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 descriptor editor after you create the CICS platform project. For instructions to
create a platform home directory in zFS, see Preparing zFS for platforms.
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 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 descriptor editor in the CICS Explorer to edit the CICS Platform project to check and complete
your specifications for the platform bundle.
The platform descriptor
editor opens automatically after you create a platform project. To
open the platform descriptor editor at a later time, double-click on any of the .xml files for the platform bundle, except the manifest.xml file.
- Verify or edit the name and description for the platform
on the Overview tab of the platform descriptor 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 descriptor 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 descriptor 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 descriptor 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 descriptor 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 descriptor 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 descriptor 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.