Transaction Servers and Tools eNews - January 2006
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CICS Scene – Richard Thomas
What a year! But before I get too enthusiastic about 2005, let me wish you the very best for 2006 - and add the hope that it lives up to 2005.
I can't remember a year in which we had so much new capability to cover. Obviously the major piece of news was the new CICS® Transaction Server V3.1 , followed in October by the CICS Transaction Gateway V6.1, and in November by the CICS Service Flow Feature . I know that I keep banging the drum about SOA, but it's such an important development that we should all feel proud that CICS is right at the leading edge of SOA.
It wasn't just CICS that added a shine to the SOA-readiness of the platform. WebSphere® Application Server for zSeries ® announced V6.0.1 and WebSphere Developer for zSeries announced V6 with important capabilities for wrappering existing applications as services, and composing them graphically into service flows.
The new releases of CICS tools are equally supportive of SOA. CICS Interdependency Analyzer V2.1 helps you gain a better understanding of how CICS components can be aggregated to form services for SOA implementations, while CICS VSAM Transparency 1.2 allows VSAM datasets to be migrated to DB2 so that data can be accessed by Web services in an SOA. CICS Configuration Manager V1.1 helps manage application change more efficiently - critical for faster SOA project implementation - and CICS Performance Analyzer V1.4 reports on CICS Web services performance.
The IT industry and analysts are coming to the view that SOA isn't a matter of if any more, it's a matter of how and when. The flexibility that it brings, and the cost benefits - particularly on the zSeries platform - means that migrating to CICS Transaction Server V3.1 could provide your organization an extra competitive advantage in 2006. We can help with the how - we can run a free seminar on your premises where you'll have the opportunity to talk directly to CICS developers from Hursley, in a day tailored specifically to your needs. Simply ask your IBM account rep to request a CICS On Demand Seminar for you. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you get 2006 off to a great start!
Richard Thomas, Program Director, CICS Marketing
The view from Development - Dibbe Edwards
One of the aspects of CICS that I find most impressive is the loyal community that has grown up around it. You see this sense of community most vividly displayed in the User Groups, so I'm particularly looking forward to joining the SHARE meeting in Seattle, where there are nearly 100 sessions that relate to CICS, with everything from strategic views of CICS and the mainframe to detailed discussions of topics like SSL. And, as well as the formal presentations, you'll be able to see a whole range of showcases, demos and exhibitors to get a complete picture of the CICS scene. I get a real buzz from the enthusiasm of the speakers and the attendees. If you've never been to SHARE before, you should take this opportunity to meet your peers and gain a sense of the incredible vitality that pervades the CICS and mainframe world.
If you're in Europe and you can't make it to Seattle, why not go to the IBM System z9™ and zSeries Technical Conference in Dusseldorf March 20-24? For all things mainframe, this conference, organized by the Guide/SHARE organization in Europe, aims to help you to integrate and manage your mixed IT environment with a simplified, holistic approach.
Events like these are a great way to learn more about CICS and the mainframe. There is no doubt that, for total cost of ownership, the mainframe is the most cost-effective way of processing transactions. Match CICS with the qualities of service the mainframe offers, and you have an unbeatable combination. Come learn more about our latest capabilities and mix with our vibrant CICS community. I'm looking forward to 2006 and hope to see you at one of our many events.
Dibbe Edwards, Director, CICS Development
A new productive interface
Paul Johnson, CICS Systems Management Strategy, Planning and Design.
The latest release of CICS Transaction Server, V3.1, is full of new features that are full of potential. But one of them, the CICSPlex® System Manager Web user interface (WUI), doesn't just have potential - it's ready to deliver significant productivity enhancements as soon as you start it. Read more...
Mainframebusiness.com
Have you visited mainframebusiness.com yet? A great new business portal dedicated to mainframe solutions has started this month. zJournal and Group Intelligence have joined forces to bring customers the ability to access the world of mainframe-related vendors. This will be the first time that all the key players from around the world can be found on one location. You'll find lots of information relevant to CICS, and a single location to find answers to technical problems, search for a system integrator, listen to independent views, and access mainframe vendors around the world.
New CICS white papers, brochure
You'll find three new white papers in the CICS library Web site. Their subjects cover:
- Composing CICS applications into business services to support On Demand Business solutions. This white paper describes how SOA and CICS technologies have converged to create the opportunity to build new business processes - and how you can take advantage of this opportunity. You'll learn how you can apply SOA reuse capabilities to tap into the full potential of your CICS applications.
