IBM

REXX for CICS/ESA



5 Apr 1994
Copyright © International Business Machines Corporation, 1994. All Rights Reserved
NUMBER     294-201
DATE       940405
TITLE      IBM REXX DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM FOR CICS/ESA AND REXX RUNTIME FACILITY
           FOR CICS/ESA VERSION 1 RELEASE 1

ABSTRACT

REXX Development System for CICS/ESA (TM) and REXX Runtime Facility for
CICS/ESA -- two program products collectively referred to as "REXX for
CICS/ESA" -- provide improved productivity for a wide range of CICS (TM)
activities.  These products are well suited for customers with CICS/ESA
3.2 or 3.3.

REXX for CICS/ESA will be of particular interest to CICS system
programmers, CICS and DB2 (R) administrators, CICS and DB2 application
programmers and developers, testers, support personnel and end users.

REXX programs can be written and executed in a CICS/ESA region.  These
programs access most EXEC CICS commands, the CICS CEDA and CEMT
transaction programs, and DB2 databases via the EXEC SQL interface.

The REXX Development System for CICS/ESA is a complete development
system, including:

  o   General-purpose, CICS-based text editor
  o   File system for storing text files and execs
  o   File list utility that provides a full-screen interface to the
      file system
  o   Runtime facilities.

REXX Runtime Facility for CICS/ESA contains only runtime facilities, and
can be used without requiring the REXX Development System for CICS/ESA
to be installed.

One of the significant strengths of REXX is its simplicity and
"naturalness*" on the one hand, and its powerful capabilities on the
other.  REXX for CICS/ESA makes it possible, in some cases, for CICS
application users to customize and even extend applications without
expending scarce programmer resources.  This allows more effective
tailoring of applications to individual business needs.
[* High level and avoids unnecessary detail]

Operating Environment:  ESA/390 (TM) or ESA/370 (TM)-capable processing
system supporting MVS/ESA (TM); CICS/ESA Version 3 Release 2.1 or 3.0.

Prices:  Prices are based on processor groups.  Refer to the Charges
section of this announcement for details.

First Customer Shipment:  The first customer shipment of REXX
Development System for CICS/ESA and REXX Runtime Facility for CICS/ESA
will begin on or before April 22, 1994, to an already selected set of
customers.  These customers will participate in a program designed to
validate IBM's achievement of the quality objectives for REXX
Development System for CICS/ESA and REXX Runtime Facility for CICS/ESA
in a variety of production environments.  When these customers confirm
that IBM has achieved its quality objectives, IBM will announce the
availability date and ordering information.

(TM) Trademark of International Business Machines Corporation
(R) Registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation

IN BRIEF . . .

Features:
  o   SAA (R) Level 2 REXX (non-stream I/O) language support
  o   SQL and DB2 commands from REXX execs
  o   REXX interface to OfficeVision/MVS (TM)
  o   CICS native text editor
  o   High-level, VSAM-based file system
  o   High-level terminal I/O panel facility
  o   Dynamic support for EXEC CICS commands from REXX programs
  o   REXX interface to CEDA and CEMT transaction programs
  o   Support for subcommands written in REXX
  o   Command definition of REXX subcommands
  o   CICS pseudo-conversational support
  o   Support for system and user profile execs
  o   Shared execs in virtual storage
         Benefits:
  o   REXX procedures to streamline various CICS activities
  o   Robust application prototyping, development and customization
      environment
  o   Self-contained native-CICS application environment
  o   Larger, more sophisticated development efforts feasible
  o   Simple, flexible application customization by users
  o   Improved application productivity and potentially reduced
      delivery time
  o   Expertise not required in TSO, ISPF, JCL, COBOL or the CICS
      translator
  o   Quick development of prototypes
  o   Higher quality code possible from incremental development
      activities

