Transaction Servers and Tools eNews - October 2005
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CICS Scene - Richard Thomas
Last month, we talked about service-oriented architecture (SOA), a real practical proposition for businesses that want to build flexible new processes, while minimizing the costs of developing new code. Since those announcements, IBM has focused on the zSeries® platform, showing how you can build and deploy new composite applications from new and existing programs - like your CICS® applications!
One of the key attributes of a SOA is the ability to reuse existing program assets - so the process starts with discovering which program assets you can reuse in new applications. IBM® WebSphere® Studio Asset Analyzer helps you discover these hidden assets. And once you understand what business operations you already have coded and available, you can use WebSphere Business Modeller to create end-to-end process models, building on assets discovered by the Asset Analyzer, or CICS Interdependency Analyzer, which shines a bright light on CICS applications.
After the modeling phase, the next stage is to create services from your discovered program assets, and assemble them into deployable composite applications. In CICS environments, IBM WebSphere Developer for zSeries V6 (WDz) simplifies wrapping your CICS transactions as Web services and you can model and reuse core assets from CICS systems with Service Flow Modeller , part of WDz. WebSphere Integration Developer V6 is a new tool for rapid assembly of Web services - it allows you to construct processes based on Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). It's highly productive, and offers features for integrated development, and testing of the models. Then, when you're happy with your composite application model, you can deploy it to the WebSphere Process Server in the next stage.
WebSphere Process Server V6 is the runtime engine that controls the execution of all the Web services created and drawn together in the assembly steps. It deploys the composite applications, and controls the execution of the process in a very flexible way. For instance, you could replace a human task with a business rule without changing anything else in the entire solution. This is an extremely powerful capability that fully delivers on the promise of SOA for delivering greater flexibility and responsiveness to your business.
Finally, WebSphere Business Monitor V6 measures the actual performance time of every process step, providing you with accurate and dynamic information about how to improve the process. But the real power of the Business Monitor is the ability to take your real time data and load it back into the Business Modeler for analysis. In this way, you complete a virtuous circle, a beneficial loop of continual improvement based on reuse of existing, trusted CICS assets.
But you don't need these tools simply to explore the huge potential. You've got the applications, CICS has the SOA capability. What's stopping you?
Richard Thomas, Program Director, CICS Marketing
The view from Development - Dibbe Edwards
October has been another significant month for CICS. We've announced a new release of CICS Transaction Gateway, plus two new tool versions, and a common theme has been usability allied with productivity.
You can read more about these new products in the sections below but, briefly, CICS VSAM Recovery for z/OS® V4.1 is a new version that allows you to automate the process of recovering a data set, while backup management lets you start a backup by way of the panel interface. Session Manager for z/OS V1.3 is a VTAM or TCP/IP session manager, giving more secure and user-friendly access to multiple z/OS systems from a single 3270 terminal. This new version provides a broad range of functional enhancements to the product, focusing on improvements to usability.
We take usability very seriously in CICS. Product usability specialists work closely with the development teams to apply a user-centered perspective to product development and design for usability, right from the start. Crucial to the process is an understanding of you - the users of our development efforts - and your needs. In the article below, Emma Boakes from the Hursley User Experience Laboratory describes the work they do, and how they collect the ideas to be weighed for the next CICS release. Please consider taking part - not only will your voice be heard, but you'll have unique access to the developers and experts here in Hursley. Emma tells you how to contact us -we're waiting to hear from you!
Dibbe Edwards, Director, CICS Development
Shaping the future of CICS
Emma Boakes , User Centered Design Practitioner
Never before in its 35 years has CICS been used in such a variety of environments, by people with such a wide variety of skills and responsibilities. If IBM is to ensure that the CICS of the future is a useful and usable product, it's essential that these varied customers and end users are the driving force behind future CICS development. Read more ?..
Making SOA a reality
You've heard a lot about service oriented architecture (SOA) recently, not least in this newsletter. If you're still wondering what all the fuss is about, it's because SOA actually has the potential to make real the concept of reuse. And that translates to savings in hard cash.
Many of the ideas behind SOA have been around for years, so what's changed? It's simply that the standards, best practices and governance models have finally matured to the point where it can all come together and work effectively and straightforwardly. And to prove it, you can learn how five projects paid for themselves in just six months using a SOA approach. While all five projects are interesting, the fifth relates specifically to CICS systems.
Announcing CICS Transaction Gateway V6.1
IBM CICS Transaction Gateway for z/OS (CICS TG) is a connector that is production-proven over many years to be a high-performing, secure, scalable and tightly-integrated method of on demand access to CICS. Its benefits include ease of installation and flexible configuration that requires minimal changes to existing CICS applications, making it an essential part of a service-oriented architecture.
CICS TG V6.1 now provides global transactional integrity through support for the XA transaction standard. This delivers full, two-phase commit transactional support from WebSphere Application Server on distributed platforms to CICS TS on z/OS. In addition, CICS TG now provides four key enhancements to TCP/IP reliability, availability and serviceability (RAS).
