS subsystem functions required by the product. ESSS provides cross-memory services, data space management, connection services, and lock management. An ESSS system address space is created at CICSPlex SM initialization and remains in the MVS image for the life of the IPL.
An XML definition that can be deployed to CICS in a CICS bundle. This bundle can be enabled, disabled, installed, inquired on, and uninstalled. The event binding contains event specifications, capture specifications, and adapter information.
event capture
The process of capturing an event in CICS. After a capture point has been successfully filtered, CICS copies all of the capture data and passes it to the event dispatcher.
event control block (ECB)
A control block used to represent the status of an event.
event dispatcher
A dispatcher that routes captured events to the correct event
processing adapter for processing.
event monitoring point (EMP)
Point in the CICS code at which CICS monitoring data is collected.
event option
A predicate in the capture specification used for filtering on the value of one of the options on a CICS command for application events or on one of the predefined options for system events.
event pool
The set of events recognized by an activity (system events and
user events that have been defined to it). Each activity has an event
pool associated with it. An activity's event pool is initialized when
the activity is created, and deleted when the activity is deleted.
Event-related commands such as DEFINE INPUT EVENT and DEFINE COMPOSITE
EVENT operate on the event pool associated with the current activity.
event processing adapter (EP adapter)
A program that formats and routes events emitted by CICS.
event processing adapter configuration
An XML definition that defines an event processing adapter to CICS. An event processing adapter consists of adapter and dispatcher information.
event processing adapter set
A definition that contains the names of one or more EP adapters.
event specification
Part of the event binding that represents a business event. The
event specification contains the event name and the emitted business
information. One or more capture specifications can refer to an event
specification.
exception class data
CICS monitoring information on exception conditions raised by a transaction, such as queuing for VSAM strings or waiting for temporary storage. This data highlights possible problems in system operations. See also monitoring record.
exception trace entry
An entry made to the internal trace table and any other active trace destinations when CICS detects an exception condition. It gives information about what was happening at the time the failure occurred and what was being used.
exchange log name
The process by which, when an APPC connection is established between two CICS systems (or reestablished after failure), the name of the system log currently in use on each system is passed to the partner. The exchange log name process affects only sync level 2 conversations. It is used to detect the situation where a failed CICS has been communicating with a partner that is waiting to perform session recovery, and is restarted using a different system log. See also logname.
A type of access control in which VSAM keeps control of the control
interval (CI) containing a specific record until a REWRITE, UNLOCK,
or DELETE command is issued for that record. The purpose of exclusive
control is to protect against simultaneous update.
exclusive use
A means by which CICS and data managers, such as SQL/DS, combine to prevent concurrent updates of resources. A transaction updating a recoverable resource gets control of that resource until it terminates or indicates that it wants to commit those changes with a syncpoint command. Other transactions requesting the same resource must wait until the first transaction has finished with it.
EXEC interface block (EIB)
A control block associated with each task in a CICS command-level environment. The EIB contains information that is useful during the execution of an application program (such as the transaction identifiers) and information that is helpful when a dump is being used to debug a program.
EXEC interface stub
The stub link-edited with every command-level program. It is part of the CALL interface between EXEC CICS commands and the CICS EXEC interface program (EIP).
execution diagnostic facility (EDF)
A CICS facility used for testing application programs interactively online, without making any modifications to the source program or to the program preparation procedure. The facility intercepts execution of the program at various points and displays information about the program at these points. Also displayed are any screens sent by the user program, so that the programmer can converse with the application program during testing just as a user would do on the production system.
exit point
A specific point in a system function or program where control
may be passed to one or more specified exit programs. See also exit program.
exit program
A program to which control is passed from an exit point. See also exit point.
exit programming interface (XPI)
Provides global user exit programs with access to some CICS services. It consists of a set of function calls that can be used in user exit programs to extend CICS functions.
Storage area allocated above 16 MB but below 2 GB for CICS code and control blocks that are eligible to reside above 16 MB but below 2 GB, but that are not eligible for the ERDSA (that is, they are not reentrant).
extended common service area (ECSA)
A major element of z/OS virtual storage above the 16 MB line. This area contains pageable system data areas that are addressable by all active virtual storage address spaces. It duplicates the common system area (CSA) which exists below the 16 MB line.
extended error queue element (EEQE)
Data that describes an I/O error on a local DL/I database. EEQEs are recorded by CICS in the global catalog. CICS uses EEQEs to provide I/O error handling during CICS restarts, including cold starts.
extended link pack area (ELPA)
The portion of virtual storage above 16 MB that contains frequently
used modules. See also extended addressing.
extended private area
An element of MVS virtual storage above the 16 MB line. This area duplicates the private area except for the 16 KB system region area.
extended read-only dynamic storage area (ERDSA)
An area of storage allocated above 16 MB but below 2 GB and used for eligible, reentrant CICS and user application programs, which must be link-edited with the RENT and RMODE(ANY) attributes. The storage is obtained in key 0, non-fetch-protected storage, if the system initialization parameters include RENTPGM=PROTECT. If RENTPGM=NOPROTECT is specified, the ERDSA is in CICS-key storage.
extended restart (XRST)
A restart, initiated by a DL/I call, that reestablishes database
positioning and user-specified areas.
extended shared dynamic storage area (ESDSA)
The user-key storage area for any non-reentrant user-key RMODE(ANY) programs, and also for any storage obtained by programs issuing CICS GETMAIN commands for storage above 16 MB but below 2 GB with the SHARED option.
extended system queue area (ESQA)
A major element of z/OS virtual storage above the 16 MB line. This storage area contains tables and queues relating to the entire system. It duplicates above the 16 MB line the system queue area (SQA).
extended user dynamic storage area (EUDSA)
Storage area allocated above 16 MB but below 2 GB used for data
and for user application programs that execute in user-key and are
eligible to reside above 16 MB but below 2 GB, but that are not eligible
for the ERDSA (that is, not reentrant.)
external call interface (ECI)
An application programming interface that allows a non-CICS program running on a client to call a CICS program located on a CICS server. Data is exchanged in the COMMAREA as for normal CICS interprogram communication.
external CICS interface (EXCI)
A CICS application programming interface that helps to make CICS applications more easily accessible from non-CICS environments. It enables a non-CICS program (a client program) running in MVS to call a program (a server program) running in a CICS Transaction Server region and to pass and receive data by means of a communications area.
external security manager (ESM)
A security product that performs security checking on users and resources. RACF is an example of an ESM.
extrapartition transient data
A CICS facility for temporarily saving data in the form of queues, called destinations. See also intrapartition
transient data.
Extra Performance Linkage (XPLINK)
A type of call linkage that can improve performance in an environment
of frequent calls between small functions.
In the CICS Front End Programming Interface (FEPI), a collection of nodes and targets.
field definition macro (DFHMDF)
In BMS, a macro that defines a field within a map defined by the
previous DFHMDI macro. The DFHMDF macro specifies initial attributes
to be given to fields within a map. See also map definition.
file control table (FCT)
A CICS table containing the characteristics of the files accessed by file control.
An element used by CICS file control to link related requests together as a file thread; to record the existence of READ SET storage to be released at syncpoint and the existence of any other outstanding work that must be completed at syncpoint; to register a task as a user of a file to prevent the file being closed while still in use.
filter
The set of predicates that are used to determine whether an event
is captured. If all predicates are true, the event is captured.
fire status
A boolean flag indicating whether or not an event has occurred (fired). The fire status of an
event can be either FIRED (true) or NOTFIRED (false).
The process of reconstructing a file from a particular point by
restoring a saved version of the file and then applying changes to
that file in the same order they were originally made.
front-end programming interface (FEPI)
A separately-installable function of CICS Transaction Server that enables communication with non-LU6.2 partners by simulating an LU0 or LU2 device. FEPI allows CICS to communicate with existing applications on LU0 or LU2 systems without change to those applications.
front-end transaction
In synchronous transaction-to-transaction communication, the transaction that acquires the
session to a remote system and initiates a transaction on that
system.
Option for formatting CICS trace entries. Full trace shows all the data for each trace entry. See also abbreviated
trace.
function management header (FMH)
One or more headers, optionally present in the leading request
units (RUs) of an RU chain, that allow one LU to (a) select a transaction
program or device at the session partner and control the way in which
the end-user data it sends is handled at the destination, (b) change
the destination or the characteristics of the data during the session,
and (c) transmit between session partners status or user information
about the destination (for example, a program or device). Function
management headers can be used with LU type 1, 4, and 6.2 protocols.
function shipping
The process, transparent to the application program, by which CICS accesses resources when those resources are actually held on another CICS system.
