InterConnect 2015 Session 4156 Twist and Cloud - How customers make CICS dance. Putting CICS into the cloud, is someone actually doing this? Since 2012 CICS TS Version 5 has been introducing and continuously enhancing its capabilities to support a Platform As A Service approach. Join speakers from CICS Technical Sales to hear about their experiences and how their customers gained value from cloud capabilities in CICS.

1. © 2015 IBM Corporation
ASZ-4156
Twist and Cloud
How IBM Customers Make CICS Dance
Isabel Arnold
CICS TechSales Germany
Isabel.Arnold@de.ibm.com

2. Agenda
• What is a cloud?
• How CICS does cloud
• How 3 customers really want to use this
2

3. What does Cloud mean
• No cloud in hell…
Comic Source: Webpal.net

4. What is Cloud Computing?
NIST Definition :
• Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network
access to
• a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage,
applications, and services)
- that can be rapidly provisioned and released
- with minimal management effort or service provider interaction
• composed of 5 essential characteristics, 3 service models, 4 deployment models.
 Pool resources and virtualize them
 Standardize Services so they can run there
 >> Service provided on-demand via Automation,
>> on increasing Demand assign additional resources from the pool (elastic Scaling)
= Cost
++ FlexibilityVIRTUALIZATION STANDARDIZATION AUTOMATION

5.  Rapid elasticity
 Broad network access
 Resource pooling
 Measured service
 On-demand self-service
5 Characteristics
 Private cloud
 Public cloud
 Hybrid cloud
 Community cloud
4 Deployment Models
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/80
0-145/SP800-145.pdf
Cloud - Deployment, Service, Characteristics
 Software as a Service
(SaaS)
 Platform as a Service
(PaaS)
 Infrastructure as a Service
(IaaS)
3 Service Models

6. Networking
Storage
Servers
Virtualization
O/S
Middleware
Runtime
Data
Applications
Traditional
On-Premises
ClientManages
Networking
Storage
Servers
Virtualization
O/S
Middleware
Runtime
Data
Applications
Software
as a Service
VendorManagesinCloud
Networking
Storage
Servers
Virtualization
O/S
Middleware
Runtime
Data
Applications
Infrastructure
as a Service
VendorManagesinCloud
ClientManages
Networking
Storage
Servers
Virtualization
O/S
Middleware
Runtime
Data
Applications
Platform
as a Service
VendorManagesinCloud
ClientManages
Customization; higher costs; slower time to value
Standardization; lower costs; faster time to value
3 Service Models - Comparison

7. SaaS
Source: Cloudtechsite.com

8. Tag, Track &
Time to pay
only for what
you used
TT
Tub (Pool) of resources
TT Workload-dependent,
elastic scalingWW
Interfaces over
the InternetII
Self-Sevice
On DemandSS

9. Mass production vs. high customization
• Fixed images with Compute, storage, database
services …
• “mass” production – one/ few images fit all
• Reusable patterns
• Extremely customizable >> value proposition
• no Blueprints delivered – customer must create own
master image
• Break down image to middleware (CICS, SAP, IMS TM,
WebSphere, …)
Amazon, Linux, … z/OS
Source: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOhbTAU4OPI#!

10. Glenn Anderson: With z/OS, we need to think
about cloud just a bit differently…..
• Today in cloud environments on distributed servers, or even with Linux
on System z, installations would provision a virtual machine with an
instance of an operating system to run a single workload. To deploy
another workload would mean another virtual machine with another
instance of the operating system.
• However, in the context of z/OS, this methodology goes against
everything we have come to know and expect about z/OS.
On z/OS, you have the ability to
- run multiple disparate workloads
- with different service levels
- for those hosted workloads
- with isolation or multi-tenancy.
• Hence the approach for cloud on z/OS is not focusing on the provisioning
of operating system instances, but rather the ability to provision multiple
workloads in a single z/OS instance.

12. Stage 1: Create a platform
 Simple layer of abstraction to decouple
applications from the underlying complexities of a
CICS topology
 Consists of Region Types
- logical grouping collecting CICS regions with
common characteristics
- enables them to be managed as a unit in a
platform
- Created: define a region type & set up new
CICS region definitions
- Adopted: adopt existing CICS system group
(CSYSGRP) as region type with its existing
CICS regions
Terminal Owning
Region (TOR)
Production Payroll

13. Automatic-Mode vs. Tuning

14. Stage 2: Create an application and application entry points
package CICS application in
Application bundle
Deploy > manage > monitor
as single entity across
multiple regions in platform
Application entry points
–identify resources as access
points to Application
–control users' access to different
Application versions
Bind application to platform
for additional characteristics

