The mutual communication that takes place between two or more systems is known as intercommunication.
Benefits of Intercommunication
The important benefits of intercommunication are as follows −
- We do not need to replicate the data on all the systems.
- Users need not hold connections to multiple systems for accessing the data stored on them.
- It improves the performance of the application.
Basic Terminologies
One must have a knowledge of basic terminologies used in the CICS system. Following are the basic terms −
Local System
A local system is a system that initiates a request for intercommunication.
Local Resource
A local resource is a resource that lies on the local system.
Remote System
A remote system is a system that is initiated as a result of an intercommunication request.
Remote Resource
A remote resource is a resource that lies on the remote system.
MVS Sysplex
MVS Sysplex is a configuration of multiple MVS operating systems. They work as a single system by sharing functions and programs.
CICSPlex
CICSPlex is commonly described as a set of interconnected CICS regions that process customer workload. A CICSPlex is a set of interconnected CICS regions that own Terminals, Applications, Resources, etc.
Intercommunication Methods
There are two ways in which CICS can communicate with other systems −
- MRO − Multi Region Operation is used when two CICS regions within the same MVSPLEX needs to communicate with each other.
- ISC − Inter System Communication is used when a CICS region in a LOCAL server has to communicate with a CICS region in the REMOTE server.