Resource definition retrieval and recreation changes for remote systems

A bit of background relating to why RBC change resource definitions on the fly.

'We have 225 test/development CICS regions on one of our LPARS and one CSD for all these regions definitions.

The user of these regions wants the definitions in these regions to be the same as production except where changes or additions are being made.

So what we have done is replicate the production CSD on this LPAR and used lists to control the definitions being used. The first list is for IBM definitions, the second list is for changes/additions that must precede existing production definitions, the third list is the production definitions and the fourth list is for changes/additions that must follow existing production definitions. Changes/additions are implemented into production by updating groups in the production list.

If we did not change the resource definitions, the production remote system names and dsnames would be used.

Fortunately for us, this user has strict standards for SYSIDs and file dsnames and most of the files are open on first reference.

During CICS startup PLT processing, we have a program that searches for local file definitions and definitions with remotesystem different than the local SYSID.

To change the dsname for local files, we use EXEC CICS INQ to get the dsname, modify it to match the environment we are in and use EXEC CICS SET commands to change the dsname in CICS.

The remotesystem cannot currently be changed using EXEC CICS commands so we have to use EXEC CICS INQ commands to get the information needed to recreate the definition, modify the remotesystem to match the environment we are in and use EXEC CICS CREATE commands to replace the definitions.

We just recently gotten a request for an output TDQ that specifies a dsname. In the past journals were used by the applications for logging.

We wanted to include the dsname in the resource definition and modify it at startup the same as for local files rather than having to modify JCL for each environment but found we could not because we cannot determine if the queue has an opentime of initial or deferred.

We have also run into another problem with how which definition is to be used is determined. You cannot change a file from being local in a region to having it accessed remotely by overriding definitions. No matter where in the lists the remote definition is added, the local definition takes precedence. This is causing us real grief as we trying to test moving files to an FOR. Special lists have to be created for testing and questions arise about if all the other definitions match production. Can you treat this incidence as a separate request as it is most urgent.

Our ideal solution would be for EXEC CICS SET commands to be allowed to change the remotesystem.

If this not possible, then the EXEC CICS INQ commands return all the information required to recreate the definitions using the EXEC CICS CREATE commands.