The terms in this glossary are defined as they pertain to the CICS
VSAM Recovery documentation.
If you do not find the term you are looking for, view the Glossary of
Computing Terms located at:
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/terminology/
This glossary includes terms and definitions from:
- The American National Standard Dictionary for Information Systems,
ANSI X3.172-1990, copyright 1990 by the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI). Copies can be purchased from the American National Standards Institute,
11 West 42nd Street, New York, New York 10036. Definitions are identified
by the symbol (A) after the definition.
- The Information Technology Vocabulary developed by Subcommittee
1, Joint Technical Committee 1, of the International Organization for Standardization
and the International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC JTC1/SC1). Definitions
of published part of this vocabulary are identified by the symbol (I) after
the definition; definitions taken from draft international standards, committee
drafts, and working papers being developed by ISO/IEC JTC1/SC1 are identified
by the symbol (T) after the definition, indicating that final agreement has
not yet been reached among the participating National Bodies of SC1.
- The IBM® Dictionary
of Computing, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
The following cross-reference is used in this glossary:
- See:
- This refers the reader to (a) a related term, (b) a term that is the expanded
form of an abbreviation or acronym, or (c) a synonym or more preferred term.
- A
- access method services (AMS)
- A utility program for the definition and management of VSAM data sets.
- after-image
- Records that CICS® writes to a forward recovery log to show what the
VSAM record will look like after it has been updated by the application. (Throughout
the CICS VR library, the forward recovery log is referred to as the log.)
- AIX®
- Alternate index.
- alternate index (AIX)
- A collection of index entries related to a given base cluster and organized
by an alternate key; that is, a key other than the prime key of the associated
base cluster data records. The AIX gives an alternative directory for finding
records in the data component of a base cluster.
- AMS
- Access method services.
- APAR
- Authorized program analysis report.
- application identifier (APPLID)
- The name that identifies a CICS region to VTAM®. It can be a maximum of 8 characters.
- APPLID
- Application identifier.
- archive utility
- The CICS VR utility that registers details of a log on the RCDS and optionally
copies it to a backup.
- authorized program analysis report (APAR)
- A report of a problem that is suspected to be caused by a defect in a
current, unaltered release of a program.
- automatic journal archiving
- A function provided by CICS. When a disk log, defined to use this function
is ready for archiving, CICS automatically creates and submits an archive job.
The log data set is not reused until archiving is complete, and CICS ensures
that the archive jobs are submitted promptly.
- B
- back up
- The process of copying a data set to a backup volume.
- backout
- The CICS VR function that you can use if CICS fails in the attempt to
back out uncommitted changes on a VSAM sphere. Using information from the
RCDS, CICS VR constructs a job to back out uncommitted changes on a VSAM KSDS,
ESDS, or RRDS, as indicated on the log. Refer to batch backout to remove updates
made by batch job steps.
- backout failing log record (BOFLGREC)
- The record that CICS stores on the system log (throughout the CICS VR
library, the system log is referred to as the log). This allows CICS VR to
start and stop its scan of the log in the correct places and to locate the
relevant before-images. CICS issues a BOFLGREC the first time a backout failure
is detected. CICS issues following BOFLGRECs if the same task suffers a backout
failure through a different file, or if a different task suffers a backout
failure. So, there is a BOFLGREC for each combination of file and task that
fails backout.
- backup
- The copy of the VSAM sphere, either on disk or tape, that you make at
regular intervals as a minimum precaution to protect a VSAM sphere.
- backup-while-open facility (BWO)
- The facility supported by DFSMS/MVS, CICS and CICS VR, that lets CICS VSAM data
sets be backed up while CICS is concurrently updating them. The data sets can
then be recovered if data is lost. For the software levels required to use
this facility, refer to CICS VR Implementation Guide and Reference.
- base cluster
- A key-sequenced or entry-sequenced data set that one or more alternate
indexes can be built over, or a relative-record data set.
- basic catalog structure (BCS)
- The name of the catalog structure in the integrated catalog facility environment.
See also ICF catalog.
- batch backout
- A CICS VR function that will remove updates made to VSAM spheres by one
or more batch job steps. CICS VR undo logging must be performed for the affected
VSAM spheres to allow for batch backout processing. CICS VR batch backout
supports KSDS, ESDS, RRDS, and VRRDS VSAM spheres.
