IBM CICS Transaction Server for z/OS open beta program

CICS Transaction Server for z/OS open beta (July 2026 update)

Introduction

IBM CICS Transaction Server for z/OS (CICS TS) open beta is available for clients who want to explore potential new CICS capability and assess its value to their business. This offering and its education materials can be downloaded, at no charge, from the IBM CICS TS open beta website. Details on each item listed below are available in the What's new? topic.

Planned availability

• July 3, 2026. Available for download >>> here <<<.

Description

The following capabilities are available as part of the CICS TS open beta. The latest additions and updates to capability in this release are shown with an asterisk (*):

• Developer productivity

  • Support for IBM Open XL C/C++ 2.2 for z/OS*

    CICS applications written in C or C++ can now be compiled with IBM Open XL C/C++ 2.2 to benefit from the modern C18 and C++20 language standards, the Clang toolchain and LLVM technology frameworks, and optimized for latest IBM Z architecture. Use of this compiler can improve application performance and allow for easy migration of applications from distributed platforms to z/OS.

    To prepare applications to use IBM Open XL C/C++ refer to the Migration Guide in IBM Documentation.

  • Support for IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Node.js, 24.0*

    Developers are now able to use Node.js 24 features in CICS to build microservices and web applications using the latest JavaScript features and frameworks, with optimized access to CICS programs with the ibm-cics-api API.

    This support requires IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Node.js, 24.0 fix pack 24.14.0 - PTF 1 or later. This enhancement is also available for CICS TS 5.6 and above; no changes to CICS are required.

  • Support for Java 25

    CICS TS open beta now supports IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS, version 25. This support enables developers to use the latest Java 25 language features and provides the opportunity to port Java applications, APIs, and frameworks to run in CICS TS with fast, local and secure access to CICS programs and data.

    This enhancement is also available for CICS TS 6.1, 6.2, 6.3 with APAR PH69930, and CICS TS 5.6 with APAR PH70466.

    To prepare CICS applications to run in new versions of Java JDK, refer to topic Migrating applications to new Java versions in IBM Documentation.

  • Liberty JVM server file locations are now provided on the INQUIRE command

    The CICS command INQUIRE JVMSERVER now provides the file locations for server.xml and messages.log, and the Java version in use. This enables CICS Explorer and other tools to make it easier to navigate to these files to make configuration changes and to diagnose problems.

• Management

  • New command line utility to manage CICS resources and perform actions*

    A Unix-native command line interface (CLI) is provided with the CICS install to manage regions and resources directly from a z/OS UNIX shell. This enables developers to interact easily with CICS from their development environment using a remote secure shell (SSH), and for IBM Bob and other AI tools to be used to accelerate their day-to-day tasks.

    The cicsctl CLI connects to CICS using EXCI with commands executed using the shell user ID. The initial capability provides support to inquire the set of resources supported by Zowe Explorer for IBM CICS Transaction Server (WEBSERV, JVMSERV, BUNDLE, PROGRAM, LOCTRAN, TASK, URIMAP, LOCFILE, LIBRARY, PIPELINE, and TCPIPS), performing the OPEN and CLOSE actions on on LOCFILE and the NEWCOPY and PHASEIN actions on PROGRAM. Results are displayed in either JSON or tabular formats.

  • OpenTelemetry context initiation and propagation enhancements*

    OpenTelemetry (OTel) tracing provides a holistic and comprehensive view of the flow of application components. Furthermore, OTel enables issues to be quickly identified by site reliability engineers using dashboards, analytics, and automation, and then to engage subject matter experts, such as CICS administrators, with diagnostic information to identify issues.

    CICS TS 6.3 participates in OTel tracing by capturing and propagating context, and emitting spans for each CICS transaction without requiring application changes. CICS receives OTel context from clients, such as web services, Liberty applications, and IBM z/OS middleware. CICS TS propagates OTel context across CICS regions, IBM Db2, IBM IMS, IBM MQ, IBM z/OS Connect and other middleware products that participate in the transaction. At the end of the task, CICS produces an OTel trace span that includes key diagnostic information.

    CICS TS open beta extends this capability by initiating OTel trace context for a transaction if no context is received. This allows transactions such as those started via 3270 terminals or HTTP requests without the OTel traceparent header, to participate in OpenTelemetry tracing. Use the transaction resource attributes OTELPROP(INITPROP) and OTELSAMP(percentage) to control which transactions should participate and the volume of data generated.

    In addition, OTel trace context is now propagated in the following scenarios:

    • When using the RETURN TRANSID command – The OTel trace will show the initiated transaction as a child of the transaction issuing the command.
    • When using DTP over MRO with the SEND or CONVERSE command to initiate a transaction in another CICS region; the OTel trace will show the target transaction issuing the RECEIVE command as a child of the calling transaction.
    • When using new OTEL STARTSPAN, OTEL EXTRACT, and OTEL ENDSPAN commands; long running CICS transactions that communicate with clients or servers using a proprietary communication method can propagate different client OTel context onto the exist CICS task and beyond.

