Natural Print and Work Files under CICS

This document discusses the use of Natural print and work files under CICS.

It covers the following topics:

Customizing Print and Work File Usage

The Natural CICS Interface supports Natural print and work files in CICS either as CICS transient data queues or as CICS temporary storage queues, both auxiliary and main.

To customize usage, set the following subparameters in the PRINT and WORK profile parameter: 

AM=CICS, TYPE=TD/AUX/MAIN, DEST=queuename

For more information, follow the links shown below:

  • WORK profile parameter description and how to set the above subparameter values, see the NTWORK parameter macro.

  • PRINT profile parameter description and how to set the above subparameter values, see the NTPRINT parameter macro.

The Natural CICS Interface print file support has been provided for tracing and logging purposes. It is not intended for dealing with reports. In particular, the keyword parameters for DEFINE PRINTER such as PRTY, CLASS, COPIES, etc., are not honored at all.

CICS Temporary Storage Print and Work Files

CICS temporary storage queues, both auxiliary and main, for CICS print and work files are RECFM=V files by design, available for input and output.

Although in Natural under CICS there is no exclusive control of a specific TS queue by a Natural session, you can automatically create session- or terminal-dependent printfiles or work files by specifying the string defined in the NCIPARM parameter TERMVAR (&TID is the default) in the subparameter DEST of profile parameter PRINT or in the subparameter DEST of the profile parameter WORK. When such a string is found within the eight-character DEST subparameter, it is replaced by the actual terminal ID.

In CICSplex Environment

When running in a CICSplex environment, Natural print and work files in CICS temporary storage must be defined as TYPE=SHARED or TYPE=REMOTE in a CICS TST.

NCI System Queues

In Natural under CICS, NCI system queues cannot be accessed. (NCI system queues are TS queues with a prefix defined in the TSKEY parameter of macro NCMDIR.)

CICS Transient Data Print and Work Files

A CICS transient data queue for a Natural CICS print and work file must be defined in the CICS DCT. For indirect destinations, the attributes of the base destinations are propagated. In particular, the attributes of an extra-partition destination, such as RECFM or TYPEFLE, determine the Natural work file attributes.

Intra-partition destinations have RECFM=V set by design and are available for both input and output.

CICS transient data print and work files are "shared files" in the sense that more than one session may issue I/Os against such a file.