Test 520: CICS Transaction Server for OS/2 Warp
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Objectives
This test is designed to validate that a person awarded the title of "IBM Certified Specialist - CICS Transaction Server for OS/2 Warp" can competently carry out various tasks. The test consists of 66 questions, drawn from the following areas, to be answered in a 60 minute timeframe.
- Planning - 12%
- Installation and Configuration - 20%
- Application Design - 24%
- Operations - 22%
- Connectivity - 15%
- Problem Determination - 7%
The percentage after each topic reflects the distribution of the total question set.
Planning Objectives
- Describe the generic functions of a TP Monitor and the advantages/disadvantages of using one.
- Match CICS Transaction Server for OS/2 Warp capabilities to customer needs.
- Specify the pre-requisites for implementing a given scenario.
- Given a list of available books, point out where to find information on specific aspects of CICS OS/2.
- Identify the functional differences between the CICS products on various platforms and describe the considerations in selecting the OS/2 Warp platform rather than another.
Installation and Configuration Objectives
- Identify items in the CICS OS/2 client and server directory structures.
- Verify that the product has been successfully installed and configured.
- List the CICS OS/2 tables and the entries within them. Describe their functions.
- Describe the steps necessary to migrate from other CICS platforms or previous versions to CICS OS/2.
- List the environmental variables and their uses and demonstrate how to change them.
- Explain how to configure CICS clients.
- Describe the customisation options available for CICS OS/2.
Application Programming Objectives
- Describe the calls and parameters of the CICS OS/2 API.
- Illustrate the models for multi-tiered application design in distributed environments.
- Describe how to design data integrity into a CICS OS/2 distributed environment.
- List ways to improve performance and efficiency in a CICS OS/2 environment.
- List the various external interfaces to CICS OS/2 and explain their uses.
- List the various CICS OS/2 storage options and explain their uses.
Operations Objectives
- List techniques for managing CICS OS/2 systems and explain how to use them.
- Describe Performance Analyser/2 and explain how to use its output.
- List the CICS supplied transactions and explain their functionality.
- List the steps necessary to enable backup and recovery of a CICS OS/2 system.
- Describe the functions, parameters, and uses of Btrieve in a CICS OS/2 environment.
- Define the security options available in a CICS OS/2 environment.
Connectivity Objectives
- Describe the steps necessary to set up the logical link from CICS OS/2 servers to CICS clients or other CICS servers using various protocols.
- Describe the various CICS ISC functions and their applicability in a CICS OS/2 environment.
- Given a scenario, explain how and where data conversion occurs.
- For a given configuration, identify the valid connections for CICS inter-communication flows in distributed environments.
Problem Determination Objectives
- Determine and describe the appropriate resources available for problem determination for common errors (PA/2, debugging (CEDF, CEMT, IPMD, Animator), logs).
- Obtain a CICS trace or CICS dump and interpret the information resulting to find the cause of a given problem.
- Given a specific problem, determine materials to be sent to IBM for problem resolution.
Required Training
| Code | Name | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| CI01 (WW) / CI010 (US) | Introduction to CICS | 2 Days | This course describes the main concepts and facilities of CICS. |
| CI17 (WW) / CI171 (US) | CICS Application Programming I | 4.5 Days |
This course teaches how to code and debug CICS application programs written in COBOL or PL/I. The class contains extensive computer exercises and applies to the entire CICS family of products. |
| CI18 (WW) / CI181 (US) | CICS Application Programming II | 4.5 Days | This course teaches how to code advanced CICS application commands in a COBOL program. It covers menu-driven applications, online printing, and field-level help. |
| CE75 (WW) / U3936 (NA) | CICS OS/2 Administration and Design Workshop | 3.5 Days | This class teaches how to implement CICS OS/2 in a client/server environment. It includes instructions for establishing security, recovery application design, and problem determination procedures for CICS OS/2. Hands-on labs and classroom exercises provide practice in CICS OS/2 installation and tailoring. |
Publications
| Code | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| GC33-1674 | CICS Transaction Server for OS/2 Warp Version 4.1: Quick Beginnings | This book guides you through the steps necessary to install a simple CICS Transaction Server production environment with a CICS for OS/2 server and a CICS Client for OS/2 or a CICS Client for WIndows NT connected via TCP/IP or NetBIOS. |
| GC33-1580 | CICS for OS/2 Version 3.1 Installation | This book gives detailed information about how to install CICS for OS/2. It is intended for experience users of the product, for example, those migrating from a previous release. |
Sample
- 1. In a typical transaction processing system, which of the following statements is NOT true?