The SNA-defined data stream format used for basic conversations
on APPC sessions.
general log
A general purpose log stream used by CICS for any of the following: forward recovery logs, autojournals, or user journals. See also system log.
general resource
In RACF, any system resource, other than an MVS data set, that is defined in the class descriptor table (CDT). In MVS, general resources include DASD volumes, tape volumes, load modules, terminals, IMS and CICS transactions and other CICS resources, and installation-defined resource classes.
generic gate
Gives access to a set of functions that are provided by several
domains.
generic key
In systems with VSAM, a leading portion of a key, containing characters
that identify those records that are significant for a certain application.
The key is one or more consecutive characters, taken from a data record,
used to identify the record and establish its order with respect to
other records.
A system data set in which CICS records CICS system information. See also local catalog.
global catalog domain
Together with the local catalog domain, a repository used by other CICS domains to hold information to allow an orderly restart. The two catalog domains enable CICS code to read, write, and purge records on the global and local catalog data sets so that a record of the CICS state can be maintained when CICS is not running.
global trap/trace exit
A problem-determination function controlled by the CSFE CICS transaction.
global user exit
A point in a CICS module at which CICS can pass control to a user-written program (known as an exit program), and then resume control when the program has finished. When an exit program is enabled for a particular exit point, the program is called every time the exit point is reached. See also task-related user exit.
global work area (GWA)
An area provided by CICS for a user exit program when the user exit program is enabled.
global zone
Logical division of the SMP/E consolidated software inventory
(CSI).
A collection of users who can share access authorities for protected
resources.
In resource definition online, a collection of related resources.
The main purpose of an RDO group is convenience in storing definitions
in the CSD.
group authority
Authority to use objects, resources, or functions from a group
profile.
group ID (GID)
In RACF, a string of one to eight characters that identifies a group. The first character must be A through Z, #, $, or @. The rest can be A through Z, #, $, @, or 0 through 9.
group profile
A profile that provides the same authority to a group of users.
In the CICS Front End Programming Interface (FEPI), a transaction initiated to handle specified events.
high private area
Part of the CICS address space, consisting of the local system queue area (LSQA), the scheduler work area (SWA), and subpools 229 and 230. The area at the high end of the CICS address space is not specifically used by CICS, but contains information and control blocks that are needed by the operating system to support the region and its requirements. See also local system
queue area.
hiperspace
A high-performance, virtual-storage space of up to 2 gigabytes
(GB). Unlike an address space, a hiperspace contains only user data
and does not contain system control blocks or common areas; code does
not execute in a hiperspace. Unlike a data space, data in a hiperspace
cannot be referenced directly; data must be moved to an address space
in blocks of 4 KB before being processed.
hop data
A packet of data transferred from one system to another that describes
context about some earlier processing. Transaction tracking has two
types of hop data: origin data and previous hop data.
An option for disconnecting CICS from DBCTL, using the CDBC transaction. Immediate disconnection allows only current DL/I requests to DBCTL from this CICS system to be completed before CICS is disconnected from DBCTL. See also orderly disconnection.
immediate shutdown
A shutdown of CICS in which tasks in progress are not allowed to complete normally. This form of shutdown is requested from the main terminal.
indirect destination
In CICS, a type of transient data destination that points to another destination within the destination control table, rather than directly to a queue.
indoubt
In CICS, the state at a particular point in a distributed UOW for which a two-phase commit sync point is in progress.
indoubt window
The period between the sending of a sync point request to a remote
system and the receiving of a reply. During this period, the local
system does not know whether the remote system has committed its changes.
If processing fails in the in-doubt window, recovery processing must
resolve the status of any work that is in doubt.
inflight
The state of a resource or unit of recovery that has not yet completed
the prepare phase of the commit process.
inflight task
During emergency restart, a task that caused records to be written
to the system log, but for which no syncpoint record has been found
for the current LUW. This task was interrupted before the LUW completed.
information source
The part of the capture specification which defines where an emitted
business information item is obtained. There must be an information
source for each item of emitted business information.
initialization
Actions performed by the CICS system to construct the environment in the CICS region to enable CICS applications to be run.
initial program load (IPL)
The process of loading the operating system and other basic software
into main storage.
initiator
The role of a node using the two-phase commit protocol when its
local transaction program issues a commit operation that begins the
two-phase commit flows. The initiator is the root node of a transaction
program network.
input event
An atomic event that can be sent to an activity by its parent,
or from outside the process. It tells the activity why it has been
activated. See also system event.
input/output PCB (I/O PCB)
Program communication block needed to issue DBCTL service requests.
input partition
In BMS, a partition holding input required by the logic of the
program and nominated in the associated RECEIVE MAP command.
installation signature
In a CICS resource, information about when, how, and by whom the resource was installed. See also resource
signature.
intercommunication
In CICS, a term embracing intersystem communication (ISC) and multiregion operation (MRO).
internal lock
A mechanism used by CICS to protect individual resource definitions against concurrent updates.
internal resource lock manager (IRLM)
A global lock manager that resides in its own address space and
provides the option of keeping most of its control blocks in local
storage rather than the common storage area.
internal response time
Elapsed time from the message to start a transaction being received by CICS until the time that the transaction ends.
internal trace
A CICS trace facility that is present in virtual storage. When CICS detects an exception condition, an entry always goes to the internal trace table, even if you have turned tracing off.
interregion communication (IRC)
The method by which CICS provides communication between a CICS region and another region in the same processor. Interregion communication is used for multiregion operation (MRO). See also intersystem communication.
intersystem communication (ISC)
A CICS facility that provides inbound and outbound support for communication from other computer systems. See also interregion communication.
inter-transaction affinity
A relationship between a set of transactions that share a common resource and coordinate their processing. Transaction affinity between two or more CICS transactions is caused by the transactions using techniques to pass information between one another, or to synchronize activity between one another, in a way that requires the transactions to execute in the same CICS region.
interval control element (ICE)
An entry under CICS interval control that is waiting in an unexpired state. Its defined date and time (to become current) are in the future. When an ICE expires it becomes an automatic initiation descriptor (AID).
interval control program (ICP)
The CICS program that provides time-dependent facilities. Together with task control, interval control (sometimes called time management) provides various optional task functions (such as system stall detection, runaway task control, and task synchronization) based on specified intervals of time, or the time of day.
A set of Java classes and methods that allows applications that are written in Java to access CICS-managed resources in a similar way to the CICS API that is used for applications that are written in procedural languages such as COBOL and PL/I.
A set of one or more data sets to which records are written during a CICS run.
K
kernel domain
Major component of CICS providing a consistent linkage and recovery environment for CICS. The application programmer has no external interface to kernel linkage.
Kernel Linkage
A component of CICSPlex SM that is responsible for building data structures and managing the interfaces between the other CICSPlex SM components. The environment built by Kernel Linkage is known as the method call environment.
keypoint
The periodic recording of system information and control blocks
on the system log - also the data so recorded.
keystroke interface
The part of the Front End Programming Interface that allows a
front-end application to specify a sequence of keystroke-like commands,
which is used to define input to a back-end application.
Storage used by reentrant CICS management modules to save registers.
Link3270 bridge
A facility in CICS that provides a simplified interface using LINK, ECI, and EXCI. An application uses the Link3270 bridge to run 3270 transactions by linking to the DFHL3270 program in the router region and passing a COMMAREA that identifies the transaction to be run and contains the data used by the user application. If the target application used BMS, the reply is presented in the form of an application data structure (ADS), another name for the symbolic map that is generated by the BMS macros used to define the mapping of the 3270 terminal screen.
link pack area (LPA)
The portion of virtual storage below 16 MB that contains frequently
used modules.
link security
A limit on one system's authorization to attach transactions and access resources in another. Link security works by signing on each end of a session (to RACF, in CICS Transaction Server) when the session is bound. Each half-session then has the access requirements of the single user profile defined for the remote system as a whole. This profile is applied when a transaction is attached and whenever the transaction accesses a protected resource. See also session security.
loader domain
Major component of CICS used by the domains of the CICS system to obtain access to storage-resident copies of nucleus and application programs, maps, and tables. In order to provide this, the loader domain interfaces with MVS to perform loading of programs into CICS-managed storage (DSA/EDSA) and scanning of the MVS link pack area.
local catalog
A system data set that CICS uses to record data used by the internal workings of CICS. See also global catalog.
local catalog domain
Together with the global catalog domain, a repository used by other CICS domains to hold information to allow an orderly restart. The two catalog domains enable CICS code to read, write, and purge records on the local and global catalog data sets so that a record of the CICS state can be maintained when CICS is not running.
local CMAS
The CICSPlex SM address space (CMAS) that a user identifies as the current context when performing CMAS configuration tasks.
local DL/I
DL/I residing in the CICS address space.
local shared resource (LSR)
A file that shares a common pool of buffers and a common pool
of strings; that is, control blocks supporting I/O operations, with
other files. See also nonshared resource.
local system queue area (LSQA)
An element of the CICS address space. It generally contains the control blocks for storage and contents supervision. See also high private area.
local work area
Area provided for the use of a single task-related user exit program.
