Migrating to CICS Transaction Server >>
 
By Jim Schesvold

  • Are you running your online systems under CICS/ESA V4.1?
  • Are you aware that CICS/ESA V4.1 is no longer supported by IBM after this December?  Do you know the same is true for CICS Transaction Server V1.1 and V1.2?
  • Are you aware this means you should be in production with CICS Transaction Server V1.3 or V2.2 by  October's end, and how few months that leaves to upgrade?
  • Are you aware that CICS Transaction Server also contains a ton of useful new functions that among other things offers exciting new ways of webifying your legacy systems, the core of your business?
  • Then it's time to move to CICS Transaction Server!

The First Steps.

Once you've decided to migrate to CICS TS, several tasks should get started immediately: 

  • Determine whether to upgrade to CICS TS V1.3 or V2.2.
  • Construct a project plan.
  • Establish the project management infrastructure.
  • Perform a survey of all Third Party products you run under CICS or are used with CICS (such as a dump reading program).
  • After completing steps 1 and 4, order the necessary software products.

Release Considerations.

  • CICS TS V2.2 requires OS/390 V2.10 or z/OS just to initialize, while CICS TS V1.3 can run under any OS/390 release back to V2.5.
  • V2.2 does NOT support compilers prior to Language Environment, which could impact CICS applications.  The CICS translator is now part of the COBOL and PL/I compilers, and pre-LE translator options are no longer supported. But object code compatibility is still guarnteed.
  • Software costs may increase more by upgrading directly to V2.2, both for CICS and for Third Party products.  This is dependent on the licensing arrangements you've made with your software vendors.
  • Upgrading to CICS TS V1.3 means another upgrade is needed to get to most current CICS release; moving directly to V2.2 accomplishes this in a single step.  However, a one-step upgrade encompasses 5 rather than 3 releases (and potentially more Third Party product upgrades), making it a larger single effort involving more change.
  • If a V1.3 upgrade is already underway, it may make sense to finish the upgrade, then move on to V2.2.
  • It's likely that V1.3 will continue to be supported by IBM for 2-4 years, but it will be withdrawn from marketing on 12/31/2002.  V2.2 is available now.
  • V1.3 has been in the field longer, and thus is more "well-seasoned" code.  This is significantly mitigated, however, if V2.2 matches the high quality of the last several CICS releases.
  • You may run Third Party products which are not yet supported under CICS TS V2.2.
  • DB2 performance gains via V2.2 Open Transaction Environment requires DB2 V6 with ERLY code.

Start the Project Plan.

While it's too early in the process to develop a detailed project plan, creating a comprehensive, high-level plan that can be expanded is possible, and critical.  The project plan must be dynamic; it grows and evolves at least into the testing phase of the upgrade.  Start by identifying whatever high-level tasks you can, assign responsible individuals to each primary component, and you'll be amazed at how quickly the detail blossoms!

A project management tool, with good reporting facilities, is a must for good project planning.  This tool will be at the center of project management, keeping track of project progress, producing reports upon which the upgrade can be managed, and serving as a communication vehicle between all project members.  Task characteristics that need to go into the plan are:

  • Task description.
  • Responsible individual.
  • Identification of pre-requisite, post-requisite tasks.
  • Determination of cornerstone tasks and mandatory completion dates.
  • Task duration/person hours.  These items often can only be crudely estimated, and should include time for the unexpected, with a clear communication that they're only approximations.
  • Footnotes or other additional task information (such as references to supporting documentation).

Here are some additional items to incorporate into the initial project so they don't get forgotten:

  • Third Party product installations should begin ASAP; they should be moved to production before CICS since they're often pre-requisites, and can comprise half or more of the total upgrade effort.
  • The CICS upgrade should be as "vanilla" as possible.  No unnecessary changes should be made in conjunction with the upgrade.
  • Make sure the plan includes both procedures to upgrade to the new CICS release, and to fall back to the old release if there are problems with the new release.
  • Assume some things will go wrong and allow time for that.
  • If multiple CICS systems will be upgraded, create a high level task for each system.
  • Stage upgrades by system, starting with test and low impact systems.
  • Allow time for project management.

Establish Project Management.

A project plan is only as good as the project management that implements it.  Here's how to manage the upgrade:

  • Identify a project manager, who will run status meetings/conference calls and also have primary responsibility for the project plan.
  • Identify a project secretary, who will keep minutes of status meetings/calls.
  • Identify one or 2 IT or user managers who will participate in the meeting, communicate progress to the rest of the business, and communicate applications or user requirements to the project team.  Set up formal communications to the rest of your organization through these individuals, and use it!
  • Set up weekly status meetings/calls, with the expectation that all project team members will participate unless excused.  During this meeting (1) the project plan should be reviewed, discussed, and updated from the prior week, (2) review prior meeting minutes and follow-ups, and (3) new business.

Survey Third Party Product Vendors.

Each Third Party product vendor should be contacted to identify what product release/maintenance level is required to run with either V1.3 or V2.2; necessary upgrades become tasks in the project plan.  Build a spreadsheet containing columns such as: (1) product name, (2) vendor name, (3) Site ID, (4) vendor phone, (5) current release/maintenance level, (6) required release/maintenance level, (7) latest release/maintenance level, and (8) comments.  Columns 1 through 5 can be filled out before contacting vendors.

Order the Software Products.