- Using containers and channels to enhance CICS interprogram data transfer. This paper examines the benefits of new CICS Transaction Server for z/OS®, Version 3.1 interfaces. These interfaces are optimized to exchange rich and varied structured data content among CICS application components. The paper explains when these interfaces can be applied to gain best-possible advantage.
- Delivering quick access to CICS systems using strategic integration options. This white paper shows how the robust CICS systems that you rely on today can easily deliver your business applications to modern SOAs, with first-class support for Web services, the Java™ 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and other access options.
In addition, we've written a new CICS brochure that gives you a complete overview of the capabilities of the full CICS portfolio, including CICS Transaction Gateway and the CICS tools. It's written with an SOA perspective.
Mainframe blog You'll find another type of community that you might not have noticed before at Mainframe , a blog that claims to be a "A collection of opinions from engineers, developers, programmers, users and influencers who share a passion for the past and future of mainframe computing." There's plenty of opinion, and even some Big Iron poetry !
First ever CICS Tools SupportPac now available! The new SupportPac is called CP12: CICS Performance Analyzer for z/OS - Historical Database Reporting, and it explains how to transfer data from CICS Performance Analyzer for z/OS into a DB2™ table or comma-separated value (CSV) file. It then presents example scenarios that show how to use that data to create reports and charts.
You can access the SupportPac by going to the CICS Performance Analyzer Support page on ibm.com/software/htp/cics/panaly/support/ and clicking on the link in the Download section. Or you can simply click here .
Announcing WebSphere Developer for zSeries V6.0.1.
Recently IBM announced and made available WebSphere Developer for zSeries V 6.0.1. It simplifies and strengthens Web services support in Enterprise Developer Tooling, and supports zSeries Developer communities in building composite high performing applications deployed in WebSphere, CICS, and IMS™ transactional environments.
For CICS customers, the upgraded function supports key Web services upgrades to CICS V3.1, including the new Service Flow Runtime and IMS™ V9.
IBM WebSphere Developer for zSeries V6.0.1 includes capabilities that make traditional mainframe development, including development of Services, Web development, Web services development and integrated composite development, faster and more efficient. COBOL and PL/I, Java™ technology, and EGL developer communities can be more productive when they take advantage of these functions.
Hurry - new CICS tools webcast!
It's not to late to register for a new Webcast, "CICS Tools to Enhance Productivity and System Availability for an SOA Implementation", to be held on January 31, 2006, 11:00AM Eastern Standard Time. You can register for the webcast at ibm.com/software/os/zseries/webcast/31jan/
If you're a CICS System Programmer, a CICS Application Developer, or a CICS Operations Manager, you can learn how the IBM CICS tools can help you:
- Improve business availability and flexibility
- Support specific requirements such as CICS version migration, CICS application reuse, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance
- Automate discovery of resource interdependencies and CICS affinities to balance mainframe workloads, manage availability, and reuse applications for SOA
- Manipulate definitions seamlessly across CSD files and CICSPlex System Manager data repositories, helping to reduce user errors and improve productivity and auditability
LIVE webcast: "Mission Critical Event Stream Processing"
This complimentary webcast, to be aired Wednesday, February 1, 2006 (12:00 PM Eastern, 1800 Western Europe), will review IBM WebSphere Message Broker. IBM's advanced Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) offering combined with two new nodes provides mission-critical event stream processing for financial markets. With near-universal connectivity options, sophisticated transformation and routing of in-flight financial transactions, trading houses and their customers can receive details of transactions and trades wherever they are, whenever they need them.
Graham Churchill, IBM's Global Sales Executive for ESB software, will explain how IBM's advanced ESB offering turns your infrastructure into a "real-time" SOA. Read more, and register.
Advance notice: Transaction and Messaging Technical Conference
Mark your calendar for June 12-16, 2006 at Atlanta, GA, for this great event highlighting the CICS and WebSphere® MQ product families. Come hear the latest CICS Transaction Series V3.1 and WebSphere MQ V6 news! Extend the power and accessibility of applications with current information, tips and techniques for managing CICS and the WebSphere MQ family of products. Read more here (delete here and make "more" the link.
Suite of Web-based SOA courses - currently free of charge
This suite of courses is designed to enable IT architects to participate in and evaluate service-oriented architecture (SOA) engagements:
- Introduction to the Value and Governance Model of Service -Oriented Architecture (SW717)
- Design SOA Solutions and Apply Project, Technical, and Operational Governance (SW718)
- Technologies and Standards for Service-Oriented Architecture Project Implementation (SW719)
Find out how. Enroll here.
A message from IBM Training:
For a complete picture of our offerings, visit ibm.com/training/us and begin learning today! Contact us at 1-800-IBM-TEACH (426-8322) and speak with one of our representatives.