It is associated with a single task and lasts for the duration of
the task only.
lock manager domain
Major component of CICS that provides locking and associated queueing for CICS resources. Before using these facilities, a resource must add a named lock for itself. This lock can then be requested as either exclusive or shared. If an exclusive lock is obtained, no other task many obtain the lock with that name; if a shared lock is obtained, multiple tasks may obtain that lock.
logical device component (LDC)
A subcomponent (for example, a printer or a console) configured
with a 3601, 3770 batch, 3770, 3790 batch or LU Type4 terminal. Each
subcomponent is handled by BMS output commands as if it is a separate
terminal.
logical message
A collection of formatted output data produced by chaining several
smaller pieces of data. A user builds a logical message by issuing
a series of BMS SEND commands.
logical recovery
Restoration of a facility to its status at a point just prior
to any in-flight transaction activity.
logical unit of work (LUW)
The processing that a program performs between synchronization
points.
log manager
A domain in CICS. The CICS log manager uses MVS system logger services to write CICS system logs, forward recovery logs, and user journals to log streams managed by the MVS system logger.
logname
The name of the CICS system log currently in use. See also exchange log name.
long running mirror
A mirror task that waits for the next sync point in a session,
even though logically it does not need to do so.
Program-addressable storage from which instructions and other
data can be loaded directly into registers for subsequent execution
or processing.
main storage database (MSDB)
A root-segment database that can be accessed at the segment level
and resides in main storage during execution.
maintenance point
A CICSPlex SM address space (CMAS) that is responsible for maintaining CICSPlex SM definitions in its data repository and distributing them to other CMASs involved in the management of a CICSplex.
major object descriptor block (MODB)
In CICSPlex SM, a control structure built by Kernel Linkage during initialization of a CICSPlex SM component that contains a directory of all methods that make up that component. The structure of the MODB is the same for all components.
major object environment block (MOEB)
In CICSPlex SM, a control structure built by Kernel Linkage during initialization of a CICSPlex SM component and pointed to by the MODB. MOEB stores information critical to a CICSPlex SM component and anchors data used by the component. The structure of the MOEB is unique to the component it supports.
managed application system (MAS)
A running CICS Transaction Server for z/OS region that is being managed by CICSPlex SM. A MAS contains CICSPlex SM agent code that implements CICSPlex SM functions, such as data collection.
management bundle
A set of XML files that is parsed to define and install platforms and applications. A management
bundle describes one artifact such as a platform, an application, or an application binding, and
references bundles that contain resources relating to the artifact. An example of a management
bundle is an application bundle. See also application, application binding, bundle,
platform, stand-alone CICS bundle.
management part
In a CICS cloud environment, a record for an application or platform that associates the application or platform with the CICS bundles that it manages in the CICS regions.
map
In BMS, a format established for a page or a portion of a page,
or a set of screen format descriptions. A map relates program variables
to the positions in which their values appear on a display device.
A map contains other formatting information such as field attributes.
A map describes constant fields and their position on the display,
the format of input and output fields, the attributes of constant
and variable fields, and the symbolic names of variable fields.
In BMS, a macro that defines a map within the map set defined
by the previous DFHMSD macro. See also map
definition.
mapped conversation
In advanced program-to-program communications (APPC), a temporary
connection between an application program and an APPC session in which
the system provides all the information on how the data is formatted.
mapping
In BMS, the process of transforming field data to and from its
displayable form.
map set
In basic mapping support (BMS), one or more maps combined in a
map set. Using a map set means that you can load simultaneously all
maps needed for one application.
map set definition macro (DFHMSD)
A macro that is used to define a set of BMS maps. See also map definition.
map set suffix
In BMS, a suffix relating different versions of a map set to different
terminal models or partitions. This allows you to format the same
data differently on different screen types, in response to the same
programming request.
In BMS, the area of a screen used to send instruction messages
to assist the operator in processing a transaction. This area should
be separate from the application data area to allow communication
with the operator, without disturbing the application data. The message
area is normally the bottom one or two lines of the screen.
message cache
A temporary storage queue with the name DFHMxxxx, where xxxx is the identification of a logical unit, into which CICS reads messages (for message-protected tasks only) during emergency restart. A user-written inquiry program run after emergency restart can read the contents of message caches. CICS does not read or purge message caches.
message data set
The message data set is used principally to pass messages about the current state of specific resources from the active system to the alternate system. It is also used for the secondary surveillance signals of the active, alternate, or both CICS systems, when the control data set is unavailable for this purpose, either because the last write has not completed yet or because of I/O errors.
message domain
A repository for CICS messages that handles the sending of messages to transient data destinations or to the console. It also provides an interface for returning the text of a message to the caller.
message protection
A recovery and restart function provided by CICS. It logs input and output messages for SNA LUs and enables the messages to be recovered following a system failure.
message routing
A method used for building a logical message and routing it to
one or more terminals. The message is scheduled, for each designated
terminal, to be delivered as soon as the terminal is available to
receive messages, or at a specified time. Terminal operators who receive
the message use terminal operator paging commands to view it. A variety
of operands on the ROUTE command allow you flexibility when specifying
the message destinations.
message switching
The process of receiving a message, storing it, and forwarding
it to its destination unaltered.
mirror task
A CICS task that services incoming requests that specify a CICS mirror transaction (CSMI, CSM1, CSM2, CSM3, CSM5, CPMI, CVMI, or a user-defined mirror transaction identifier).
mirror transaction
CICS transaction that recreates a request that is function shipped from one system to another, issues the request on the second system, and passes the acquired data back to the first system.
In data communications, the set of rules and protocols to be used
for a session.
In CICS BTS, the processing state of an activity. An activity can be in an initial, active, dormant (that is, waiting for an event), cancelling, or complete mode.
modeset
In CICS, a group of APPC sessions. A modeset is linked by its mode name to a mode group (z/OS Communications Server LOGMODE entry) that defines the class of service for the modeset.
modified data tag
In the attribute byte of each field in a BMS map, a bit that determines whether the field should be transmitted on a READ MODIFIED command (the command used by CICS for all except copy operations).
An indicator, associated with each input or output field in a
displayed record, that is automatically set on when data is typed
into the field. The modified data tag is maintained by the display
file and can be used by the program using the file.
modified link pack area (MLPA)
An area of virtual storage containing reenterable routines from
system data sets that are to be part of the pageable extension of
the link pack area (LPA) during the current initial program load (IPL).
See also pageable link pack area.
In CICS, the domain responsible for producing performance
information about each task.
monitoring record
Any of three types of task-related activity record (performance, event, and exception) built by the CICS monitoring domain. Monitoring records are available to the user for accounting, tuning, and capacity planning purposes. See also exception
class data, performance class
data.
Communication between CICS systems in the same processor without the use of SNA network facilities. This allows several CICS systems in different regions to communicate with each other, and to share resources such as files, terminals, temporary storage, and so on. See also CICSplex.
In CICS, the name by which a CICS terminal or a CICS system is known to z/OS Communications Server.
node abnormal condition program (NACP)
A CICS program used by terminal control to analyze terminal abnormal conditions that are logical unit or node errors detected by z/OS Communications Server.
node error block (NEB)
A set of recording areas of the node error table used to count
node errors relating to a single logical unit.
node error program (NEP)
A user-replaceable program used to allow user-dependent processing whenever a communication error is reported to CICS
node error table (NET)
Table used by the node error program.
nonconversational
A mode of CICS operation in which resources are allocated, used, and released immediately on completion of the task.
nonshared resource (NSR)
A file that has its own set of buffers and control blocks. See
also local shared resource.
That portion of the CICS region that holds the CSA, management modules, control tables, and resident application programs.
O
open task control block (open TCB)
A task control block that is dedicated to a single task. Multiple
open TCBs can run concurrently in the address space. Several different
types, or modes, of open TCBs are available for specific purposes.
An application that is running on an open TCB cannot rely on quasi-reentrancy
to protect shared resources from concurrent access by another program.
A 1-to-3 character code that is assigned to each operator and is stored in the operator's terminal entry in the CICS terminal control table (TCTTE) when the operator signs on.
An option for disconnecting CICS from DBCTL using the CDBC transaction. It allows all existing DBCTL tasks to be completed before CICS is disconnected from DBCTL. See also immediate
disconnection.
origin application schedule number (OASN)
An IMS recovery element in an external subsystem (for example, Db2). The OASN is equivalent to the unit-of-recovery ID in the CICS recovery token. It is coupled with the IMS ID to become the recovery token for LUWs in external subsystems.
orphan lock
An orphan lock is an RLS lock that is held by VSAM RLS but unknown to any CICS region. An RLS lock becomes an orphan lock if it is acquired from VSAM by a CICS region that fails before it can log it. A VSAM interface enables CICS, during an emergency restart, to detect the existence of these locks and release them.
