Applying the B technologies to CICS

Abstract

This paper 3 reports on the experiences of IBM ttursley in using the Z notation and the B-Method [Abr95] [Abr93] in developing new function for IBM's CICS product 4 [IBM94]. A major constraint on the project was the need to produce code that not only corresponded to its required function, but also met a number of stringent non-functional requirements in areas such as integration, performance and maintenance. The Z notation was used to capture the required function, and the resulting specification was hand-translated into AMN. The B-Toolkit, with project-specific extensions, was then used for the development down to PL/X code. The success of this endeavour is discussed here. The use of Z and the B-Method were very successful in addressing the new functional requirements. Meeting the non-functional requirements, however, was more difficult.