Analyzing relationships between resource definitions

The following reporting options display list panels based on relationships between resource definitions in a single CICS® configuration. These help you to "clean up" a CICS configuration: for example, to identify resource definitions that are unused, multiply defined, or redefined with conflicting attributes. Aged or unwanted resource definitions may be candidates for deletion, whereas others may need corrections to avoid attribute conflicts.

You can use these options individually and in any order. However, if you would like a consistent workflow for cleaning up each of your CICS configurations, consider stepping through the options in the order presented here:

4.5 Orphan Groups
For a CICS configuration that refers to a CSD file, this option reports groups that are not related to any list.

For a CICS configuration that refers to a CICSPlex® SM context, this option reports ResGroups that are not related to any ResDesc.

If a group is not related to any list, it means that the group is not included in the group lists, specified by the CICS system initialization parameter GRPLIST, that CICS installs at cold start. Similarly, if a ResGroup is not related to any ResDesc, it means that it cannot be automatically installed. Unless such a group or ResGroup is dynamically installed, it could be old and defunct, and a candidate for deletion.

This report is similar to the list panel displayed by entering the line action UNR (Unrelated) next to a list or ResDesc, which shows the groups or ResGroups that are not related to the selected list or ResDesc. The difference is that this Orphan Groups report displays groups or ResGroups that are unrelated to any list or ResDesc in the selected CICS configuration.

4.6 Matching names
Reports resource definitions that have the same name and resource type as one or more other resource definitions in the selected CICS configuration, regardless of their attribute values.

For a CICS configuration that refers to a CSD file, this means that two or more groups contain resource definitions of the same name and resource type.

For a CICS configuration that refers to a CICSPlex SM context, this means that multiple versions of a resource definition exist. However, this report does not include "orphan" versions of resource definitions (that do not belong to any ResGroup). To report orphan resource definitions, use option 4.9 Orphan resources.

This report allows you to focus on resource definitions that are defined more than once, possibly with identical or conflicting attributes. To further aid analysis, use checksums or the compare (CM) line action. Resource definitions with identical attribute values may be considered duplicates and perhaps candidates for deletion. Where attributes differ, analysis may reveal that some resource definitions are aged and in conflict with others.

To avoid cluttering the report with default resource definitions that you cannot change, this report may exclude resource definitions in IBM-protected groups (for example, CICS-supplied groups with prefixes DFH or EYU):

  • If all resource definitions of the same name and resource type are in IBM®-protected groups, this report excludes the resource definitions.
  • If one or more resource definitions of the same name and resource type is not in an IBM-protected group, then the report includes all of those resource definitions, including the resource definitions in IBM-protected groups.
Tip: To identify resource definitions that have the same name and resource type and also have the same attribute values, and so could be considered duplicates and perhaps candidates for deletion, use the Checksum action bar choice to display the Checksum column. For details, see Comparing a list panel of objects with a checksum column.
4.7 Matching checksums
Reports resource definitions that have the same checksum value as one or more other resource definitions in the selected CICS configuration. This report allows you to focus on multiple resource definitions with the same set of CICS-usable attributes. Some of these resources may be viewed as redundant and eligible for deletion.

CICS Configuration Manager calculates the checksum value from the attributes of each resource definition, depending on the type of checksum you select from the Checksum action bar choice:

CRITICAL
Calculates a checksum from all attributes excluding those that are not critical to the operation of the resource. This is the default checksum type for the report.
LIST
Calculates a checksum from your choice of attributes for each resource type.

For more information on these and other types of checksum, see Comparing a list panel of objects with a checksum column.

You can use this report to identify resource definitions that have different names or belong to different groups but refer to the same resource (for example, the same file). Some of these may be candidates for deletion.

To avoid cluttering the report with default resource definitions that you cannot change, this report may exclude resource definitions in IBM-protected groups:

  • If all resource definitions with the same checksum value are in IBM-protected groups, this report excludes the resource definitions.
  • If one or more resource definitions with the same checksum value is not in an IBM-protected group, then the report includes all of those resource definitions, including the resource definitions in IBM-protected groups.

Matching… reports versus Show DUPLICATE…

Many list panels of resource definitions, such as those under option 2 CICS Resources, offer the action bar choices Show DUPLICATE NAMES and Show DUPLICATE CHECKSUMS. These are similar in purpose to reporting options 4.6 Matching names and 4.7 Matching checksums, respectively: they limit the display to resource definitions that have the same name and resource type, or checksum value, as one or more other resource definitions. However, there are differences:

The following options apply only to resource definitions in CICSPlex SM contexts:

4.8 Shared resources (context-based resource definitions only)
Reports resources definitions in the selected CICSPlex SM context where the same version of a resource definition belongs to multiple ResGroups.

You should review these resource definitions, decide whether they are associated with the correct ResGroups, and perhaps remove them from inappropriate ResGroups.

To remove a resource definition from a ResGroup, enter R (Remove) next to the resource definition in that ResGroup. CICS Configuration Manager protects you from creating orphan resource definitions: if you attempt to remove a version of a resource definition that belongs to only one ResGroup, CICS Configuration Manager displays an error message, and does not remove the resource definition.

4.9 Orphan resources (context-based resource definitions only)
Reports resource definitions in the selected CICSPlex SM context that are not related to any ResGroups. This report allows you to identify and delete unused resource definitions.
Tip: To see if there are any versions of an orphan resource definition that are not orphans, enter line action REL next to an orphan. This displays a list panel of all versions of the resource definition, whether or not they are orphans.

The following option applies only to resource definitions in a CSD file:

4.10 Check Analysis (CSD-based resource definitions only)
Checks the consistency of resource definitions in a sequence of lists and groups that you select from a single CSD-based CICS configuration. For details, see Checking the consistency of lists and groups.

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Timestamp icon Last updated: Friday, 8 February 2013


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