P
pageable link pack area (PLPA)
An area of virtual storage containing supervisor call (SVC) routines,
access methods, and other read-only system and user programs that
can be shared among users of the system. See also modified link pack area.
page allocation map (PAM)
A map containing information used by the storage domain to manage
each of its five dynamic storage areas (DSAs).
page chaining
A facility available under full-function BMS. The terminal operator
invokes a transaction that communicates with the terminal in the normal
way. This invoked transaction might, in turn, build pages that are
(if the SEND PAGE command in the invoked transaction specified RETAIN
or RELEASE) chained to the pages built by the original transaction.
The operator can then retrieve pages for either transaction, for example,
for comparison.
page control area (PCA)
A 4-byte area placed by BMS at the end of the device-dependent
data stream returned to the application.
page overflow
A condition that occurs when the next BMS map or block of text
does not fit on the current page of the target terminal.
A single intersystem link that can carry multiple independent sessions. Parallel sessions are supported by CICS intersystem communication (ISC).
parameter manager domain
Major component of CICS providing a facility to inform CICS domains of system parameters during CICS initialization. These parameters are specified in the system initialization table (SIT), as temporary override parameters read from the SYSIN data stream or specified interactively at the system console. It also provides an operator correction facility for incorrectly specified system initialization parameter keywords early in CICS initialization.
parent activity
An activity that starts another activity, its child.
participant adapter parameter list (PAPL)
An area in DRA storage used for communication between CICS and DRA. The PAPL holds CICS request codes and DRA return codes.
partition
In BMS, an addressable subset of a display device's internal resources,
consisting of a fixed part of the device's screen, and a fixed part
of its internal storage. See also presentation
space, viewport.
partition dump
An unformatted dump of the entire CICS partition. It is
produced by CICS from within the partition without operating
system
assistance.
partitioned data set (PDS)
A data set on direct access storage that is divided into partitions, called members, each of
which can contain a program, part of a program, or data.
partitioned data set extended (PDSE)
A data set that contains an indexed directory and members that
are similar to the directory and members of partitioned data sets
(PDSs). See also library.
partition set
In BMS, a group of partitions designed to share the same screen. CICS must load the whole partition set onto a terminal before it can communicate with any of the partitions.
partner
In distributed processing, any one of the separate communicating parts of an application. In CICS intercommunication, a transaction communicating with a remote transaction or system. A CICS program using the SAA communications interface requires a local PARTNER resource definition for its remote partner.
Detailed transaction-level monitoring data, which includes task
identification information, resource request counts, CPU and dispatch
times, and time spent waiting for I/O. Monitoring of performance (that
is, the collection of performance class data) is activated by the
MNPER system initialization parameter. See also monitoring record.
performance data section
One of the CICS data sections in a CICS monitoring record. It consists of a string of field connectors followed by one or more performance data records.
physical map
A set of instructions telling BMS how to format a display for
a given device. BMS does this by imbedding control characters in the
data stream.
In a CICS cloud environment, a management bundle that
describes a number of logically related CICS regions and
provides services and resources for application deployment. A platform can use CICS bundles to provide additional CICS
resources and policy for the applications deployed to them. See also application, application binding,
management bundle.
A set of considerations that influence the behavior of a managed
resource or a user.
policy document
An XML document that contains the policies that have the same
scope.
pool thread
A thread which is used by the CICS Db2 attachment facility for
transactions and commands that do not use an entry thread or a command thread. See also command thread, entry
thread.
port of entry
The name and type of device from which a user signs on. CICS recognizes only TERMINALs and CONSOLEs.
POSIT
A number that is specified for each class in the class descriptor table that identifies a set of flags that control RACF processing options.
predicate
An expression used as part of a filter, consisting of a data item,
an operator, and a value. A predicate is used to restrict the occasions
when an event is emitted.
prefixed save area (PSA)
An element of MVS virtual storage which contains processor-dependent status information.
prefixing
Specifying at system initialization that you want CICS to prefix the resource names that it passes to RACF for authorization with the RACF user ID under which the CICS region is running.
pregenerated system
A CICS system distributed in a form that has already undergone the system generation process.
prepare phase
The first phase of a two-phase commit process in which all participants
are requested to prepare for commit.
presentation space
A portion of the device's buffer storage, allocated to a partition, that contains only display data that CICS sends to that partition. See also partition.
preset terminal security
When a CICS region is started, the signing on of selected terminals as users whose user IDs are the terminal identifiers. Persons using these terminals have the authorizations given to the terminals.
previous hop data
A set of information that identifies the remote sender of a request to attach a task and creates a trail to be followed back into the previous system. This process enables data gathering and monitoring to continue in the region that sent the request. Previous hop data is created for a task when it has been initiated by a task in another CICS system.
primary delay interval (PDI)
The interval that must elapse between the apparent loss of surveillance
signal from the alternate system and any reaction by the active system.
This interval is set by the PDI system initialization parameter.
primary predicate
A predicate associated with a capture point. A primary predicate
is used to avoid a performance impact from too many events being considered
as candidates for capture.
principal
An entity that can communicate securely with another entity. A
principal is identified by its associated security context, which
defines its access rights.
principal facility
The terminal or logical unit that is connected to a transaction
at its initiation. See also alternate
facility.
private area
In CICS Transaction Server, an element of MVS virtual storage below the 16 MB line. It contains the local system queue area (LSQA), scheduler work area, subpools 229 and 230, a 16 KB system region area, and a private user region for running programs and storing data.
process
In Business Transaction Services (BTS), a collection of one or more activities. A process is the largest unit that CICS business transaction services can work with, and has a unique name by which it can be referenced and invoked. Typically, a process is an instance of a business transaction.
process container
A data-container associated with a process. Process containers
can be read by all the activities that make up the process. Note that
they are not the same as the root activity's containers.
processing intent
The attribute defined in the PSB which specifies the program's
database access privileges such as insert, delete, and replace.
processing thread
A connection between an application program and the CICSPlex SM API. A program can establish multiple processing threads, but each one is considered a unique API user; no resources can be shared across the boundary of a thread.
process type
The category to which a process belongs. All the activities in
a process inherit the same process-type attribute. Categorizing processes
makes it easier to find a particular process or activity - the BTS
browsing commands allow filtering by process-type.
profile
In CICS, a set of options specified in a resource definition that can be invoked by a transaction definition. Profiles control the interactions between the transaction and terminals or logical units.
Data that describes the characteristics of a user, group, resource, program, device, or remote
location. See also data set profile, discrete
profile.
program check
A condition that occurs when programming errors are detected by
a processor during execution.
program communication block (PCB)
A control block that contains pointers to Information Management System (IMS) databases.
program compression
An operation performed by program control to relieve space in
the DSA during a short-on-storage condition. The list of program definitions
is searched to identify programs that have been dynamically loaded
and are currently not in use. If a program is not in use, the space
it occupied is reclaimed. See also short-on-storage.
program control program (PCP)
The CICS program that manages CICS application programs.
program error program (PEP)
A user-replaceable program containing code to obtain program addressability, access the COMMAREA, and return control to the CICS abnormal condition program (DFHACP) through an EXEC CICS RETURN command.
program initialization parameter (PIP)
The initial parameter value or values passed to a target program
as input or used to set up the process environment.
program library
A type of partitioned data set extended (PDSE) that contains program
objects only. A program library is a PDSE from which programs are
loaded into memory for execution by the operating system.
program list table (PLT)
A CICS control table that contains a list of programs that can run as a group during CICS startup or shutdown and can be enabled and disabled as a group by a single CEMT transaction.
program loading
The use of MVS load under an MVS subtask to load programs into CICS storage.
program manager domain
A CICS domain that provides support for the following: program control functions; transaction ABEND and condition handling; related functions such as invoking user-replaceable modules, global user exits, and task-related user exits; autoinstallation for programs, map sets, and partition sets.
program status word (PSW)
An area in storage used to indicate the order in which instructions
are executed, and to hold and indicate the status of the computer
system.
program temporary fix (PTF)
A package containing
individual or multiple fixes that is made available to all licensed
customers. A PTF resolves defects and might provide enhancements.
property set
In the CICS Front End Programming Interface (FEPI), the definition of the characteristics of a pool.
provisioning policy
A policy that defines the access to various managed resources,
such as applications or operating systems. Access is granted to all
users, users with a specific role, or users who are not members of
a specific role.
