IBM CICS Explorer Downloads

This page is the one-stop shop to access the CICS Explorer and its IBM plug-in extensions. Supported components can be downloaded directly from this page. Please note that you need to log in using an IBM ID to download the files. Links will also be provided to the IBM SupportPac and OPAL pages for unsupported downloads.

The CICS Explorer is now fully supported for users of CICS Transaction Server V3 and V4, as are the plug-ins for CICS Performance Analyzer, CICS Interdependency Analyzer, CICS Configuration Manager, and CICS Transaction Gateway. A plug-in for OMEGAMON XE for CICS is available as a Tivoli OPAL contribution. IBM Rational Developer for System z V7.6 has embedded a GA version of the CICS Explorer, allowing integration with the CICS tools.

CICS Explorer now provides an intuitive and secure way to view and edit z/OS datasets and zFS files, submit JCL, and view output and job logs. These capabilities are exploited by the plug-in for CICS Deployment Assistant.

• PD Tool plug ins have been refreshed, with the addition of Workload Simulator
• z/OS Explorer V1.1 is also embedded in IMS Enterprise Suite Explorer for Development V2.1.2, giving the PD Tools plug-ins a consistent user experience.
• Java Web Start (JWS) technology can now be used to deploy the CICS Explorer executable from a network connection, removing the need for individual users to update their CICS Explorer, and facilitating large-scale deployment to hundreds or thousands of users.

In addition to the new generic capabilities introduced with the z/OS Explorer, CICS Explorer V1.1.1 includes the following enhancements:

• Copying and pasting resource data to a spreadsheet
• Exporting a file or folder to a z/OS Unix file system
• Creating a new z/OS Unix file
• Creating a new data set
• Support for CICS VSE
• Ability to create a new resource from an existing definition
• Ability to see the contents resource definition group
• Support for multiple selection job submission from the z/OS Data Sets view
• Support for deleting or purging multiple files in the z/OS Explorer
• Ability to create a Job Submission project and JCL files, in the Project Explorer view in the resource perspective, while working offline

The base CICS Explorer for CICS TS V3 and V4 licensees, CICS Tools, Problem Determination Tools, and CICS Transaction Gateway plug-ins.

• Download site

• CICS Interdependency Analyzer plug-in V3.2.0 is now available for use with CICS IA V3.2. The updated plug-in enables Dependency, Affinity, and Command Flow data collection to be controlled directly from CICS Explorer, extends Command Flow so that it can be used by multiple users simultaneously, adds a new Affinity view, and extends the Business Application views, enabling users to analyze which resources are used by an application.

• In a major new release update, CICS Explorer V1.1, now based on Eclipse V3.6.2, adds a new CICSPlex SM Administration perspective and nine associated views, enhances the Atom and business events editors along with new event search, plus adds column sorting and a new transaction tracking view – both of which require CICS TS V4.2. Additionally, the CICS Explorer SDK support has been extended to support the creation and deployment of Java OSGi applications in CICS.TS V4.2. Note, this release requires a full re-installation of CICS Explorer.

• The File Manager Plug-in for Eclipse V11, when integrated with File Manager for z/OS and CICS Explorer, provides a set of tools for manipulating and browsing data stored in various z/OS resources including data sets, UNIX System Services files, and IBM WebSphere MQ queues. The File Manager Plug-in is available now as a fully-supported, Cat 3, SupportPac - CN0M.

• After a major update, the CICS Performance Analyzer V3.2 plug-in for the CICS Explorer can now access statistics and statistics alert data as well as performance summary data.. New navigators and views in the CICS PA perspective display over 80 statistics classes, grouped in more than 20 categories. In addition, statistics alerts can be viewed in the context of the related statistics and performance data, in order to highlight potential tuning opportunities or identify trends that may lead to poor CICS performance or unnecessary CICS system outages. A new, more flexible query engine, driven by xml files, allows queries to join tables, for example, to link performance records related to statistics records or statistics alerts.

• In a major update, CICS Explorer V1.0.1 adds a new System z perspective, with new views to manage z/OS data sets, edit and submit jobs, view and edit z/OS Unix Files, and view a history of the actions performed. A new Connection Export/Import page in the Connection Preferences view allows connections to be exported as a .xml file, to be shared with other users, and imported into other CICS Explorer instances. A new breadcrumb trail is displayed in the editor view, to show the location of the resource being editied. A new SIT view provides read-only access to system initialization table (SIT) parameters, SIT overrides, or a combination of both. Finally, four new Operations views have been added: CMAS to CMAS Links, Journal Models view, Journal Names, Stream Names, and one new Operations view: CMAS to CMAS Link Definitions.

• A new supported plug-in is now available for CICS Deployment Assistant V1.1 works in conjunction with CICS Explorer V1.0.1 to help to discover, model, visualize, and deploy CICS regions.

• A supported plug-in is now available for CICS Transaction Gateway which provides the ability to manage gateway daemons at version V7.1 or later on any platform. This plug-in also provides customizable views of gateways and connections, together with integrated connection management and built-in test functions. This replaces the unsupported SupportPac CS05.

• IBM Application Performance Analyzer Plug-in for Eclipse V10, when integrated with Application Performance Analyzer for z/OS and CICS Explorer, provides both the Observation Request and Reporting functions, including the R02 screens list, detail views, edit functions, and reports for the observation. The plug-in can be used to submit new observation requests and to navigate the performance analysis reports generated from observation requests. The plug-in can display and provide functions to multiple components of Application Performance Analyzer at the same time.

• IBM Debug Tool Plug-in for Eclipse V10, when integrated with Debug Tool for z/OS and CICS Explorer, debugs z/OS-based load modules running on MVS, including load modules that run in a subsystem such as CICS, DB2 or IMS. The plug-in GUI interface provides a debugging capability similar to that of the ISPF interface.