- a. Many end users run the same, or similar, programs sharing the same databases and files.
- b. Programs are invoked by online input and can generate online output.
- c. Programs tend to be long-running.
- d. End users process unscheduled single items in unpredictable volumes and sequence.
- 2. Which statement with respect to CICS for OS/2 support for access to IMS data is correct?
- a. IMS databases may be accessed via the X/Open XA Interface.
- b. IMS databases may be accessed via DB2 OS/2.
- c. IMS databases are emulated by Btrieve.
- d. IMS databases may be accessed via DPL to a remote system.
- 3. Which book will tell you about the differences between using CICS on a mainframe and CICS for OS/2 on a workstation?
- a. CICS for OS/2 Installation
- b. CICS for OS/2 Operation
- c. CICS for OS/2 Customisation
- d. CICS for OS/2 Application Programming
- 4.Which statement about CICS for OS/2 is true?
- a. An ISC connection between CICS for OS/2 systems supports two-phase commit.
- b. An ISC connection between CICS for OS/2 and CICS for MVS/ESA supports two-phase commit.
- c. An ISC connection between CICS for OS/2 and CICS for AIX supports two-phase commit.
- d. CICS for OS/2 does not support two-phase commit.
- 5. In which IBM CICS Client directory would you find the PLIHDR subdirectory?
- a. OS2
- b. DOS
- c. WINDOWS
- d. all of the above
- 6. Which CICS tables can refer to entries in the connection and session table - the TCS? (Select 4 answers.)
- a. FCT
- b. PPT
- c. DCT
- d. IVP
- e. PCT
- f. SNT
- 7. Which environment variable will CICSENV set for BMS user maps?
- a. CICSUSERMAP
- b. USERTRL
- c. USERWRK
- d. CICSRGRP
- 8. Which are valid IBM Client initialization file sections (Select 2 answers.)?
- a. PROTOCOL
- b. DRIVER
- c. CLIENT
- d. PRINTER
- e. EMULATOR
- 9. You are automatically updating an existing CICS for OS/2 system. Which keyword in the response file will be ignored if it is different than the previous installation?
- a. COMP = CICS for OS/2 sample code
- b. CFGUPDATE = MANUAL
- c. OVERWRITE = YES
- d. FILE = c:\CICS200
- 10.When browsing a file, which of these commands are allowed after an EXEC CICS READNEXT?
- a. ENDBR for the same file
- b. READ UPDATE for the record returned by the READNEXT
- c. READPREV for the same file
- d. STARTBR for the same file
- 11. In a Peer-to-Peer environment, which statement is NOT true?
- a. Each partner is responsible for its own control functions.
- b. Only synchronous communication is possible between partners.
- c. A transaction can be involved in several different relationships simultaneously.
- d. Control of communication is shared between partners.
- 12. A CICS transaction consists of three logical units of work, each of which makes modifications to a database. If the system fails during the third unit of work, what will happen?
- a. All of the data modifications made by the transaction will be backed out.
- b. Only the data modifications made in the third LUW will be backed out.
- c. If the database is on a remote system, backout will only occur if two-phase commit is supported.
- d. The data involved will not be accessible by anyone else until the transaction is rerun.
- 13. What is used in a CICS based Transaction Server to determine which users can access CICS files?
- a. the Resource Level key
- b. the Transaction Level key
- c. the Access Control List
- d. the Remote Procedure Calls
- 14. What is the least efficient way to obtain small amounts of working storage for application usage?
- a. EXEC CICS GETMAIN
- b. program storage
- c. TWA
- d. COMMAREA
- 15. Which CICS command can NOT use the NOSUSPEND/NOQUEUE option?