A list or directory of program specification blocks (PSBs) that define the use of databases by application programs for DL/I. It contains one entry for each PSB to be used during CICS execution, and is loaded during initialization.
pseudoconversational
In BTS, property of a task can be reattached ("reactivated") when a predefined event occurs, in
order to take the next in a set of processing steps.
pseudorecovery token
A token consisting of eight decimal characters, which can be used
in place of the recovery token in certain circumstances. For example,
a pseudorecovery token is displayed when the status of an application
thread is in-doubt. It is made shorter so that it is easier to note
and enter, for example, in certain DBCTL commands. See also recovery token.
An attribute of a read request, which ensures the integrity of the data passed to a program that
issues a read-only request. CICS recognizes two forms of read
integrity: consistent and
repeatable.
read-only dynamic storage area (RDSA)
The key-0 storage area for all reentrant programs and tables below
the 16 MB line.
realm
A named collection of users and groups that can be used in a specific
security context.
real storage
The main storage in a virtual storage system. Physically, real
storage and main storage are identical. Conceptually, however, real
storage represents only part of the range of addresses available to
the user of a virtual storage system.
reattachment event
An event whose firing has caused an activity to be activated.
reattachment queue
A list of the reattachment events that have caused a particular
activity to be activated. Each activity has a reattachment queue associated
with it. The queue may be empty. Events remain on the reattachment
queue until they are retrieved by the activity, or until a sync point
occurs.
receive-any control element (RACE)
Type of control field held in the CICS receive-any pool set aside for VTAM receive-any operations. The number of RACEs maintained depends on the RAPOOL and MXT system initialization parameters and on the number of active tasks.
receive-any input area (RAIA)
Type of input area held in the CICS receive-any pool set aside for VTAM receive-any operations. The number of RACEs maintained depends on the RAPOOL and MXT system initialization parameters and on the number of active tasks.
A resource that can be modified only in accordance with sync point
protocols.
recoverable service element (RSE)
A set of DBCTL subsystem identifiers of equivalent DBCTL subsystems, their associated job names, and the specific APPLIDs of the CICS systems that will use them. RSEs are defined by CICS resource definition macros and are held in the recoverable service table (RST).
recovery control data set (RECON data sets)
A data set in which DBRC stores information about logging activity
and events that might affect the recovery of databases.
recovery log data set (RLDS)
A log data set that contains only the log records that are required
for database recovery.
recovery manager
CICS resource recovery mechanism that provides a CICS resource manager, for example file control, with more flexibility than the DWE two-phase commit support for syncpoint and backout processing.
recovery point
In the CICS backup-while-open facility, the latest point, on the CICS forward recovery log series for this data set, from which forward recovery can start and restore any image copy taken at that point to a consistent state. The recovery point is held as a time that can be converted to a position on the forward recovery log.
recovery routine
A routine that is entered when an error occurs during the performance
of an associated operation. It isolates the error, assesses the extent
of the error, and attempts to correct the error and resume operation.
recovery token
A 16-byte unique identifier that is created by CICS and passed to DBCTL for each logical unit of work (LUW). See also pseudorecovery token.
REDO
The DEDB process in the second phase of a two-phase commit process
if the chosen action is COMMIT. For DEDBs, if phase two action is
COMMIT, the changes are written to the database using REDO, because
the DEDB changes have only been made in main storage. If the action
is BACKOUT, no changes are required to the database because the updates
are still in main storage. The process applied is called UNDO. REDO
is also used to refer to the action required for committed DEDBs during
emergency restart of IMS, DL/I, or SQL/DS.
reenterable
Pertaining to a module that is designed for concurrent execution
by multiple tasks. If a reenterable module modifies its own data areas
or other shared resources in any way, it must use appropriate serialization
methods to prevent interference between using tasks. See also quasi-reentrant.
reentrant
The attribute of a program or routine that allows the same copy
of the program or routine to be used concurrently by two or more tasks.
reference set
The amount of real storage required so that minimal (almost zero)
virtual paging occurs. It is the total amount of real storage required
to process the most frequently used sequence of instructions and data
for a given set of transactions performing defined tasks, without
causing any virtual storage paging operations.
region
In MVS, a variable-size subdivision of virtual storage that is allocated to a job step or system task. CICS Transaction Server runs in an MVS region, usually referred to as the CICS region.
region status server
A coupling facility data table server into which CICS regions broadcast generic system status data which is subsequently interrogated by CICSPlex SM for making dynamic routing decisions.
relative byte address (RBA)
The offset of a data record or control interval from the beginning
of the storage space that is allocated to the data set or file to
which it belongs.
relative record number (RRN)
A number that expresses the location of a record in relation to
a base position in the file containing it.
relay program
In transaction routing, a CICS program that provides the communication mechanism between a locally-connected terminal and a transaction in a remote system. The relay program is invoked by the relay transaction.
relay transaction
In transaction routing, a CICS transaction that handles communication between a locally-connected terminal and a transaction in a remote system. The relay transaction invokes the relay program.
remote DL/I
A special case of function shipping, in which CICS sends a DL/I request to another CICS system.
remote MAS
A managed application system (MAS) that uses MRO or LU 6.2 to communicate with the CICSPlex SM address space (CMAS) that controls it. A remote MAS may or may not reside in the same MVS image as the CMAS that controls it.
remote resource
In CICS intercommunication, a resource that is owned by a remote system.
repository
A VSAM data set on which the states of BTS processes are stored.
When a process is not executing under the control of BTS, its state
(and the states of its constituent activities) are preserved by being
written to a repository data set. The states of all processes of a
particular process-type (and of their activity instances) are stored
on the same repository data set. Records for multiple process-types
can be written to the same repository.
repository utility
A CICS utility program, DFHBARUP, that enables you to print selected records from a specified BTS repository data set.
requested reset statistics
CICS statistics that the user has asked for by using the appropriate command or transaction, and specifying the RESETNOW option. The statistics are written to the SMF data set immediately, and the statistics counters are reset to zero. See also interval
statistics, requested statistics, unsolicited statistics.
requested statistics
CICS statistics that the user has asked for by using the appropriate command or transaction, which causes statistics to be written immediately, instead of waiting for the current interval to expire. The request does not reset the statistics. See also interval
statistics, requested reset
statistics, unsolicited statistics.
requesting region
The region in which a dynamic routing request originates. For dynamic transaction routing and inbound client dynamic program link requests, this is typically a TOR; for dynamic START requests and peer-to-peer dynamic program link requests, this is typically an AOR. To be eligible for dynamic routing, the process or activity must be started by an EXEC CICS RUN ASYNCHRONOUS command. See also routing region, target region.
residence mode
The attribute of a load module or program object that identifies
where in virtual storage the program will reside.
resource definition macro (RDM)
A method of defining resources to CICS by using assembler macros. You code and assemble special CICS macros and present the assembler output to CICS at system initialization.
resource definition online (RDO)
A method for defining CICS resources interactively while CICS is running.
resource group profile
A general resource profile in a resource group class. A resource group profile provides RACF protection for one or more resources with unlike names.
resource manager interface (RMI)
A program or a group of programs that you write to enable you to structure calls from your CICS system in such a way that they can access non-CICS resources, such as databases, that you would not normally be able to access. See also task-related
user exit.
resource protection
The system function of enqueueing on a resource to provide exclusive
control of that resource to a transaction until the end of a logical
unit of work.
resource region
In CICS distributed program link, a CICS region to which an application region ships a LINK PROGRAM request.
resource security
In CICS Transaction Server, the facility provided by CICS and RACF for the control of access to resources protected by RACF security classes. The resources that can be protected include transactions, data sets, and transient data destinations.
A mode of terminal operation that synchronizes operations between the terminal operator and the
application
program.
restart data set (RSD)
A VSAM KSDS used only during a CICS emergency restart. The RSD temporarily holds the backout information read from the CICS system log. This allows CICS to be restored to a stable state and to be restarted following an abrupt termination.
results algorithm
An algorithm that manipulates the return codes of batch jobs or provides placeholders for
triggers that are based on batch step return codes. A results algorithm is applied to batch steps in
a batch application by using
xJCL.
resynchronization
The completion of an interrupted two-phase commit process for
a unit of work.
revoke count
Number of unsuccessful sign-on attempts since the last successful
sign-on with a particular userid.
In the dynamic routing of BTS processes and activities, the CICS region on which the distributed routing program runs. In BTS routing, the routing region is the same as the requesting region. See also requesting region, target region.
routing transaction
A CICS transaction (CRTE) that enables an operator at a terminal owned by one CICS system to sign on to another CICS system connected by means of an IRC or APPC link.
A task that has been dispatched and does not return control to CICS within a user-specified time interval. The program being used by this task is in a loop between two CICS requests. The task control program ends the task after expiration of this time interval.
