CICS/Autoinstall allows dynamic creation and installation of terminal definitions in the TCT at logon time. Terminal definitions are then dynamically deleted when terminals are logged off. Using MacKinney’s CICS/Autoinstall may provide a reduction in virtual storage needed for the TCT (if most terminals are not permanently logged on), and reduced management of terminal definitions.

Even though IBM’s autoinstall feature can also provide the aforementioned advantages, some installations are unable to use it because they must have specific terminal ids assigned and/or they must route CICS prints to specific printer ids. Autoinstall as shipped by IBM does not readily provide for this.

MacKinney Systems’ CICS/Autoinstall program fills this void. It will return a specific CICS terminal ID and model name in response to the resource builder request passed by DFHZATD via a link. The link passes a commarea containing pointers to various parameter lists. CICS/Autoinstall is capable of deriving a specified termid from any netname passed to it, regardless of site netname conventions. This is accomplished via an external table (PARMTBL) maintained by the user. An entry is required only when a netname must relate to a specific termid or model name.