15. Stage 3: Add resources for the application
Transfer responsibility for creating,
installing, managing resources
Don't modify resources individually
(use CICS Bundle/Application
operations)
Application architects: carefully
consider which resources to tie to
CICS Bundle lifecycle
Specify resource separately and
declare as import (dependency) if
resource
–cannot be defined in a CICS bundle
–has different lifecycle
–should not be private (only LIB &
PROGRAM)

16. Transactions
Programs
Files
Applications in CICS
How we think
about
applications in
CICS
How applications
look after they
have been
installed

17. Bundle your resources > get Application Context
Create a CICS Bundle
to keep your resources
together
Consider as a vehicle to get
them into (and out of) CICS A CICS Application can
contain several CICS
Bundles

18. OK, for simplification: this
is now an application with
a CICS Bundle

19. About Entry Points
PROGRAM that tasks call to access
application
–Program not required in this bundle
URIMAP* resources providing URIs for
requesters to access application
–Unique name (still) required
–Must be contained in same bundle
–Access for Liberty, HTTP, MQ
Application context data if entry point passed
Operation =
FrontDoor

20. Application Context – Slippers (Museums-Pantoffel)

21. CICS Application Binding
Maps CICS bundles for application to region types in the target
platform

22. Where else can Bundles be deployed
Bundle in
Application Bundle in
Binding
Bundle in
Platform

23. Transaction * Program *File ** Library *
OSGi Bundle JVM Server ** Pipeline **TCP/IP Service **
URI map *
Web service **
Event (Application or System)
Atom feed
XML-based service
Channel-based service
* CICS 5.1 | ** CICS 5.2
CICS Bundle Resources

24. Think about what
you will be able to
build in the
future!!!

25. German Insurance
• Hurray, we can finally bundle together Java OSGi Bundles and
their corresponding Program Definitions! Because for the rest
we use autoinstall…
25
Program *
OSGi Bundle
URI map *
JVM Server **
TCP/IP Service **

26. New packaging options
+ Library
+ Program
+ URI map
+ Transaction
+ File
+ OSGi Bundle
+ Program
+ URI map
+ JVM Server
+ TCP/IP Service
Within Bundle
Within
Binding
Classic
CEDA
Within
Platform

27. Web Services Lifecycle
 Define both inbound and outbound web
services
 Import WSBind file
 Import WSDL file
 Generate URIMAP resource
 All configuration managed within the
CICS bundle lifecycle
 Resources can be life-cycled with
Application, Binding or Platform as
appropriate
German Building Association:
Great, we don’t use the PIPELINE
SCAN mechanism to generate the
URIMAP anyway, now we can
bundle resources
German Building Association:
Great, we don’t use the PIPELINE
SCAN mechanism to generate the
URIMAP anyway, now we can
bundle resources

28. Stage 4: Add a policy
XML definition
Rules to describe controls or
actions
For one or more application tasks
Threshold conditions to manage
behaviour of user tasks
e.g. define a threshold for the
amount of storage allocated by a
user task, and make CICS issue
a message if the threshold is
exceeded

29. So far:
Combination of IBM, ISV
and self-written tools
Without application hard to
tell what individual
resources do
Trans exceeding
Threshold
Control application
behaviour
Avoid runaway &
loosing money
Policies to control

30. Policy Types
 Threshold: CPU, storage,
database access, …
 Action:
- Message DFHMP3001 (MP =
Messaging Platform Domain)
- Event
- Abend
 Scope of Policy
- Application
- Operation within Application
- Platform
- no Scope – Scope CICS Region

31. Stage 5: Remove the application from the platform
Complete lifecycle by removing application from platform
>> unavailable, disable, discard
Removal of individual versions possible

32. German Insurance
32

33. Multi-versioning Update
Application A 1.0.0
PROGRAM P
PROGRAM S
PROGRAM E1
Platform M
Region R
EXEC CICS LINK PROGRAM(E1)
single version
application: private
resources declared as
application entry points
become public
resources when
application entry point is
made available.