PRODUCT #  5655-086
           5655-087
IADMIN     ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
           ORDERING INFORMATION
         The first customer shipment of REXX Development System for
  CICS/ESA and REXX Runtime Facility for CICS/ESA will begin on or
  before April 22, 1994, to an already selected set of customers.
  These customers will participate in a program designed to validate
  IBM's achievement of the quality objectives for REXX Development
  System for CICS/ESA and REXX Runtime Facility for CICS/ESA in a
  variety of production environments.  When these customers confirm
  that IBM has achieved its quality objectives, IBM will announce the
  availability date and ordering information.
  PROGRAMMING RPQS
         Requests for PRPQs will not be accepted.
OVERVIEW   DESCRIPTION
         REXX Development System for CICS/ESA and REXX Runtime Facility
  for CICS/ESA, two licensed programs known collectively as REXX for
  CICS/ESA, provide an ideal system to deliver superior, valuable and
  appropriate CICS-based business solutions in a more timely and
  cost-effective manner.
         The ability to deliver business solutions more quickly is an
  important advantage in today's competitive marketplace.
  o   REXX FOR CICS/ESA IS A SIMPLE, UNIFORM, SELF-CONTAINED
      DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT.
             REXX for CICS/ESA supports development directly under CICS
      and provides much of what the average CICS developer needs in one
      manageable package.
             REXX is a high-level language that is natural to use and
      frees the programmer from unnecessary detail.  REXX programs tend
      to be shorter and easier to follow than programs written in other
      languages.  To use REXX for CICS/ESA, a new programmer need not
      learn TSO, ISPF, JCL, COBOL or significant technical detail of
      CICS (such as the CICS translator).
  o   REXX FOR CICS/ESA ALLOWS SOLUTIONS TO BE DELIVERED QUICKLY.
             These programs enable gains in application productivity
      and may reduce delivery time.  The REXX language boosts
      application productivity because of its high level, simplicity,
      strong parsing, "naturalness," and interpretive support.  The
      interpreter provides a reduced development cycle and has
      excellent source-level interactive debugging capability.
  o   REXX FOR CICS/ESA MAKES INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENT A REALITY.
             Larger, more sophisticated development efforts are
      feasible.  And productivity improvements can be achieved by using
      the powerful interactive source-level debugging capability and
      the fast development cycle of the REXX interpreter.  The
      interpreter, with its fast, natural development cycle and
      excellent source-based interactive debugging, better enables the
      switch to an Incremental Development Methodology (also known as
      Prototyping Development Methodology).
             With this methodology, REXX can be used for quick and
      expressive prototyping.  Because of the special performance
      techniques used and the robustness of the language, REXX is also
      suitable for professional application development.
             REXX for CICS/ESA provides an ideal environment where
      prototypes can be developed quickly to test system feasibility
      and get user involvement.  The prototypes can then be "grown"
      into useful production systems.
             Prototyping reduces the possibility of finding out late in
      the development cycle that the project is not technically
      feasible or cannot deliver what the customers want.  An
      additional benefit of incremental development is that the code is
      tested more thoroughly during development and may result in much
      higher quality.
  o   REXX FOR CICS/ESA APPLICATIONS ARE MANAGEABLE AND EASY TO
      MAINTAIN AND SUPPORT.
             High-level, REXX-based applications are usually smaller
      than comparable applications in other languages (in lines of
      code) and are easier to read and understand.  The interactive
      source-level debugging capability of the REXX interpreter
      simplifies problem determination and resolution, making
      REXX-based applications less expensive to support and enhance.
             REXX for CICS/ESA organizes (breaks down) complex systems
      and makes them more manageable.  REXX provides a natural building
      block approach made up of execs, application macros, and
      subcommands implemented transparently in a variety of languages.
      Closely related is the built-in client/server computing support
      that encourages greater host involvement in the enterprise-wide
      client/server distributed computing model.  Another benefit of
      REXX for CICS/ESA is the facilities it has for integrating
