Operating environment

CICS® VR uses logs to recover your VSAM data.

CICS® VR supports:
  • MVS™ log streams
  • CICS® VR SAM copies of MVS™ log streams

Software requirements

System requirements: z/OS® V1.13 or later is required for installation and invocation of CICS® VR V6R3.

Additionally, the following APARs are required to run all the CICS® VR V6R3 functions, if you are using CICS VR with z/OS V1.13:
  • OA39096
  • OA42354
  • OA41727
  • OA43148
Replication logging requirements: z/OS® V1.13 with the PTFs for the following z/OS® APARs is required for replication logging support:
  • OA38198, OA38200, OA38201, OA38202, OA38203, OA38204, OA38205, OA38209, OA38210, OA38550, and OA44628.
CICS® Requirements: The following APARs for the listed releases of CICS® are required to run CICS® VR V6R3 VSAM batch logging:
CICS® Release APARs
CICS® TS V3.1 PK23984
CICS® TS V3.2 and later None

CICS® TS compatibility: CICS VSAM Recovery V6R3 supports all releases of CICS TS that are currently supported by IBM, to a minimum of CICS TS V3.1. If extended ESDS support is to be used, a minimum of CICS TS V3.2 is required. CICS VR V6R3 can recover VSAM spheres from log records produced by either CICS TS forward recovery logging or CICS TS autojournaling. However, it is recommended to use log records produced by CICS TS forward recovery logging with CICS VR.

Additional requirements: None

Optional software requirements

CICS® VR V6R3 contains additional support for the following optional software offerings on all supported z/OS® and CICS® levels.

The following software is optional and is not required to install and run CICS® VR.
  • DFSMShsm™ logical backups and full volume dumps
  • DFSMSdss™ logical copies and dumps
  • VSAM Record Level Sharing (RLS), only CICS® updates supported. CICS® VR VSAM batch logging does not support RLS data sets.
  • DFSMStvs (Transactional VSAM)
  • Backups made using the backup while open (BWO) and concurrent copy facilities.

Hardware requirements

You need the following hardware to run CICS® VR:
  • A processor that supports the software mentioned in Software requirements.
  • A tape unit or cartridge unit, disk drive space. Refer to the IBM® CICSVR Version 6 Release 1 Program Directory for required storage space needed to install CICS® VR.
  • CICS® VR requires a minimum private area of 4 MB below the 16 MB line to execute.

Optional hardware requirements

The following hardware provides optional capabilities:
  • For concurrent copy:
    • An IBM® 3990 Model 3 with the Extended Platform and Licensed Internal Code or an IBM® 3990 Model 6.
  • For VSAM RLS support:
    • A coupling facility device or z/OS® image running coupling facility support is required.
  • For CICS® VR VSAM batch logging:
    • Both DASD-only and coupling facility log streams are supported. Coupling facility log streams require active coupling facility links; for details, see z/OS® MVS™ Setting up a SYSPLEX.