Batch program supplied with CICS which provides information that is useful in calculating the storage requirements of a CICS Transaction Server system, for example, the sizes of the dynamic storage areas.
scheduler work area (SWA)
An element of the CICS address space. The SWA is made up of subpools 236 and 237 which contain information about the job and the step itself. Almost anything that appears in the job stream for the step creates some kind of control block in this area.
scope
A named part of the CICSPlex SM environment that qualifies the context of a CICSPlex SM request. The scope can be the CICSplex itself, a CICS system, a CICS system group, or any set of CICS resources that are defined as a logical scope in a CICSPlex SM resource description. See also context.
scoping
A mechanism for controlling multiple sign-ons of the same user ID to one or more CICS regions.
Screen Definition Facility (SDF)
An interactive tool used to define and maintain maps, map sets, and partition sets for CICS and BMS applications.
screen-image interface
The part of the Front End Programming Interface that has a buffer
with one byte for each screen position.
A CICS domain that handles all the interfaces to the external security manager, for example, RACF.
segment search argument (SSA)
The portion of a DL/I call that identifies a segment or group
of segments to be processed. Each SSA contains a segment name and,
optionally, one or more command codes, and one or more qualification
statements. Multiple SSAs may be required to identify the desired
segment.
serially reusable
The reusability attribute with which a program can be used sequentially
by multiple tasks. A serially reusable module cannot be entered by
a new task until the previous task has exited.
service definition
An explicit definition of all the workloads and processing capacity
in a sysplex. A service definition includes service policies, workloads,
service classes, resource groups, and classification rules.
service request block (SRB)
A control block that represents a routine that performs a particular function or service in a
specified address space.
session key
A key that uniquely identifies each CICS-IMS session. The session key is formed from the CICS name for the session and the IMS subpool name.
In LU6.2 and MRO, the level of security applied when a request
to establish a session is received from, or sent to, a remote system.
Used to verify that the remote system is really the system it claims
to be. See also link security, user security.
setup program
A user-provided program that defines and inquires about FEPI resources,
and performs housekeeping for the sessions.
shared database
A CICS facility that allows a DL/I batch region under a CICS controller to access a database owned by a CICS online system.
shared dynamic storage area (SDSA)
The user-key storage area for any non-reentrant user-key RMODE(24) programs, and also for any storage obtained by programs issuing EXEC CICS GETMAIN commands for storage below 16 MB with the SHARED option.
shippable terminal
In transaction routing, a terminal whose definition can be shipped to another CICS system when the other system requires a remote definition of that terminal.
short-on-storage (SOS)
The condition in CICS that occurs when requests for storage from the dynamic storage areas exceed available storage. CICS cannot satisfy these requests, or can satisfy them only by using some of the storage cushion, even when all programs that are eligible for deletion, and are not in use, have been deleted. See also program compression, storage cushion.
short-path transformer
A transformer program for function shipping over MRO links. It
is designed to optimize the pathlength involved in the construction
of the TIOAs send on an MRO session for function shipping.
shunted
Pertaining to the status of a UOW that has failed at one of the
following points: while in-doubt during a two-phase commit process,
while attempting to commit changes to resources at the end of the
UOW, while attempting to back out the UOW, or if a UOW fails for one
of these reasons, it is removed (shunted) from the primary system
log (DFHLOG) to the secondary system log (DFHSHUNT) pending recovery
from the failure.
shunting
The process of suspending a unit of work in order to allow time
to resolve the problem that has caused the suspension. Shunting releases
the user's terminal, virtual storage, and CP resources, and allows
completion of the unit of work to be deferred for as long as necessary.
side information
System-defined variables that are used for the initial values
of the communications element of the SAA Common Programming Interface
partner_LU_name, mode_name, and TP_name characteristics.
sign-on table (SNT)
A table holding terminal operator data, including the operator name, password, and operator priority. Each entry in the table contains data used by CICS to verify an operator name and to establish a priority and operator class for transactions entered by the operator.
sign-on table terminal entry (SNTTE)
An entry created by CICS if a terminal user sign-on is valid.
sign-on transaction program
A user-written transaction program that provides send support required by the CICS PEM server.
single session
A type of APPC connection with limited function. A single-session
connection supports only one session and does not have SNA service
manager support.
single system image
The collection and presentation of data about multiple CICS systems as though they were a single CICS system. In CICSPlex SM, the single-system image is provided by the CICSPlex SM address space (CMAS).
Component of a CICS monitoring or statistics SMF record that describes the system creating the output.
SMF product section
Component of a CICS monitoring or statistics SMF record. The SMF product section describes the CICS data section that follows it in the record and contains operational data pertaining to the processing of the data.
snap dump
A dump that can be requested by a task at any time that the task
is being processed.
Entry point or interface to a CICS domain. A specific gate gives access to a set of functions that are provided by that domain only. The functions are likely to be requested by many different callers.
A CICS bundle that is deployed as its own entity, rather
than as part of a management bundle. See also
management bundle.
started transaction
A CICS transaction initiated by a terminal user can start other transactions by means of a CICS START command. A transaction started in this way is known as a started transaction.
startup job stream
A set of job control statements used to initialize CICS.
state variable
A program can obtain values that indicate the conversation state. CICS places such values in a variable named by the program, known as the state
variable.
static storage
An area that is allocated by the system when a program is activated.
Static storage exists as long as the program activation exists. If
the program has not been deactivated, the values in the storage persist
from one call to another. See also dynamic
storage.
static transaction routing
Non-dynamic terminal-initiated transaction routing. The transaction
routing request is routed to a predetermined system. Static transaction
routing occurs when DYNAMIC(NO) is specified in the transaction definition
and the request is routed to the system named in the REMOTESYSTEM
attribute.
statistics domain
Major component of CICS that controls the collection of resource statistics for a CICS system. It collects data at user-specified intervals, at shutdown and logical end-of-day, and when requested by the user.
statistics utility program (DFHSTUP STUP)
CICS program that provides offline formatting of CICS statistics. DFHSTUP can format all types of statistics generated by CICS and provides a summary function to collect all statistics produced in a given period. See also summary report.
storage accounting area (SAA)
A field at the start of a CICS storage area that describes the area and enables CICS to detect some storage violations. Each CICS storage area has either an SAA or a storage check zone.
storage check zone
A pair of fields at the beginning and end of a CICS storage area that enable CICS to detect some storage violations. Each CICS storage area has either a storage check zone or a storage accounting area (SSA).
storage cushion
A noncontiguous area of storage in the dynamic storage areas reserved for use by CICS when processing a short-on-storage condition. See also short-on-storage.
storage key
A key associated with each 4 KB block of storage that is available in the CICS region. Access to CICS storage is controlled by key-controlled storage protection. When key-controlled protection applies to a storage access, a store operation (write) is permitted only when the storage key matches the access key associated with the request; a fetch (read) is permitted when the keys match or when the fetch-protection bit of the storage key is zero. In most cases, the access key for a storage operation is the PSW key in the current PSW.
storage manager domain
Major component of CICS which manages virtual storage requests.
storage protection
An optional facility in CICS Transaction Server that enables users to protect CICS code and control blocks from being overwritten inadvertently by application programs. See also transaction
isolation.
storage protection key
An indicator that appears in the current program status word whenever
an associated task has control of the system. This indicator must
match the storage keys of all main storage blocks that the task is
to use.
storage violation
An error in a storage accounting chain in the dynamic storage area. A storage violation can be detected by the storage manager domain in CICS.
stress
A shortage of free space in a CICS dynamic storage area, such that CICS cannot recover from virtual storage depletion.
STSN Handler
A user-provided part of a FEPI application that handles STSN requests.
sub-event
An atomic event that has been added to a composite event.
sub-event queue
A list of the sub-events of a particular composite event that
have fired. Each composite event has a sub-event queue associated
with it. The queue may be empty. Sub-events remain on the sub-event
queue until they are retrieved, or until a syncpoint occurs.
subordinate
In two-phase commit processing, a recovery manager that must wait for confirmation from its
coordinator before committing or backing out changes made to recoverable resources by its part of a
distributed unit of work. The subordinate can be in doubt in respect to its
coordinator.
summary report
A statistics report produced by the CICS statistics utility program (STUP). It summarizes the interval, unsolicited, requested reset, and end-of-day statistics on an applid by applid basis. See also statistics utility program.
supervisor call (SVC)
An instruction that interrupts the program being run and passes
control to the supervisor so that it can perform the specific service
indicated by the instruction.
supervisory terminal operator
Any CICS operator whose security key(s) allow use of the supervisory terminal functions.
surrogate TCTTE
In CICS transaction routing, a TCTTE in the transaction-owning region that is used to represent the terminal that invoked, or was acquired by, the transaction. See also surrogate
terminal.
surrogate terminal
A terminal whose terminal definition is shipped from a terminal
owning region (TOR). See also surrogate
TCTTE.
surrogate user
A user who has the authority to start work on behalf of another
user, without knowing the password of the other user.