- BCS
- Basic catalog structure.
- before-image
- The copy of a VSAM record that CICS saves in the system log before CICS updates
the record (throughout the CICS VR library, the system log is referred to
as the log). Before-images are used to back out incomplete or incorrect changes
if a failure occurs.
- BOFLGREC
- Backout failing log record
- buffer
- An area of processing storage that is used to hold a block of data while
it is waiting to be processed or written to an I/O device.
- BWO
- Backup-while-open facility.
- C
- CA
- See change accumulation.
- CA
- Control area.
- CBIPO
- Custom-Built Installation Process Offering.
- CBPDO
- Custom-Built Product Delivery Offering.
- CEDA
- The main CICS-supplied transaction used to define resources
online. When you use CEDA, you can update the CICS system definition (CSD) data set,
and the running CICS region.
- CEMT
- A CICS-supplied transaction used to invoke all the master terminal functions.
These functions include inquiring and changing the value of parameters used
by CICS,
altering the status of system resources, terminating tasks, and shutting down CICS.
Refer to CICS Supplied
Transactions or CICS/MVS CICS-Supplied Transactions
- CF
- Coupling Facility.
- change accumulation
- A CICS VR utility that reduces the time it takes to perform a forward
recovery. CICS VR change accumulation consolidates forward recovery log records
into a CA data set. CICS VR uses the CA data set in conjunction with the
forward recovery log to reduce the number of log records that CICS VR needs
to apply to get the sphere back to the exact state before the data was lost.
- CI
- Control interval.
- CICS
- Customer Information Control System.
- CICS session
- The time period during which a user has access to a CICS region.
- CICS system
definition (CSD) data set
- A VSAM KSDS cluster with alternate paths. The CSD data set contains a
resource definition record for every record defined to CICS using resource definition online (RDO).
- CICSplex
- (1) A CICS complex.
A CICSplex consists of two or more regions that are linked using CICS intercommunications
facilities. The links can be either intersystem communication (ISC) or interregion
communication (IRC) links, but within a CICSplex are more usually IRC. Typically,
a CICSplex has at least one terminal-owning region (TOR), more than one application-owning
region (AOR), and might have one or more regions that own the resources that
are accessed by the AORs. (2) In CICSPlex® SM, a management domain. The
largest set of CICS regions
or systems to be manipulated as a single CICSPlex SM entity. CICS regions
in a CICSPlex SM
CICSplex do not need to be connected to each other.
- CICSPlex SM
- IBM CICSPlex System
Manager for z/OS. An IBM CICS system management product that provides a single
system image and a single point of control for one or more CICSplexes, including
CICSplexes on heterogeneous operating systems.
- CICS VR
- CICS VSAM
Recovery.
- cluster
- In VSAM, a named structure consisting of a group of related components.
For example, when the data is key sequenced, the cluster contains the data
and index components; for data that is entry sequenced, the cluster contains
only a data component. See also base cluster and alternate index.
- cold start
- The standard CICS initialization sequence performed without regard
for prior system activity.
- Common
User Access (CUA)
- Guidelines for the interface between a user and a workstation or terminal.
- complete recovery
- The CICS VR function that consists of forward recovery followed by backout,
if needed. In CICS VR complete recovery, CICS VR restores a DFSMShsm backup
for you.
- concurrent copy
- The facility supported by DFSMS/MVS, CICS, and CICS VR that increases the availability
of data by letting you make a consistent backup or copy of data, concurrent
with normal application program processing.
- control area (CA)
- A group of VSAM control intervals used as a unit for formatting a data
set before adding records to it.
- control area split
- The movement of the contents of some VSAM control intervals in a control
area to a newly created control area, to aid the insertion, or lengthening
of a record when no free control intervals remain in the original control
area.
- control interval (CI)
- A fixed-length area of auxiliary-storage space where VSAM stores records
and distributes free space. It is the unit of information that is transmitted
to or from auxiliary storage, by VSAM.
- control interval split
- The movement of some stored records in a VSAM control interval to a free
control interval, to aid the insertion, or lengthening of a record that will
not fit in the original control interval.
