Basic tutorial
The tutorial introduces the CICS Explorer® and outlines the basic functions to help you start using it. You can find additional information in the Tasks section in this help.
- Starting CICS Explorer for the first time
When you start CICS Explorer for the first time, it shows a Welcome view and uses a default location for the workspace that is used to save its data and configuration files. You can use the icons and links on the Welcome view to access information about getting started. You can use a different location for the local workspace. - The workbench
The workbench is a single window that consists of views and perspectives. - Defining connection credentials
- Managing SSL security and certificates
- Configuring a CICS system connection
You must establish a connection between CICS Explorer and your CICS® systems before you can view any information. You must provide details about the system connection, its location, and its authentication requirements. - Using shared connection definitions
- Configuring an FTP system connection
- Configuring a z/OSMF system connection
- Enabling or disabling CICS Explorer product components
You can disable a product component and limit the function available to use. If a product component is disabled, you can enable it to make the associated function available to use. - Perspectives
A perspective is a layout of one or more views in the workbench. You can decide how you want to lay out the views in the CICS Explorer and save the layout as a new perspective. CICS Explorer provides four default perspectives: CICS SM, Resource, SM Administration, and z/OS®. These tasks describe the perspectives and explain how to work with perspectives to meet your operational requirements. - Views
A view is a visual component in the workbench. The CICS Explorer displays resource information in views. You can decide on the size and position of the views, and what information to show in them. These tasks explain how to work with the views to meet your operational requirements. - Editors
An editor is a visual component in the Workbench that is used to edit or browse CICSPlex® SM or CICS resources or resource definitions. The editor shares many functions with the other views but also has some limitations that are identified in the following topics. - Getting help
Use the online help system to browse, search, and print system documentation. The help system also provides a context-sensitive help that gives an overview of the resource with which you are working, and a text search capability for finding the information you need by keyword. You can also broaden the search scope to include external sources of information. The help is displayed either in a Help view in the workbench, in a separate Help Contents window, or in an external browser window.
Parent topic: Getting started