Configuring a CICS DA system connection

CICS® Deployment Assistant uses several types of connections to access the CICS DA host component: an FTP connection, CMCI or CICSPlex® SM data interface connections, and HTTP connections. When you configure the CICS DA system connection, you provide details about the connection, credentials, type of FTP connection (implicit or explicit), and other related details.

Before you begin

Ensure that you understand your CICS DA system connection details, that you have the correct level of authorization to connect to your system, and that you are connected to your company network. You must have at least one connection credential before you can connect to a CICS DA system. A credential is a repository for a user ID and password combination. If you do not have a credential, you are prompted to create one. For more information about creating credentials, see Defining connection credentials in the z/OS® Explorer User Guide.

If your CICS DA connections are already configured, you can view the details in the Host Connections view.

If CICS DA is not configured, or if you want to add a connection, perform the following steps:

Procedure

  1. Open the Host Connections view by choosing one of the following choices:
    • On the workbench menu bar, click Window > Manage Connections.
    • Right-click in the DA Explorer view and click New > Server Connection.

    The Host Connections view is displayed. If your connections are preconfigured, you see the connections that are listed under the connection categories in the view. If not, the connection categories are empty. The following example screen capture shows the Host Connections view. There are connections that are defined for the CICS Management Interface category and z/OS FTP category. Both connections are associated with the credential Nick. The credential is shown in brackets after the connection name.

    A screen capture of the Host Connections view. There are connections that are defined for the CICS Management Interface and z/OS FTP. Both connections are associated with the credential Nick. The credential is shown in brackets after the connection name.

  2. In the Connections section, select the CICS Deployment Assistant category and click Add to open the Add Connection window. Complete the fields with the details provided by your system administrator. The following table provides a description of the fields:
    Option Description
    Name The local name that is used to identify this connection. You can use any name that helps you distinguish between different connections. If you do not enter a name, then the first part of the host name followed by the port number is inserted in this field. For example, if your host name is myserver.example.ibm.com and your port number is 2232, then the name displays as myserver:2232.
    Host name The TCP/IP name of the CICS DA server. The host name is typically also the host name that is used for FTP when you select Default connection (port 21) in the FTP Connection field.
    Port number The port number of the CICS DA active spool component.

    The port number that is configured in the CICS DA server.

    SSL connection (TSL/SSL) Select this box for a secure connection that uses the TSL or SSL protocol. You configure your keystore and truststore details in the Security and certificate management preferences page. The page is accessed form the CICS Explorer® menu bar by clicking Window > preferences > Explorer > Certificate Management
    Note: If you are using SSL, you must ensure that the FTP connection you use is also secure. If the FTP connection is not secure, the CICS DA connection fails.
  3. Click the System tab and complete the fields:
    Option Description
    FTP Connection The default FTP connection (Default connection (port 21)) or the name of an FTP connection that you create.
    By default, CICS DA automatically uses an implicit FTP connection, based on port 21 and a Passive transfer mode, to the host specified on the DA Connection setting, and with the same credentials as the DA connection. If you do not want to use the default setting, you must first create an FTP connection and then specify the name of that connection in the DA connection. You might have an extra FTP connection if you want to use a different set of credentials for the FTP connection than for the CICS connection, or you want to use Active transfer mode, or if you have different FTP security options.
    Note: If you are using SSL, you must ensure that the FTP connection you use is also secure. If the FTP connection is not secure, the CICS DA connection fails.
    JES Member Name The four-character JES member name of the system you are connecting to.
    z/OS Console The two to eight-character name of the console, which is based on your user ID that is unique to the sysplex. For example, TSO/SDSF users with a console name of their TSO user ID must use a different console name for CICS DA. Using a different console name to the TSO console name means that you can use both TSO and CICS DA at the same time.

    The first character must be an alphabetic character, #, $, or @.

    Some console names are reserved. For more information, see Reserved Console Names.

  4. Click the Job Card tab and complete the fields:
    Option Description
    Job Card A typical MVS™ job card. The job name sets the job name prefix. All CICS DA jobs are short-running tasks, so the Class used must be appropriate. When a CICS DA job completes successfully, the output is automatically purged by the CICS DA client. Do not use a MSGCLASS parameter that causes output to be purged automatically at job completion. The following code block shows an example job card:
    //NICKA JOB  ,'CICSDA GENERATED JCL',CLASS=A,
    //         MSGCLASS=H 
    Job Name prefix The job name prefix for jobs that are generated by CICS DA. CICS DA sets the value of this field, which is based on the job name that is specified on the job card.
  5. Select the Timeout tab and complete the fields:
    Option Description
    Job retry count The number of attempts to fetch the job output before the job fails.
    Job retry delay The delay in milliseconds before the attempt to fetch the job output is tried again.
    MVS command timeout The timeout value in seconds for MVS commands.
    Note: If you get timeout errors when you are not running a discovery operation, for example when CICS DA is fetching job output, you can increase the values on the Timeout tab. If you are getting timeout errors during a discovery operation, then you might need to get your system administrator to change the timeout values in the CICS DA server properties file. A discovery operation is run under the user ID that is associated with the server, so the timeout settings in the server properties file, cphprops, are used rather than the client settings.
  6. Choose one of the following actions:
    • Click Save and Connect to save the configuration and connect to the server.
    • Click Save and Close to save the configuration and close the window.
    • Click Close to cancel the process and close the window view without saving the new connection.

Results

If you clicked Save and Connect the Signon window is displayed. You must provide details of the connection you want to use when you connect to the server. If you have already some credentials defined, you can choose the one to use from the list. Alternatively, you can choose to create new credentials. When you click OK, you must first confirm or enter your password, and then CICS DA attempts to connect to the server you defined. A message is displayed in the workbench status bar indicates whether the connection is successful or not.