Changes for Version 4 Release 3

CICS® VR Version 4 Release 3 contains these changes.

Enhanced server address space configuration
  • Customize names for started tasks: CICS VR operations involve the use of a number of MVS™ started tasks. When CICS VR constructs a job name, it can now optionally include a system identifier instead of system slot number, to guarantee that the name of the job is unique across the sysplex, enabling unique security profiles to be associated with the jobs.
  • VSAM REDO batch logging continue control: You can specify the maximum job step return code that CICS VR treats as the successful completion of the job step to continue VSAM REDO batch logging.
  • Server set up control: You can specify a setup job that must be run during the initialization of the CICS VR server address space.
  • Scavenger run control: You can set both the time interval parameter and the start time parameter to control the scavenger runs.
  • Selective backup registration control: You can automatically register in the RCDS only backups for which VSAM spheres were already registered.
  • None string handling: As a usability aid, you can specify a value of NONE in place of a blank or null string for CICS VR parameters in the IGDSMSxx parmlib member. See Defining a CICS VR general control parameter.
  • Setting CICS VR Server address space defaults from the ISPF dialog Authorized users can specify CICS VR server address space defaults from the CICS VR ISPF dialog interface, as well as from the CICSVR_GENERAL_CONTROL parameter. See Setting CICS VR server address space defaults.
Server address space security improvements
CICS VR can protect the RCDS from being updated by any user when the panel interface is used. You can specify that the user's security profile must be checked before allowing certain information in the RCDS to be added, changed, or deleted. CICS VR can protect the RCDS from being updated by any external service request to the CICS VR server address space from batch jobs. The RCDS protection from non-authorized usage has improved. See CICS VR security.
Automation enhancements
Automation is enhanced and integration improved.
  • You can enable and disable the CICS GLUE DWWXFCBF dynamically by means of CICS transactions or EXEC CICS LINK commands to appropriate programs, in addition to the current enabling method by PLTPI.
  • You can find out the state of the CICS VR Server, and, if it is not active, try to activate it in the GLUE enabling process.
See Preparing for Automated Recovery.
Duplicate recovery runs prevention
You can prevent the running of duplicate recovery jobs by using the new Recovery Submission Manager tool. See Preventing duplicate recovery runs.
Time range for batch backout
You can specify a stop point for Batch Backout. Support has been added for stoptime and stoptod keywords. You can specify a stop point for Batch Backout. The time range for Batch Backout is started by adding STOPTIME or STOPTOD keywords to the command input in the DWWIN DD statement. See BATCHBACK: Remove updates to VSAM spheres.
Improved backup deregistration
You can specify multiple criteria for automatic backup deregistration on the CICS VR automatic backup deregister window by specifying values for the following input fields:
  • Backup retention period: An integer between 0 and 999 specifies the number of days CICS VR keeps information about backups in the RCDS.
  • Use log retention period: A value of 1, Yes, specifies that CICS VR deregisters backups when coinciding log data that is also deregistered by the CICS VR automatic log stream deregistration function.
  • Use catalog information: A value of 1, Yes, specifies that CICS VR deregisters all registered non-DFSMShsm backups that are not in the ICF catalog.
  • See Setting automatic backup deregistration criteria.
ISPF Global Time Presentation Setting
You can choose a format for timestamp representation on panels by using the new option, ISPF Global Time Representation Setting. See Setting the global time format.
Last Data Set Filter
You can enter the sphere list with the last used data set name filter without having to specify values for input fields every time that the CICS VR VSAM sphere include window is displayed. See Specifying criteria for the VSAM sphere list.
RCDS extract utility
A new keyword, SPHERES, has been added to the RCDS EXPORT command, when you specify SPHERES CICS VR copies information about the specified data sets to an EXPORT file which can be used with IMPORT to load a new RCDS. The values in the keyword specify the names of the data sets for which the information is copied. You can select information only about the specified data sets that you require to be copied from one RCDS to another. See RCDS: Create a RCDS copy.
Journal print filtering
You can now print only a part of the contents of the mvslogs and information about certain records logged on them. Include and Exclude filtering, using the same criteria as for logical recovery, has been added. CICS VR now provides print filtering for records logged on an mvslog. See PRINT: print information about records logged on an MVS log.
Logcopy filtering
You can copy only a part of the contents of the mvslogs. In addition to normal copying you can use Include and Exclude filtering using the same criteria as for logical recovery. The Logcopy function filtering is started by adding EXCLUDE or INCLUDE commands, or both, to the command input in the DWWIN DD statement. See LOGSTREAMCOPY: Copy an MVS log stream.
Miscellaneous release changes
The IVP procedure now includes CICS VR server address space setup, server start, and batch logging.
Recovery now supports use of HSM Version 0 backups available with z/OS® 1.10.