z/VSE 4.3 changes to installation and run-time support for CICS/VSE 2.3

If you are currently running CICS/VSE V2.3 with DL/I, you will not be able to do so on z/VSE V4.3. The highest supported z/VSE version and release when running both of these products is z/VSE V4.2.

z/VSE V4.3 also no longer provides product installation support for CICS/VSE V2.3. However, providing that DL/I is not required, IBM will not prohibit you from using CICS/VSE V2.3 with z/VSE V4.3. You will be able to install CICS/VSE V2.3 from an extended base tape supplied with a z/VSE V4.2 or earlier system. Alternatively, the CICS/VSE V2.3 sublibraries will remain in place if a Fast Service Upgrade (FSU) is used to upgrade to z/VSE 4.3. All other z/VSE V4.3 changes will be transparent.

IBM recommends that you migrate CICS/VSE V2.3 applications to run on CICS TS for VSE/ESA on z/VSE V4.2 before upgrading to z/VSE 4.3 or 5.1. If you want to run CICS/VSE V2.3 on z/VSE V4.3, ensure that both user and vendor applications still run successfully on CICS/VSE V2.3.

z/VSE-supplied support for a CICS coexistence environment is removed. However, you will still be able to run CICS/VSE V2.3 and CICS Transaction Server for VSE/ESA (CICS TS) V1.1.1 together on z/VSE V4.3.

IBM announced an end of support (EOS) date for CICS/VSE V2.3 of 31 October 2012. See CICS/VSE V2.3 End of Support announcement for more details.

Note: z/VSE V4.2 and z/VSE V4.3 will enable you to run RPG programs under CICS TS for VSE/ESA V1.1.1.

The following information is from the US Announcement Letter for IBM z/VSE V4.3 (ENUS210-313). Other country announcements are available on the IBM Offering Information page.

Enhancements planned for z/VSE V4.3 include:

• DOS/VS RPG II support for CICS Transaction Server for VSE/ESA™ (CICS TS):
  • Allows RPG programs implemented for CICS/VSE V2.3 to run with CICS TS. Support is also available on z/VSE V4.2 with PTFs. See DOS/VS RPG II support for CICS TS for VSE/ESA V1.1.1 on z/VSE for more information.

• z/VSE V4.3 fulfills the statement of direction in Software Announcement 207-228, dated October 09, 2007. It will no longer offer CICS/VSE V2.3 as part of the z/VSE V4.3 package and will remove the CICS coexistence environment.
• Recent improvements, including BSM security enhancements in z/VSE V3, additional VSE tasks, and DOS/VS RPG II support for CICS TS in z/VSE V4.2, offer you the capability of migrating your CICS/VSE programs on z/VSE V4.2 prior to performing an upgrade to z/VSE V4.3 or z/VSE V5.1.
• Clients migrating to CICS TS might benefit from virtual storage constraint relief in CICS TS and in z/VSE V4.3.

• DL/I VSE V1.12 is an optional product of z/VSE V4.3. This new DL/I release will provide constraint relief for the limited 24-bit virtual storage area. Moving various resources above the 16 MB line will also allow for keeping more data in storage which might result in faster access to DL/I data. DL/I VSE V1.12 is the only DL/I release that can be used with z/VSE V4.3. It replaces DL/I VSE V1.11 and DL/I DOS/VS V1.10.