Progress0 of 0 lessons

CICS CONVERSE: non-z/OS Communications Server options - Cross-Platform Communication

CICS CONVERSE non-z/OS Communications Server options provide cross-platform communication capabilities for programs and transactions. It enables programs to conduct conversations with non-z/OS systems, manage cross-platform communication, and handle cross-platform conversations in CICS environments.

What is CICS CONVERSE: non-z/OS Communications Server options?

CICS CONVERSE non-z/OS Communications Server options is a command that allows programs to conduct conversations with non-z/OS systems. It provides cross-platform communication capabilities, non-z/OS conversation management, and cross-platform communication for CICS applications.

Command Syntax

cobol
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
EXEC CICS CONVERSE
    CONVID(conversation-id)
    [FROM(data-area)]
    [FROMLENGTH(data-length)]
    [INTO(data-area)]
    [SET(pointer-variable)]
    [LENGTH(data-length)]
    [RESP(response-code)]
END-EXEC

Parameters

Required Parameters

  • CONVID(conversation-id) - Cross-platform conversation identifier

Optional Parameters

  • FROM(data-area) - Data to send to non-z/OS system
  • FROMLENGTH(data-length) - Length of data to send
  • INTO(data-area) - Data area to receive
  • SET(pointer-variable) - Pointer to data
  • LENGTH(data-length) - Length of data received
  • RESP(response-code) - Response code variable

Non-z/OS Communication Types

Cross-Platform Communication

Communication with non-z/OS platforms

  • • WINDOWS COMMUNICATION - Windows platform communication
  • • UNIX COMMUNICATION - Unix platform communication
  • • LINUX COMMUNICATION - Linux platform communication
  • • AIX COMMUNICATION - AIX platform communication

Protocol Support

Communication protocols

  • • TCP/IP - TCP/IP protocol support
  • • HTTP/HTTPS - HTTP/HTTPS protocol support
  • • SOAP - SOAP protocol support
  • • REST - REST protocol support

Data Formats

Data format support

  • • XML - XML data format
  • • JSON - JSON data format
  • • BINARY - Binary data format
  • • TEXT - Text data format

Security Options

Security features

  • • SSL/TLS - SSL/TLS security
  • • ENCRYPTION - Data encryption
  • • AUTHENTICATION - Authentication support
  • • AUTHORIZATION - Authorization support

Programming Examples

Basic Cross-Platform Conversation

cobol
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. CONVERSENONZOS01.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  CONVERSATION-ID PIC X(8) VALUE 'CROSSPLAT'.
       01  SEND-DATA PIC X(80) VALUE 'Hello from z/OS CICS'.
       01  SEND-LENGTH PIC S9(4) COMP VALUE 20.
       01  RECEIVE-DATA PIC X(80).
       01  RECEIVE-LENGTH PIC S9(4) COMP.
       01  RESPONSE-CODE PIC S9(8) COMP.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           DISPLAY 'Starting cross-platform conversation'
           
           EXEC CICS CONVERSE
               CONVID(CONVERSATION-ID)
               FROM(SEND-DATA)
               FROMLENGTH(SEND-LENGTH)
               INTO(RECEIVE-DATA)
               LENGTH(RECEIVE-LENGTH)
               RESP(RESPONSE-CODE)
           END-EXEC
           
           IF RESPONSE-CODE = DFHRESP(NORMAL)
               DISPLAY 'Cross-platform conversation successful'
               DISPLAY 'Received: ' RECEIVE-DATA(1:RECEIVE-LENGTH)
           ELSE
               DISPLAY 'Cross-platform conversation failed'
           END-IF
           
           EXEC CICS RETURN END-EXEC.

Advanced Cross-Platform Communication

cobol
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. CONVERSENONZOS02.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  CONVERSATION-ID PIC X(8).
       01  SEND-DATA PIC X(80).
       01  SEND-LENGTH PIC S9(4) COMP.
       01  RECEIVE-DATA PIC X(80).
       01  RECEIVE-LENGTH PIC S9(4) COMP.
       01  RESPONSE-CODE PIC S9(8) COMP.
       01  CONVERSATION-COUNT PIC S9(2) COMP VALUE 0.
       01  MAX-CONVERSATIONS PIC S9(2) COMP VALUE 3.
       01  PLATFORM-LIST.
           05  PLATFORM-ITEM OCCURS 3 TIMES.
               10  PLATFORM-ID PIC X(8).
               10  PLATFORM-MESSAGE PIC X(80).
               10  PLATFORM-LENGTH PIC S9(4) COMP.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           PERFORM INITIALIZE-PLATFORMS
           PERFORM CONDUCT-CROSS-PLATFORM-CONVERSATIONS
           
           EXEC CICS RETURN END-EXEC.
       
