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Glossary - Introduction to CICS Transaction

Server for OS/390

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 abend-AID – A set of fault-analysis software used in transaction

processing to monitor and analyze system errors.

 application program interface (API) – The method used by an

operating system or by another application that enables programmers
to make requests of the operating system or another application.

 assembler language – A low-level programming language that allows

a program to be read by an assembler, which translates it into
machine language for execution.

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 basic mapping support (BMS) – A CICS facility used to define display

formats and manipulate input and output display data in response to
commands issued from an application program.

 batch processing – A method of transaction processing in which

transactions are saved and processed at a later time, according to a
predefined schedule.

 business application services – A CICSPlex component that allows

you to define and manage business applications in terms of CICS
resources and systems.

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 CICSPlex – A group of connected CICS regions that are distributed

across several operating systems.

 CICS system definition – A dataset that contains the resource

definitions for a particular CICS region.

 CICS Transaction Server (CICS TS) – A member of IBM’s CICS

family of products that performs transaction processing services in an
OS/390 environment.

 CICS Web support (CWS) – A CICS software product that allows

users to access CICS directly from a Web browser, without requiring
an intermediate server or gateway.

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 Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL) – A verbose,
English-like compiled programming language developed in the late
1950s. It is still in widespread use today, usually with business
applications that run on mainframes.

 common system area (CSA) – A CICS control block that contains

information about the CICS system as a whole. It has pointers to
other control blocks, tables, management modules, and the currently
dispatched task.

 concurrent transaction processing – A processing technique that

enables CICS to process and track the status of multiple tasks at the
same time.

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 Customer Information Control System (CICS) – An IBM program that

provides online transaction processing capabilities.

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 Database Control (DBCTL)– A sub-region of a database system such
as IMS that allows the database to be accessed by one or more
transaction processing systems.

 Data Language/I (DL/I) –The language used to access data in IBM’s

IMS database.

 direct access storage device (DASD) – A storage facility where data is

accessed directly, instead of passing sequentially through all storage
areas.

 distributed program link (DPL) – A CICS intercommunication facility

that allows a CICS program to call another program on a remote
system or CICS region.

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 distributed transaction processing (DTP) – A method of programming

that distributes transaction functions over several programs within a
network of systems.

 dynamic transaction backout (DBT) – The reversal of updates that

precede a system error or failure, up to the last sync point.

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 execute interface block (EIB) – A data area in an application program

in which CICS places various items of task-related data, such as the
terminal ID and transaction ID associated with the task.

 EXEC Interface Program (EIP) – The CICS system program that gets
control first whenever an application program issues a CICS
command. EIP interprets the command, and passes control to the
appropriate CICS management modules to carry out the requested
function.

 external call interface (ECI) – An interface that allows non-CICS

applications to call a CICS program in a CICS server.

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 file-AID — A group of software applications that assist in data

management by creating test files for trouble-shooting and problem.
resolution.

 file control program (FCP) — The CICS management module that

controls access to the application data files.

 file control table (FCT) — The CICS table that contains an entry for
each application data file a CICS program can access. Each entry
specifies the file name, access method, type of access permitted and
the maximum number of tasks that can access the file concurrently.

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 Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) – A technology that determines

how a browser interacts with a server to present information where
selected words or images have links to other information.

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 IBM WebSphere Application Server for OS/390 – A set of software
products used to develop and manage e-business Web sites, and to
assist in the transition from simple Web publishing to advanced e-
business applications.

 IMS Resource Locks Management (IRLM) – An interface that enables

you to lock segments of an IMS database while they are being
updated.

 Information Management System (IMS) – A package of products that

provides hierarchical database management services, data
communications services, and transaction management services.

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 interregion communication (IRC) – Communication between CICS

regions within the same system or CICSPlex.

 inter-system communication (ISC) – A facility used for communication

between separate systems.

 I/O – The data transferred between a processor and a peripheral

device.

