Creating a CICS Platform project

A CICS® Platform project defines a platform bundle, which is a type of management bundle that describes a platform. The platform bundle specifies the region types for the platform.

Before you begin

Set up a platform home directory for the platform in zFS before you create the CICS platform project. The best practice is to use the default platform home directory, /var/cicsts/CICSplex/platform1, where CICSplex is the name of the CICSplex where the platform will be installed, and platform1 is the name of your platform. If you need to use a different directory as the platform home directory, you can change to the alternative directory name using the platform editor after you create the CICS platform project. For instructions to create a platform home directory in zFS, see Preparing zFS for platforms in the CICS TS V5.3 product documentation.

If you want to deploy CICS bundles at the level of your platform, you can create the bundles ready to add them when you create your CICS platform project. For example, you can deploy either a CICS bundle containing a resource that is required in all the CICS regions in the platform, or a policy that applies to multiple applications deployed on the platform. If you do not yet have any applications, resources, or policies set up for your platform, you can add CICS bundles to the platform after you create it, or at any time after you deploy it. For instructions to create a CICS bundle, see Working with bundles.

About this task

A platform includes one or more region types. Region types are used to classify and contain CICS regions according to their type. For example, all CICS regions that handle connections to DB2® could belong to the same group. You can share CICS regions between region types in the same platform or with region types in other platforms.

You can create new region types to use in the platform. You can also choose to adopt existing CICS system groups (CSYSGRPs) as region types in the platform. A single platform can include both created region types and adopted region types.

Created region types can specify the properties of the CICS regions that they contain. You can clone certain region attribute values for all the CICS regions in a region type by specifying the attributes at a region type level. Only CICS regions whose definitions have the same values specified for those attributes, or have no values specified for those attributes, can be part of that region type. You can specify the following region attribute values at a region type level:

Eligible as Routing Regions (WLMSTATUS attribute): Whether or not this CICS region is to participate in its associated workload as a routing region when the CICS region is started.
Eligible as Target Regions (DYNROUTE attribute): Whether or not this CICS region is to be active as a target region and accept work for the workload for which it is a target at CICS startup.
Enable BAS Install (AUTOINST attribute): Whether resources associated with the CICS region through a resource description should be automatically installed when the MAS connects to the CMAS.
BAS Install Failure Action (AINSFAIL attribute): The action to be taken in the event of a BAS install failure.

If the architecture of your platform requires that all the CICS regions in a region type have particular capabilities or restrictions in these areas, specify the appropriate values at a region type level. If a created region type has no special requirements for an attribute, do not specify any value for that attribute, so that any setting is allowed in the CICS regions. When you specify a region attribute value at a region type level, that attribute value is locked and cannot subsequently be changed in a CICS region that is part of the region type.

If you want to re-implement an existing CICSPlex® SM topology as a platform, you can adopt an existing CICS system group (CSYSGRP) as an adopted region type. Each CSYSGRP that you adopt as part of a platform must meet the following requirements:

The group has not already been adopted by a platform that is already installed. If the group is already associated with a platform, it cannot be adopted as a region type.
The group does not contain any subgroups.
The group will not require modification (for example, a group that is involved in WLM or RTA). Platforms require a lock on the groups that are used as region types.
All the CICS regions in the group have the CICSPlex SM system parameter MASPLTWAIT(YES) specified. MASPLTWAIT(YES) is also required for Business Application Services. This parameter is required to automatically install resources for an application or platform when the CICS region is initialized.

If you have CICS regions in a CSYSGRP that does not meet these requirements, and you want to use the CICS regions as part of the platform, add their system definitions (CSYSDEFs) to a new CSYSGRP that you create specifically for the platform.