As soon as the CICS release has been chosen, and Third Party products needing upgrades have been identified, they should be ordered.  Installation can begin as soon as the products arrive.

Researching the Upgrade.

IBM Product Information.

One area where research must be performed is CICS TS.  Product changes, removal of function, enhancements, migration tasks, installation tasks, application and operations impact, and a variety of other aspects must be researched and understood prior to undertaking the upgrade.  This information should then be folded into the project plan as tasks.

Listed below is a  variety of CICS TS sites/manuals where you can obtain information useful in planning your migration.  They are listed in approximate order of value they provide to the project planning process:

Title 
(minus "CICS TS")

 ID 

URL

V1.3 Announcement 299-057 http://www.ibmlink.ibm.com/
usalets&parms=H_299-057
V2.2 Announcement 201-354 http://www.ibmlink.ibm.com/
usalets&parms=H_201-354
V1.3 Migration Guide GC34-5353 http://publibfp.boulder.ibm.com/
cgi-bin/bookmgr/BOOKS/dfhjae58
V2.2 Migration Guide GC34-5984  http://publibfp.boulder.ibm.com/
epubs/pdf/dfhe5p00.pdf
Migration Alternatives for V4.1 SHARE http:www.share.org/
proceedings/sh98/data/s1076.pdf
V1.3 Announcement & Migration Workshop - SupportPac CA1F

http://www.ibm.com/
software/ts/cics/txppacs/ca1f.html

V1.3 Migration Planning CA1G http://www.ibm.com/
software/ts/cics/tcppacs/ca1g.html
Migrating to CICS TS V2.2 for z/OS: An Overview   http://www-1.ibm.com/
servers/eserver/zserver/events/pdfiles/N031402.pdf
Search390.comEnter migration or other CICS questions, view Q&A   http://search390.techtarget.com/
ateQuestion/0,289624,sid10_tax289214,00.html
V1.3 Release Guide GC34-5352 http://publibfp.boulder.ibm.com/
cgi-bin/bookmgr/BOOKS/dfhjae46
V2.2 Release Guide GC34-5983   http://publibfp.boulder.ibm.com/
epubs/pdf/dfhe4p00.pdf
The MVS Logger: Overcoming Common Problems SHARE http://www.share.org/
proceedings/sh98/data/s1030.pdf
Evaluating MVS Logging Performance SHARE http://www.share.org/
proceedings/sh98/data/s1044.pdf
V1.3 Implementation Guide - Redbook SG24-5274  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/
pubs/pdfs/redbooks/sg245274.pdf
V2.2 Presentation   http://www-4.ibm.com/
software/ts/cics/v2/overview.html#pres
V2 for z/OS: Tech. Overview SHARE http://www.share.org/
proceedings/sh98/data/s1026.pdf
CICS V2 Home Page   http://www-4.ibm.com/
software/ts/cics/v2
COBOL & PL/1 Compilers, and CICS TS V2.2   http://www.ibm.com/
software/ts/cics/v2
/cobol.html
V1.3 Installation Guide GC33-1681 http://publibfp.boulder.ibm.com/
cgi-bin/bookmgr/BOOKS/dfhjaa16
V2.2 Installation Guide GC34-5985 http://publibfp.boulder.ibm.com/
epubs/pdf/dfha1p00.pdf
V1.3 PSP Bucket (maintenance)    Logon at http://www.ibmlink.ibm.com,
 select PSP, then Upgrade= CICSTS13, Subset=HCI5300
V2.2 PSP Bucket (maintenance)   Logon at http://www.ibmlink.ibm.com,
 select PSP, then Upgrade= CICSTS22, Subset=HCI6200

Internal Information.

Information such as prior CICS upgrade plans, files from past upgrades, old installation diaries, old "control" data sets (containing customized installation jobs, etc.), comments within JCL, source, etc., and the input of past upgrade participants all provide invaluable information that should be used in building your project plan.

Also, research your systems.  Browse user exit source, scan through a CSD listing, review Startup Procs and related CICS JCL, verify data set naming and placement, SMP/E setup, etc.; fold anything relevant into the plan.  The better you know your system, the better the upgrade will go.

Migration Tasks.

Here's a quick list of the most common upgrade tasks to add to your project plan:

CICS TS V1.3.

  • Implement MVS Logging.  Careful preparation and planning are advised.
  • Elimination of RCT.
  • Implement HFS files under CICS.
  • Update SIT with new/changed V1.3 parameters.
  • Upgrade CSD.
  • Review Global User Exits and User Replaceable Modules, change where necessary.
  • Implement CICS Web Interface changes.

CICS TS V2.2.

  • All migration tasks which are required for V1.3.
  • Implement Integrated Translator and LE compiler.  Careful preparation and planning are advised.
  • Elimination of DCT.
  • Elimination of VSAM files from FCT, including MIGRATE.
  • Changes to the DFHCNV macro.
  • Update SIT with new/changed V2.2 parameters.
  • Asses DB2 performance enhancements via Open Transaction Environment. TCB usage changes.

Installation.

Assuming the prior steps have been thoroughly performed, you now have a comprehensive project plan for upgrading to CICS TS.  While a few problems will still arise, completion of the upgrade at this point becomes a matter of executing your plan.  Good luck!

Disclaimer.

The opinions in this article are solely those of the author, and the information herein is to be taken "as-is".

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