Preface

What this book is about

This book describes the affinity utility program. It explains what the utility does, how to install it, and how to run the various components of the utility.

Who this book is for

This book is for CICS system programmers who may be planning to use CICS dynamic routing for workload balancing, and need to determine whether any of the transactions in their CICS applications use programming techniques that cause inter-transaction affinity. It can also be used by application programmers to detect whether application programs they are developing are likely to cause inter-transaction affinity.

In particular, this book is of interest to CICS system programmers who are planning to use the CICSPlex®SM element of CICS Transaction Server for OS/390 Release 3 for workload balancing. For more information about CICSPlex SM, see the CICSPlex SM Concepts and Planning manual.

It is also of use if you are planning to implement asynchronous processing using CICS function shipping or are planning to use the CICS transaction isolation facility.

What you need to know to understand this book

You need to be familiar with the CICS application programming interface (API) and the various programming techniques available to CICS application programmers. In particular, you should be familiar with those techniques that CICS application programs can use to pass data from one to another, such as sharing common storage, and techniques to synchronize their execution.

ªChapter 1. Introducing transaction affinitiesº on page 1 gives a brief introduction to the inter-transaction affinity that can be caused by some of these techniques. For a full discussion of transaction affinities, see the CICS Application Programming Guide.

How to use this book

This book is intended to be read sequentially, so that you understand how to:

1.Install the affinity utility

2.Run the separate components

Later, when you are familiar with the utility, you need only refer to the chapter dealing with the particular component that you want to run.

Determining if a publication is current

IBM regularly updates its publications with new and changed information. When ®rst published, both hardcopy and BookManager softcopy versions of a publication are

OS specifications

IBM OS, or IBM Operating System, refers to a family of operating systems developed by IBM to support its hardware architectures. IBM has produced a range of OS versions tailored for different computing needs, such as mainframes, servers, and personal computers. Among the most notable operating systems in IBM's portfolio are OS/2, z/OS, and AIX, representing a blend of innovation and reliability that has defined IBM's reputation in the computing world.

One of the defining features of IBM OS is its robust multitasking capabilities. Both z/OS, predominantly used in IBM's mainframe environments, and AIX, the Unix-based system for IBM Power Systems, support multiple users and processes simultaneously. This ability allows organizations to run numerous applications in parallel efficiently, maximizing resource utilization and improving productivity.

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In summary, IBM OS encompasses a suite of operating systems characterized by multitasking, security, adaptability to modern technologies, scalability, and comprehensive development support. These features have cemented IBM's position as a leader in enterprise solutions, allowing organizations across various industries to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

IBM OS manual Preface

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