Procedure

From the CICS Explorer® menu bar, click File > New Wizards > Other to open the New Project wizard.
Expand the CICS Resources folder, click CICS Platform Project, and click Next.
In the Project Name field, enter a name for the CICS Platform project, and specify the name and description for the platform itself. The project location specifies where the CICS Platform project is saved in your local workspace. Click Next.
Click Add to add a region type to the platform. In the Name field, enter a name for the region type. The new region type can be a created region type, or an adopted region type. To adopt an existing CICS system group (CSYSGRP) as an adopted region type, you must have a CICS SM connection.
- For a created region type, click Create a system group. In the ID field, enter a name of up to eight characters for the CICS system group (CSYSGRP) that will be created for the region type.
- For an adopted region type, click Adopt an existing system group. Select the existing CICS system group (CSYSGRP) from the CICSplex where it is located.
Click OK to add the region type to the platform.
Repeat the step to add any further created or adopted region types that you require for your platform. After you have added a region type, you can edit its properties, which are the name of the region type and (for created region types only) the ID of the CSYSGRP. You can also remove any region types that you add in error. Click Next when you have finished specifying the region types for your platform.
Optional: Specify any CICS bundles that you want to deploy with your platform. The list of CICS bundles is discovered from your local workspace. Select the appropriate CICS bundles and click Next, then specify the region types where each CICS bundle will be deployed. If you do not have any CICS bundles ready to deploy with the platform, skip this stage.
Click Finish to create the project. If you are deploying CICS bundles with the platform, you must specify their deployment scope before you can click Finish . The CICS Platform project is created and displayed in the Project Explorer view of the CICS Cloud perspective.
Use the platform editor in the CICS Explorer to edit the CICS Platform project to check and complete your specifications for the platform bundle. The platform editor opens automatically after you create a platform project. To open the platform editor at a later time, double-click on any of the .xml files for the platform bundle, except the manifest.xml file. For a guide to using the platform editor, see The platform editor.
Verify or edit the name and description for the platform on the Overview tab of the platform editor. If you need to use a different directory instead of the default platform home directory, click Browse to locate the home directory that you have set up and select it as the platform home directory.
Verify the region types for the platform on the Overview tab of the platform editor, in the Region Types area, and use the Add and Remove buttons to add or remove created or adopted region types as required. To add an adopted region type, you must have a CICS SM connection. After a platform is installed and active, you can add and remove individual CICS regions in region types. However, you cannot modify the region types in an installed platform, so finalize your region types before installing the platform.
Verify the CICS bundles that are to be deployed with the platform on the Overview tab of the platform editor, in the CICS Bundles area, and use the Add and Remove buttons to add or remove bundles as required. To edit any of the CICS bundles, double-click on the bundle name to open it in the bundle manifest editor. You can deploy further CICS bundles at the level of the platform after you have installed the platform, as you develop your applications and policies.
Select each of the created region types in your platform on the Region Types tab of the platform editor to view the region type properties. In the Region Type Properties area, specify any required settings that must apply in all the CICS regions in the region type. Only CICS regions that can accept the required settings can be part of that region type. If your created region type has no special requirements for an attribute, do not specify any value for that attribute, so that any setting is allowed in the CICS regions.
Select each of the created region types in your platform on the Region Types tab of the platform editor, and click the Add Region button to add one or more CICS region definitions for CICS regions that will be part of the region type. For created region types, a default CICS region definition is provided, which you must replace with a real definition for a CICS region in the region type. You can select the default CICS region definition and replace the default attributes with your own attributes in the Region Properties area. Or you can create new CICS region definitions in the created region type, then delete the default CICS region definition.
1. In the Region Properties area, specify a name (up to 8 characters) for the CICS system definition (CSYSDEF) for the new CICS region. The CSYSDEF name must be unique within the CICSplex.
2. CICS Explorer provides an APPLID for the new CICS region that matches the name you specified, which is best practice. The APPLID is the name by which the CICS region is known in the intercommunication network, that is, its netname. Change the APPLID if required to meet the requirements of your own network.
3. Specify a SYSID for the new CICS region. The SYSID, also known as the SYSIDNT, is a 1-4 character name by which the CICS region is known to other CICS regions.
4. Specify one or more created region types in your platform where the new CICS region will be included. If you are sharing the CICS region between region types, any required settings that you specified for those region types must match and not conflict.
5. Optional: If the CICS region is to use IPIC system links (SYSLINKs) to connect to other CICS regions, specify a character host name or IPv4 or IPv6 address for the CICS region, a network ID, and a port number for outbound requests. The network ID is the z/OS® Communications Server NETID.
You cannot use the platform editor to add, remove, or share CICS regions in adopted region types. You can only work with CICS region definitions in created region types.
Verify or edit the region types where each CICS bundle is to be deployed with the platform on the Deployment tab of the platform editor.
Save your CICS Platform project.
Note: When you have created your CICS Platform project, you must ensure proper management of the project folder that is created in your workspace. The CICS Platform project cannot be reconstructed from the exported data in zFS, and a failure of your workstation might cause the data to be lost. Ensure that your project is checked into a source code management system. When you use a source code management system that integrates with Eclipse, you can check projects in and out while you are working in the CICS Explorer.

Results

The CICS Platform project has a META-INF folder that contains the following XML files:

bundles.xml describes the CICS bundles that are deployed with the platform.
deployment.xml describes the rules that are used to deploy the CICS bundles to the platform.
manifest.xml is the manifest file for the platform bundle and identifies it as a CICS management bundle.
platform.xml describes the platform, including its name, description, region types, and platform home directory.
regions.xml describes the created CICS regions in the project.
regionTypes.xml contains the metadata for each region type, including its name, description, region type, and ID of the system group.
regionTypeLinks.xml describes the created region to region type links.

What to do next

Export the project to zFS, set up CICS regions to match each CICS region definition that you created in a region type in your platform, and then install the platform in the CICSplex to make it available. See Deploying a CICS Platform project.