      multiple applications, products and system facilities into one
      seamless package, which can simplify systems development efforts.
  o   REXX FOR CICS/ESA IS USEABLE BY BUSINESS PEOPLE.
             Quite often, business people who best understand the
      business and their required solutions have ideas on modifying or
      enhancing the applications they use.  However, without extensive
      training and experience with a programming language, they may be
      unable to implement the ideas.  One of the greatest strengths of
      REXX is its simplicity and "naturalness" on the one hand, and its
      powerful capabilities on the other.  REXX for CICS/ESA makes it
      possible, in some cases, for CICS application users to customize
      and even extend applications without expending scarce programmer
      resources.  This allows more effective tailoring of applications
      to individual business needs.
             REXX for CICS/ESA facilitates the use of a prototyping
      methodology.  The users of an application under development can
      participate very closely in the application development process.
      The end result is that those who have the best understanding of
      the business and their own needs can better ensure that the
      application solution delivered matches their needs.  This close
      involvement has the added benefit of addressing human factor
      needs (useability) earlier in the application development cycle.
  o   REXX FOR CICS/ESA FACILITATES SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT.
             One of the major uses of REXX is as a Procedures
      (Scripting) Language.  REXX for CICS/ESA can be used to automate
      sequences of CICS system and application systems management
      activities, providing greater productivity and reliability.
             Since REXX for CICS/ESA supports application development
      (and testing) directly under CICS, systems management can be
      simplified.  For example, some CICS developers may no longer need
      to have a TSO userid (in certain situations).  Reducing the
      volume of TSO userids that need to be administered and managed
      can mean a reduction in systems management activities.
  o   REXX FOR CICS/ESA SUPPORTS SIX LANGUAGES.
             REXX for CICS/ESA provides REXX messages in six languages,
      in addition to U.S. English:
      -   Canadian French
      -   French
      -   German
      -   Japanese Kanji
      -   Spanish
      -   Simplified Chinese
             Only the REXX messages are translated.  The text editor
      and file list utility are not translated.
             The translated messages files are included on the product
      tape and are not separate features.
  PRODUCT POSITIONING
  The IBM MVS CICS computing environment is one of the largest
  concentrations of customer production applications and data in the
  world.  There has been tremendous customer investment in CICS-based
  mainframe systems, CICS-based application development, data
  collection for CICS-based systems, and employee education relating to
  the use and support of CICS-based systems.  REXX for CICS/ESA helps
  preserve and enhance the usefulness of this investment.
         Not only does REXX for CICS/ESA enhance the delivery of
  traditional CICS-based production applications, it makes the CICS
  environment suitable for a broader range of information processing
  activities.  With REXX for CICS/ESA, it is now practical to also
  perform end-user computing, prototyping, and application development
  directly within the CICS environment, either in separate or common
  regions.
TECHINFO   TECHNICAL INFORMATION
  SPECIFIED OPERATING ENVIRONMENT
  HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:  REXX for CICS/ESA will run on any ESA/390- or
  ESA/370-capable processing system that supports MVS/ESA and has
  enough processor storage to meet the combined requirements of the
  host operating system, CICS/ESA 3.2.1 or 3.3, the access methods, and
  the application itself.
         The REXX interpreter kernel and interface code requires
  approximately 290KB of virtual storage in the CICS/ESA Extended
  Dynamic Storage Area (EDSA).  Each transaction that invokes a REXX
  EXEC will require approximately 20KB of working storage for
  initialization, in addition to the storage used for REXX variable
  storage, queuing and maintaining a copy of the EXEC in virtual
  storage.
         REXX for CICS/ESA uses only 24-bit virtual storage for
  Partitioned Data Set (PDS) input/output processing.
         For product installation and service, approximately 40
  cylinders of 3380 DASD are required.  For an initial REXX File System
  (RFS) file pool, an additional 40 cylinders are needed.  Additional
  RFS file pool space may need to be added, depending on user space
  requirements.
  SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:  REXX for CICS/ESA is designed to operate
  under CICS/ESA Version 3 (5685-083) Release 2.1 or 3.0.
         These products use only existing attachment interfaces.
  PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS:  Performance of REXX EXECS in a CICS
  environment will be approximately equal to, or better than, the
  performance of comparable EXECS in a TSO/E REXX environment on the
  same CPU.  Performance requirements will be gathered as part of the
  first customer shipment program.
  USER GROUP REQUIREMENTS:  This announcement satisfies or partially
  satisfies the following requirements from one or more of the
  worldwide user group communities, which include Australasian
  SHARE/GUIDE (ASG), COMMON, COMMON Europe, GUIDE International,
  G.U.I.D.E.  Europe, Japan GUIDE/SHARE (JGS), Guide Latin American
  (LAG), SHARE EUROPE and SHARE Incorporated.
  o   REXX Support for CICS -- SHARE U.S. (#2701)
  o   Missing REXX support in CICS-ESA -- Guide Europe (#1904)
  o   Supply the API with a REXX interface -- CICSPLEX/SM (#1591)
  o   DB2 Support of Stored Procedures (REQ00021425)
  o   REXX SQL to DB2 (REQ00013662)
  o   Enhance REXX to allow SQL calls to DB2 (REQ00013662)
  o   MVS Needs REXX Interface For DB2 (REQ00002796)
  o   MVS Needs REXX Interface For DB2 (REQ00013754)
  o   MVS Needs REXX Interface For DB2 (REQ00013757)
  PLANNING INFORMATION
  PACKAGING:  REXX Development System for CICS/ESA and REXX Runtime
  Facility for CICS/ESA are each shipped on either a single 3480
  cartridge or a single 6250 9-track tape.
  SYSTEM INTEGRITY
         REXX Development System for CICS/ESA and REXX Runtime Facility
  for CICS/ESA do not execute computer instructions in a
  privileged-machine state and have no affect on system integrity.
  SECURITY, AUDITABILITY AND CONTROL
         REXX for CICS/ESA uses the CICS/ESA Resource Security
  Level Checking to control access to transactions and resources.
  Additionally, REXX for CICS/ESA provides the following security
  features:
  o   Internal security for REXX File System
  o   Replaceable security exit
  o   Subcommand level security to control access to CICS/ESA
      resources.
         User management is responsible for evaluation, selection and
  implementation of security features, administrative procedures and
  appropriate controls in application systems and communication
  facilities.
ORDERING   ORDERING INFORMATION
         Ordering instructions and order processing availability will
  be announced when the planned availability date is announced for
  these products.
  TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  LICENSING:  The programs in this announcement are licensed under the
  terms of the IBM Customer Agreement.
  VARIABLE CHARGES APPLY:  Yes
  SYSTEM/390 (R) MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEMS -- PR/SM (TM) (MOSP):  The
  charge option attachment applies for graduated charge programs
  licensed to a qualifying machine.
  INSTALLATION LICENSE OR LOCATION LICENSE APPLIES:  No.  A separate
  license is required for each machine the licensed program materials
  will be used on.
  EDUCATIONAL ALLOWANCE:  A 15% educational allowance is applicable
  toward eligible license charges and is available to qualifying
  institutions in accordance with the Educational Allowance Attachment.
         The educational allowance may not be added to any other
  discount or allowance.
  WARRANTED:  Yes
  LICENSED PROGRAM MATERIALS AVAILABILITY:  Restricted Materials:  No.
  These licensed programs will be available without source licensed
  program materials.  They will be available in object code.
  TESTING PERIOD:
  o   Basic License -- Two months
  o   DSLO -- Not applicable
  PROGRAM SERVICES:  Central Service, including the IBM Support Center,
  will be available until discontinued by IBM upon six months' written
  notice.
         Central Service, including the IBM Support Center, for DSLO
  licenses will be provided only through the customer location
  designated for the basic license.
  CHARGES
                     GRADUATED             GRADUATED MONTHLY
                  ONE-TIME CHARGE            LICENSE CHARGE
      GROUP       BASIC      DSLO          BASIC        DSLO
  REXX Development System
  for CICS/ESA (5655-086)
        18     $  5,040   $ 3,780         $  105       $   79
        20        6,530     4,900            136          102
        25        8,495     6,370            177          133
        28       11,040     8,280            230          173
        29       14,350    10,760            299          224
        30       18,670    14,000            389          292
        31       24,290    18,220            506          380
        32       31,580    23,690            658          494
        35       36,290    27,220            756          567
