EXEC CICS SET TERMINAL and uppercase translation

In a single system, if the EXEC CICS SET TERMINAL command is issued for a terminal while it is running a transaction performing RECEIVE processing, unpredictable results might occur. This is because the command can override the TYPETERM definition regarding uppercase translation and RECEIVE processing interrogates the uppercase translate status of the terminal in order to establish whether translation is required.

In a transaction routing environment, the system programmer who issues the EXEC CICS SET TERMINAL command should be aware (for SNA logical units) that the TOR terminal uppercase translate status is copied to the AOR surrogate terminal on every flow across the link from the TOR to the AOR. Consequently:
  • The EXEC CICS SET TERMINAL change of uppercase translate status will only take effect on the AOR on the next flow across the link.
  • Any AOR TYPETERM definition used to hard code remote terminal definitions will be overridden with the TOR values for uppercase translate status.
  • EXEC CICS INQUIRE TERMINAL issued on the AOR can return misleading uppercase translation status of the terminal, since the correct status on the TOR may not yet have been copied to the AOR.
  • The processing of RECEIVE requests on the TOR and AOR can interrogate the uppercase translate status of the terminal. Therefore unpredictable results can also occur if the system programmer issues the EXEC CICS SET TERMINAL command during receive processing.