- Coupling Facility (CF)
- The hardware that provides high-speed caching, list processing, and locking
functions in a sysplex.
- CSD
- CICS system
definition data set.
- CUA
- Common
User Access.
- D
- Data Facility Product
- See DFP.
- Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem data facility product (DFSMSdfp)
- A DFSMS/MVS functional
component that provides functions for storage management, data management,
program management, device management, and distributed data access.
- Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem data set services (DFSMSdss)
- A DFSMS/MVS functional
component used to copy, move, dump, and restore data sets and volumes.
- Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem hierarchical storage manager
(DFSMShsm)
- A DFSMS/MVS functional
component used for backing up and recovering data, and managing space on volumes
in the storage hierarchy.
- Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem removable media manager (DFSMSrmm)
- A DFSMS/MVS functional
component that manages removable media.
- Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem/MVS (DFSMS/MVS)
- An IBM licensed
program that together with z/OS SP compose the base z/OS operating environment. DFSMS/MVS consists
of DFSMSdfp, DFSMSdss, DFSMShsm,
and DFSMSrmm.
- data integrity
- The quality of data that exists as long as accidental destruction, change,
or loss
- ddname
- Data definition name.
- deregister
- The CICS VR function that removes a VSAM sphere name from the RCDS, or
removes all references to a log from the RCDS.
- DFDSS
- Referred to in this book by its new product name. See DFSMSdss.
- DFHCSDUP
- CICS system
definition (CSD) data set utility program. It provides offline services for
the CSD. You can invoke DFHCSDUP as a batch program, or from a user-written
program running in batch mode, or under TSO.
- DFHJCRDS
- The CICS journal-control
record-mapping macro.
- DFHSM
- Referred to in this book by its new product name. See DFSMShsm.
- DFP
- Referred to in this book by its new product name. See DFSMSdfp.
- DFSMSdfp
- Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem data facility product.
- DFSMSdss
- Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem data set services.
- DFSMShsm
- Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem hierarchical storage manager.
- DFSMSrmm
- Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem removable media manager.
- DFSMS/MVS
- Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem/MVS.
- dsname record
- A record on a log that equates an FCT file name to a data set.
- DTB
- Dynamic transaction backout.
- dynamic transaction backout (DTB)
- The process of canceling changes that a transaction makes to a VSAM data
set after the transaction fails, for whatever reason.
- E
- emergency restart
- Initialization of the CICS region following an abnormal end, where the information
recorded on the system log is used to recover the data files of all interrupted
transactions, to the condition they were in when the transactions started.
(Throughout the CICS VR library, the system log is referred to as the log.)
- entry-sequenced data set (ESDS)
- A VSAM data set whose records are physically in the same order in which
they were added to the data set. An ESDS is processed by addressed direct
access, or addressed sequential access and has no index. Records are added
at the end of the data set.
- ESA
- Enterprise Systems Architecture.
- ESDS
- Entry-sequenced data set.
- Extended Recovery Facility (XRF)
- A related set of programs that lets an installation reach a higher level
of CICS availability
to end users. Availability is improved by having a pair of CICS regions:
an active system and a partially initialized alternate system. The alternate
system stands by to continue processing if failures occur on the active system.
- F
- FCT
- File control table.
- file
- A CICS entity
that relates to a data set. File names are 1–8 characters.
- file control table (FCT)
- CICS table
containing the characteristics of the files accessed by CICS file control.
- FMID
- Function modification identifier.
- forward recovery
- The CICS VR function that reapplies all changes to the VSAM sphere since
the last backup. The sphere can be a KSDS, ESDS, RRDS, or VRRDS. CICS VR gets
the information it needs to construct the recovery job from the RCDS. The
contents of the logs are applied to the VSAM sphere to return it to its exact
state before the data was lost.
- forward recovery log
- A log that is being used for implementing forward recovery. (Throughout
the CICS VR library, the forward recovery log is referred to as the log.)
- function modification identifier
- A seven-character ID used to identify the release of a product.
- G
- GDG
- Generation data group.
- generation data group (GDG)
- A collection of data sets kept in chronological order; each data set is
a generation data set.
