CICS/EM Modernization Guide

CICS/EM is a tool designed to simplify and automate CICS administration tasks. It allows administrators to manage resources, monitor availability, and perform batch operations, such as opening/closing files and enabling/disabling transactions.

CICS/EM is a toolset that provides functionalities for CICS administration. It is not a system, application, framework, or middleware but rather a utility to manage and monitor CICS environments.

Organizations that rely on CICS for transaction processing, particularly those with large and complex CICS environments, benefit most from CICS/EM. These organizations are often in industries such as banking, finance, insurance, and retail.

A company should consider using CICS/EM when they need to streamline CICS administration, reduce manual effort, improve resource management, and enhance overall CICS environment stability. It is particularly useful when dealing with a high volume of transactions and complex configurations.

Alternatives to CICS/EM include other CICS administration tools such as IBM CICS Configuration Manager, and potentially custom scripting solutions. However, CICS/EM provides a focused set of features for common administrative tasks.

CICS/EM runs on the z/OS platform and is dependent on the CICS subsystem. It typically runs within an LPAR and requires access to CICS resources and datasets.

CICS/EM requires a CICS environment to be present. It enhances the existing CICS infrastructure by providing tools for administration and monitoring. It may also integrate with DB2 and CA Datacom/DB if those databases are used within the CICS environment.

CICS/EM allows administrators to delete orphan temporary storage queues, open/close files from batch, enable/disable TD queues and transactions from batch, and start/stop DB2 connections and CA Datacom/DB databases from batch.

CICS/EM likely uses configuration files to store settings and parameters. The exact format and location of these files would be detailed in the product documentation. It also likely provides interfaces, possibly command-line or GUI-based, for configuring and managing the system.

CICS/EM helps organizations reduce the manual effort required for CICS administration, leading to increased efficiency and reduced operational costs. By automating tasks and providing monitoring capabilities, it improves the stability and reliability of CICS environments.

By automating routine tasks and providing centralized control, CICS/EM reduces the risk of human error in CICS administration. This leads to improved system stability and reduces the likelihood of outages or performance issues.

The licensing model for CICS/EM is likely either perpetual or subscription-based. The total cost of ownership includes the licensing fees, implementation costs, and ongoing operational expenses such as monitoring and maintenance.

CICS/EM likely integrates with existing security systems on z/OS, such as RACF, ACF2, or Top Secret, for authentication and authorization. It uses these systems to control access to CICS resources and functions.

CICS/EM uses the access control model provided by the underlying z/OS security system (RACF, ACF2, Top Secret). This typically involves defining users and groups and assigning them permissions to access specific CICS resources.

CICS/EM provides audit logging capabilities to track administrative actions and security-related events. These logs can be used for auditing and compliance purposes.

CICS/EM is typically deployed on-premise within the z/OS environment. Implementation requires expertise in CICS administration and z/OS security. Common challenges include integrating with existing security systems and configuring the tool to meet specific organizational needs.

Ongoing operational requirements for CICS/EM include monitoring the tool's performance, maintaining its configuration, and ensuring its integration with the CICS environment. Staffing requirements include CICS administrators who are trained in using the tool.

Administrative interfaces for CICS/EM likely include a command-line interface (CLI) and possibly a GUI or web console. User management is handled through the z/OS security system (RACF, ACF2, Top Secret).