Workload management and dynamic routing

CICSPlex® SM workload management optimizes processor capacity in your enterprise. Workload management achieves this by dynamically routing transactions and programs to whichever CICS® region is the most appropriate at the time, taking into account any transaction affinities that exist. Workload management can dynamically route:

Alternatively, if you want work to run always in a specifed region, you can use static routing.

The CICS systems involved in dynamic routing may act as one of the following:

Requesting region
The CICS system where the request is initiated. For terminal-initiated transactions and for inbound client DPLs, the requesting region is typically a terminal-owning region (TOR); for terminal-related EXEC CICS START commands, for non-terminal-related EXEC CICS START commands, for peer-to-peer DPLs, for CICS BTS activities, and for Link3270 bridge requests, the requesting region is typically an application-owning region (AOR). For enterprise bean invocations, the requesting region is typically the external client code that invokes the enterprise bean.
Routing region
The CICS region that decides where to route the transaction or program. For terminal-initiated transactions and terminal-associated EXEC CICS START commands, the routing region is typically a TOR; for DPLs, for non-terminal-related EXEC CICS START commands, and CICS BTS activities, and for Link3270 bridge requests, the routing region is typically an AOR. For enterprise bean invocations, the routing region is a CICS listener region.
Target region
The CICS system in which the transaction or program will run. For all dynamically-routed transactions, programs, BTS activities and enterprise bean invocations, the target region is typically an AOR.

In order to manage enterprise bean workloads, you need to create a logical EJB server, which will typically consist of a number of cloned enterprise bean listener regions acting as routing regions and cloned target regions. A CICSplex involved in the workload management of enterprise beans may contain one or more logical EJB servers, and regions that are not involved with processing enterprise bean invocations. Each cloned target region may run a number of CorbaServers. A CorbaServer provides the execution environment for enterprise beans and stateless CORBA objects.

If the region is the listener, include the statement:

MASPLTWAIT(YES)

in its EYUPARM file, to ensure that the critical components of the local CICSPlex SM environment initialize before any enterprise bean routing requests are presented.

The routing can be based on:

When you establish a workload, you are associating the work itself and the CICS systems (acting as requesting, routing, and target regions), to form a single, dynamic entity. Within this entity, you can route the work:

Workload balancing and workload separation can be active concurrently within the same or different workloads associated with a CICSplex.

Notes:
  1. You can use the CICSPlex SM real-time analysis functions to produce data that will help in the selection of a target region during workload management. See Using real-time analysis to select a target region for workload balancing for details.
  2. For additional information about how CICSPlex SM handles dynamic routing and how you can customize this facility, see Dynamic routing with CICSPlex SM.

Related concepts
Workload requirements
Related tasks
Balancing the work in a workload
Separating the work in a workload
Taking affinity relations into consideration
Using real-time analysis to select a target region for workload balancing
Dynamic routing with CICSPlex SM
Related reference
CICS Business Transaction Services
CICS Intercommunication Guide
CICS Customization Guide
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