Joe Winchester’s blog – where the CICS Explorer action is

Just a plug for Joe’s blog over on Developerworks – lots of good info on CICS Explorer and other Eclipse stuff.

For example, there’s Rational Developer for System z – enabling a full CICS Explorer experience and IMS and CICS – Exploring z/OS together.

Enjoy!

New web based system for CICS TS customer requirements!

As of late yesterday, IBM is now using a considerably more open and transparent requirements system for CICS Transaction Server enhancement requests. Everybody can now submit and track their CICS TS requirements directly thorough this new web based system. The new system is called the “Request for Enhancement” system – or RFE – and is located on the developerWorks RFE site at the following link:

https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe

RFE has a lot of new capability that should benefit everybody out there working with CICS TS, as well as everybody here in Hursley who spend our days working on it. Customers can now directly create new requirements, and view, comment and vote on other requirements. That information comes through directly to us in the lab, where we can respond straight back with comments and questions about those requirements.

The first CICS TS requirement that was raised in the new system was a no-charge ‘try before you buy’ edition of the latest CICS TS releases. If you want to learn more about that idea, why not test out this new requirements tool by going to the following link and looking at the submission. If you have any comments, or would like to vote for us to deliver it, please join in!

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewChangeRequest&CR_ID=14583

Don’t worry if you currently have open requirements in our existing FITS system, or if you have perhaps submitted them via a recent survey, etc. We are continually reviewing all those requirements. However, if you would like to be a bit more more pro-active, then please feel free to go in and resubmit them (or indeed, add any new requirements) into this new RFE tool. We can’t promise to deliver everything you ask for, but we can assure you that we will respond in a timely manner, and that you will be able to interact with us and track the progress of your requirements though this new tool.

This is an exiting opportunity for all of us, and we are looking forward to using this new technology to have some interesting conversations with you all.

Cheers, Andy (CICS TS Product Manager)

IBM Support Portal and CICS Explorer

You probably know about the CICS Explorer and you probably know about the IBM Support Portal… how about making them play together?

I only recently discovered the Support Portal (via this blog entry and video) but when, erm, exploring it I found it supported RSS feeds. I’m a fan of feeds but hadn’t thought of integrating them with the CICS Explorer. I have wanted to think of the Explorer as being the centre of more than just CICS operation and admin tasks, and something aimed at service and support would be a good direction to look at. Hmm… so service and support news on the web, available via a feed, plus the Explorer… bingo! How about a feedreader in Explorer.

A quick look on Eclipse.org led me to RSSOwl, the feed reader for Eclipse, and its update site. A quick addition of http://boreal.rssowl.org/update/eclipse/ to the Eclipse with Explorer SDK and hey-presto, feeds for CICS Transaction Server from the Support Portal right in my CICS Explorer!

CICS Explorer with an integrated RSS feed reader

Apologies for not actually connecting up the Explorer, but I’ve not brought up my CICS for a while and it probably need some attention before I get it going in single-server mode. Update 25th May – I did this with the Explorer SDK installed in Eclipse, and it worked smoothly. It should install into the standalone RCP Explorer too, just like the CICS Tools plugins and the PD Tools plugins, but that’s not what I did.

Of course, you can add other feeds to your enhanced Explorer… you can see I’ve added the feed for Master Terminal into mine alongside the Support Portal feed.

Update 11th June…

Rational Team Concert has a very nice Feed Reader built in:

Resources

• Update site for RSSOwl
• IBM Support Portal
• Feed for CICS Transaction Server (paste the URL into the “new…feed” dialog)

New SupportPacs for CICS Explorer

If you have been keeping an eye out on IBM_CICS you may have spotted a number of new SupportPacs that allow you to use various IBM PD Tools with CICS Explorer:

• CN0A – Application Performance Analyzer
• CN0D – Debug Tool
• CN0F – Fault Analyzer

You will need the corresponding versions of the z/OS component to use the plugins, but if you have them and CICS Explorer, you are good to go.

Note: these plugins currently require the Windows version of CICS Explorer.

Any questions, or comments on these SupportPacs ask here, or over on Developerworks.

