Requirements planning and checklist

This topic summarizes the requirements, and the steps that you need to follow, to set up the CICS® logging environment. Some of the steps listed have a pointer to sections that provide more detailed information. These steps cover both MVS™ and CICS system programmer tasks and some security administrator tasks, and close cooperation between all groups is needed:

Planning
Consider the possible storage options, and choose which of the 3 available hardware options you want to use:

See Coupling facility or DASD-only?, to help you decide on one of these or a combination of both.

As part of the planning phase:

For information about types of coupling facility, see the z/OS MVS Setting Up a Sysplex. Note that the minimum level of coupling facility supported by the MVS system logger is CFLEVEL=1, with the appropriate service level of the coupling facility control code that supports CFLEVEL=1.

Maintenance
Ensure that all maintenance affecting the MVS system logger, and the CICS log manager and its utilities, is applied:
Run DFHLSCU
If you are migrating from CICS Version 3 or Version 4, run this log stream sizing utility using one or more CICS journal data sets as input:

See The log stream sizing utility, DFHLSCU for more information.

Create and format the LOGR couple data sets
In consultation with your MVS system programmer: See "Format the LOGR Couple Data Set and Make it Available to the Sysplex" in the z/OS MVS Setting Up a Sysplex manual for information about these steps.
Notes:
  1. For this task you need know the number of log streams and, for coupling facility log streams, the number of structures. Each CICS region needs two system log streams and, optionally:
    • A log stream for the log of logs
    • One or more log streams for forward recovery logs
    • One or more log streams for autojournals
    • One or more log streams for user journals
  2. If you are migrating from a release of OS/390®, before release 3, (to meet the z/OS® minimum requirement level for CICS TS) , you must reformat your LOGR data sets, because logging enhancements introduced in OS/390 Release 3 required LOGR couple data set of the sysplex to be formatted using OS/390 Release 3 or later.

    The removal of the 168 data set limit (described in General logs) also requires the LOGR data set to be formatted with DSEXTENT(nnnnn). This does not apply to LOGR couple data sets formatted for DASD-only logging.

Define coupling facility structures
If you are using the coupling facility for some or all of your log streams, update your CFRM policy and your LOGR couple data set with the required structure definitions.

See Defining coupling facility structures for details, including a sample job.

Establish the required security authorizations
Ensure that all the userids that are involved with running the system logger, or defining or accessing logger resources, are authorized, and that the required profiles are defined in the LOGSTRM general resource class : For more information about authorizations for the system logger, see the z/OS MVS Setting Up a Sysplex manual
Check sysplex definition in PARMLIB
To use the MVS system logger, each MVS image must be a member of a sysplex. Ensure your sysplex definition, in PARMLIB member IEASYSxx, specifies either PLEXCFG(MONOPLEX), for a single-member sysplex, or PLEXCFG(MULTISYSTEM), for a multi-member sysplex. Also ensure that you define a COUPLExx member in PARMLIB.
Note:
The value specified on the SYSPLEX parameter in COUPLExx forms part of DASD-only and staging data set names.
Activate the LOGR subsystem
Ensure the LOGR subsystem is active to enable the CICS log manager batch utility, DFHJUP, to format and print log data. The LOGR susbsystem is defined by the following entry in IEFSSNxx PARMLIB member:
SUBSYS SUBNAME(LOGR) INITRTN(IXGSSINT)
Plan staging data set requirements
Staging data sets are used for both DASD-only and coupling facility log streams, and if specified are dynamically allocated by the MVS system logger:

Consider the following parameters:

Plan DASD space and SMS environment for logger secondary storage
System logger secondary storage comprises all log stream (offload) data sets. See Managing secondary storage for information about size parameters and other attributes relating to secondary storage
Define log streams and log stream models
Define the specific log streams, and log stream models for dynamic creation of log streams, in the LOGR policy.

In particular, consider the following when defining your log streams:

Note:
Use AUTODELETE(YES) with a suitable retention period (RETPD) for general logs but not for CICS system logs (DFHLOG and DFHSHUNT).

See Defining coupling facility log streams for some sample IXCMIAPU jobs, and see z/OS MVS Setting Up a Sysplex for general information about updating LOGR policies.

Define JOURNALMODEL resource definitions
Define JOURNALMODEL resource definitions in the CICS CSD to enable CICS to map CICS journal names to MVS system logger log stream names. See the CICS Resource Definition Guide for information about JOURNALMODEL resource definitions.
Remove JCT definitions
When migrating a CICS region from a CICS/ESA 4.1 region (or earlier), remove all references to journal control tables (JCTs), and any DD statements for CICS journal data sets, from startup JCL.

See the CICS Transaction Server for z/OS Migration from CICS TS Version 2.3 for CICS TS Version 1 Releases 1 and 2 for information about obsolete parameters and function relating to the old CICS journal control function and other migration information

Review AKPFREQ system initialization parameter
When migrating a CICS region from a CICS/ESA 4.1 region (or earlier), review the value specified for AKPFREQ.

This parameter now represents the number of write operations (log records) by CICS log manager to the log stream buffer before an activity keypoint is taken, whereas under the old journal control program it specifies the number of consecutive blocks written to the system log data set.

The parameter has a significant impact on the size of system logger primary (interim) storage, affecting the log tail management that takes place during activity keypoint (AKP) processing. The system logger:

Update JCL of batch jobs
When migrating a CICS region from a CICS/ESA 4.1 region (or earlier), update DFHJUP batch job JCL. To process log streams, these jobs require the SUSBSYS keyword on DD statement for the log stream being processed.
Evaluate results after implementation
After you have implemented the steps necessary to use the MVS system logger for CICS log streams and journals, evaluate the results on a continual basis. The following are aids that you can use:

The following topics provide more detailed information to help you with the above steps:

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