CICS BAC batch request utility runtime parameters

There are several runtime parameters that you can pass to the batch request utility at its startup, all of which are optional. You can specify these parameters using any combination of the following methods:

The batch request utility searches for startup parameters, and processes them, in the following way:

  1. Default values: The batch request utility first sets the default values for each parameter and continues at step 2.
  2. CBKPARMS data set: The batch request utility searches for a CBKBATCH member in the CBKPARMS data set, if present. If the utility finds a CBKBATCH member it uses any runtime parameters in the member to override the defaults. If the member is empty, the defaults are not changed. When the batch request utility has finished processing the CBKBATCH member, it continues at step 4.
  3. Logical parmlib concatenation: If the batch request utility cannot find a CBKBATCH member in CBKPARMS, it searches for a CBKBATCH member in the MVS logical parmlib concatenation. If the utility finds a CBKBATCH member it uses any runtime parameters in the member to override the defaults. If the member is empty, the defaults are not changed.
  4. PARM string: The batch request utility reads any parameters specified in the PARM string of the JCL EXEC statement, and uses these to override default or CBKBATCH parameter values.
Note:
If you want to use only default values, or specify parameters in the PARM string only, do one of the following:

The following are the runtime parameters that you can specify when starting a batch request utility job step:

CICSGROUPDSN(datasetname)
Specifies the name of the PDS in which CICS BAC is to look for member names that match CICS(applid) names. You can use CICS group data set members set to redirect CICS BAC commands to a different CICS region or to a group of CICS regions. See CICS group and alias function for more information about this parameter. You can override this parameter in the batch request utility job step JCL using the CBKGROUP DD statement.
CICSMIRRORTRANS({CSMI | transid})
Specifies the name of the CICS® mirror transaction to be specified on EXCI requests issued by the batch request utility. When the EXCI request is executed in the target CICS region, it runs under this transaction ID as an MRO mirror transaction.
CSMI
This is the normal CICS EXCI default mirror transaction ID.
transid
Specifies the 4-character name that you want CICS to use as the name of the MRO mirror transaction when it executes the EXCI requests it receives from the batch request utility. To avoid confusion with other mirror transactions that might be running in your CICS regions, you might want to choose a unique ID to identify CICS BAC batch request utility mirror transactions. Define the appropriate transaction ID in the CICS region for a CICS mirror transaction, ensuring the following:
  • The program associated with the transaction ID must be DFHMIRS
  • The profile for the transaction ID must be DFHCICSA.
You might consider using the CICS-supplied CSMI transaction definition as a basis for this transaction ID.
LANGUAGE({ENU | JPN})
Specifies the language used by the batch request utility for console, job log, and CBKPRINT messages. See Appendix B. CICS BAC national language support (NLS) for more information. The values you can specify are:
ENU
US English
JPN
Japanese
Note:
Specify the language parameter only on the PARM string of the JCL EXEC statement for the batch request utility. The parameter is ignored if it is specified in the CBKBATCH member of either the CBKPARMS data set or the logical parmlib concatenation.
TRACEOPTIONS({C0 | options})
Specifies the types of trace entries you want CICS BAC to create. There are eight trace entry types, each controlled by a single bit in the TRACEOPTIONS hexadecimal byte flag. Specify this option only at the direction of a Technical Support representative.
C0
The hexadecimal value C0 is the default trace setting.
options
Specify, in hexadecimal form, the options requested by Technical Support. For more details of the hexadecimal byte flag, see the TRACEOPTIONS parameter under Communication server runtime parameters
TRACESIZE({1000 | number-of-entries})
Specifies the size of the trace table in terms of the number of entries to be traced for diagnostic purposes. Change this value only at the direction of Technical Support.
1000
The default trace size.
number
Specify the trace size as requested by Technical Support.