Working with the system model
The system information and configuration data that is found by CICS® DA during the discovery process. The information is loaded in the CICS DA client, and can be viewed in the DA Explorer view. This collection of system information and configuration data is known as the model. You can view the individual elements in the model, and open them in an editor to see more details or to perform actions against them.
- Keeping the local model synchronized with the server
In CICS DA terms, a model is a collection of all the system information that is identified when the CICS DA discovery process is run against a sysplex. The model is maintained by the CICS DA server. You can load a copy of the model into your local workspace and use the CICS DA client to visualize and understand your CICS environment. The same model can be loaded by multiple users. - Running discovery and loading the system model
The system model is a representation of the all the z/OS® images, CICS systems, associated subsystems, and other logical system information, in the sysplex. The model is created by the CICS DA server when the discovery action is run. When the discovery operation completes you load the model into your CICS Explorer® workspace. - Running discovery when the JES member name and MVS system name do not match.
If your MVS™ system name and the JES member name do not match, and you are running a z/OS version earlier than version 1.11, you must run some additional steps to complete the discovery process. When you run a discovery CICS DA loads the discovered model into a CICS DA Project. - Viewing the system model as a tree structure
You can view the content of the system model as a tree-based structure in the DA Explorer view. The DA Explorer view is available in the CICS DA perspective. Initially, the model is shown as a flat view with a folder for each discovered type of model element. However the model data can be shown in a number of different ways. - Viewing the system model with the resource editors
You can use the DA Explorer navigation tree to see the individual model elements, or you can use the resource editors to navigate through the elements in your CICSplex. The resource editors show more detailed information about the individual resources and links to other related resources. - Viewing the system model in the visualization views
The visualization views provide a graphical representation of the system model. The three visualization views use the same model data, but each view shows the data in a different way. You can use the Expand all and Collapse all icons to view the content of the Sysplex and MVS images, and open the objects to access more detailed information. - The Sysplex view filters
You can use the Sysplex view filters to define the information that is displayed in the Sysplex views. You can filter by resource type, tags, or CMAS, depending on the active Sysplex view. - The visualization toolbar
You can use the visualization toolbar to locate, and see more information about, resource elements in the visualization views. - Viewing the CICS system connections
The Connections view displays a graphical representation of the connections between the CICS systems and other subsystems in the model. The Connections view is populated only when a Sysplex view or a resource editor is open. If a Sysplex view is open and visible, the scope of the connections view is the sysplex. If a resource editor is open and visible, the scope of the connections view is the CICSplex that the resource is in. The connections are shown as lines that connect the resources. - The visualization preferences
You can use the visualization preferences to change the colors that are used in the visualization views. You can also set the layout of the CICS regions in the Connections view. - Viewing the model in the Outline view
The system model can contain many resource elements. The Sysplex views display only a part of the model. You can use the scroll bars in the Sysplex views to move around the model. However the Outline view provides an alternative navigation method. The Outline view displays the complete contents of sysplex pane. The individual resource elements are too small to see any detail, but a shaded area represents the viewing area that is displayed in the Sysplex view. - Synchronizing the view content
When you first start CICS DA, the visualization views, resource editor views, Connection view, DA Explorer view, and the Jobs view are all linked. This means that the contents of the views are synchronized. - Refreshing the model element status
CICS DA indicates the last known status of a model element in one of two ways: In the model tree and the visualization views, the status is indicated by a decorator on the element icon. The decorator overlays the model element icon, and indicates whether the model element is running () or stopped (
). In the resource editors, the last known status is shown in the Status field. The Status field is refreshed when the editor opens. You can manually refresh the status of one or more model elements.
- Deleting a model element
When the CICS DA server runs a discovery operation, it adds all active elements to the model. If a CICS region, or other element, is later deleted from the z/OS system, it remains in the model. The CICS DA server cannot tell if a model element is inactive, or if it no longer exists in the z/OS system. For this reason, the server does not delete elements from the model. You can manually delete an element, or elements, from the CICS DA model. - Exporting the model as a CSV file
You can export the system model as a Comma Separated Value (CSV) file. The export includes most model elements and any tags that are applied. The export does not include DB2, IMS, or WebSphere MQ elements. The exported data can be used in an external application. You can use the application to provide you with a better understanding of your environment, and as an aid to future planning. - Tagging the elements in a model
Using the resource editors you can assign one or more tags to each element in the model. You can use these tags to identify relationships between the resources. For example, you might use the tag "aor" to identify all the AORs and "tor" to identify all the TORs. In the Sysplex (by Tag) view, you can use the filter to show only the elements that contain the tag "aor", or any combination of tags.
Parent topic: Tasks