Bob Yelavich's Glossary of CICS-related Terms & Abbreviations

Copyright © 2000-2001 by Yelavich Consulting, Sparks, NV
Last Update: August 19, 2004


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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A

AAT
WebSphere Application Assembly Tool.

ABCODE
  1. Abend code.
  2. A specification in the CICS System Recovery Table (SRT) for an abend code to be intercepted by CICS.
  3. A parameter for the CICS ABEND, used to specify an abend code for the transaction being terminated.
  4. A parameter for the CICS ASSIGN command, used to determine the abend code if the task has been terminated.

ABDUMP
Abnormal dump. An option of the CICS ASSIGN command, used to indicate whether a dump has been produced and its abend code.

ABEND
  1. Abnormal end, of a task or transaction.
  2. A CICS command to abnormally terminate a transaction.
  3. An MVS macro to abnormally terminate an MVS program and/or task.

ABSTIME
A parameter of the CICS ASKTIME or FORMATTIME commands, requesting time be returned as a packed decimal value.

ACB
Access Control Block. A control block used to manage access to a VSAM data set (file), a VTAM network or a TCAM network.

ACCEPT
  1. A function of SMP/E to accept software maintenance but not to apply it.
  2. A type of HTTP header, relative to CICS Internet support.

ACCUM
A function of CICS BMS by which multiple maps can be used to build a logical message before sending.

ACEE
ACcessor environment element. A description of the current user including userid, attributes, authority. A control block used by RACF.

ACF
Advanced Communications Function. A family of IBM products involved with data communications (e.g. ACF/VTAM, ACF/NCP, etc).

ACF/2
Access Control Facility/2. A security product from Computer Associates, used with CICS.

ACICSPCT
A RACF resource class profile used to control access to transactions specified in other CICS commands.

ACID
A term used to describe the recovery/restart properties of a transaction; Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability.

ACK
Acknowlegement. A response from a BTAM-supported terminal.

ACL
Access Control List.

ACQ, ACQUIRED

ACQFAIL
A CICS FEPI exception condition, indicating FEPI was unable to acquire a resource.

ACSH
Application Class System Heap. A JVM storage allocation.

ACTION
An option of the CICS write to operator command which specifies the action to be taken associated with the message (i.e. critical, eventual or immediate).

ActiveX
  1. An application client model.
  2. A set of technologies from Microsoft provideing tools for linking desktop applications to the Web.

ACTIVITY
An option of the CICS ASSIGN command, which returns the activity name of the current program if it is executing as a BTS activity.

ACTLU
Activate logical unit. In SNA, a command to start a session with a logical unit.

ACTPU
Activate physical unit. In SNA, a command to start a session with a physical unit.

AD
Application Development. A general term applied to the process or to products which enable application development.

ADCD
An abend code indicating an IMS DL/I deadlock has occurred.

ADDRESS
A CICS command which can obtain the storage address of various major task-oriented control blocks or areas (e.g. COMMAREA, CWA, EIB, etc.)

ADI
A CICS initialization parameter for XRF indicating the delay interval between a loss of signal from the active machine and any action taken by the alternate machine.

ADS, ADSL
Application Data Structure. A symbolic storage definition (dummy section) used to describe the use of BMS by an application invoked with the CICS 3270 Bridge. An ADS is a by-product of a BMS map compilation. An ADSL is a long form of the dsect need for use to the bridge interface to MQSeries.

ADSP
Automatic dataset protection. User data sets automatically defined to RACF.

ADYN
A CICS-provided transaction for dynamic allocation/deallocation of data sets.

AEY9
A CICS abend code indicating an invalid CICS command has been issued.

AEYD
A CICS abend code indicating a storage violation.

affinity
An association or conection among two or more objects.

AFP
Advanced function printing.

AGN
Application Group Name. A CICS DBCTL DRA initialization parameter.

AIB
Application Interface Block. A call format for issuing DL/I requests with IMS DBCTL.

AICA
A CICS abend code indicating the runaway task interval has expired.

AID
  1. Attention Identifier. A one byte data field used to indicate the method used to initiate a transaction (e.g. a PA key) from a 3270-like device.
  2. Automatic Initiate Descriptor. A CICS control block used for automatic task initiation due to a transient data or interval control event.

AIEXIT
A CICS initialization paramter, identifying a user program to be to invoked when autoinstalling VTAM terminals.

