Console device messages

During both the initialization and the running of CICS®, various messages appear on your console device. These are mainly for information, but in some cases may require a reply or some action from you.

The console messages may be subject to message-formatting if you have defined CICS as an MVS™ subsystem with console message-handling support.

Console message-formatting

You can define CICS as an MVS subsystem with support for the console message-handling facility. By using this facility, CICS can enable MVS to:

Note:
The term console message is used for messages sent to the system console, not CSMT messages or the JES joblog.

The main purpose of the console message-handling facility is to ensure that all messages issued by CICS regions contain the APPLID of the CICS region issuing the message.

You specify that CICS is to use the console message-handling facility when you define CICS as an MVS subsystem (by the CICS entry in the IEFSSNaa member of the SYS1.PARMLIB library). If the message-handling facility has been defined for CICS, all messages from all CICS regions (of any release) are intercepted and reformatted (if necessary) to include the APPLID, provided that at least one CICS region is running in the MVS image.

For information about defining CICS as an MVS subsystem with support for the console message-handling facility, and about activating the facility, see the CICS Transaction Server for z/OS® Installation Guide.

Message format

The following examples show three messages as they appear with and without console message formatting. The examples use CICSIDC as the applid of the sending region.

Advantages of message formatting

The main benefits of using console message formatting are:

The implementation of message formatting also:

Suppressing information-only messages

You can use the system initialization parameter MSGLVL to control the generation of messages to console devices. If you code MSGLVL=0, only critical errors or interactive messages are printed.

Replying to messages

If one or more CICS messages are followed by an associated message that requests an operator response, the earlier message or messages may have scrolled off the console screen before the response-requesting message appears. Some messages that need a reply include a preceding message number or specify a response that can be entered to display the preceding message.

If a message requests a reply but does not provide means of determining the previous messages that explain the response required, CICS retains, in the message buffer, all messages in the logically-related set, until a valid response is received to the final message. When the console displays a message that requires a response, the operator can request a display of all preceding related messages. A typical message that needs a response is:

DFHSI1552 applid Restart error reported above. Reply 'GO' or 'CANCEL'.

If such a message appears, the operator can display all the preceding related messages by entering the MVS command:

DISPLAY R,I

When a valid response is received to the final message in the set, CICS deletes all the related messages from the message buffer.

Replying to messages from transactions started at console devices

If a transaction started at a console device requires further input, you are prompted in the same way as any normal terminal operator. You can continue the input in one of the following ways:

You respond to messages from transactions started at a console device by using the REPLY command (abbreviation R). For example:

REPLY 02,'datastring'

where 02 is the number of the message to which you are replying, and ‘datastring’ is your reply. If you cancel a transaction that is running at a console device, and the transaction is awaiting a reply, the outstanding reply is also canceled.

For information about using CEMT and the other CICS-provided transactions, and about entering transactions from a console, see CICS Supplied Transactions.

If you try to communicate with an active CICS region from a console device that has not been defined to CICS, you get message DFHAC2015 saying that your console has not been defined to CICS and that your input will be ignored.

In a CICS region that has consoles and VTAM® terminals, a console can remain active when CICS and VTAM are disconnected from each other. This means that you can use the console to open or close the CICS-VTAM connection without CICS being terminated.

Suppressing and rerouting messages

CICS provides a global user exit point, XMEOUT, that is invoked before a message is sent from the message domain to its destination. XMEOUT can be used to invoke an exit program to intercept messages issued by SEND MESSAGE requests, and suppress the messages, change their destination, or leave them alone.

CICS provides six sample user exit programs, DFH$SXP1 through DFH$SXP6, which you can use to suppress or reroute messages.

For programming information about the global user exit XMEOUT and the sample user exit programs, and about the user exit programming interface (XPI), see the CICS Customization Guide.

Sample console messages for CICS startup

Sample console messages issued when CICS starts up are given in System console messages for CICS startup.

Sample console messages for CICS shutdown

Sample console messages issued when CICS shuts down are given in How to shut down CICS.

Related tasks
Operating CICS from a console device
Entering commands from a console device
Using JCL to initiate CICS commands
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