Introduction to CICS

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 Contents
 Introduction
 History
 Compatibility
 Typical Usage
 Components of CICS
 CICS Structure – Domains
 CICS Management Functions
 Defining Resources to CICS – Control Tables

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 Introduction

 CICS: Customer Information Control System

 Product from IBM

 Its principal function is to control multiple terminal users and

enable them to access their files using a set of programs.

 Its interface between Application Program and the Operating

System.

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 Introduction (Cont..)

 It’s a OLTP System

 It’s a Database/ Data Communication (DB/DC) system.

 It’s a Terminal Control Program/ Terminal Monitor

 Acts as a Application/ Transaction Server

 E.g. Banks ATM programs Customer Information System,

Student Registration System etc.

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 History

 Developed by IBM CICS developers in Hursley, England

 pronounced "KIX" or "KICKS”

 More than 30 years old. 90% of Fortune 500 companies use

CICS.

 Initially, IBM introduced CICS for small and medium mainframe

systems with, perhaps, a maximum of 50 terminals. Larger
sites would use IMS/DC.

 As CICS has evolved, the maximum number of terminals has

5 grown to many thousands.
 Compatibility

 MVS, OS/390, z/OS

 VSE
 AIX
 HP
 OS/2
 Apple Macintosh

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 Typical Usage

 Message Switching

 Batch Job Submission

 Date Entry Transactions

 Inquiry Transactions

 Inquiry with Update Transactions

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Typical Usage Message Switching

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Typical Usage Batch Job Submission

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Typical Usage Date Entry Transactions

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Typical Usage Date Entry Transactions

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Typical Usage Inquiry Transactions

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Typical Usage Inquiry Transactions

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Typical Usage Inquiry with Update Transactions

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 Components of CICS

 Data Communication Functions

 Data Handling Functions

 Application Program Services

 System Services

 Monitoring Functions

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Components of CICS

Data Communication Functions

 This component provides an interface between CICS and terminals.

 It acts as an interface to telecommunication access methods like VTAM,

TCAM, BTAM.

 It frees the application programs from terminal hardware through Basic

Mapping Support (BMS) thus providing device and format
independence.

 It provides Multi Region Operations (MRO) through which more than one
CICS region in a system can communicate.

 Provides Inter System Communication (ISC), through which a CICS

region in a system can communicate with other CICS regions systems
16 or other non-CICS regions in other systems or other non-CICS systems.
Components of CICS

Data-Handling Functions

 Provides an interface between CICS and data.

 Interface with data access methods such as VSAM and BDAM.

 Interface with database access methods like DB/2, SQL/DS and DL/I

 Maintain data integrity by controlling simultaneous updates, providing

data recovery facilities.

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Components of CICS

Application Program Services

 Provides an interface between CICS and Application programs.

 Interface with COBOL, PL/1, and assembler programs.

 Provides command level translation.

 Provides Execution Diagnostic Facility (EDF), Command Interpreter,

(CECI), Screen Definition Facility (SDF), Trace and Dump facilities.

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Components of CICS

System Services

 Provides an interface between CICS and operation system and carries

out functions like loading and releasing of application programs,
acquiring and freeing of storage, task scheduling.

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Components of CICS

Monitoring Functions

 Provides the function for monitoring the various events within CICS
and the necessary statistics for system fine tuning.

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 CICS Structure - Domains

 CICS functions are performed by Domains

 The domains replace the management modules used by old

versions of CICS.

 Each domain has a two-character identifier.

 When a user requests CICS services, the different components

are invoked as required.

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 CICS Structure – Important Domains

 KE kernel - the main CICS  PA parameter domain

control structure
 DS dispatcher domain
 DM domain manager
domain
 DU dump domain
 GC global catalog domain
 LC local catalog domain
 LM lock domain
 ME message domain
 MN monitoring domain
 ST statistics domain.
 SI systems initialization
domain
 SM storage domain
 TI timer domain
 TR trace domain
 XM transaction manager
domain
 XS security domain
 AP application domain:
everything else in CICS

22 • You will see these codes in messages: DFHSM0115

 CICS Management Functions

 Terminal Management
Most CICS applications start when an end user enters data from a
terminal. Terminal Management allows your applications to send or receive
messages.

 Security Management
You can restrict access to transaction and resources.

 Task Management
CICS provides its own multi-user or multi-thread environment.

 Program Management
A typical CICS system supports many different user application
programs. Loading and accessing these programs is controlled by this
management function.
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 CICS Management Functions (cont..)

 File Management
Some applications use non-database files. File Management provides access
to VSAM and direct access (BDAM) data sets.

 Queue Management
Some applications have the requirement to store data into a queue for
later retrieval. CICS supports two methods of queuing.

 Recovery Management
You may ask CICS to protect selected resources, in the event of
unexpected termination of the transaction or the system.

 System Services
* Storage Management
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 CICS Management Functions (cont..)

 System Services
* Storage Management: Acquiring storage when CICS
transactions needs it.
* Time Management: A service that allows CICS transaction to
request that certain actions be performed at a certain time of
day, or after an elapsed period of time.
* Trace Management: A service that can be very helpful in
problem determination.
* Application Program Interface (API): A ‘layer’ between
application programs and CICS management functions.

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 CICS Management Functions (cont..)

 System Services
* Storage Management: Acquiring storage when CICS
transactions needs it.
* Time Management: A service that allows CICS transaction to
request that certain actions be performed at a certain time of
day, or after an elapsed period of time.
* Trace Management: A service that can be very helpful in
problem determination.
* Application Program Interface (API): A ‘layer’ between
application programs and CICS management functions.

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 CICS Management Functions (cont..)

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 CICS Management Functions (cont..)

 System Services
* Storage Management: Acquiring storage when CICS
transactions needs it.
* Time Management: A service that allows CICS transaction to
request that certain actions be performed at a certain time of
day, or after an elapsed period of time.
* Trace Management: A service that can be very helpful in
problem determination.
* Application Program Interface (API): A ‘layer’ between
application programs and CICS management functions.

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 CICS Management Functions (cont..)

 System Services
* Storage Management: Acquiring storage when CICS
transactions needs it.
* Time Management: A service that allows CICS transaction to
request that certain actions be performed at a certain time of
day, or after an elapsed period of time.
* Trace Management: A service that can be very helpful in
problem determination.
* Application Program Interface (API): A ‘layer’ between
application programs and CICS management functions.

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 Defining Resources to CICS –
Control Tables

 You must define resources such as files to CICS, before you can
use them.

 CICS Control Program and Tables:

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 Control Tables – PCT

Program Control Table (PCT)

The primary function of the PCT is to register the control information of all
CICS transactions.

PCT contains a list of valid Trans-id paired with the name of a program
CICS will load when the transaction is initiated with that transaction
identifier.

It identifies priority and security level (RSLC) of transaction.

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 Control Tables - PPT

Processing Program Table (PPT)

The Primary function of PPT is to register all CICS application programs

and BMS mapsets.

The PPT keeps track of which applications are loaded on the CICS
address Space (storage).

CICS uses this information to determine whether new copy of the program
need to be loaded from Disk or it exists on storage.

It contains information such as Location in memory, Library address of the

disk and language being used.
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 Control Tables – PCT & PPT

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 Control Tables - FCT

File Control Table (FCT)

The Primary function of FCT is to register the control information of all

files, which are used under CICS.

FCT contains the name and type of each file and in addition lists the file
control operations that are valid for each file.

It lists whether the existing records can be read sequentially or randomly,

deleted or modified.

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