- a. EXEC CICS ENQ
- b. EXEC CICS READQ TS
- c. EXEC CICS ALLOCATE
- d. EXEC CICS READQ TD
- 16. What does a CICS client use to pass user data or file keys to a CICS server?
- a. TWA
- b. TCTUA
- c. COMMAREA
- d. File Area
- 17. Why would you want to modify the CICS autoinstall program? (Select 3 answers.)
- a. to limit the total number of logged on terminals
- b. to keep utilisation information about terminals
- c. to avoid making entries in the WSD for all terminals to be installed
- d. to handle special cases such as always allowing a particular user to log on
- 18. Which statements about user-written post-initialisation programs are true? (Select 3 answers.)
- a. All CICS facilities, except direct communication with a terminal, are available.
- b. All post-initialisation programs must be defined in the RD, as well as in the Pd.
- c. Post-initialisation programs can communicate with each other via the CWA or a TWA.
- d. Each post-initialisation program runs sequentially after completion of CICS initialisation and before any user sign-ons.
- 19. Which usage statistics can PA/2 provide?
- a. OS/2 processes
- b. Temporary Storage
- c. Program Control
- d. DB2 accesses
- e. Transaction Routing requests
- 20. Which information can NOT be displayed in real time by CICS for OS/2 Performance Analyser/2?
- a. CICS OS/2 Log File
- b. transaction rate over the last hour
- c. system File Manager
- d. real memory use over the last hour
- 21. What results from invoking the CICS supplied CRTE transaction using the following command?
CRTE SYSID=REGION1
- a. The SYSID REGION1 is created.
- b. All CICS transactions are run on the REGION server.
- c. A connection is established to the server with the local CD definition REGION1.
- d. Transaction routing is enabled to the region with the local CD definition REGION1.
- 22. Where are files for which the changes are to be logged by the CICS for OS/2 File Manager specified?
- a. in the PBROLL file
- b. in the BLOG.CFG file
- c. in the BROLL.LST file
- d. in the CONFIG.SYS file
- 23. You use the File Manager CREATE command to preallocate pages when creating a new data file. Which statements are true? (Select 2 answers.)
- a. Up to 64K pages can be preallocated.
- b. The disk must have sufficient contiguous free space available for the allocation, or the CREATE will fail.
- c. No other data file can use the preallocated space, even if the file owning it does not occupy it all.
- d. When the preallocated space is filled, File Manager will automatically attempt to make a secondary allocation based on the amount initially preallocated.
- 24. How many DCE security servers can be defined within a DCE cell?
- a. one
- b. two
- c. a maximum of six
- d. none
- 25. Which CICS facility is used to run a 3270 transaction on a remote CICS system?
- a. Transaction Routing
- b. Function Shipping
- c. Distributed Program Link
- d. Distributed Transaction Processing
- 26. Which CICS command is used to validate user defined conversion tables?
- a. CICSCVT
- b. CICSVUCT
- c. CICSCTBL
- d. CICSLCTB
- 27. A Windows client is connected to a CICS for OS/2 server on a NetBIOS LAN. Which configuration statements are valid for a printer used for CICS output generated by the client?
- a. It must be attached to the CICS for OS/2 server.
- b. It must be attached to a separate print server.
- c. It must be attached to the client that started the transaction.
- d. It can be attached to any client or server on the LAN.
- 28. CICS for OS/2 has unexpectedly stopped. What would you do first to discover the reason?
- a. View CICSMSG.LOG.
- b. Take a system dump.
- c. Use EXEC CIS INQUIRE TASK to see what tasks are running.
- d. Inspect TD and TS queues with CEBR.
Answer Key
- 1. c
- 2. d
- 3. d
- 4. d
- 5. a
- 6. abce
- 7. a
- 8. bc
- 9. d
- 10. ac
- 11. b
- 12. b
- 13. a
- 14. a
- 15. b
- 16. c
- 17. abd
- 18. abd
- 19. abc
- 20. d
- 21. d
- 22. b
- 23. ac
- 24. a
- 25. a
- 26. d
- 27. d
- 28. a