Create a server and connect to CICS

This task shows you how to create a IBM® z/OS® Connect server and configure an IPIC connection to a CICS® region.

Before you begin

Ensure that the following tasks are complete:
  1. Install and configure the CICS catalog manager example application. The procedure is described in the scenario Prepare the sample CICS application.
  2. Install IBM z/OS Connect v3.0 or later. For more information, see Installing IBM z/OS Connect.

Pre-built services and an API are provided to simplify testing of this scenario.

About this task

This task consists of three parts:
  • Creating a IBM z/OS Connect server with ready-to-use services and an API for the CICS catalog manager example application.
  • Configuring an IPIC connection between your IBM z/OS Connect server and CICS.
  • Testing the IPIC connection.
Diagram shows the IPIC connection between the CICS Service Provider in IBM z/OS Connect and port 1091 of CICS.

Procedure

  1. Define a TCPIPService to listen for inbound IPIC requests in your CICS region. This scenario uses a port value of 1091. For more information about defining a TCPIPService for inbound IPIC requests, see Configuring the IPIC connection in the CICS Transaction Server documentation.
  2. Create a server.
    Enter the following command from the <installation_path>/bin directory. For example, /usr/lpp/IBM/zosconnect/v3r0/bin:
    zosconnect create catalogManager --template=zosconnect:sampleCicsIpicCatalogManager
    The following artifacts are created:
    • A catalog API service archive file, catalog.aar, in the directory <WLP_USER_DIR>/servers/catalogManager/resources/zosconnect/apis.
    • Three services archive files, inquireCatalog.sar, inquireSingle.sar, and placeOrder.sar, in the directory <WLP_USER_DIR>/servers/catalogManager/resources/zosconnect/services.
    • A server.xml configuration file in the directory <WLP_USER_DIR>/servers/catalogManager with the zosconnect:cicsService-1.0 feature included.
  3. Customize the IBM z/OS Connect server configuration file.
    • Update the CICS connection element:

      <zosconnect_cicsIpicConnection id="cicsConn" host="localhost" port="1091"/>

      • If your server and CICS region are on different LPARs, replace the host value localhost with the hostname or IP address of the LPAR hosting your CICS region.
      • Replace the port value 1234 with the port that your CICS TCPIPService is configured to listen for inbound IPIC requests. This scenario uses port 1091.
    • Update the httpPort for inbound connections into IBM z/OS Connect in the following element, if necessary:

      <httpEndpoint id="defaultHttpEndpoint" host="*" httpPort="9080" httpsPort="-1"/>

    • Enable security.