Install KICKS; the CICS emulator

Per the KICKS website:

“KICKS is an enhancement for CMS & TSO on IBM mainframes (or emulators) that lets you run your CICS applications directly instead of having to ‘install’ those apps in CICS. You don’t even need CICS itself installed on your mainframe.”

There are 3 (very good, but slightly different) installation instructions locations:

The KICKS website. The Jay Mosley website. A moshix YouTube video.

I highly recommend you peruse those 3 sites and keep them open while you are installing KICKS.

I will provide an overview and describe the differences between those and what I encountered using a MVS-TK5 system on a Debian (GNU/Linux) OS.

  1. It will be installed using the HERC01 user.
  2. The JCL jobcards for each job will need to be modified.
  3. The JCL included in the installation points to a VOL:SER:PUB002. This doesn’t exist on the TK5 system.
  4. I am using the X3270 terminal emulator.

Download the KICKS for TSO software from the KICKS website.

Unzip the file. Make sure you have “kicks-tso-v1r5m0.xmi” file.

To start the process, you will need three files:

  1. the xmi file mentioned above.
  2. a JCL member (GETFILE)
  3. a JCL member (RECEIVE)

This is an example of GETFILE.

This is an example of RECEIVE.

To make things a little more simpler, I copy the kicks-tso-v1r5m0.xmi file to my “/tmp” directory. This makes it easier when typing in the devinit command in the console.

IPL the system with the Hercules console available and have a 3270 terminal emulator running and logged into the system as HERC01.

Use whatever method you like to get GETFILE and RECEIVE uploaded into the HERC01.TEST.CNTL PDS.

Then follow the instructions for the first 3 steps:

  1. In the Hercules console: type devinit 10C /tmp/kicks-tso-v1r5m0.xmi ebcdic and press Enter.
  2. Switch to the “HERC01.TEST.CNTL” PDS and submit “GETFILE” and check the cond codes.
  3. Switch to the “HERC01.TEST.CNTL” PDS and submit “RECEIVE” and check the cond codes.

Step 04:

If that went well, edit HERC01.KICKS.V1R5M0.BIGPDS(V1R5M0)

- Update the jobcard: USER: HERC01K3, make the CLASS=A, make the MSGCLASS=H.
- Add VOL=SER=TSO002, in SYSUT2 section. (don't forget the ending comma).
- SAVE and SUBMIT; check the cond codes

If that went well, keep pressing the F3 key until you are all the way out and you see the “READY” prompt.

type: EXEC KICKSSYS.V1R5M0.CLIST(KFIX) and press Enter.

You will be asked if you want to use HERC01 as the userid, say YES.

There will be a bit more then you should see a “Done” message.

Steps 05-07: (Steps 10-12 in the KICKS install guide)

EDIT, SAVE, and SUBMIT(and check the cond codes) the 3 HERC01.KICKS.V1R5M0.INSTLIB members in this order:

(LOADMUR), (LOADTAC) then (LOADSDB)

For each member:

Update the jobcard:

    - I went with HERC01K4, HERC01K5, and HERC01K6.
    - Update CLASS=A, and MSGCLASS=H.

and replace all "PUB002" with "TSO002"

Steps 08-09: (Steps 13-14 in the KICKS install guide)

EDIT, SAVE, and SUBMIT(and check the cond codes) the 2 HERC01.KICKSSYS.V1R5M0.INSTLIB members in this order:

(LODINTRA), then (LODTEMP)

For each member:

Update the jobcard:

    - I went with HERC01K7, and HERC01K8.
    - Update CLASS=A, and MSGCLASS=H.

and replace all "PUB002" with "TSO002"

If that went well, keep pressing the F3 key until you are all the way out and you see the “READY” prompt.

type: EXEC KICKSSYS.V1R5M0.CLIST(KICKS) and press Enter.

You should see the KICKS banner page.

NOTE: I had an issue with this and it wouldn’t start up correctly and would display an “invalid transid” or something like that.

To fix that: One last update:

EDIT and SAVE: HERC01.KICKSSYS.V1R5M0.CLIST(KICKS):

- Line 5: change TCP(2$) to TCP(1$)
- Delete Line 146: "&KIKID..KICKS.&VER..SKIDLOAD +"

Then I was able to see the KICKS banner page and execute the sample TRANSIDs