AILDELAY
A CICS initialization paramter, specifying the delay period between the end of a CICS terminal session and the deletion of the terminal autoinstall entry.

AIM
Appliction and Integration Middleware.

AIQMAX
A CICS initialization paramter, specifying the maximum number of devices that can be queued waiting for autoinstall.

AIRDELAY
A CICS initialization paramter, specifying the delay period following an emergency restart before autoinstalled terminals not in session are deleted.

AIX
  1. Advanced Interactive Executive. An IBM UNIX-based operating system.
  2. In VSAM, an alternate index.

AKP
A CICS master terminal keyword for setting or inquiring on the value for activity keypointing.

AKPFREQ
A CICS initialization paramter, specifying the frequency of activity keypoints.

ALET
A common abbreviation for "Announcement Letter".

ALIAS
  1. A 1-4 character alternate name (ID) for a CICS transaction.
  2. A CICS-provided transaction, part of CICS Web Support (CWS), initiated to process reciept of a single request.

ALIGNED
A PL/I data area attribute, for binary data.

ALT
Application Load Table. A table used in earlier versions of CICS to specify the loading of applications in main storage.

ALTPAGE
A terminal page size definition, in rows and columns, for use by BMS when ALTSCREEN has been selected as the screen size.

ALTSCREEN
A 3270 screen size to be used for a terminal that has SCRNSIZE(ALTERNATE) specified in its profile.

ALTUSER
A RACF command.

AMA
Application migration aid. A CICS-provided program to assist with the conversion of Assembler and COBOL macro level programs to command level.

AMI
Appliction Messaging Interface. An API provided by Message Oriented Middleware, such as MQSeries' Message Queueing Interface (MQI).

AMODE
Addressing mode. In MVS, the mode in which a program addresses virtual storage, 24-bit or 31-bit.

AMP
  1. A job control keyword, used on DD statements, to specify data set buffering parameters (e.g. for the CICS Global Catalog).
  2. CICS autoinstall model table.

AMS
Access method services.

ANSI
American National Standards Institute.

ANSI85
An American National Standards Institute programmin standard for COBOL.

AnyNet
A feature of VTAM. Also known as the Multi-Protocol Transport Feature in earlier VTAM releases. The use of TCP62 on a client and AnyNet on the host enables LU6.2 flows over a TCP link.

AOL
America Online. An Internet web browser and email service provider.

AOR
Application-Owning Region. A term associated with a CICS region to which transactions are routed from a terminal-owning region (TOR) for processing.

AOSD
  1. Aspect Oriented Software Development.
  2. Modularization of concerns such as error checking and handling, synchronization, context-sensitive behavior, performance optimizations, monitoring and logging, debugging support, multi-object protocols

APA
All points addressable. A characteristic of a display terminal.

APAK
A user-written program to receive an input data stream from an SCS printer device, to simulate the use of PA keys.

APAR
  1. Authorized Program Analysis Report.
  2. A user or IBM-initiated report documenting a problem or potential problem with IBM software.
  3. A temporary fix for a software problem.

APCG
A CICS abend code if a program occupies all the available DSA storage.

APF
Authorized Program Facility. An operating system function under which only specified programs can run in supervisor state.

APG
Application Programmers Guide. A CICS reference manual.

API
Application programming interface. A documented interface by which one program can call upon the services of another program or environment.

APL
A Programming Language. An IBM programming language product.

APLG
A CICS abend code if a PL/I application program requires greater than 64K of dynamic storage to initialize.

APLKYBD
An 3270 device with the APL keyboard feature.

APLTEXT
An option of the ASSIGN command used to determine if the keyboard has the APL text feature.

APM
  • In CICSPlex, analysis point monitoring.
  • Application performance management. A general term used to describe tools and/or services used to monitor end user experiences.

    APOST
    A CICS Translator option specifying that an apostrophe is to be used to delineate literal values.

    APPC basic
    An APPC basic conversation is one where the data passed is prefixed with a GDS header.

    APPC mapped
    An APPC mapped conversation is one where the data passed is simply user data, and the user is not concerned with internal formats demanded by the architecture.

    APPC
    Advanced Program to Program Communication. An LU6.2-based protocol for use in conversational or client/server configurations.

    APPCLU
    A RACF resource class definition need to control which APPC LU6.2 logical units can connect to each other.

    APPLCTN
    An IMS macro used to name PSBs that will be used by application programs to access databases through DBCTL.

    applet
    A tag in an HTLM page of data, to be downloaded to a web browser. A Java program is downloaded with the data, to run on the browser and manipulate the data.

