Handling non-HTTP requests

To handle non-HTTP requests using CICS® web support, you code an analyzer program to determine processing for the requests and application programs to provide responses. You must also create some resource definitions.

Before you begin

Configure the base components of CICS web support, as described in Configuring CICS web support components.

About this task

These components of CICS web support are used for processing non-HTTP requests:
  • TCPIPSERVICE resource definitions
  • An analyzer program
  • Converter programs, if required
  • User-written application programs
  • An alias transaction for the application programs
  • The web error program DFHWBEP

Processing for HTTP requests and processing for non-HTTP requests are kept separate. Non-HTTP requests are received using the USER protocol, specified on the TCPIPSERVICE definition. So CICS can perform basic acceptance checks on HTTP requests and responses, and non-HTTP requests are not subjected to these checks. The acceptance checks would produce an error response for non-HTTP requests and the request would not be processed.

To use CICS web support to handle non-HTTP requests:

Procedure

  1. Decide on the port to be used. Because only one active TCPIPSERVICE definition can exist for each port, non-HTTP requests cannot use the same port as HTTP requests. The well-known port numbers 80 (for HTTP) and 443 (for HTTPS) cannot accept non-HTTP requests. Web clients making non-HTTP requests must explicitly specify the port number in the URL for their requests.
  2. Set up resource definitions for the requests, using the information in Resource definition for non-HTTP requests.
  3. Code an analyzer program to handle each request, using the information in Analyzer programs and non-HTTP requests.
  4. Design and code one or more application programs to provide a response to each request, using the information in Application programming for non-HTTP requests.
  5. Ensure that the web error program DFHWBEP provides appropriate responses in error situations. For non-HTTP requests, DFHWBEP is used 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. By default, DFHWBEP produces the standard HTTP messages that are sent as error responses for HTTP requests in the same situations, but you can tailor them if required. Refer to Web error programs.
Parent topic: CICS web support and non-HTTP requests

dfhtl_nonhconfig.html | Timestamp icon Last updated: Thursday, 27 June 2019