Welcome
Reference information
The reference sections of the information contain reference information that you need when you use CICS® VR.
UNDO log structure overview
Every undo log block consists of a Block Header (MVSLogBlockHeader type), followed by log records. Every log record includes a standard General Log Header (GenLogRecord type), followed by record data.

What's new in CICS VR 6.3
CICS® VR 6.3 contains these changes.
Operating environment
CICS® VR uses logs to recover your VSAM data.
CICS VR Overview
Getting Started
CICS® VR and CICS® TS
CICS VR Exits
Running CICS® VR forward recovery
CICS® VR forward recovery consists of a restore and then forward recovery.
Running CICS® VR backup
The information in the following topics describe how to take a backup using CICS® VR. The panels and secondary windows are in the sequence that they are displayed during a backup job generation.
Running CICS® VR reorganization
You can reorganize a VSAM sphere using CICS® VR. VSAM sphere reorganization can increase the space of a sphere and its alternate indexes. It can also change the control interval sizes for a sphere's components.
Working with other VSAM sphere list pull-down menus
The CICS® VR recovery and backup functions are typically accessed using the Utilities pull-down menu after selecting VSAM spheres.
Working with CICS® Backout Failed spheres
The CICS® Backout Failed sphere list shows the CICS spheres registered for manual recovery or reorganization after CICS notification of a backout failure.
Working with logs
Using ISMF data set lists with CICS® VR
CICS® VR is integrated with ISMF so that you can create a CICS VR recovery job for the data sets in an ISMF data set list by entering the VSAMREC line operator or list command. When you enter the VSAMREC line operator or list command, the necessary CICS VR panels are called and you can create a recovery job for the VSAM sphere.
Running CICS® VR manually
IBM® recommends that you use the CICS® VR panel interface to create recovery jobs for your VSAM spheres. Using the CICS VR panel interface eliminates the need for you to manually keep track of daily update activity, logs, backups, etc. Also, the CICS VR panel interface automatically creates the recovery JCL for you.
Running CICS® VR batch backout
The CICS® VR batch backout utility allows you to remove updates that were made to KSDS, ESDS, RRDS, and VRRDS VSAM spheres by steps in a batch job. This section describes how to run the CICS VR batch backout utility.
Understanding CICS® VR reports
The CICS® VR forward recovery and batch backout utilities produce a set of reports upon successful completion. The reports are written to the data set allocated to the DWWPRINT ddname. However, the set of reports written for the forward recovery backout utilities differ from the set of reports written for the batch backout utilities.
Understanding IBM® program support
The IBM® Customer Engineering Program Support structure helps you resolve problems with IBM products, and ensures that you can make the best use of your IBM computing systems.
Problem determination procedures
If you have to contact IBM® personnel about a CICS® VR problem, you must classify and describe the problem.
Diagnosing the causes of abends
You can determine the cause of a CICS® VR abend in a number of ways.
Reference information
The reference sections of the information contain reference information that you need when you use CICS® VR.
- CICS VR command reference
  Descriptions of the CICS VR command rules and how to read the syntax diagrams.
- CICS® VR commands
  A table of descriptions of CICS® VR functions and commands used with CICS TS.
- CICS® VR Messages and abend codes
  This section includes the messages and abend codes that are used by CICS VR, and also includes instructions to successfully complete the recovery of CICS VSAM data.
- CICS® VR ddnames
  A table that contains the ddnames for CICS® VR.
- UNDO log structure overview
  Every undo log block consists of a Block Header (MVSLogBlockHeader type), followed by log records. Every log record includes a standard General Log Header (GenLogRecord type), followed by record data.
  - General log header
    The General log record header is present in all Undo Start, Undo Read-for-Update/Erase, Undo Write-for-Add, Undo End, and Start-of-Run (SOR) log records.
  - Undo logging record prefix
    The Undo logging record prefix is present in all Undo Start, Undo Read-for-Update/Erase, Undo Write-for-Add, and Undo End log records (record data).
  - Undo log record caller data
    Caller data is present in all Undo Read-for-Update/Erase and Undo Write-for-Add log records.
- DWWBKNT REXX
  The REXX procedure DWWBKNT performs multiple calls of the CICS VR NOTIFY utility DWWNT for IDCAMS REPRO backups listed in the input data set. It can be used in TSO and in a batch environment.
- Customization parameters
  The table lists parameters that you can specify on the DWWCST01 panel to customize members of &HLQ.SDWWCNTL.OUT and &HLQ.SDWWSENU/SJPN.OUT data sets.
- User replaceable JCL skeleton
  You can replace the CICS® VR supplied JCL skeleton DWWUJOB with one of your own ones that satisfies your requirements.
Glossary
The terms in this glossary are defined as they pertain to the CICS VSAM Recovery documentation.
Edition notice
This is the information for CICS VSAM Recovery for z/OS. It applies to CICS VSAM Recovery for z/OS Version 6.3, and to all subsequent versions, releases, and modifications until otherwise indicated in new editions. Make sure you are using the correct edition for the level of the product.
Download PDF
Download the PDF format documentation for CICS VSAM Recovery for z/OS 6.3

UNDO log structure overview

Every undo log block consists of a Block Header (MVSLogBlockHeader type), followed by log records. Every log record includes a standard General Log Header (GenLogRecord type), followed by record data.

Record data consists of a fixed part (the prefix), and an optional variable part (the caller data).

The logical substream of Undo log records related to a job step consist of:

One Undo Start record (first in the substream)
Zero or more Undo Read-for Update/Erase records
Zero or more Undo Write-for-Add records
One Undo End record (last in the substream).

Undo Start and Undo End records (record data) consist of only a fixed prefix. Undo Read-for-Update/Erase and Undo Write-for-Add records (the record data) contain caller data as well.