CICS Web Exploitation Resources
By
Don
Fowler, MCE Inc. 2006
CICS Transaction Server V3.1 and CICS Transaction Gateway V6.0 delivered enhanced application integration
capabilities and improved performance for clients seeking to build flexible and responsive SOAs while reusing
core assets.
There is also a growing suite of application development and operations management tools from
IBM — including WebSphere Developer for z/OS V6 (WDz) to help build and maintain these new composite assets*
on System z9 and zSeries platforms.
WebSphere Developer for zSeries (WDz) provides the support for J2EE, traditional and mixed workload
development. This Eclipse-based IDE enables developers to visually design application processing, generate
the underlying framework, connectors, and Web service artifacts; and code services in Java, COBOL, PL/I
languages for deployment to both WebSphere and CICS and IMS environments. When integrated with
WebSphere Host Access Transformation solutions, WebSphere Developer for zSeries can quickly integrate
with existing CICS and IMS screen driven processing, then support broad and robust architectural deliveries
through architected SOA's delivered through Web Services and JCA processing through the CICS
Transaction Gateway and IMS connect environments.
CICS Transaction Server V3.1 provides capabilities to enable CICS-based applications to be
integrated with a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), enabling them to be exposed as Web
Services. CICS has the ability to act as a Web Services service provider and service requestor
which means it can be seen as a full participant in the B2B world.
By allowing CICS applications to be “wrapped” in this way and exposed as services, it easily
enables new interoperability between these applications. This provides services to enable virtual
enterprises to link heterogeneous systems as required. Examples include mergers, where the
resulting enterprise needs to integrate disparate IT systems and business processes, or the
combination of the travel industry and pervasive computing, when a travel application can be
exposed as a service and made available for use by various devices in a service-oriented
environment.
Web Services provide standards-based interfaces to software functionality. Each Web Service
describes how other systems, known as Web Service consumers, can connect to it and exchange
information with it. Therefore, the consumers need have no knowledge beforehand about a
Service, other than where to find it and that it is based on the common Web Services standards.
This approach enables software developers to focus on the business issues not the architecture.
To ensure it is relatively simple to transform an existing CICS application into a Web Service,
there is an application development capability supplied called CICS Web Services Assistant.
This support is provided for COBOL, C/C++ and PL/I thus ensuring traditional program
languages are able to participate and deliver immediate value to your existing application set.
Given the existing investment customers have made in CICS business transactions, this ability to
easily leverage them in new business processes is of huge value to the customer.
These capabilities should be seen as a major advance over the SOAP for CICS feature delivered
on CICS TS V2. With the provision of workload distribution and resource management facilities
for this new workload, it ensures it receives the qualities of service expected for a CICS function.
To help with best practice, a new sample application is provided which illustrates how to code
and implement a Web Service application. This ensures a customer business can receive
immediate value from this ability.
WebSphere MQ V6.0 is now able to transport SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) requests over its
reliable messaging helping integrate new and existing applications as Web services. For example, a Java Web
service could be integrated with a .NET Web service, or a CICS Web service, using transactional, time-
independent transport services provided by WebSphere MQ. Previously this feature had been available as
a SupportPac.
*
Composite deliveries are centered on the concept of Service-Oriented
Architectures and the value of reuse vs. rewrite. In an SOA driven
delivery, the application
consists of 3 basic architectural slices. The Session or View management
consists of interfaces including Web
Services, portals, and Web or
HTML, and finally the management of user or transaction interaction or state.
The Flow or controller
groups processes together,
and the Model provides back end atomic reusable business processes.
On System z9 and zSeries
platforms, support for SOA based deliveries is available. For high QOS and
integrating with existing applications,
SOAP for CICS, CICS V3 Web
Services support, and SOAP for IMS, with Enterprise COBOL and Enterprise PL/I
are service deployment options.
Where can one find working examples and tested scenarios of CICS Web exploitation? Where can one
discuss usage and problem issues with Web exploitation?
You might use the existing CICS-L discussion board. The CICS-L board is a user-to-user board containing a potpourri of questions, samples, and general discussions about all aspects of CICS. The board covers installation, migration, usage, performance, and problem determination threads.
You might use one of the CICS Newsgroups. The newsgroups contain a wide range of application and “how to” type questions (with some answered).
What if a discussion board existed where you will be guaranteed an answer? The answer may take three weeks to acquire, but a board query will definitely be answered.
What if prior research was done for you and published scenarios and real world usage examples were made available to you? This saves you the time and trouble of formulating web searches and trying to find the information yourself. What if this service provided the reader with links to web pages containing this research?
What if this service was no charge to the subscribers?
We are pleased to announce the availability of the CICS WEB Exploitation Board, an open discussion forum for “how to”, “What if”, and “Where Is” queries related specific to CICS exploitation of the WEB, via Web Services or Web Support. SOA implementations will be covered in this board.
The following Business Partners’ web sites provide access to this board. These z/series software partners are now affiliated with Vicom Infinity, a remarketer of IBM hardware, IBM software, IBM warranties, and IBM services.
Web sites:
· www.leafe.us (Leafe & Associates)
· www.lbsoftware.biz (LB Software Consultants)
· www.mardon-y2k.com/speredelozzi_soft_index.htm (Speredelozzi Software)
· www.mardon.us (MCE Inc. Not affiliated with VICOM Infinity)
We want this Discussion Board to be as much user-to-user as possible. If we notice a specific query going unanswered,
MCE Subject Matter Experts will construct a response. We hope all queries to the board will stimulate response from
those “bleeding edge” professionals around the world who have “been there, done that”.
This message board
is provided by MCE Inc to allow CICS professionals to share the best practices
of CICS WEB exploitation. You may describe a unique and creative implementation
or pose a question about how to exploit CICS functions and features to resolve
a business problem.
We look forward to the many CICSers who have gone out on their own and form their own consulting firms to actively participate in this form.
We have minimum board restrictions. No profanity, no direct sales advertising, no personal attacks, and NO SPAM. This board is for you z/Series technical professionals just trying to get your jobs done. So keep it professional in content.
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