    APPLID
    Application ID (identification). A CICS initialization parameter used to identify this CICS region as a VTAM application.

    APPLLIST
    A list of APPLIDs of back-end CICS or IMS systems with which FEPI is to communicate.

    APPN
    Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking. Used as part of CICS support of VTAM generic resources.

    APR
    Application Programmer's Reference. A CICS reference manual.

    ARM
    Automatic Restart Manager. A function of MVS to restart subsystems in place.

    ARU
    Audio Response Unit. For instance, an IBM 7770.

    ASA
    1. A type of printer carriage control.
    2. A CICS SPOOLOPEN specification.

    ASCII
    American National Standard Code for Information Interchange. A code set used frequently in UNIX environments or on desktop computers.

    ASID
    Address space identification.

    ASIS
    An option of CICS SEND, RECEIVE and CONVERSE commands, indicating that the data is to be handled in transparent mode, with no recognition of control characters, and accepting any of the 256 combinations of eight bits as valid transmittable data.

    ASKIP
    A BMS map specification indicating that data cannot be entered into the defined field and the cursor will skip to the next field.

    ASKTIME
    A CICS command which updates the date and time-of-day fields in the EIB.

    ASRA
    A CICS transaction abend. A program check has occurred.

    ASRAINTRPT
    An option of the ASSIGN command which returns a PSW containing interrupt information for the latest ASRA, ASRB, ASRD or AICA abend.

    ASRAKEY
    An option of the ASSIGN command which returns the execution key at the time of the last ASRA, ASRB, ASRD or AICA abend.

    ASRAPSW
    An option of the ASSIGN command which returns a PSW containing interrupt information for the latest ASRA, ASRB, ASRD or AICA abend.

    ASRAREGS
    An option of the ASSIGN command which returns the contents of the general registers when the latest ASRA, ASRB, ASRD or AICA abend occurred.

    ASRASPC
    An option of the ASSIGN command which returns the type of space in control at the time of the last ASRA, ASRB, AEYD or AICA abend occurred.

    ASRASTG
    An option of the ASSIGN command which returns the type of storage being addressed at the time of the last ASRA or AEYD abend.

    ASRB
    A CICS transaction abend. A program has issued an MVS ABEND.

    ASRD
    A CICS transaction abend. A program has attempted to issue a CICS macro or access the CSA or TCA.

    ASSIGN
    A CICS command which request value from outside the application program's local environment (e.g. NETNAME, APPLID, etc).

    ATCV
    A CICS transaction abend. The application attempted an operation with a VTAM logical unit which failed.

    ATI
    Automatic task initiation. A CICS task may be started automatically as a result of a START command, IMMEDIATE operand of the RETURN command, a transient data queue reaching its trigger level, or a task initiated because of a BMS ROUTE request.

    ATM
    1. Automatic teller machine. Sometimes called a cash dispensing machine.
    2. Asynchronous Transfer Mode.

    ATNI
    A CICS abend code, indicating a network error while using intersystem communication (ISC).

    atomicity
    Changes made to protected resources within the same unit of work are atomic; either all happened or none happened.

    ATTACHID
    An eight character name of an attach header control block into which a set of values is placed, as part of an MRO, LU6.1 or SEND command.

    ATTRB
    An operand of the DFHMDF macro, used to define an attribute byte for a 3270 data stream.

    autoinstall
    A CICS facility which creates terminal definitions automatically on request.

    AUXTR
    A CICS initialization parameter, indicating that auxiliary trace is to be activiated at system initialization.

    AV
    1. A common abbreviation for "Available"; usually with reference to an IBM product's availability.
    2. Audio visual equipment, such as LCD projectors, VCRs, etc.

    AVM
    Availability manager. See CAVM.

    AWT
    Java Abstract Windowing Toolkit. A set of classes that let you write platform independent Java code usable with native GUI systems on many different platforms.

    AXIS
    Axis stands for "Apache eXtensible Interaction System". Axis is essentially Apache SOAP 3.0.

    AXM
    Authorized Cross Memory server. A set of modules that provide run time services for CICS-related cross memory services which run in MVS MVS authorized state.

    AZIn
    A CICS transaction abend. An MRO/IRC-related failure has occurred.

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    Feedback: Please send a note to Bob Yelavich if you have comments regarding missing or incorrect entries in the glossary.
    © 2000-2001 Bob Yelavich