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 LINK – A CICS command that causes control to be passed

temporarily to another CICS application program module.

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 middleware – Software that serves as an intermediate layer between

two or more types of software, mediating and translating between
them.

 Multiregion operation (MRO) — The connection of CiCS regions

within the same system or CICSPlex for intercommunication.

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 NetView — A network management product that can provide

automated operations and rapid notification of events.

 network control program (NCP) — Software that manages

communication between the host system and other devices on the
network. This network is usually, but not necessarily, an SNA
network.

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 Online transaction processing (OLTP) – A class of programs that

facilitates and manages transaction-oriented applications.

 online processing – A method of transaction processing in which

requests are submitted and processed individually as soon as the
computer receives them.

 OS/390 – The OS/390 Parallel Enterprise Server is an IBM mainframe

that provides a robust, secure platform for hosting e-business, using
the OS/390 operating system.

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 Parallel Sysplex – An IBM clustering technology that combines

parallel processing with clustering, to process work more efficiently. It
provides continuous computing in a highly scalable system to meet
the transaction demands generated by network computing.

 Processing Program Table (PPT) – The CICS table that Program

Control consults when a task invokes an application and the program
returns control to it. The PPT contains an entry for each application
load module and physical BMS map set.

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 Program Control Table (PCT) – The CICS table that contains an entry
for each TRANSID, associating it with the name of the first online
application program to get control to process the transaction.

 program manager (PG) – The management module responsible for

locating and invoking application programs required for processing a
transaction.

 Programming Language I (PL/I) – A programming language that

brings together the features of FORTRAN, COBOL, and ALGOL.

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 relational database management system (RDBMS) — A system that

stores and accesses data in a relational database.

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 Storage manager (SM) – The CICS domain responsible for allocating
memory resources required for transaction processing.

 Structured Query Language (SQL) – A standard interactive and

programming language used to retrieve and update information in a
database. Queries take the form of a command language.

 Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP) – Processing of programs by

multiple processors that share an operating system and memory
resources.

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 synchronous point (syncpoint) – The point in the processing of a

transaction when changes are committed to a database.

 Systems Network Architecture (SNA) – A network topology developed

in the 1970s by IBM to determine data communication between
mainframes and their users by incorporating protocols and network
interfaces.

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 task – The work performed by CICS to process a transaction. It
begins when the TRANSID enters the system, and ends when the
application program returns control to CICS.

 Task Control Area (TCA) – A CICS control block that is created by

Task Control for each instance of a TRANSID that enters a CICS
system. The TCA contains pointers to the PCT entry for the TRANSID
and the TCTTE of the terminal connected to the task.

 teleprocessing – Using a terminal or computer to access remote

computers or computer files.

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 terminal control table terminal entry (TCTTE) – A terminal resource

definition containing information such as terminal identifier, terminal
type, and a pointer to the buffer containing and pending I/O
messages.

 terminal input/output area (TIOA) – A control block that CICS creates

to hold a message exchanged between a terminal and an application
program.

 transaction – A request for online processing as viewed by the user

who initiates the request. One or more tasks may be involved in
processing a single transaction.

 transaction routing – When a terminal connected to one CICS system

runs transactions in a remote CICS system or region.

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 virtual storage – Memory that appears to an application to be larger

and more uniform than it is. Applications access memory through
virtual addresses, which are translated (mapped) by special hardware
and software onto physical addresses.

 Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM) – An IBM file access method

in which records can be processed using one of three file
organizations: KSDS, RRDS, and ESDS.

 Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM) – A

communication access method used with online terminals.

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 XCTL – A CICS command that causes control to be permanently

transferred to another CICS application module. After the program
that receives control is run, control does not return to the caller but to
the application program at the next higher level in the calling
hierarchy.

 XM – Transaction manager is the domain responsible for receiving

transaction requests, and creating and organizing tasks to process
transaction requests.

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