You can use CICS® web support to process inbound
TCP/IP client requests that are not in the HTTP format, primarily
to support requests from user-written clients that use nonstandard
request formats. You define the processing and the response. No specific
support is provided for any formally defined protocols for client-server
communication.
CICS web support handles non-HTTP messages only
when CICS is the server. CICS client requests made through CICS web
support use the HTTP protocol.
Note these points about CICS web support when handling
non-HTTP requests:
- You can use TCPIPSERVICE resource definitions to control the ports
on which requests are received.
- You can use an analyzer program to assemble and parse requests,
specify code page conversion, and determine subsequent request processing. You
can code the analyzer program to parse requests in accordance with
any request format that you have defined, but note that CICS does
not provide specific support for any particular protocol for which
a formal definition exists.
- You can use either web-aware application programs or non-web-aware
applications with a converter program to provide responses to requests.
You can handle requests and responses using certain elements of the
EXEC CICS WEB programming interface or pass them
between CICS applications in a COMMAREA.
- The web error program DFHWBEP provides an error response if an
abend occurs in the analyzer program, converter program, or user-written
application program, and also if the analyzer program and converter
program cannot determine which application program will service the
request. The standard HTTP error messages are used by default, but
you can tailor them if required.
Some CICS web support facilities are not available
for non-HTTP requests:
- Some of the facilities that help you interpret HTTP requests and
construct the responses are not available. For example, message headers cannot
be accessed separately.
- The enhancements introduced in CICS TS
Version 3, including chunked transfer-coding, are generally not available
to non-HTTP requests.
- Persistent connections are not supported.
- URIMAP definitions are not used for non-HTTP requests.
The support that CICS web support provides for non-HTTP
messages is not the same as the TCP/IP Sockets interface for CICS.
The z/OS® Communications Server IP CICS Sockets interface
provides an application programming interface to allow clients to
communicate directly with CICS application programs over TCP/IP. CICS web
support is not part of this process.
The CICS Sockets interface is supplied with z/OS Communications Server,
not with CICS. z/OS Communications Server:
IP CICS Sockets Guide, SC31-8807, describes
the CICS Sockets interface.
Last updated: Thursday, 27 June 2019