PIE/CICS, Productivity Integrated Environment for z/OS / CICS Transaction Server is an integrated family of common and optional components. With PIE/CICS administrators can create user profiles extending the user sessions to 99 simultaneous applications running in separate sessions.
With PIE/CICS you can build secure menus that contain multiple applications and transactions without changing existing CICS applications. When used as a CICS based application, these menus greatly simplify site navigation and shorten learning curves.
Eliminate the need for the user to Sign On to each application and/or transaction. PIE/CICS seamlessly authenticates users to external security systems (RACF, CA-ACF2, CA-Top Secret) and to internal application security. PIE/CICS Single Sign On saves valuable time and reduces user frustration.
PIE/CICS-NetGate is an optional PIE/CICS component that allows users to access multiple VTAM applications from PIE/CICS-MultiCICS sessions. With PIE/CICS PIE/CICS-MultiCICS and PIE/CICS-NetGate working together, users can access up to a maximum of 99 simultaneous applications. Sessions support any applications running within a CICS region or MRO complex.
PIE/CICS-NetGate provides VTAM access with significantly less performance overhead than a traditional VTAM session manager. Some savings are a result of PIE/CICS-NetGate’s more efficient VTAM connections. However, the greatest reduction in overhead comes from the partnership of PIE/CICS-MultiCICS and PIE/CICS-NetGate. Using both products together, VTAM resources are used only when a user is in a PIE/CICS-NetGate session; not continuously. If users spend 90% of their time in their standard PIE/CICS-MultiCICS sessions and only 10% in PIE/CICS-NetGate sessions, they incur only a 10% VTAM overhead.
With the PIE PASS and TSWITCH commands, users can transfer to another VTAM APPLID and run applications from that APPLID. However, with PASS and TSWITCH, users cannot switch between their PASS/TSWITCH session and other PIE/CICS-MultiCICS sessions.
With PIE/CICS-NetGate, users can access applications that run as separate VTAM APPLIDs, yet still remain connected to other sessions. Users can switch back and forth between PIE/CICS-NetGate sessions and cut and paste data between applications.
PIE/CICS-NetGate uses VTAM services to communicate between sessions. PIE/CICS-NetGate emulates a virtual terminal to communicate with a target region or application.The virtual terminal acts a conduit, sending information back and forth between the physical terminal that requested the PIE/CICS-NetGate session and the VTAM application.