Using the PARM option

For most CICSPlex® SM and CICS definitions, all of the information needed to process an API request is included in the attributes of the resource table.

Some definitions, however, allow you to supply optional data and some require additional data. For those definitions, you have to specify the PARM option on the appropriate API command:
  • CREATE
  • UPDATE
  • REMOVE
  • GET
The PARM option accepts a parameter expression, which is a character string that defines the parameters required for a definition to be processed.
For example, suppose you want to create an LNKSMSCG definition, which is a CICSPlex SM definition that describes the association between a CICS® system group and a monitor specification (MONSPEC). Before CICSPlex SM can process your request, it must know how to handle other links that may be affected by the change. So when you issue the CREATE command, you must specify a parameter expression like this on the PARM option: 
  PARM('FORCE.')

which tells CICSPlex SM that all CICS systems in the CICS system group are to inherit the new specification.

The PARM option is especially useful when working with CICS definitions. For each CICS Definition resource table there is another resource table that describes the definition's association with a resource group (RESGROUP), if one exists. For example, the CONNDEF resource table represents a connection definition and the CONINGRP resource table represents an association between a connection definition and a resource group. The RESGROUP parameter provided with the CREATE and GET commands for CICS Definitions simplifies the processing of these records.

When you create a CICS Definition record, you can identify an existing resource group to which the definition should be added. To do this, use the PARM option to identify the resource group like this: 
  PARM('RESGROUP(resgroup).')

Using the RESGROUP parameter automatically creates an xxxINGRP record (such as a CONINGRP record), which describes the association between the CICS definition and its resource group.

When you use the GET command to request CICS Definition records from the data repository, you can select definitions according to the resource group to which they belong. Use the PARM option to identify the resource group: 
  PARM('RESGROUP(resgroup).')

CICSPlex SM selects CICS definitions only from the specified resource group. If you do not use the PARM option, CICSPlex SM selects definitions from all resource groups, according to the other criteria you specify on the GET command.

Note: For a complete list of the CREATE, UPDATE, REMOVE, and GET parameters required (or supported) by a given resource table, see CICSPlex SM resource tables.