Impact socks on day 4 – AKA The Day the CICS Explorers found a CICS Explorer

Posted on behalf of Nick.

The Tom Rosamilia and Phil Weintraub ‘Ask z Experts’ session was very well attended – below you can see Mr Zemblowski and Catherine Moxey center back row, Steve next to the linen-suited dapper Mr O’Dowd.

Phil W appears to be taking council from Anthony O’Dowd – no doubt asking why, if the Message Broker can handle scoring at events like Wimbledon and the Ryder Cup why can’t we use it to resolve the integration of a hung Parliament in the UK.

Meanwhile is looks like Tom R is praying that our very own Em James knows the answer.

Looks like Sue has found her badge at last – hope she kept hold of her passport! You don’t want to lose your passport while on a business trip…..

Now look who our intrepid explorers have run in to – our real live genuine CICS Explorer Joe Winchester!

That’s just about it now, flights home on Saturday and back to Hursley next week – must start work on that hit single now we’ve absorbed some American culture.

Impact socks on day 3

Posted on behalf of Nick.

Our intrepid CICS Explorers have been checking out the Super Woman’s Reception – I think Tom was expecting lycra and super powers.

While they were there they bumped in to Yvonne Perkins, VP for Enterprise Platform Systems (EPS) who wished to pass their Best of British wishes to her.

After all the socialising it was time to hit the bar and a glass of red, room temperature of course.

Many people you see here are walking around with colourful buttons adorning them (click the image for a close-up).

I must say I liked the Connectivity Cowboy one, although cannot claim any input to that particular badge, but here are the ‘sacks’ of badges waiting to be taken up.

Now it was time to scope out the food – so we went for a closer look.

Then it was off to play the machines.

Some people lose their shirt gambling, this chap lost his head by the look of it!

But Tom and Sue decided to see what they could get with their winnings- is Ford country some kind of music?

Obviously someone got upset because the next thing we know is Security arrived….

We just hope they let us out in time for tomorrows sessions, particularly Phil Wakelins security talk which will include the new feature recently made available for CICS TS V4.1, ID Propagation. Also, what should be an entertaining session from Will Yates – Old stager Vs Greenhorn and a look at how the CICS Explorer can help and for those of you who missed Fraser’s Dynamic Scripting session there’s a repeat!

Impact socks on day 2

Posted on behalf of Nick.

So after the excitement of day one and the 200+ attendees to Dave Andrews opening, our intrepid CICS Explorers get down in to the more detailed technical sessions.  To back up the technical sessions, as well as the Ask z Expert sessions, there are demo’s being provided in the IBM System z Software Solutions Suite.

After a quick chat with the CICS Business Partner Supremo, Diane Johnson (@dianegjohnson), it was off to the solution center to see what freebies there were check out all the rich complementary products to the CICS family.

First stop was the Hostbridge stand (doing more with CICS) – nice comfy chair and check out that guitar behind us – looks like a ’57 Les Paul to me

Next we visited those fine people who used to be called Fair Isaac, now known as FICO.

Now with all the new stuff CICS keeps putting in to it’s products it gets increasingly hard to stay up to date with it all, so it’s important that we have companies offering education and instruction of how to take advantage.

So after a hard day around the event it was time for our Explorers to put their feet? up. The ideal solution to this was to relax in one of the bars.

We spent some time analysing what was on offer for Day 3 and saw Catherine Moxey was giving her CICS Events pitch, Fraser had a couple of sessions on CICS Web Services and Service Component Architecture as well as the exciting new announcement from CICS, a session on Dynamic Scripting, there’s an ILOG session from Matt Whitbourne (@mattwhitbourne) and Dan Donnelly as well as further education on CICS Events and implementation.However,  in addition to this there is the Tom Rosamilia session at 16:30 Creating an Agile, Dynamic and Cost-Effective Business With System z. and the ‘Ask z Experts 18:00 session with Tom and Phil Weintraub. Another full day ahead – in the words of that classic Greek philosopher, or was he Roman? Actually I think it the Magic Roundabout…. Zebedee “time for bed….”

Impact socks

I’ve been asked to publish this by Nick, who is just too nice to say no to. No socks were harmed (so far) during the creation of this content but I can assure you they will be given a good talking to when they return from their err.. adventures.