        38       41,760    31,320            870          653
        40       48,000    36,000          1,000          750
        50       60,000    45,000          1,250          938
        60       75,120    56,340          1,565        1,175
        70       93,840    70,380          1,955        1,465
        80      117,100    87,830          2,440        1,830
  REXX Runtime Facility
  for CICS/ESA (5655-087)
        18        3,360     2,520             70           53
        20        4,370     3,280             91           68
        25        5,665     4,250            118           89
        28        7,345     5,510            153          115
        29        9,600     7,200            200          150
        30       12,430     9,325            259          194
        31       16,180    12,140            337          253
        32       21,020    15,770            438          329
        35       24,190    18,140            504          378
        38       27,840    20,880            580          435
        40       32,020    24,020            667          500
        50       39,980    29,990            833          625
        60       49,920    37,440          1,040          780
        70       62,400    46,800          1,300          975
        80       78,240    58,680          1,630        1,225
                                                  MOSP
                   MOSP GRADUATED          GRADUATED MONTHLY
                  ONE-TIME CHARGE            LICENSE CHARGE
      GROUP       BASIC      DSLO          BASIC        DSLO
  REXX Development System
  for CICS/ESA (5655-086)
        18     $  5,040   $ 3,780         $  105       $   79
        20        5,785     4,340            121           91
        25        7,515     5,635            157          118
        28        9,770     7,325            204          153
        29       12,700     9,520            265          199
        30       16,510    12,380            344          258
        31       21,480    16,110            448          336
        32       27,940    20,960            582          437
        35       33,940    25,460            707          531
        38       39,030    29,270            813          610
        40       44,880    33,660            935          702
        50       54,000    40,500          1,125          844
        60       67,560    50,670          1,410        1,055
        70       84,480    63,360          1,760        1,320
        80      105,450    79,110          2,200        1,650
  REXX Runtime Facility
  for CICS/ESA (5655-087)
        18        3,360     2,520             70           53
        20        3,865     2,900             81           61
        25        5,020     3,765            105           79
        28        6,505     4,880            136          102
        29        8,475     6,355            177          133
        30       11,020     8,265            230          172
        31       14,310    10,730            298          224
        32       18,600    13,960            388          291
        35       22,610    16,960            471          354
        38       26,020    19,510            542          407
        40       29,930    22,450            624          468
        50       36,000    27,010            750          563
        60       44,950    33,720            937          703
        70       56,160    42,120          1,170          878
        80       70,320    52,740          1,465        1,100
  ONE-TIME CHARGE:  Customers who pay a one-time charge for a licensed
  program receive enhancements and future releases, if any, at no
  additional charge.  Significant new function may be offered as an
  optional feature and charged for separately.  If a replacement
  program is announced and the customer elects to license the
  replacement program for a one-time charge and replace the prior
  program, an upgrade charge may apply.
  VARIABLE CHARGES:  The applicable graduated one-time charge or
  graduated monthly license charge will be based on the group of the
  designated machine on which the licensed program is licensed for use.
  If the program is designated to a processor in a group for which no
  charge is listed above, the charge of the next higher group listed
  applies.
         For upgrades of one-time charge licenses to a machine in a
  higher group, the upgrade charge will be the difference in the then
  current charges between the two groups.  For downgrades of one-time
  charge licenses to a machine in a lower group, there will be no
  adjustment or refund of one-time charges paid.
         For upgrades or downgrades of monthly license charge licenses,
  the monthly license charge applicable to the higher or lower group
  will apply.

     - - -    E N D   - - -

Note: the above is shown in the original announcement letter format.