Enable End-to-End Transaction Tracing for EntireX → CICS Integration in Instana ZAPM

Use Case 

Our organization uses webMethods EntireX adapter to call CICS via ECI protocol. We are implementing Instana for z/OS Application Performance Monitoring (ZAPM) to trace transactions on z/OS and visualize them in the Instana backend. However, transactions originating from EntireX are not visible in Instana, which breaks the promise of end-to-end observability. 

Current Behavior 

·        Instana shows the REST API call and the adapter entry when WebmethodIntermediate=true is set in the agent configuration. 

·        There is no correlation or span for the mainframe processing initiated by EntireX. 

·        No trace context propagation from distributed applications to CICS. 

Expected Behavior 

1.    Trace Context Propagation: Ability to take a trace context from a distributed app (EntireX adapter) and propagate it to CICS over the ECI protocol. 

2.    Instrumentation Support: Instana should provide APIs or hooks to emit spans for the EntireX piece of work. 

Impact 

Without this capability: 

·        We cannot achieve full transaction visibility for workloads entering CICS via EntireX using ECI. 

·        Observability is limited, and the documented promise of end-to-end tracing is not met. 

Proposed Improvement 

·        Trace Context Propagation: Ensure Instana supports propagation of distributed trace context from EntireX adapter to CICS transactions over ECI. 

·        Instrumentation Support: Provide Instana APIs or hooks for EntireX adapter to emit spans, enabling correlation with mainframe transactions. 

·        Documentation Update: Include clear guidance for configuring EntireX integration for Instana end-to-end tracing. 

Business Value 

·        Improves observability and troubleshooting for hybrid workloads. 

·        Aligns Instana functionality with IBM’s documented positioning for ZAPM. 

·        Reduces MTTR and enhances confidence in IBM APM solutions. 

Technical Details & References 

·        Current Instana Agent configuration (WebmethodIntermediate=true) only partially exposes adapter calls. 

·        Attached screenshots and analysis show missing linkage between distributed and mainframe spans. 

·        EntireX Adapter calls CICS via ECI protocol, which should be instrumented for trace correlation. 

Request: Please prioritize adding support for EntireX → CICS transaction tracing in Instana ZAPM to deliver true end-to-end observability across distributed and mainframe environments.