- global user exit
- A point in a CICS module at which CICS can pass control to a program that
you have written (an exit program) and then resume control when your
program has finished. When an exit program is enabled for a particular exit
point, the program is called every time the exit point is reached.
- I
- ICF catalog
- Integrated catalog facility catalog.
- in-flight transaction
- A transaction that has uncommitted updates at the time of an abnormal CICS end.
- instance
- An instance of CICS VR starts when transaction VSAM is initialized as
part of SMSVSAM address space initialization or enabled by operator command.
It ends when transactional VSAM enters a quiesced or disabled state, or when
the SMSVSAM address space is terminated.
- integrated catalog facility (ICF) catalog
- A catalog that consists of a basic catalog structure (BCS) and its related
volume table of contents (VTOCs), and VSAM volume data sets (VVDSs). The ICF
catalog is the only catalog that is supported by DFSMS/MVS. See also basic catalog
structure (BCS), volume table of contents (VTOC), and VSAM volume data set
(VVDS).
- Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF)
- The MVS™ interactive
facility that serves as a full-screen editor and dialog manager. ISPF can
be used for writing application programs. It is used by CICS VR to provide
an interactive dialog between the CICS VR user and the CICS VR functions.
- I/O
- Input/output.
- ISPF
- Interactive System Product Facility.
- J
- JACD
- Journal archive control data set.
- JCT
- Journal control table.
- journal
- See log.
- journal control table (JCT)
- The way by which the characteristics of the logs are described to CICS for
access through journal control. The JCT contains journal information and operating
system control blocks describing each log.
- journaling
- The recording of information onto a journal (including the system log)
for processing by CICS VR. Also known as logging.
- journal-label-record
- A special record type that is the first record written out by CICS in a block
of log records.
- JPDS
- Journal partitioned data set.
- K
- keypoint
- The periodic recording of system information and control blocks on the
system log (throughout the CICS VR library, the system log is referred to
as the log).
- key-sequenced data set (KSDS)
- A VSAM data set whose records are loaded in key sequence and controlled
by an index.
- KSDS
- Key-sequenced data set.
- L
- linear data set
- A VSAM data set that contains data but no control information. A linear
data set can be accessed as a byte-addressable string in virtual storage.
See recovery control data set.
- link pack area (LPA)
- In MVS,
an area of virtual storage that contains re-enterable routines that are loaded
at IPL time and that can be used concurrently by all tasks in the system.
- local shared resources (LSR)
- Files that share a common pool of buffers and a common pool of strings;
that is, control blocks supporting I/O operations.
- log
- A set of one or more sequential data sets to which records are written
during a CICS session
in these circumstances:
- By CICS,
to implement user-defined resource protection (logging to the system log)
- By CICS, to implement user-defined automatic logging (to
an MVS log
stream, including the system log)
- Explicitly, by the JOURNAL command (or macro), from an application
program (to an MVS log
stream, including the system log)
(Throughout the CICS VR library, all journals are referred to as logs.)
- log manager
- A CICS domain
introduced in CICS Transaction
Server, which replaces the CICS journal control management function of earlier CICS versions.
The CICS log
manager uses MVS system
logger services to write CICS systems logs, forward recovery logs, and user journals
to log streams managed by the MVS system logger. (Throughout the CICS VR
library, system logs, forward recovery logs, and MVS log streams are referred to as logs.)
- log of logs
- A log created by CICS Transaction Server that contains records that are
written each time a file is opened or closed. CICS VR scans the log of logs
and saves information needed for recovery in the RCDS.
- log tail
- In CICS VR, the oldest log record of interest. Log tail deletion is the
process of deleting unneeded records that are older than the oldest record
of interest to CICS VR.
- local shared resources (LSR)
- Files that share a common pool of buffers and a common pool of strings;
that is, control blocks supporting I/O operations.
- logical unit of work (LUW)
- A sequence of processing actions (for example, changes to a base cluster)
that must be completed before the individual actions can be regarded as committed.
Every CICS task
that affects a recoverable resource consists of one or more LUWs. When changes
are committed (by successful completion of the LUW and recording of the sync
point on the system log), they need not be backed out after a later failure
of the transaction or system. The end of an LUW is marked in a transaction
by a sync point, issued either by the user program or by CICS when the
transaction ends. In the absence of user sync points, the entire task is an
LUW.
