 The CICS Transaction Gateway has been production proven over many years to be a high performing, secure, and scalable connectivity method. It is easy to implement, requiring minimal changes to CICS and usually no changes to exiting CICS applications. CICS Transaction Gateway Version 6.0 delivers significant enhancements in four key value areas: - Increased Qualities of Service (QoS) provide more power.
- Improved Systems Management allows more control.
- Better support for Security delivers even more protection.
- Enhanced Ease of Use further reduces complexity.
Increased Qualities of Service
Performance enhancements through optimization of the product and via exploitation of the latest J2EE and Linux standards: - Improved performance of data processing on z/OS provides significant CPU usage savings of up to 40% when null padded COMMAREAS are used.
- Improved performance of data processing of null padded COMMAREAS within the Java client provides throughput improvements across all platforms.
- Improved runtime trace performance of the CICS Transaction Gateway for Multiplatforms provides up to a 15% CPU reduction.
- Support for Transaction and Connection improvements in JCA V1.5 provides improved performance for J2EE applications.
Considerable Availability and Scalability enhancements on the flagship z/OS platform, and in a Linux environment. Introduced is an option to limit the number of EXCI pipes used per thread to one, allowing more threads to be used and also more accurate prediction of the number of pipes required. CICS Transaction Server for z/OS Version 2 will provide an APAR (PQ92943) to increase the maximum number of pipes from 100 to 250 (not a CICS Transaction Gateway enhancement). Improved performance and scalability on the Linux Platform is improved through support for NPTL, a high-performance multi-threading capability.
Improved Systems Management
Improved administration of the connector through a more functional interface that is better aligned with the native operating system. - New Normal (quiesce) Shutdown option allows all units of work to safely complete before shutdown. This is in addition to the existing immediate shutdown function.
CICS Transaction Gateway on z/OS now provides an SDSF command based systems administration interface. Multiple CICS Transaction Gateways on z/OS can be configured to run independently much more easily than with previous versions. Improved command-based systems administration tool provides improved usability for CICS Transaction Gateway on Multiplatforms. A new services function has been introduced that uses standard UNIX or Linux mechanisms to start and stop the gateway. Support for IBM Communications Server for Linux on zSeries, provides an SNA interface to CICS.
Problem Determination and Management has been enhanced through better recording and control of system information. - CICS Transaction Gateway on z/OS now provides the ability to direct all runtime messages to the IBM Job Entry Subsystem (JES).
- CICS Transaction Gateway on Multiplatforms now makes it possible to specify a particular destination for both informational messages and also warning/error messages.
- With the CICS Transaction Gateway on Multiplatforms, the number and size of log files to be retained can now be configured.
Better Security Support
Support for the Industry leading SSL protocol enables fine tuned control of your network security. - There is a new external configuration option for SSL connection to the Gateway that allows the SSL cipher suite to be specified.
- This enables fine tuned control of the algorithms that can be used for encryption of network data sent to the Gateway, and immediate exploitation of new Cipher Suites, as they are supported by Java.
Exploitation of the advanced z/OS security features provides a faster and more comprehensive security solution. - CICS Transaction Gateway for z/OS now provides the ability to store your SSL private keys and certificates within the RACF database.
- CICS Transaction Gateway for z/OS now supports the use of hardware cryptography cards on zSeries using the JSSE SSL implementation.
Enhanced Ease of Use
New, industry standard installation vastly simplifies the process of installing, migrating and applying maintenance. - CICS Transaction Gateway for z/OS now provides installation via SMP/e, vastly simplifying the task of installing, upgrading and applying maintenance.
- CICS Transaction Gateway for Multiplatforms now uses Install Shield Multiplatforms (ISMP), providing a significantly simplified installation and configuration; particularly on UNIX and Linux.
Redesigned and searchable Eclipse-based information center provides a greatly improved interface for online documentation. - A new method of viewing IBM product information, providing an improved interface that can be installed on client workstations, on a dedicated server, or viewed on-line from ibm.com.
- Eclipse based IBM Information Centres introduce advanced search capabilities, including ability to search all installed information centers in one search.
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