• IBM Fault Analyzer Plug-in for Eclipse V10, when integrated with Fault Analyzer for z/OS and CICS Explorer, provides access to problem reports for diagnosing mainframe application errors and abends.

• CICS Explorer V1.0.0.6 adds the ability to view and manage CorbaServer resources from a new CorbaServers view, adds a new HTTP Event Processing (EP) adapter in the Event Processing editor, and provides fixes for many defects. For more information on the new updates search for "What's new in version 1.0.0.6" section in the CICS Explorer Help. CICS CM and CICS IA plug-in updates provide defect fixes. Click on the links to the Readmes and APARs for more details.

• IBM CICS Explorer V1.0.0.5 is now available delivering further enhancements to the SM perspective including a new Active Workloads view, views of router and target regions, plus the ability to activate or quiesce target regions. New Task Associations view and Task Association search displays information about the tasks that make up a distributed transaction and helps to identify tasks with the same NETUOWID or TRNGRPID that are not responding.

• CICS Interdependency Analyzer plug-in V3.1.0.5 allows you to install the CICS IA plug-in into Rational Developer for System z, and use aspects of the CICS IA plug-in to interrogate data from RDz views. You can also now customize columns, and add or remove columns and information in the Command Flow view.

• CICS Configuration Manager plug-in V2.1.0.5 now supports Search for Lists, Show all Lists, and compare Lists with each other. You can also now use the copy and paste function to add one or more BAS resource definitions to a different resource group, copy one or more CICS resource definitions into a new or existing CSD group, or copy existing BAS or CSD groups into a list.

• CICS Transaction Gateway SupportPac CS05 plug-in enhancements now available. Key features include a new CICS TG Explorer Gateways that are being used and server connections plus the ability to test gateways and connections directly from the CICS Explorer.

• SupportPac CS1Q provides a mechanism to install the IBM WebSphere MQ Explorer V7 into the CICS Explorer. Afterwards, whenever the CICS Explorer is launched it will have a WebSphere MQ Explorer perspective, allowing WebSphere MQ operations to be performed. This lets you control CICS systems and MQ queues / queue managers from the same desktop application, helping with cross system administration, monitoring, and problem determination.

• CICS Explorer V1.0.0.4 adds the ability to copy and paste resource definitions, add to or remove a group from a list, and append one list to another list. It also now provides an easy way to delete perspectives and includes a new CICS Explorer Quick Reference Guide that you can print to a single sheet of paper to get you started quickly. There are also some changes to the actions dialog, some changed views, and a few minor changes to the CICS Explorer SDK API.

• CICS Configuration Manager V1.0.0.4 plug-in now lets you search History for Configurations and Groups, install Groups if you have a CICSPlex SM connection, and install CSD and BAS definitions if you have a CICSPlex SM or CMCI connection.

• A plug-in is now available that provides the ability to view OMEGAMON XE data in Eclipse-based applications including the CICS Explorer. This initial version displays most Tivoli monitoring systems and their on-line status, and displays monitoring data and a list of currently active 'situations' from OMEGAMON XE for CICS and OMEGAMON XE for CICS TG.

• CICS Explorer V1.0.0.2 adds significant enhancements for customers using CICS TS V4.1, providing the ability to create, edit, and display groups, lists, and resources in CICS TS V4 CSD files. Note: CICS TS V4 APAR PK90112 is required for all new functions and views that interact with the CICS CSD file.

• A fully supported CICS Explorer providing display and active control of installed (Operational) and candidate (Administration) resources, including the ability to create, edit, display, and install resources into active regions, and display, modify, and control (for example enable, disable, open, close, purge) installed resources. Support is also provided for all new CICS TS V4.1 resources, including business events, Atom feeds, and JVM servers. Active control capabilities require CICS TS V4.1. CICS TS V3 supports read-only capabilities only, unless the CICS TS V3 regions are part of a CICS TS V4 CICSplex. National language support is provided for Japanese and Simplified Chinese.

• A fully supported CICS Explorer plug-in for CICS Performance Analyzer V3.1 provides access to over 100 CICS performance metrics, enabling analysis of CPU, response time, TCB usage for threadsafe, memory, VSAM file, DB2, and WebSphere MQ usage. Contextual linkage is available from CICS Explorer and CICS Configuration Manager resource views to tabular and graphical performance views, and from performance views to relationship data provided by CICS Interdependency Analyzer. Performance data can be accessed using downloaded csv files, or by direct access to DB2 data sources.

• A fully supported plug-in for CICS Interdependency Analyzer V3.1 introduces the Command Flow feature, delivering new insight into the execution of CICS transactions, including Task Control Block (TCB) switches and command sequencing, extended Natural and ADABAS support, and new migration queries supporting customer upgrades to CICS TS V4.1

• A fully supported plug-in for CICS Configuration Manager V2.1 includes the ability to view, edit, delete, and install CICS resource definitions, search CSD and CICSPlex SM repositories, view change history and backout unwanted changes and much more

In addition to the regular IBM support channels and web pages, there are a number of other social networking sites giving information about the CICS Explorer. The CICS Explorer Forum provides an alternative method of posting queries and raising problems related to the CICS Explorer. The forum can also be used to review information posted by a wider community of CICS Explorer users. Before posting a query, you are encouraged to look through these previous postings.

IBM would like to hear your views about the CICS Explorer and what you would like to see it deliver in future versions. To tell IBM about yourself and let IBM know what you think, either post comments on the forum, comment on the videos, or contact the CICS Explorer team by e-mail.