This example describes how to use the Web User Interface (WUI)
to get CICSPlex® SM to balance a workload--that is, to route all work from
a single routing region to a suitable target region. For this task, a "suitable" target region is the one with the shortest queue
of work requests, relative to the maximum number of tasks permitted in the
target region. This queue of work, also called the load count, is the queue
of all active and queued user tasks. By default, tasks queued for both MAXTASKS
and TRANCLASS are included in the load count. Use of the WLMLOADCOUNT EYUPARM
allows sites to exclude tasks queued for TRANCLASS from the load count. Please
refer to the CICS® Transaction Server for z/OS® Installation Guide (GC34-6426) for more information
about the WLMLOADCOUNT EYUPARM.
The TOR (CICSPT01) is the requesting region and the routing region, and the three AORs
(CICSPA01, CICSPA02, and CICSPA03) are all target regions. None of the CICS regions
are currently running.
If some of your work requests can’t be routed freely (perhaps you want
work requests from a particular user always to go to the same target region, for
example), don’t worry. You’ll see how to add that requirement in a
later example task (Routing a specific transaction to a specific target region).

- Create a CICS system group.
The group will include all
of the target regions among which the work requests ("the workload") can be
routed dynamically.
- Click Administration views-->Topology administration
views-->CICS system group definitions to open the System group definition tabular view
- If the current context is not PLXPROD1, specify PLXPROD1 in the Context field and click Refresh.
- Click the Create button to open the System group definition create screen.
- Type in the following:
- System group name
- CSGTGTS1
- Description
- All target regions in CICSplex PLXPROD1
- Click Yes to create the system group
The System group definition tabular view is redisplayed, this time showing
an entry for CICS system group CSGTGTS1.
At this point, the group CSGTGTS1 exists, but is empty. The next
step is to tell CICSPlex SM which target regions belong to the group.
- Add target regions to CICS system group CSGTGTS1.
- Click Administration views-->Topology administration
views-->CICS system definitions to open the CICS
system definition tabular view
- Select the entries for the CICS systems CICSPA01, CICSPA02 and CICSPA03
and click the Add to CICS system group button.
- In the Group which member will join field type in
CSGTGTS1 and click the button labelled Yes to 3 remaining. This adds the three selected systems to your new group.
- Create a workload specification.
- From the main menu click Administration views-->Workload
manager administration views-->Workload specifications to open the Workload management specification tabular view.
- Click the Create button and provide the following
information:
- WLM specification name
- WLSPAY01
- Description
- Balance payroll workload in PLXPROD1
- Primary search criterion
- USERID
- Default target scope
- CSGTGTS1
- Algorithm type
- QUEUE
Leave the remaining fields empty or accept the defaults.
Notes:
- A Primary search criterion value of USERID is shown
in this example, though in fact it does not matter whether you specify USERID
or LUNAME, because the Primary search criterion value
has no effect on simple workload balancing. It is used only for some kinds
of workload separation, which is the subject of a later example. You have
to supply a value because CICSPlex SM doesn’t know, at this stage, that you
aren’t going to use this workload specification for workload separation.
- The Default target scope value is the name of the
single target region, or group of target regions, to which work requests can be routed.
- The Algorithm type value, QUEUE, tells CICSPlex SM to
select the target region that has the shortest queue of work requests.
- The Description is optional, but is worth providing.
(When you are confronted with a list of specification names, and have no way
of telling one from another, you will appreciate its value.)
Click Yes. The Workload management
specification tabular view is redisplayed, this time showing an entry
for the new WLM Specification, WLSPAY01.
- Associate the workload specification with a routing region.
The next step
is to tell CICSPlex SM about the region that is going to be routing the work requests
to the target regions in group CSGTGTS1.
- In the Workload management specification view, select
the entry for the WLSPAY01 specification, and click Associate
CICS system.
- In the CICS system field, enter the name of the routing region
(CICSPT01, in this example) and click Yes.
You can check that the association between the routing region and the
workload specification has worked by selecting the entry for WLSPAY01 in the Workload management specification tabular view to open a
detail view of WLSPAY01, then clicking CICS systems associated
with this workload specification.
- Activate workload balancing in the routing region.
- From the main menu click Administration views-->Topology
administration views-->CICS system definitions to open the CICS system definition tabular view.
- Select the entry for CICSPT01 and click the Update action
button to open a detail view of CICSPT01.
- Scroll down to the
Workload manager status
field and select YES from
the drop-down menu. Click the Yes button at the bottom
of the screen to return to the CICS system definition tabular
view.
This change takes effect when the
routing
target region
CICSPT01 is next started.
- Activate workload balancing in the target regions.
- From the CICS system definitition tabular view,
select the entry for CICSPA01 and click the Update action
button to open a detail view of CICSPA01.
- Scroll down to the
AOR dynamic routing mode
field and select YES from
the drop-down menu. Click the Yes button at the bottom of the screen to return
to the CICS system definition tabular view.
This change
takes effect when the target region CICSPA01 is next started.
Repeat this step for target regions CICSPA02 and CICSPA03.
When the routing region and the target regions have been started, you can check that
the workload is active by clicking Active workload views-->Active
workloads. This opens the Active workload view,
showing the workload specification WLSPAY01 as active.
To see which target regions are being routed to, click Active
workload views-->Target regions in an active workload. The displayed
view is shows all active target regions being routed to within workload WLSPAY01.
All of the target regions listed belong to the CICS system group CSGTGTS1.
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