CIOs and Mainframe managers are very concerned about Mainframe cost increases as part of their effort at satisfying business requirements. The HTWC XFRAME MAINFRAME ADAPTER is a proven Mainframe Emulation suite, which integrates seamlessly with IBM Mainframes, thus offering a cost effective Mainframe upgrade path, whilst lowering barriers to further integration of modern front end environments. The legacy artifacts perceive the emulation environment as a remote CICS region virtually connected via APPC/LU6.2
XMA has been successfully deployed as a parallel Mainframe environment, increasing the capacity of the Mainframe, thus achieving a cost effective Mainframe upgrade, as well as offering a MIPs reduction pathway
XMA is available for TCP/IP, SNA, to deliver high-performance, bi-directional interoperability between applications running on legacy CICS and IMS, with XFRAME XCICS and XIMS respectively.
The applications communicate with both the Mainframe database (e.g. DB2) and the target database (e.g. windows SQL) , wherby transaction completion is guaranteed through the use of 2Phase Commit and Rollback.
In a project with Banco Popolare, we have implemented the SNA protocol stack to manage the operations via the Windows Host Integration Server enabling the communication between 11 IBM CICS, and the corresponding XCICS regions. The various XCICS regions are perceived as authentic partner CICS regions internally, thus increasing Mainframe , capacity, without increasing MIPS and indeed offering a readymade environment for downsizing the MIPS' consumption. Again, all elements are interconnected via SNA APPC LU6
CICS uses a set of Inter System Communications (ISC) protocols for distributed transaction execution across multiple CICS regions. XFRAME supports CICS ISC using the XMA adapter and supplies the same basic features;
Dynamic transaction routing, Allowing terminals connected to one CICS regions, to run transactions in remote CICS' regions. It is data-driven or based on load management policies.
Function Shipping: Function shipping enables a transaction executing on a local CICS system to access remote resources (files, temporary storage queues and transient data queues) in other CICS regions. Also transactions in remote CICS regions can be initiated from local CICS regions
Asynchronous processing when a transaction in one CICS region, invokes a transaction in another CICS region, and both are processed independently of each other.
Distributed program linking (DPL) enables a program running on CICS Option to link to a program running on a remote system. This provides an easy way to access DL/I (IMS) and SQL databases and BDAM files on a remote CICS system
Distributed Transaction Processing (DTP which supports transparent, bi-directional application integration and global transaction coordination between mainframe CICS and IMS/TM applications and re-hosted applications on XFRAME.
In the sum, the capacity increased while the MIPS consumption remains static.
Environment offers pathaway for MIPS reduction, hence major saving's potential.
XMA provides bi-directional connections with full buffer mapping and propagate transaction context, including user id for security.
Support for CICS DPL (CICS EXEC Link) and DTP (CICS EXEC verbs for LU6.2/APPC commands) facilities makes XCICS domains appear as another CICS region. This integration is provided over TCP/IP stack, allowing TCP/IP network connections to the mainframe while locally using SNA LU6.2 to connect directly from XFRAME's XCIC's to the Mainframe CICS or IMS TM monitors. Additionally, support for SNA connections allows clients to use XMA without installing any new components on the mainframe.
Currently XCICS and XIMS support the SNAP-IX(tm) products family:
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with any further questions.
By nature of the longevity of Mainframe computers, it is inevitable that third party specialist applications and tools have been implemented. The HTWC solution engineering lab deals ensures that client investment in third party products are preserved if so wished. This is achieved either through a full scale integration in the XFRAME suite, or a “one to one†emulation of the product. In this section, we outline some examples of third party products implemented in the XFRAME environment based upon specific client requirements
ROS-Help for XCICS, emulates the online help and documentation solution for BOS Help CICS applications' solution.
One of the traits of legacy applications is that they are notoriously poorly documented and supported. Indeed, documentation and support is not the favorite activity of any developer, nor is the allocation of development resources to documentation of help files, a particularly good investment.
To solve this issue HTWC adopted BOS-HELP functionality for Mainframe applications, technology created by XPS Software GmbH and distributed by BOS Software Service GmbH of Germany. Â
BOS-help reduces cost and effort for creating, updating and distributing any information related to CICS applications.
HTWC has successfully emulated and deployed its version of the this application, calling it Re-hosted Online System Help – R.O.S Help.
ROS Help
For creating online help functions, no source code is required. ROS-help supports in-house developed and third party application packages - independent of the programming language. ROS help preserves the original documentation and enables writers to enhance this in the target environment.
Similar to BOS Help, - online help functions can be created by stepping through the application and positioning the cursor on the desired field. Pressing the "CREATE" key (e.g. F1) the "create help" editor is activated, so help text can be entered.
The field will be automatically identified by ROS -help. Together with the field identification a reference to the help data (help text name and paragraph name) and the help window layout specifications are saved.
Pressing a function key will activate the BOS-help text editor and allows to enter the help text for the field.
Immediately after returning to the application panel, the created online help is available and can be invoked by pressing the HELP function key.
Benefits
|
Company |
IT |
Operations’ Management |
|
Cost reduction for Creating, distributing and maintaining application documentation |
Ease documentation requirements on key developers |
User productivity and shorter induction times |
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Knowledge management and protection |
No administration effort in developing help and training functions |
Multilingual |
| Â |
Avoid redundancy |
Fast implementation |
| Â | Â |
Hypertext browser facility to obtain related information |
| Â | Â |
Shorter processing times for all business transactions |
Already deployed
In a recent re-hosting project for the Comune di Bologna, one of the pre-requisites was the retention of the B.O.S Help feature. As well a virtual one to one emulation, the following files were converted one to one for availability in the Linux environment;
Users and management perceived no changes to the application and its help function.
Zero compromise on your tcAccess implementation.
As in most environments, the Mainframe needs to communicate with the open world. tcAccess is a proven, powerful integration platform used for the transparent integration of Mainframes with Open System applications using industry standards like SQL, ODBC, JDBC, .NET
HTWC has implemented an interface API in its XFRAME suite to ensure the complete integration of a tcAccess implementation, hence the retention of current functionality and investment.
