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 editor after you create the CICS platform project. For instructions
to create a platform home directory in zFS, see Creating a platform home directory in zFS in
the CICS TS 5.1 Information Center.
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.
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.