       INITIALIZE-PLATFORMS.
           MOVE 'WINDOWS' TO PLATFORM-ID(1)
           MOVE 'Request data from Windows system' TO PLATFORM-MESSAGE(1)
           MOVE 33 TO PLATFORM-LENGTH(1)
           
           MOVE 'UNIX' TO PLATFORM-ID(2)
           MOVE 'Request data from Unix system' TO PLATFORM-MESSAGE(2)
           MOVE 30 TO PLATFORM-LENGTH(2)
           
           MOVE 'LINUX' TO PLATFORM-ID(3)
           MOVE 'Request data from Linux system' TO PLATFORM-MESSAGE(3)
           MOVE 31 TO PLATFORM-LENGTH(3).
       
       CONDUCT-CROSS-PLATFORM-CONVERSATIONS.
           PERFORM VARYING CONVERSATION-COUNT FROM 1 BY 1
               UNTIL CONVERSATION-COUNT > MAX-CONVERSATIONS
               
               MOVE PLATFORM-ID(CONVERSATION-COUNT) TO CONVERSATION-ID
               MOVE PLATFORM-MESSAGE(CONVERSATION-COUNT) TO SEND-DATA
               MOVE PLATFORM-LENGTH(CONVERSATION-COUNT) TO SEND-LENGTH
               
               PERFORM CONDUCT-CROSS-PLATFORM-CONVERSATION
               
               IF RESPONSE-CODE = DFHRESP(NORMAL)
                   DISPLAY 'Cross-platform conversation ' CONVERSATION-COUNT ' successful'
                   DISPLAY 'Response: ' RECEIVE-DATA(1:RECEIVE-LENGTH)
               ELSE
                   DISPLAY 'Cross-platform conversation ' CONVERSATION-COUNT ' failed'
               END-IF
           END-PERFORM.
       
       CONDUCT-CROSS-PLATFORM-CONVERSATION.
           EXEC CICS CONVERSE
               CONVID(CONVERSATION-ID)
               FROM(SEND-DATA)
               FROMLENGTH(SEND-LENGTH)
               INTO(RECEIVE-DATA)
               LENGTH(RECEIVE-LENGTH)
               RESP(RESPONSE-CODE)
           END-EXEC.

Error Handling with Cross-Platform Conversations

cobol
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. CONVERSENONZOS03.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  CONVERSATION-ID PIC X(8) VALUE 'CROSSPLAT'.
       01  SEND-DATA PIC X(80) VALUE 'Test cross-platform message'.
       01  SEND-LENGTH PIC S9(4) COMP VALUE 28.
       01  RECEIVE-DATA PIC X(80).
       01  RECEIVE-LENGTH PIC S9(4) COMP.
       01  RESPONSE-CODE PIC S9(8) COMP.
       01  RETRY-COUNT PIC S9(2) COMP VALUE 0.
       01  MAX-RETRIES PIC S9(2) COMP VALUE 3.
       01  CROSS-PLATFORM-SUCCESSFUL PIC X(1) VALUE 'N'.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           PERFORM CONDUCT-CROSS-PLATFORM-CONVERSATION-WITH-RETRY
           
           EXEC CICS RETURN END-EXEC.
       
       CONDUCT-CROSS-PLATFORM-CONVERSATION-WITH-RETRY.
           PERFORM CONDUCT-CROSS-PLATFORM-CONVERSATION
           
           IF RESPONSE-CODE NOT = DFHRESP(NORMAL)
               AND RETRY-COUNT < MAX-RETRIES
               ADD 1 TO RETRY-COUNT
               DISPLAY 'Retry ' RETRY-COUNT ' cross-platform conversation'
               PERFORM CONDUCT-CROSS-PLATFORM-CONVERSATION-WITH-RETRY
           END-IF.
       