     

  • Simplified configuration*

    Configuring a CICS region can be complex, with many options and locations to specify values. To aid simplification, CICS region configuration can now be specified in easy-to-understand YAML files with in-editor contextual help, validation, and completion. YAML can be stored and managed in source-code management systems such as Git for secure sharing, understanding the history of changes, and backing out changes, and automating with pipelines.

    To get started, existing CICS region configuration can be discovered by the new IBM z/OS middleware configuration tool and converted into YAML files. The tool can later use the YAML files to provision and de-provision CICS regions, including their required data sets, system initialization parameters, and startup JCL, and resource definitions.

    The configuration tool runs on z/OS, supports all releases of CICS TS, and is available as part of the IBM z/OS middleware configuration tool open beta program at ibm.biz/zconfig-beta.

  • Extended Recovery Facility (XRF) has been removed*

    The Extended Recovery Facility (XRF) was a CICS feature that provided high availability through automatic failover. XRF has been stabilized for several releases and is no longer available in CICS TS open beta. Consider alternative high availability technologies such as sysplex-based configurations and CICS data sharing.

• Security

  • Transport Layer Security (TLS) hostname validation for outbound HTTP requests*

    CICS ensures that the server you are connecting to is authorized to use the domain name that you requested. Without this check, encryption guarantees a secure channel, but it offers no protection against attackers redirecting your connection to the wrong server. To provide this protection, CICS supports TLS hostname validation for outbound HTTP requests that are made using the CICS-managed TLS connections. The hostname that CICS is attempting to connect to will be compared with those listed in the server certificate's subject alternate name field. If the server certificate does not contain a subject alternate name or if the name does not match, then the TLS handshake will fail.

    The TLS hostname validation is enabled by the VALIDATEHOST system initialization parameter and the VALIDATEHOST attribute for the IPCONN and URIMAP resources.

  • Flexible CICS surrogate security configuration

    Best practice when adopting a zero trust strategy is for all CICS security classes to be active. This includes surrogate security checks that controls a user's ability to perform an action on behalf of a different user. The existing system initialization parameter XUSER=YES enforces security checks for all of the following scenarios:

    • Installing a resource containing a USERID attribute
    • EXEC CICS QUERY SECURITY USERID(user2)
    • EXEC CICS START TRANSID USERID(user2)
    • Running a transaction on another user's terminal
    • Submitting a job to the JES scheduler to be run by a different user

     

    CICS TS open beta extends the XUSER parameter to allow just one or multiple combinations of the above security checks to be made. This more flexible approach enables users to be more precise and only permit the scenarios required.

  • Improve performance of outbound TCP/IP connections using AT-TLS

    Performance improvements have been made when establishing outbound TCP/IP connections that are secured with Application Transparent - Transport Layer Security (AT-TLS). Outbound HTTP requests will now use an S8 TCB for socket requests instead of using the SO TCB, resulting in better multi-tasking and higher throughput in scenarios where partner systems are slow to respond. This change applies to WEB OPEN and INVOKE SERVICE commands that specify SCHEME(HTTP) using a URIMAP or as part of the command.
    
    Some of these changes are also available for CICS TS 6.1 and 6.2 with APAR PH69208, and CICS TS 6.3 with APAR PH69463.

IBM early programs

CICS TS open beta is part of IBM early programs that enable clients to acquire early releases of a product for the purposes of testing before being made commercially available. Participants in early programs typically gain insight into IBM strategy and direction. Participants can also accrue earlier benefits and payback from new features, and can gain a competitive edge and the opportunity for public recognition as a technology leader. Early programs participants are encouraged to provide feedback and articulate their own requirements to IBM, with the potential to help influence and shape future IBM products.

Typically, product offerings that are provided by early programs:

• Have no charge.
• Have no support.
• May not be used for productive purposes.
• Contain a disabling device that will prevent it from being used after the test period ends.
• Are not warranted, such that IBM does not warrant that any version of the early program that is formally released or made commercially available (if any) will be similar to, or compatible with, early release versions.

To find out more about IBM early programs contact the CICS Early Programs coordinator at cicsep@uk.ibm.com.

Planned availability

• July 3, 2026. Available for download >>> here <<<.

Key prerequisites

• The minimum required hardware prerequisite is IBM z14® or subsequent 64-bit IBM z/Architecture® processors.
• The minimum required level of operating system is IBM z/OS, 3.1 (5650-ZOS).
• The minimum required level of Java is IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS 17.0.7.0.
• To install CICS TS using z/OSMF Software Management, both z/OSMF Software Management and Workflows must be installed and enabled on the driving system.

Publications

Online documentation for CICS TS open beta is available from IBM Documentation. The documentation is refreshed regularly to reflect feedback from users, and includes changes that result from continuous delivery and IBM Service. Note that not all content that is marked Beta may describe function that is available in this open beta release. For details of the documentation provided by CICS, including offline and PDF options, see What documentation is available.