- LPA
- Link pack area.
- LSR
- Local shared resource.
- LUW
- Logical unit of work.
- M
- master terminal operator (MTO)
- A CICS operator
who is authorized to use the master-terminal-functions transaction.
- menu bar
- The area at the top of a window that contains choices that let the CICS
VR user access the actions available in that window.
- migration utility
- The utility provided by CICS VR that helps you upgrade your RCDS.
- MTO
- Master terminal operator.
- O
- object action
- A process sequence in which the user selects an object and then selects
an action to apply to that object.
- online
- Pertaining to a user's access to a computer through a terminal. The term online is
also used in this book to describe a resource (for example, a data set) being
used by a user through a terminal.
- P
- path
- A data set name for the relationship between an alternate index and its
base cluster, or an alias for a VSAM data set.
- PDF
- Program Development Facility.
- PMR
- Problem management record.
- problem management record (PMR)
- A record on the RETAIN® database where all activity about your CICS
VR problem is recorded.
- program temporary fix (PTF)
- A temporary solution, or by-pass of a problem, diagnosed by IBM as resulting
from a defect in a current, unaltered release of a program.
- program update tape (PUT)
- A tape or cartridge on which IBM places PTFs so that you can install
them on your system.
- PTF
- Program temporary fix.
- pull-down menu
- A list of choices associated with a choice on the menu bar. The CICS VR
user selects a choice from the menu bar, and a pull-down appears in the secondary
window, under the choice.
- PUT
- Program update tape.
- R
- RBA
- Relative byte address.
- RCDS
- Recovery control data set.
- RDO
- Resource definition online.
- record level sharing
- See VSAM record level sharing.
- recovery
- (1) The process of reapplying updates to a lost or damaged
VSAM data set. (2) In DFSMShsm, the process of copying a backup version
of a data set from a backup volume to a specified volume, possibly to the
volume from which the backup version was made.
- Recovery and Backup function
- The Recovery and Backup function builds a job to: take the sphere offline
from CICS,
forward recover the sphere, take a backup of the sphere, put the sphere back
online to CICS,
and instruct CICS to
retry its backout.
- recovery control
- In CICS VR, the collective name for the functions that keep track of all
the information needed to forward recover and back out protected VSAM spheres.
- recovery control data set (RCDS)
- One of three identical linear VSAM data sets that contain information
about the contents of archived logs and the ISPF dialog interface default
values. CICS VR uses this stored information to construct recovery jobs. CICS
VR uses three identical RCDSs to reduce the possibility of data loss.
- Recovery function
- The Recovery function builds a job to: take the sphere offline from CICS,
forward recover the sphere, put the sphere back online to CICS, and instruct CICS to
retry its backout.
- recovery point time
- The point in time that forward recovery starts from for VSAM data sets
that were restored from a backup made using the backup-while-open facility.
With the backup-while-open facility, recovery point time is a maximum of 30
minutes before the actual backup time.
- register
- See archive function.
- relative byte address (RBA)
- The displacement of a stored record or control interval from the beginning
of the storage space allocated to the VSAM data set to which it belongs.
- relative-record data set (RRDS)
- A VSAM data set whose records are loaded into fixed-length slots. The
records are accessed by a relative record number (RRN).
- Remote Technical Assistance Information Network
- See RETAIN.
- Reorganization function
- The Reorganization function builds a job to: take the sphere offline from CICS,
delete and redefine the sphere with more space or a bigger alternate index
record size, and instruct CICS to retry its backout.
- request parameter list (RPL)
- In ACF/VTAM, a control block that contains the parameters needed for processing
a request for data transfer.
- resource definition macro
- A method of defining resources to CICS using macros. You code and assemble
special macro instructions, and then provide CICS with these assembled tables at initialization
time.
- resource definition online (RDO)
- The recommended method of defining resources to CICS by creating resource definitions interactively,
or using the utility DFHCSDUP, and then storing them in the CICS system definition
(CSD) data set. These definitions are then installed as CICS resources,
by specifying a list of definitions at CICS initialization time. Using the CEDA
transaction, resource definitions can be installed while CICS is active,
so they can be used immediately.