IBM Redbooks excerpt: "Threadsafe Considerations for CICS"
There are many good reasons to adapt your CICS applications to threadsafe standards - reduced CPU, increased performance, lower cost of operation and easier migration to future versions of CICS. To reap all of those benefits, you should adapt your applications carefully and completely, and this IBM Redbook excerpt shows you how. These best practices and recommendations were written by a team of nine IBM specialists from around the world working at the International Technical Support Organization in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Technical podcasts on SOA
Sometimes it can be tough to keep up to date with the latest trends. But now you can join other busy developers and keep abreast of the latest technology by taking advantage of the WebSphere Technical Podcast series on developerWorks™. Focused on driving skills and adoption of SOA, the podcast series, running from October through December, will broadcast interviews with IBM technical experts. Become a regular listener to discussions on how to extend and enhance existing software applications and technology infrastructure to maximize the value of your future investments. Business flexibility requires a flexible IT; what better way to keep your skills up than through this flexible new medium!
Subscribe to CCR2 - a publication for the zSeries community
CCR2, a publication for the IBM Tivoli and zSeries systems management community, is the authoritative monthly e-newsletter for end-to-end zSeries infrastructure management.
CCR2 provides fresh and high-value content from leading zSeries IT professionals and experts that will help you in the day-to-day management of your zSeries applications and environments. You can read the latest of issue of CCR2. You'll find a subscription link on the same page.
Announcing CICS VSAM Recovery for z/OS V4.1
CICS VSAM Recovery (CICS VR) is a CICS tool that lets you automate the recovery of damaged or lost VSAM data sets (caused by catastrophic hardware failure, software failure, or human error), whether you are using them in a CICS, batch, or combined environment. This month we've announced CICS VSAM Recovery for z/OS V4.1 , a new version that focuses on automation and backup management. Automation allows you to automate the process of recovering a data set following a backout failure in CICS, while backup management lets you start a backup by way of the panel interface.
Announcing Session Manager for z/OS V1.3
Session Manager for z/OS is a VTAM or TCP/IP session manager, giving secure and user-friendly access to multiple z/OS systems from a single 3270 terminal. It gives you a single secure sign on, and then allows you access to all your applications from multiple concurrent virtual sessions, with a wide range of tools and facilities. Session Manager delivers greater user productivity, enhanced system usage, increased security, reduced costs, and improved communication. Session Manager for z/OS V1.3 provides a broad range of functional enhancements to the product, focusing on improvements to usability.
zSeries COBOL Application Development and CICS Technical Update
This seminar will keep you up to date on zSeries Application Programmer Tools, CICS TS V3.1 and the CICS tools to improve integration, openness, cost-effectiveness. The latest enhancements to CICS Transaction Server greatly expand the value that CICS can offer in the on demand world, so today's CICS TS is ready to play an integral role in SOA and can act as both a provider and a requestor of Web services.
Attend one of these free seminars and find out how you can improve your productivity with IBM application and problem determination tools and extract even more value from your investment in CICS, while improving the flexibility and responsiveness of your business. (Various locations throughout the US though October and November.)
2005 WebSphere Technical Exchange: October 31 - November 4, 2005: Miami Beach, Florida
Check out the details about this key WebSphere software event along with information about the sessions that will be held throughout the 4.5 days. Select from 150 information-packed, up-to-the-minute elective sessions across tracks for all skills levels. Take a look at the abstracts to discover the range of educational value you will receive by participating in this unique technical event with the largest assembly of WebSphere experts.
Build your CICS system programmer skills
The primary CICS system programmer courses have now been updated to CICS Transaction Server for z/OS® V3.1. If you are a new system programmer, you should consider attending the following two courses to build a solid base of CICS system programmer skills: (CI011) CICS Fundamentals, three days and (CI200) CICS Transaction Server for z/OS Basic Tailoring, 4.5 days. However, if you are an experienced CICS TS for z/OS V1 or V2 system programmer needing to update your skills for CICS TS for z/OS V3.1, you should consider attending, (CI981) CICS Transaction Server for z/OS Transition from V2 to V3.1, 3 days. Take a look at the training path to see which classes are right for you.
CICS education from IBM
Come to IBM to get all the latest information about the CICS product family. With courses covering application programming, basic and advanced system programming, CICS migration, CICS VSE/ESA and more you are certain to find training to meet your needs. They are delivered in the classroom, some via e-learning and can also be customized to meet your needs. To get a window into all of our great skill building and certification opportunities, visit our CICS curriculum catalog view.
Application Development Technologies training from IBM
IBM's e-business and Application Development technical training offerings deliver the range of skills that application developers need to build e-business applications. The foundation curriculum delivers skills in base technologies, software development processes and supporting tools that the different roles in application development projects require in order to execute their tasks effectively. A more advanced curriculum covers e-business application development infrastructure, featuring the IBM WebSphere family of products. Get a window into some great skill building and certification opportunities by visiting our Application Development Technologies catalog view.
