IBM 3.1 manual Enhanced C/C++ support, CICSPlex System Manager WUI enhancements

Enhanced C/C++ support

With this release, CICS Transaction Server introduces new support for C/C++, which brings the performance of these applications to a level comparable with that obtained

with COBOL, PL/I or Assembler applications. This performance level is provided by the extra performance linkage (XPLink) feature of z/OS, which delivers high-performance, subroutine linkage mechanisms and guard pages to support stack extension, resulting in highly optimized execution path lengths. Performance is also increased by running these applications in the CICS OTE, instead of in the QR TCB described previously.

The applications use standard Language Environment services and CICS storage management. This requires that the applications be written to threadsafe standards. Maximum performance can be achieved only if the applications are limited to the use of threadsafe CICS commands. The support provided is for AMODE(31) C/C++ programs. XPLink support under CICS enables you to exploit the latest compiler and optimization technologies included with C/C++. In particular, XPLink DLLs used outside CICS can now be used inside CICS as well, enabling greater C/C++ code reusability.

CICS Transaction Server, Version 3.1 also includes enhancements to provide effective management of large run-time configurations through modern user interfaces, helping you meet demanding service-level objectives.

CICSPlex System Manager

WUI enhancements

The IBM CICSPlex® System Manager WUI already provides simple, flexible, intuitive and comprehensive functions for managing CICS Transaction Server

—including important functions not available with the Time Sharing Option (TSO) end-user interface. CICS Transaction Server, Version 3.1 introduces a greater range of improvements to the WUI that delivers significant user benefits.

•Improvements to screen design maximize the use of screen space in views and menus. The view editor now allows detailed views to be displayed in a two-column format. Users can choose to create their own detail views in two columns. The SELECT ALL and DESELECT ALL buttons have also been replaced in tabular views by icons in the record heading of the table to reduce white space. And filters on tabular views can now be collapsed, so that more screen space is available to display data.

•User favorites can now be managed using a favorites editor that includes tabular views. These features enable favorites to be easily saved and retrieved for editing at a later time.

•User-group profiles containing information, such as default context, scope, CICSPlex Managed Address Space (CMAS) context and result- set warning count, can now be set by administrators using a profile editor. This allows them to configure the WUI so that it is tailored to the needs of particular groups of users.

•Result-set warning counts can be set to issue a warning before a view is opened that would generate a large number of records. This allows a filter to be altered on the view to reduce the number of records returned, helping to avoid unnecessary waits.

•The view editor now allows the user, when creating or updating views, to include a filter confirmation panel before a view is opened. This means that, when navigating to a view, the user is prompted to enter filters. Business Application Services (BAS) administration views (introduced in CICS Transaction Server, Version 2.3) have been restructured to improve their usability by dividing them

into two groups: basic BAS (which emulates resource definition online [RDO] function), and advanced BAS (which exploits the advanced features of CICSPlex System Manager).

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