Date: Monday, 1991 August 19 14:08 EDT From: "John F. Chandler" Subject: Announcing IBM Mainframe Kermit-370 for CICS Keywords: IBM 370 Kermit, CICS Kermit Xref: IBM Mainframe, Also see IBM 370 Xref: CICS Kermit, Also see CICS Kermit, IBM 370 There is now a variant of Kermit-370 for CICS. The new Kermit has been tested under releases 1.7 and 2.1 of CICS and with CICS running under both VSE and MVS. This is a full-function Kermit, like other variants of Kermit-370, but is still a test program, since it has not been subjected to any large-scale testing, and several planned refinements have not yet been implemented. Kermit-CICS is both a traditional interactive Kermit and a CICS program that can be invoked to carry out a specific file transfer or group of transfers and then quit. Thus, it is suitable both for "open" CICS systems where the users are permitted to log in as "operators" and controlled systems where all activity is performed through menus. Kermit-CICS surmounts the lack of a real CICS file system by managing its own storage directories assigned to specific users, where each directory has members described by eight-character names; the assignment of directories is done according to an algorithm chosen by the local installer. In addition, Kermit supports transfers of TD and TS queues. The initial version is release 4.2.2 and includes a number of enhancements that are also appearing in the new releases for CMS, TSO, MUSIC, and ROSCOE. However, these enhancements are not listed here, since this is the first version of Kermit-370 for CICS. See the relevant announcements for more details. Work on Kermit-CICS is continuing, but some of the tasks necessary for making it a full-fledged production program have not even been started. Features that need to be improved or added include: - IKXDYNAL for both CICS/VSE and CICS/MVS. The former would probably support only spool files, but the latter should support both spool files and MVS data sets. - Sample exit routines for supporting userid algorithms besides the OPID and TERM options. - Sample package of security exit routines. - Enqueuing on extra-partition TD names before opening. - Support for data objects on a remote CICS. - Cleaner performance of server-mode BYE function, dependent on local conventions. - Support for indirect TD queues. - Testing linemode operation. - Mechanism for flushing terminal output from Kermit (such as from the TYPE subcommand). - Mechanism for collecting "terminal" output from invoked programs. - Testing under CICS/VM. Anyone interested in working on these or other improvements should first get in touch with the Center for Computing Activities at Columbia University to find out if someone else has already begun a similar project (and, if so, who). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1992 June 10 15:09 EDT From: "John F. Chandler" Subject: Announcing IBM Mainframe CICS Kermit-370 Version 4.2.4 Keywords: IBM 370 Kermit, CICS Kermit Xref: CICS Kermit, IBM 370 Kermit This is to announce the release of Kermit-370 version 4.2.4 for CICS. The CICS-related Kermit files that have been changed or added are as follows. IKXKER.ANN this message IKXKER.BWR bugs, warnings, and restrictions IKXKER.HLP Help files IKXKER.INS installation instructions IKXKER.UPD post-4.2.0 updates IKXTRN.ASM VSE installation utility IK0AAA.HLP Kermit-370 release notes IK0KAN.ASM optional Kanji tables IK0KER.ANN the accompanying message on Kermit-370 IK0KER.UPD the cumulative list of updates in all variants IK0423.HLP notes on the new features in 4.2.3 and 4.2.4 Many thanks to the beta testers who have helped work out the bugs in the new release. Note that version 4.2.3 has been available in the Kermit test area for several weeks. 4.2.4 differs in only two respects: (1) the KSDS used for storing the Help and TAKE files has a new, longer key size and will require re-installation for sites that have the old Help files installed. See IKXKER.INS for the details. The reason for the change is the expansion of the "userid" field in Kermit from four to eight bytes. (2) an extra message has been added to the usual protocol-mode greetings. The added message is "KERMIT READY TO SEND..." (or RECEIVE or SERVE). There are several other changes specific to CICS: - Now prevents clashing simultaneous access to a TDQ by two Kermit sessions. - Now distinguishes between readable and writable data objects when determining file name collision and searching for files to download. - Now has the correct code for CICS 1.6 access to extra-partition TDQs under MVS. - Now pads the interactive mode prompt with XON (or whatever is the current HANDSHAKE character). - Now drives the 3174 AEA properly in transparent mode through VTAM. - No longer produces unpredictable results when copying to or from Kermit directory members. - No longer mistakes the date in March-December of even-numbered years. - No longer produces spurious error messages at installation time under VSE/ESA.