Configuring for CICS Explorer

CICS Explorer® is an Eclipse-based system management tool for CICS. It provides a way to manage one or more CICS® systems, a view of some CICSPlex® SM functions in CICS TS, and a platform for the integration of CICS tools. To configure and manage CICS regions from CICS Explorer, you must set up the CICS management client interface (CMCI), which provides API support for HTTP clients.

If you want to enable CICS Explorer sign-on with MFA, the aggregation function, or the Map view of CICSPlex SM resources in CICS Explorer, you must set up the CMCI JVM server in CICS.

Before you begin

Use this table to understand system requirements for the capabilities you want to enable in CICS Explorer. If you don't need these capabilities, go to Procedure to set up the CMCI directly.

Table 1. System requirements for CICS Explorer capabilities supported by CMCI JVM server
Scenario MFA support Aggregation function or Map view
Connect CICS Explorer to CICSPlex SM
  • You must have IBM® Multi-Factor Authentication for z/OS® or an equivalent product configured with RACF® to support multi-factor authentication. If you use an alternative external security manager (ESM), refer to your vendor for details.
  • CICS TS version: the WUI region configured with the CMCI JVM server and the CMAS are running at the same CICS level that is at least CICS TS V5.4.
  • CICS Explorer version: IBM CICS Explorer for Aqua 3.11 (Fix Pack 5.4.0.4) or later.
  • CICS TS version: the WUI region configured with the CMCI JVM server is at CICS TS 5.5 or later.
  • CICS Explorer version: IBM CICS Explorer for Aqua 3.2 or later.
Connect CICS Explorer to a single CICS region
  • You must have IBM Multi-Factor Authentication for z/OS or an equivalent product configured with RACF to support multi-factor authentication. If you use an alternative external security manager (ESM), refer to your vendor for details.
  • CICS TS version: the region configured with the CMCI JVM server is at CICS TS 5.6 with APAR PH35122, or a later release.
  • CICS Explorer version: IBM CICS Explorer for Aqua 3.2 (Fix Pack 5.5.20) or later.
  • CICS TS version: the region configured with the CMCI JVM server is at CICS TS 5.6 with APAR PH35122, or a later release.
  • CICS Explorer version: IBM CICS Explorer for Aqua 3.2 (Fix Pack 5.5.20) or later.

Procedure

Set up the CMCI depending on your CICS environment:

Optional If you want to limit which levels of CICS Explorer that can connect to the CMCI JVM server, you can define a CICS Explorer allowlist to the CMCI JVM server. Follow the procedure in Defining a client allowlist to CMCI JVM server in a CICSPlex.

What to do next

Test the CMCI connection in CICS Explorer

To test the CMCI connection you configured, add the connection in the Host Connections view in CICS Explorer and connect to it. You can open the Host Connections by clicking Window > Manage Connections.

For more instructions, see Connecting CICS Explorer to CICS systems in the CICS Explorer product documentation.

Test sign-on with MFA credentials
You can test whether CICS Explorer users can log on successfully with an MFA token:
  1. Start the region that has the CMCI JVM server set up with an INITIAL start.
  2. From CICS Explorer, create a CMCI connection to the region with a user ID and MFA token.
Test the aggregation function in CICS Explorer
You can test whether the aggregation function is working properly in CICS Explorer:
  1. Connect CICS Explorer to the CICSPlex SM or the CICS region that is configured with the CMCI JVM server.
  2. Open a resource view. The Aggregate Records button (Aggregate records icon) on the view toolbar indicates that aggregation is supported.
Test the Map view in CICS Explorer
  1. Connect CICS Explorer to the CICSPlex SM.
  2. Open the Workload Definitions view. Right-click a workload definition. Check whether the Show in Workload Map option is available in the right-click menu.
1 Aqua refers to IBM Explorer for z/OS Aqua.