       CONDUCT-CROSS-PLATFORM-CONVERSATION.
           EXEC CICS CONVERSE
               CONVID(CONVERSATION-ID)
               FROM(SEND-DATA)
               FROMLENGTH(SEND-LENGTH)
               INTO(RECEIVE-DATA)
               LENGTH(RECEIVE-LENGTH)
               RESP(RESPONSE-CODE)
           END-EXEC
           
           EVALUATE RESPONSE-CODE
               WHEN DFHRESP(NORMAL)
                   MOVE 'Y' TO CROSS-PLATFORM-SUCCESSFUL
                   DISPLAY 'Cross-platform conversation successful'
               WHEN DFHRESP(NOTAUTH)
                   DISPLAY 'Not authorized for cross-platform conversation'
               WHEN DFHRESP(INVREQ)
                   DISPLAY 'Invalid cross-platform conversation request'
               WHEN DFHRESP(CONVIDERR)
                   DISPLAY 'Invalid cross-platform conversation ID'
               WHEN DFHRESP(CONVFAILED)
                   DISPLAY 'Cross-platform conversation failed'
               WHEN DFHRESP(CONVTIMEOUT)
                   DISPLAY 'Cross-platform conversation timeout'
               WHEN DFHRESP(PLATFORMERR)
                   DISPLAY 'Cross-platform communication error'
               WHEN DFHRESP(NETWORKERR)
                   DISPLAY 'Network communication error'
               WHEN OTHER
                   DISPLAY 'Unexpected cross-platform conversation error'
           END-EVALUATE.

Cross-Platform Management

Platform Coordination

  • • Platform Discovery - Discover non-z/OS platforms
  • • Platform Selection - Select target platforms
  • • Platform Monitoring - Monitor platform status
  • • Platform Management - Manage platform operations

Communication Control

  • • Communication Initiation - Start cross-platform communication
  • • Communication Management - Manage cross-platform communication
  • • Communication Termination - End cross-platform communication
  • • Communication Monitoring - Monitor cross-platform communication

Error Recovery

  • • Error Detection - Detect cross-platform errors
  • • Error Recovery - Recover from cross-platform errors
  • • Retry Mechanisms - Implement retry logic
  • • Fallback Procedures - Use fallback procedures

Performance Optimization

  • • Load Balancing - Balance cross-platform load
  • • Connection Pooling - Use connection pooling
  • • Timeout Management - Manage cross-platform timeouts
  • • Resource Management - Manage cross-platform resources

Error Handling

Common Response Codes

  • DFHRESP(NORMAL) - Cross-platform conversation successful
  • DFHRESP(NOTAUTH) - Not authorized for cross-platform conversation
  • DFHRESP(INVREQ) - Invalid cross-platform conversation request
  • DFHRESP(CONVIDERR) - Invalid cross-platform conversation ID
  • DFHRESP(CONVFAILED) - Cross-platform conversation failed
  • DFHRESP(CONVTIMEOUT) - Cross-platform conversation timeout
  • DFHRESP(PLATFORMERR) - Cross-platform communication error
  • DFHRESP(NETWORKERR) - Network communication error

Performance Considerations

Cross-Platform Efficiency

  • • Optimize cross-platform operations - Use efficient cross-platform handling
  • • Minimize cross-platform overhead - Reduce cross-platform processing overhead
  • • Use cross-platform pooling - Implement cross-platform pooling
  • • Monitor cross-platform frequency - Track cross-platform conversation patterns

System Impact

  • • Monitor system impact - Track how cross-platform affects the system
  • • Optimize cross-platform handling - Ensure efficient cross-platform processing
  • • Manage cross-platform usage - Monitor cross-platform consumption
  • • Track performance metrics - Monitor cross-platform handling performance

Best Practices

Cross-Platform Communication Best Practices

  • • Use appropriate cross-platform communication patterns
  • • Implement proper error handling for cross-platform operations
  • • Validate cross-platform conversation data before processing
  • • Use appropriate cross-platform management techniques
  • • Monitor cross-platform activities and performance
  • • Maintain cross-platform audit trails
  • • Handle cross-platform errors gracefully

Explain It Like I'm 5 Years Old

Think of CICS CONVERSE non-z/OS like talking to friends who speak different languages:

  • • Different Languages: "Your friends speak different languages" - Different platforms
  • • Use Translator: "Use a translator to talk" - Cross-platform communication
  • • Send Messages: "Send messages to all friends" - Send to different platforms
  • • Get Answers: "Get answers from all friends" - Receive from different platforms
  • • Work Together: "Work together on projects" - Coordinate across platforms

Exercises

Exercise 1: Basic Cross-Platform Conversation

Create a program that conducts a simple cross-platform conversation.

Exercise 2: Advanced Cross-Platform Communication

Write a program that manages multiple cross-platform conversation operations.

Exercise 3: Error Handling

Implement comprehensive error handling for cross-platform conversation failures.

Related Concepts

Cross-Platform Communication

Communicating across platforms

Non-z/OS Integration

Integrating with non-z/OS systems

Communications Server

Communications server options

Platform Management

Managing different platforms

Error Handling

Managing cross-platform errors