A symbolic description map is a source language data structure
that the assembler or compiler uses to resolve source program references
to fields in the map.
synchronization level (sync level)
The level of synchronization (0, 1, or 2) established for an APPC session between intercommunicating CICS transactions. Level 0 gives no synchronization support, level 1 allows the exchange of private synchronization requests, and level 2 gives full CICS synchronization support with backout of all updates to recoverable resources if failure occurs.
sync point
A point during the processing of a transaction at which protected
resources are consistent.
sync point agent
Any transaction that receives a sync point request issued by the
sync point initiator during a conversation in a dynamic transaction
processing environment.
sync point initiator
The transaction that initiates sync point activity for a distributed
unit of work.
system context
The filtering options defined in the capture specification for
system events. These options define the environment for the event
capture.
system data set
Data set used to store system information that is only accessible
to the system.
system diagnostic work area (SDWA)
In a z/OS environment, the data that is recorded in a SYS1.LOGREC entry that describes a program or hardware error.
system dump (SDUMP)
A dump of all the storage in the system that can be used for problem
determination.
system dump code
A name of up to eight characters by which a system dump will be known. A system dump code can be defined by CICS or by the user and identifies a set of system actions held in the form of an entry in the system dump table. See also dump
code.
system dump table (SDT)
A CICS table which may contain an entry for each system dump code. See also dump code.
system event
A business event that is emitted by the system. System events
can include resource state changes, thresholds being crossed, unusual
system states or actions, or an input event. See also input event, user-defined event.
system initialization
A CICS facility (part of the system support component) that is used to start the CICS job. The facility is resident only long enough to bring CICS into storage and start up CICS.
system initialization parameter
Parameter used to define capabilities of a CICS system at the time of system initialization. A system initialization parameter can be predefined in the system initialization table (SIT), or specified dynamically from the console, in the SYSIN data set, or as a parameter in the startup JCL.
system initialization program (DFHSIP SIP)
CICS program that builds a CICS system using the resources you have defined and any user-designed or purchased applications. DFHSIP receives instructions from system initialization parameters.
system initialization table (SIT)
A table containing parameters used by CICS on start up.
system log
The journal (identification='01') that is used by CICS to log changes made to resources for the purpose of backout on emergency restart. See also general log.
system programming interface (SPI)
A CICS application programming interface that accesses system-orientated CICS services.
system queue area (SQA)
An area of virtual storage below the 16 MB line reserved for system-related
control blocks.
system recovery table (SRT)
A table listing the ABEND or abnormal condition codes that CICS will intercept.
system statistics
Statistics that are accumulated continually by CICS management programs in CICS system tables during the execution of CICS. System statistics can be captured and recorded, either on request or automatically at intervals, by any operator whose security code allows access to such information. In addition, system statistics are recorded on shutdown of the system.
A unit of work to be accomplished by a device or process.
In CICS, a single instance of the execution of a transaction.
task control area (TCA)
An area of main storage acquired by CICS when a task is first dispatched. It is used to control the processing of the task. Once acquired, the TCA exists until the task is terminated. It contains the current status of the task, its relative dispatching priority, and parameters and information being passed between CICS and the application program.
task control block (TCB)
A z/OS control block that is used to communicate information about tasks within an address space that is connected to a subsystem.
A user exit program that is associated with specified events in a particular task, rather than with every occurrence of a particular event in CICS processing (as is the case with global user exits). See also global user exit, resource manager interface.
The CICS facility that allows application programs to store data in a temporary storage queue for later retrieval.
temporary storage queue
A queue of data items which can be read and reread, in any sequence.
The queue is created by a task, and persists until the same task,
or a another task deletes it.
temporary storage table (TST)
A table describing temporary storage queues and queue prefixes for which CICS is to provide recovery or security or that are located on a remote CICS system.
An area containing CICS error information and a copy of the data event control block (DECB) at the time an error occurred on a non-SNA LU or line. When an abnormal condition occurs on a non-SNA LU or line, terminal control places the terminal out of service and dynamically creates a TACLE, which is chained off the terminal control table line entry (TCTLE) for the terminal or line on which the error occurred.
terminal control interface
An interface that allows an application program to send or receive
a device-dependent terminal data stream.
terminal control table (TCT)
CICS control table retained to define non-SNA LU networks.
terminal control table line entry (TCTLE)
A control block in the TCT for all non-SNA LUs on the same line.
The TCTLE contains all parameters necessary for processing requests
for terminals on the line.
terminal control table system entry (TCTSE)
In the TCT, an entry that is generated for each system known to the local CICS system.
terminal control table terminal entry (TCTE, TCTTE)
In the TCT, an entry for each terminal known to CICS. TCTTEs are generated either during system initialization (for terminals predefined by resource definition) or when a terminal is autoinstalled. The TCTTE describes the terminal and addresses the corresponding TCTLE, the active TCA, and TIOAs; it also contains control information relating to terminal control requests issued by the CICS application program.
terminal control table user area (TCTUA)
An area used to pass information between application programs,
but only if the same terminal is associated with the application programs
involved.
terminal error block (TEB)
Control block that maintains error information associated with terminals, for use by the CICS terminal error program.
terminal error program (TEP)
A user-replaceable CICS program used to handle error conditions that can occur when sequential devices are used. Node error programs must be used for z/OS Communications Server-supported devices. The terminal error program analyzes the cause of the terminal or line error that has been detected by the terminal control program.
terminal-initiated transaction routing
Transaction routing that is initiated by a request to start a
remote transaction arriving from a terminal. On the basis of an installed
resource definition for the transaction and possibly on decisions
made in a user-written dynamic transaction routing program, the request
is routed to the appropriate remote system. The transaction runs as
if the terminal were attached to the transaction-owning system.
terminal input/output area (TIOA)
Area that is set up by storage control and chained to the terminal
control table terminal entry (TCTTE) as needed for terminal input/output
operations.
terminal list table (TLT)
CICS control table that allows terminal, or operator identifications, or both, to be grouped logically.
A set of commands for retrieving pages of an oversize output message
in any order.
threadsafe
Pertaining to user-written code or CICS functions that use appropriate serialization techniques to maintain the integrity of resources that are being used by other tasks at the same time.
In the CICS backup while open (BWO) facility, a record in the forward recovery journal that associates a file name with a data set name.
tight loop
A loop in a single program that never returns control to the program
or operating system.
timer
A BTS object that expires when the system time becomes greater
than a specified time, or after a specified period has elapsed. When
a timer is defined, a timer event is automatically associated with
it. When the timer expires, its associated event fires.
timer domain
Major component of CICS that provides interval timing and alarm clock services for CICS domains. These are processes that cause an action to occur at some predetermined future time. This service can be performed after a specific interval, at periodic intervals, at a specified time of day, or at a specific time of day every day. It also provides date and time provision and conversion facilities.
timer event
An atomic event that fires when its associated timer expires.
See also user-defined event.
An inventory of CICS and CICSPlex SM resources, and a map of their relationships. CICSPlex SM supports the definition of resource and system topology.
topology definition
A named subset of CICS and CICSPlex SM resources. Topology definitions are user-created and can include CICSplexes, CICS systems, and CICS system groups.
Topology Services
A component of CICSPlex SM that is responsible for maintaining topology information about CICSplexes and resources, and making it available to other CICSPlex SM components.
Major component of CICS used by CICS system code and user applications to record and manage trace information on CICS internal, auxiliary, and GTF trace services.
trace level
A level associated with each trace point. The level of a trace
point depends on where the trace point is and on what sort of detail
it can provide on a trace call. Most trace points are trace level
1 or 2.
trace point
A defined place in the CICS code from which trace entries can be written to any currently selected trace destination.
trace utility program (TUP)
An offline utility program that formats and prints trace entries from the CICS auxiliary trace data set.
transaction
A unit of processing consisting of one or more application programs,
affecting one or more objects, that is initiated by a single request.
transaction abend code
A four-character code, defined by CICS or the user, that is used when abnormally terminating a transaction. CICS-defined transaction abend codes begin with the letter 'A'. A transaction abend code is used to indicate the cause of an error that may have occurred in CICS code or in a user program. See also transaction
dump code.
transaction backout
The cancellation, as a result of a transaction failure, of all
updates performed by a task.
transaction backout program
A program (part of the emergency restart function) that is invoked
during emergency restart, and that reads backout information (written
to the restart data set by the recovery utility program) for task,
message, DL/I, and file tables.
transaction channel
A channel that is available for the lifetime of a transaction.
