Configuring a CICS CM system connection

Before you can view any information, you must establish a connection between CICS® CM plug-in and your CICS systems by providing details about the system connection, its location, and its authentication requirements.

Before you begin

Ensure that your system connection details are saved in the credentials view, Defining connection credentials. You must have the correct level of authorization to connect to your system, and you must be connected to your company network.
Note: System connections can now be secured using the SSL protocol. For more information, see Using SSL security for Explorer connections, and Managing SSL security and certificates.

If CICS CM plug-in was pre-configured by your system administrator, you can view the details in the Connections Preferences view.

If CICS CM plug-in was not configured, or you want to add another connection, follow these steps:

About this task

  1. Click Window > Manage connections
  2. In the Host Connections view, select Performance Analyzer and click Add. The Add Performance Analyze Connection dialog opens.
    The Connections preferences dialog.
  3. Complete the fields with the details provided by your system administrator.
    Field Label Description
    Type The type of the system. Select Configuration Manager to connect to the CICS Configuration Manager.
    Name The local name used to identify this connection. The name can be anything you choose and is used only to help you distinguish between different connections.
    Host name The address of your Configuration Manager server.
    Port number The port used to access the server.
    Secure connection (TLS/SSL) Select this field if the connection uses SSL security.
    CICS Connection® Connection When you click Apply the CICS Connection window is populated with the CICSPlex® SM Connections that are available to use with this connection. The CICS CM plug-in can use the CICSPlex SM Connection to interrogate operation resources and the CICS CM Connection to interrogate definition resources without your intervention. Click Apply to save your selection.
    Note: The check box for CICS Management Interface must be checked to allow concurrent connections for CM and SM. Leaving the check box cleared causes the CM connection to be disconnected when you switch to the SM perspective.
  4. Click Save and Close to save the configuration without connecting or Click Save and Connect to save the configuration and connect immediately.
  5. If you chose to connect immediately, you will need to select your user credentials.

What to do next

When you click Connect, the CICS CM plug-in tries to connect to the system that you configured.

If the connection is successful, the connection name is displayed in the workbench window next to a green icon.

If the connection is not successful, the connection name is displayed in workbench window next to a red icon. An error message is displayed in the Connections Preferences view, providing a reason for the failure. Check the values in the fields, correct any errors, and click Connect to test the corrections.