- restore
- The process of copying a backup version of a
VSAM data set from backup media, to the same media from which the backup version
was created, or to another media. This restored copy can then be used in CICS
VR forward recovery.
- RETAIN
- A software system used by IBM Support Centers and other IBM offices to
solve problems with IBM products. RETAIN is used to document each problem
and the correction developed for it.
- RPL
- Request parameter list.
- RLS
- VSAM record level sharing.
- RRDS
- Relative-record data set.
- S
- SAA
- Systems Application Architecture®.
- secondary window
- The window you get when you select an option from a pull-down. A secondary
window does not have a menu bar.
- SIT
- System initialization table.
- SNA
- System Network Architecture.
- SMF
- System Management Facility.
- SMS
- Storage Management Subsystem.
- sphere
- See VSAM sphere.
- storage management subsystem (SMS)
- A DFSMS/MVS facility
used to automate and centralize the management of storage. Using SMS, a storage
administrator describes data allocation characteristics, performance and availability
goals, backup and retention requirements, and storage requirements to the
system through data class, storage class, management class, and ACS routine
definitions.
- sync point
- See synchronization point.
- synchronization point (sync point)
- A point in the processing of a task at which changes to recoverable resources
are regarded as committed.
- sysplex
- A set of MVS systems
communicating and cooperating with each other through certain multi-system
hardware components and software services to process customer workloads.
- system initialization table (SIT)
- A CICS control
table required for the system to be operational. The SIT controls the capability
of the system through a set of system initialization parameters.
- system log
- A CICS log
(ID=01) that is used by CICS to log changes to resources for backout. (Throughout
the CICS VR library, the system log is referred to as the log.)
- system logger
- A central logging facility provided by z/OS. The z/OS system logger provides
an integrated MVS logging
facility that can be used by system and subsystem components. For example,
it is used by the CICS Transaction Server log manager.
- System Management Facility (SMF)
- An MVS component
that collects and records system and job-related information.
- Systems
Application Architecture (SAA)
- A formal set of rules that enables applications to be run without modification,
in different computer environments.
- T
- task
- In CICS,
a single instance of the execution of a transaction. Contrast with transaction.
- tie-up record (TUR)
- The association between the file and data set, as recorded on the log.
- transaction
- Can be regarded as a unit of processing (consisting of one or more application
programs) initiated by a single request, often from a terminal. A transaction
might require the initiation of one or more tasks for its execution. Contrast
with task.
- transaction backout
- The cancelation, because of a transaction failure, of all updates performed
by a task.
- TUR
- Tie-up record.
- U
- uncommitted updates
- The updates from an incomplete LUW that are left on the &sphere when
a task or CICS abends.
- upgrade set
- All the alternate indexes that VSAM has been instructed to update whenever
there is a change to the data part of the base cluster.
- V
- variable relative-record data set (VRRDS)
- A VSAM data set whose records are loaded into variable-length slots. The
records are accessed by a relative record number (RRN).
- volume table of contents (VTOC)
- A table on a direct access volume that describes each data set on the
volume.
- VRRDS
- Variable relative-record data set
- VSAM
- Virtual Storage Access Method.
- VSAM record level sharing (VSAM RLS)
- An extension to VSAM which provides direct record level sharing of VSAM
data sets from multiple address spaces across multiple systems. Record level
sharing utilizes the z/OS Coupling Facility to provide cross system locking,
local buffer invalidation, and cross system data caching. With VSAM RLS, CICS regions
that share VSAM data sets can reside in one or more MVS images within a parallel sysplex.
- VSAM sphere
- A base cluster, together with any alternate indexes defined with it.
- VSAM volume data set (VVDS)
- A data set that describes the characteristics of VSAM data sets and system-managed
data sets residing on a given disk; part of an ICF catalog.
- VSAMREC
- A line operator and list command that can be issued from the ISMF DATA
SET LIST panel to create a recovery job for VSAM spheres.
- VTOC
- Volume table of contents.
- VVDS
- VSAM volume data set.
- X
- XA
- Extended Architecture.
- XRF
- Extended Recovery Facility.