So having shamelessly plugged Impact 2010 on YouTube promo video here we are at Impact 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Venetian Hotel is the setting for most of the sessions and two stars of the Impact promotional videos have taken some time out to give a narrative of the first days proceedings. Sue and Tom have flown over from the Hursley Lab in the UK to be present at this years event along with several others speakers and attendees from the SW Lab in England. Dave Andrews, the CICS Development Director kicked off the CICS Track with a family update, featuring two key announcements made last week. The CICS Transaction Gateway V8 and CICS Dynamic Scripting no-charge feature pack.

Sue and Tom also heard about the exciting new Redbook that is available ‘Smarter Banking with CICS Transaction Server and were seen ‘mugging’ up on the book.

Next up it was time for food.

After lunch it was time to take the Solution tour.

Where upon we came across a nice bright shiny z10 – it’s big it’s black, the mainframes back!!

After that they decided to venture off and investigate the experts.

Here we found the resident CICS Senior Technical Staff Member (STSM), Catherine Moxey.

There’s plenty going on here and for Tuesday we have Joe Winchester talking about the CICS Explorer and how it can be extended using the software development kit, Steve Zemblowski talking about upgrading your CICS TS, Catherine (when she’s not in the experts zone) talking about CICS Events, Dan Donnelly talking about ILOG Business Rules solutions and a couple of CICS Tools sessions, one featuring Jim White from Southern California Edison. So before the jet lag kicks in any further it’s off for some rest. 

CICS TG plug-in for the CICS Explorer – V2.0 available

The latest release of the CICS TG plug-in for CICS Explorer is now GENERALLY AVAILABLE here:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=1083&uid=swg24022354

Version 2.0 can be used to independently view status of multiple Gateway daemons (z/OS or Multiplatforms) and does not require a connection to a CICS TS 4.1 region, or CICSPlex SM, as was the case in version 1.0.

What’s new in version 2.0

• This latest version of the SupportPac provides the following new or revised views:
  • CICS Transaction Gateway Explorer view
  • Gateway daemons view
  • CICS connections view
  • Console view
• Other features are a customizable Resource column layout for Gateway daemons, CICS connections and Property views, and support for CICS Transaction Gateway for Multiplatforms.

Note: CS05 V2.0 requires CICS Explorer Version 1.0.0.5, which is available to all existing CICS TS V3 and CICS TS V4 license holders.

Please refer to the link above for further details.

Revitalizing your CICS seminar – Hursley comes to North America

There are two really great CICS seminars coming up at the start of March, if you can get to Boston, Massachusetts (March 2nd) or Palisades, New York (March 4th).

So why are they so great? Well let’s just skip over the fact that they are free full-day seminars for the moment. They are also being taught by the IBM Hursley UK lab team, so you can be sure you are going to be in the hands of the experts (infact I see that CICS Distinguished Engineer Ian Mitchell will be one of the main speakers at the seminar, which is about as good as it gets). The seminar is based around the new CICS TS V4.1 release and won’t just be covering the new functionality in the new release but will also be showing you how to extract real value from your CICS regions.

The seminar is split into 3 sessions:

1. Revitalizing Business
2. Revitalizing Applications
3. Simplifying your IT Environment

This is a seminar that is going to introduce you to what I consider to be the most consumable CICS Transaction Server to date. Part of this is about taking your existing assets and very quickly extracting new value without having to change them. The data inside your CICS regions is now more accessible and readily available than ever before, helping your business to be much more pro-active, flexible and adaptable to new opportunities and challenges that may come your way. To help you get there even faster, the CICS tools are there to help analyze and configure your CICS regions so those opportunities and challenges can be identified with ease.

There is a huge amount of new functionality in CICS TS V4.1, from the CICS Explorer, Event Processing, Atom support, SCA and a whole lot more. If you want to find out how to take advantage, then register for the seminar today so you don’t miss out. These are just the first two dates scheduled, look out for more seminars in April!

Full information on the seminar and registration can be found here:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/info/lmi/cics/index.html

There is also a little more information in the PDF for the seminar here:
2010 Revitalizing your CICS