34. Version 1.0.1 INSTALL & ENABLE
Platform M
Application A 1.0.1
PROGRAM P’
PROGRAM E1
Region R
PROGRAM S
Application A 1.0.0
PROGRAM P
PROGRAM E1
EXEC CICS LINK PROGRAM(E1)

35. Version 1.0.1 AVAILABLE
Platform M
Application A 1.0.0
PROGRAM P
Application A 1.0.1
PROGRAM P’
PROGRAM E1
PROGRAM E1
Region R
PROGRAM S
EXEC CICS LINK PROGRAM(E1)
multi-version
application: entry point
of highest version
application public,
others private

36. Version 1.0.1 UNAVAILABLE
Platform M
Application A 1.0.1
PROGRAM P’
PROGRAM E1
Region R
PROGRAM S
Application A 1.0.0
PROGRAM P
PROGRAM E1
EXEC CICS LINK PROGRAM(E1)
UNAVAILABLE

37. Application
• Generated from xCobol
• Current versioning in
generated file names
• No entity, only few can
tell from entry module
what’s behind
• Wholistic approach
• 3 major releases/
year
• 6-8 weeks testing
block before release
for everyone
• Include Bundle
generation in that process
• Have application as entity
and bundles as
encapsulated modules
• Individually upgrade and
test bundles – also in
parallel to old version
• Allows continuous,
parallel testing for
dedicated users

38. Developer chooses
Platform M
Application A 1.1.1
PROGRAM P
Application A 1.1.2
PROGRAM P’
PROGRAM E1 PROGRAM E1
Region R
PROGRAM R
EXEC CICS INVOKE APPLICATION(A) OPERATION(op1)
MAJORVERSION(1) MINORVERSION(1) EXACTMATCH
Application A 1.2.1
PROGRAM P’’
PROGRAM E1
op1 op1
op1
Will pick highest bug fix automatically, so 1.1.1 hidden
EXACTMATCH: exactly 1.1
MINIMUM: at least 1.1

39. Platform
• Developer platform on RD&T for Compile
• Test on RD&T or Host – have complete image that can be
restored or reset to old version for regression test
• Not possible on mainframe, no self service …
• Also test against different patch levels
• Production: multi-versioning enables testing there as well for
dedicated users, 1-click rollback essential
• Services
• TQF (Technical cross section functions) with date inquiry,
RACF interface, data access & locking etc.
• Web Service architecture
39

40. Austrian Insurance

41. CICS Development Scenario
Mainframe System
Services
REST
Interface
Web
UI
• Goals
 easily create new JVM servers for Developers
 Developers should get an Environment on
which they can work independent
 No need to know the mainframe parts
• Rest Interface, for other systems to access functionality
 Automatic creation of platforms and JVM servers for new users
 Possibility for a continuous integration server to deal with deploys and
compiles
• Web UI
 Easy way for non mainframe developers to get a new JVM server on the fly
 Admin in the development department (not System programmer) can manage
all developer-specific use cases on the mainframe

42. Technical Overview
CICS Liberty
PL/1
REST Services
Web UI
RDZ
Test Deployment,
Test PL/1 Compile
CI Server
Deployment, Staging
Job submit
Mainframe System
Services
Admin
Deployment Overview,
Server Overview, …
Developer
Sandbox management
My Servers, My
Applications

43. REST swagger UI implementation

44. • Multi platforms – 1 region
• Incremental implementation of requirements
• Was always dependent on a completed release to start
working, even though new requirements kept coming in – had
to wait and was always the „Fool of the Nation“
• Decouple development and specify explicit dependencies
• Old versions can still run in parallel
• „You can use something without the fear that something else
does not work any more. And if somebody is faster, he/she
does not have to wait for the rest any more.“
• „We need this system really really urgent.“
44

45. Isabel

46. WUI(CPSMWUI)
CICS Bundle (EXPLPREF)
URIMAP PREFALL
Path=/connections/*
HFS File =/ZT01/user/CPSMWUI/
Connections_1.0.0/prefs/*
/ZT01/user/CPSMWUI/Connections_1.0.0
--PREFALL.urimap
--EXPLPORT.tcpipservice
--META-INF
--cics.xml
--prefs
--general.pref
--suci101.pref
– …
--suci1nn.pref
Packagin & Hosting Connection Preferences

47. Server consolidation
Platform M
Application A
PROGRAM HELLO
Application B
PROGRAM HELLO PROGRAM HELLO
PROGRAM E PROGRAM F PROGRAM G
Region R
resource name does not
have to be unique any more
> private search path
HOMELIB
SYSA.SOME.LOAD
OTHERLIB
SYSA.OTHER.LOAD
DFHRPL

48. 1. Non-unique program names
2. Individual load libs instead of
just one common in RPL
3. Cleanup everything by
discarding the bundle
4. Let students deploy as
application in one go (little
checkmark)
1. Non-unique program names
2. Individual load libs instead of
just one common in RPL
3. Cleanup everything by
discarding the bundle
4. Let students deploy as
application in one go (little
checkmark)

49. So enough TWIST…
51
Let’s rock
the
mainframe
Let’s rock
the
mainframe

50. Thank You
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