Platform Isolation

This requirement has been re-evaluated. We have no current plans for this to be implemented and so this requirement is being declined at this point. The requirement will be kept in the RFE system and might be reassessed in the future. You also have an opportunity to resubmit in twelve months time if you wish it to be reconsidered then.

Due to processing by IBM, this request was reassigned to have the following updated attributes:
Brand - Servers and Systems Software
Product family - Transaction Processing
Product - CICS Transaction Server

For recording keeping, the previous attributes were:
Brand - WebSphere
Product family - Transaction Processing
Product - CICS Transaction Server

According to some discussions we already had, the title of the RFE is not really correct. It should be more "Multiple Platforms on one Cics Region". So if you can change the title please do it.

100% Isolation is only provided on different machines, so it is the question of what you need for what.

In our system this would mean the follwoing:

We have different stages and according to the importants of the stage you will provide higher or lesser isolation.

For 5 customers and all our stages at wuestenrot we would make the following:

Production: Every Company gets its own Cics (1 Cics:1 Platform) x 5, I company has a 5 Cics:1 Platform Scenario
Production Definition: Every Company gets its own Cics (1 Cics:1 Platform)
Approval Test: Every Company gets its own Cics (1 Cics:1 Platform)
Automatic Test: One Cics Region 5 Platforms (1 Cics:5 Platforms) ->
Manuel Integration Test: One Cics Region 5 Platforms (1 Cics:5 Platforms)
Test Stage: One Cics Region 5 Test Platforms + 60 Developper Platforms (2 Cics:65 Platforms)

The values above are just samples which should show the direction at the end it is a matter of workload, how many Platforms you can run on one Region.

Coming back to the last comment, it is true, that it is a matter of which component of cics is able to be defined on a platform.

Here is a list what I have in Mind just now, which I think don't exist

-> DB2 (Subsystem ID, Schema)
-> Terminal definition (Pick must be able to pick up a platforminformation of the perscom wuero-entw.wuestenrot.at/testplat or wuero-entw.wuestenrot.at/fachplat to decide to which platform the system should route. On the other side it must be possible to define Terminals on the platform. Also a two step hirarchy would be good than you can define on a platform and also global for every platform in a region
-> Java Server Instances

What we win in this scenario is a saving of resources and high flexibility in the development area, because it is easy possible to create a new platform for a new developper or a new test scenario or whatever ....

I hope this information helps to go on in the discussion.

As discussed at the F2F meeting would it be possible to differentiate this RFE from 42229 "Platform/Application DB2 Schema" (http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewChangeRequest&CR_ID=42229) by providing a list of resources you would like isolated e.g. TSQUEUE, FILE, etc?

Attachment (Description): Possible Platform Szenario

We have about 40 PL1 developers. For the austrian customer we have a test cics region (development level) and a fach test cics region (integration test level). In addition to this we are planing a sat test level (system test level).

In test there are 10 to 20 developers working every day in the same cics. The applications are quiete complex, because they use about 40 to 100 tables each.

There are now these problems:

-> At the moment the test stages are not used in the way they should be used (for examle fach is used for test, because of the better db2 data).
-> The same testdata from db2 for all developers
-> Inconsistent programs - different programs with different versions
-> Every customer needs his spezial isolated environment (for auditing).

To make a good and easy test/development it would be the best for every programmer to have his cics region, with his own db2.

A cics region for every developer makes not really sence, this is too much, but with the application platform conzept it would be very easy to give every developper his platform, where he can do what he wants.

Of course you would say now, that with versioning this should not happen, but developers can be very creative. Also in my opinion it is very simple to throw platform for a developer away and build it new if it is damaged. To throw a testplatform away where several people are working is not so good.

In addition I have added a pdf with a possible scenario for platforms for wuestenrot. Of course this scenario only would make sense with the possibility to add a db2 schema at a platform.

Please let me know if this was not the information you wanted.

I think that's a very nice - no necessary - enhancement.

In the beginning 80'th of the last millenium when I was a very young programmer ;-) I worked at a company which had (roughly) the following scenario: I changed my (CICS-)program and linked it to my own loadlibrary. Via TSO I started my "personally own" CICS-Region and I could test my changes without any affect to other programs and programmers. To be sure that I haven't any affect to other users it is _necessary_ to have an own region (with my own loadlib, with my own data) especially when working with very central programs.
Today we need very much regions for each project . . . and they are doing nearly nothing.

(That company didn't use native CICS; they had written their own CICS-like dialogmanager and had named it ICS.)

If we consider the development environment scenario you describe could you give 2 or 3 examples of the troubles developers experience today that you believe this enhancement should solve?

Thanks