Containers in this channel are available to any program throughout
the transaction, including any exit points that are API-enabled.
transaction deadlock
A condition in which two or more transactions cannot continue
processing because each is waiting on a resource held by the other.
transaction dump
In CICS, a formatted dump for the program active at the time the dump was requested. A transaction dump indicates where the error occurred within the program.
transaction dump code
A name of up to four characters by which a transaction dump will be known. When a transaction abend causes CICS to create a transaction dump, the associated transaction abend code is used as the transaction dump code. See also dump code, transaction abend code.
transaction dump table (TDT)
A CICS table which may contain an entry for each transaction dump code. See also dump code.
A unique name that is assigned to a transaction and is used to
identify the actions associated with that transaction.
transaction isolation
A CICS facility that offers storage protection between transactions, ensuring that a program of one transaction does not accidentally overwrite the storage of another transaction. See also storage protection.
transaction list table (XLT)
CICS control table containing a list of transaction identifications. Depending on a system initialization specification that can be changed during system termination, the transactions in a particular XLT can be initiated from terminals during the first quiesce stage of system termination. During CICS execution the suffix of an XLT can be entered at the main terminal - the transactions in that XLT can then be enabled or disabled as a group.
transaction manager
A software unit that coordinates the activities of resource managers
by managing global transactions and coordinating the decision to commit
them or roll them back.
transaction manager domain
A CICS domain that provides transaction-related services to create, terminate, purge, and inquire on tasks; and manage transaction definitions and transaction classes. The transaction manager domain is designed to provide greater reliability and improved function; it has minimal impact on end users.
transaction rate
The number of units of processing successfully completed per unit
of time.
transaction restart program
A user-replaceable program (DFHREST) that enables you to participate
in the decision as to whether a transaction should be restarted or
not.
transaction routing
An intercommunication facility that allows terminals or logical units connected to one CICS region to initiate and to communicate with transactions in another CICS region within the same processor system or in another CICS system connected by an APPC link.
transaction security
A call to RACF each time a transaction identifier is entered at a terminal to verify that the terminal user or user ID associated with that terminal is permitted to run the transaction.
transaction-system affinity
An affinity between a transaction and a particular CICS region, where the transaction interrogates or changes the properties of that CICS region. Transactions with affinity to a particular system, rather than another transaction, are not eligible for dynamic transaction routing. In general, they are transactions that use INQUIRE and SET commands, or have some dependency on global user exit programs, which also have an affinity with a particular CICS region.
transaction work area (TWA)
An optional extension of the TCA, used as a work area for a given
task. The TWA can be used for the accumulation of data and intermediate
results during the execution of the task. When the amount of working
storage for a task is relatively static, the TWA may be used if data
is accessed by different programs during task processing. This approach
cannot be used for multiple transactions; the TWA is released automatically
at task termination. See also common
work area.
transient data (TD)
A CICS facility that provides the ability to read and write data in sequential queues.
transient data control program
The CICS program that controls sequential data files and intrapartition transient data.
trigger field
In BMS, a field that is transmitted to the host processor as soon
as the terminal operator has modified the field and then tries to
move the cursor out of it. You can use display trigger fields to initiate
input to an application program. The trigger attribute is ignored
if the operator has not modified the trigger field.
trigger level
The number of records written to an intrapartition transient data destination or queue that will cause CICS to automatically initiate a task to process that queue. See also automatic
transaction initiation.
trigger monitor
A program that responds to trigger conditions on a message queue
by starting a transaction. A trigger monitor is usually a continuously-running
program.
A two-step process by which recoverable resources and an external
subsystem are committed. During the first step, the database manager
subsystems are polled to ensure that they are ready to commit. If
all subsystems respond positively, the database manager instructs
them to commit.
A recoverable sequence of operations performed by an application
between two points of consistency. A unit of work begins when a transaction
starts or at a user-requested sync point. It ends either at a user-requested
sync point or at the end of a transaction.
unshunting
The process of attaching a transaction to provide an environment
under which to resume the processing of a shunted unit of work.
unsolicited data
A type of inbound data that arrives on a connection where no FEPI
conversation is active.
unsolicited-data handler
A user-provided part of a FEPI application that handles unsolicited
inbound data.
unsolicited statistics
CICS statistics automatically gathered by CICS for a dynamically allocated and deallocated resource (for example, an autoinstalled terminal) when the resource is about to be deleted. See also interval statistics, requested reset statistics, requested statistics.
Number of tasks using a program concurrently. This is maintained by CICS in the program processing table.
user data set
In z/OS, a data set defined to RACF in which either the high-level qualifier of the data set name or the
qualifier supplied by an installation exit routine is a RACF
user
ID.
user-defined event
An event defined by the BTS application programmer. The BTS user-defined
events are activity completion events, input events, and timer events.
See also composite event, system event, timer event.
user domain
A CICS domain responsible for identifying users and recording their non-security attributes.
user dynamic storage area (UDSA)
A storage area in CICS that is allocated below the 16 MB line and reserved exclusively for those user application programs that execute in user-key and that reside below the 16 MB line.
user exit
A point in a program at which a user exit routine may be given
control.
user exit handler
A CICS program that is invoked at an exit point (other than an exit point in a domain) to handle the user exit program associated with that exit point.
user exit programming interface (XPI)
A CICS interface that provides global user exit programs with access to some CICS services. XPI consists of a set of function calls that you can use in your user exit programs to extend or modify CICS system functions.
user interface block (UIB)
A control block used in the CALL DLI interface to pass information
to the user program. It contains the address of the PCB address list
(UIBPCBAL) from the schedule request, and the response code to each
DL/I request. A definition of the UIB should only be included in the
application program if the UIB is to be referenced. The UIB is acquired
by the interface routine when an application program issues a schedule
request specifying a pointer reference to be set with the address
of the UIB.
user-key storage
Storage obtained by CICS in MVS open-key storage. It is for user application programs and their associated data areas. It can be accessed and modified by user applications and by CICS. See also CICS-key.
user-maintained data table (UMT)
A type of CICS data table that has no CICS-supported association with its source data set after it has been loaded. Changes to the table are not automatically reflected in the source data set.
user-related activity
An activity that requires human involvement. Such an activity
cannot be started automatically by BTS, because it is dependent on
a user being ready to process the work.
A CICS program that is invoked at a particular point in CICS processing as if it were part of CICS code. You can modify the supplied program by including your own logic, or replace it with a version that you write yourself. Examples include the dynamic routing program, and the transaction restart program.
user security
That part of a security facility that verifies that a user is
authorized to (a) sign on to a local or remote system (b) run a transaction
and (c) to access the resources and use the commands that a transaction
invokes. See also session security.
user transaction
A user-written transaction.
V
variable-length variable blocked (VLVB)
Data format of messages transmitted between CICS and IMS.
view
In the CICSPlex SM API, a temporary, customized form of a resource table. A view can consist of some or all of the resource table attributes in any order.
In the CICSPlex SM web user interface, a formatted display of selected data about CICS resources or CICSPlex SM definitions. The data in a view is obtained from a query and can be presented in one or more forms. The data can be limited to a subset of CICSplex resources or definitions by establishing a context and scope.
viewport
In BMS, that part of a screen that is allocated to a partition.
See also partition.
VSAM work area (VSWA)
An area that is acquired dynamically by the file control program
when accessing a VSAM data set.
W
warm keypoint
A keypoint written to the restart data set during controlled shutdown
(after all system activity has ceased). During a subsequent warm restart,
information in the warm keypoint is used to reestablish system tables
to the status they had at controlled shutdown.
warm start
Initialization of a CICS system using selected system status information obtained during the previous termination.
web service binding file
A file that contains information that CICS uses to transform data formats between XML or JSON and structured application data.
Web User Interface server (WUI server)
For CICSPlex SM, a dedicated CICS region that interacts with a CMAS to enable users to view and manage objects in the data repository of the CMAS through a web browser.
working set
The amount of real storage required in order to avoid excessive
paging.
The parts of a program's executable code, data areas, or both
that are being used intensively and are therefore important to keep
in the fastest possible type of storage. Thus a program's instruction
cache working set is the set of program cache lines that need to be
kept in the instruction cache if the program is to run at maximum
speed.
workload management
In CICS, a method of optimizing the use of system resources by spreading workload as evenly as possible between different regions.
A separate extent, part of the system log. During backout in emergency restart, system log records are written to the X extent. The presence of an X extent is mandatory if CICS Transaction Server is using a local DL/I system; otherwise, it is optional. The X extent can be used for audit purposes.
A loop characterized by returning control at some point to a CICS routine that can suspend the looping task. However, the looping task will eventually be resumed and so the loop will continue.