DataDirect Web Services and Service Oriented Architectures
The role of the mainframe has dramatically changed with the advent of Web services and Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA). Organizations that rely on mainframe technology now have powerful tools making it relatively simple to integrate the mainframe into a SOA. The difference is DataDirect's unique, patent-pending technology that enables exploitation of IBM's speciality engines, the zIIP and zAAP, both of which are unmeasured, non-speed restricted processing environments. With Shadow, processing intensive SOA workloads can be diverted from the mainframe's General Purpose Processor to the zIIP speciality engine, reducing MSU utilization. Shadow provides customers improved mainframe SOA performance and dramatically reduced mainframe Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Broad Range of Support for Data, Business Logic, and Screens
Shadow z/Services' comprehensive support for mainframe-based Web services can be categorized into four areas:
Shadow BPEL
Shadow BPEL exploits the zAAP specialty engine to provide a high performance, cost effective runtime environment for web services orchestration and process optimization with industry standard BPEL 2.0 support. The Shadow Studio broadens its view into all mainframe resources to include the graphical BPEL Designer and BPEL Manager to support the creation, deployment, and management of BPEL processes on the mainframe.
Click Graphic for a full-sized image
Simplified Web Services Process
Shadow z/Services automatically exposes mainframe application and data as ready-to-use Web services. A simple four or five-step process serves to publish any application or data as a Web service. Create Web services from mainframe data, business logic, or screens:
For Data
- Create a virtual directory (where you want the WS to be hosted)
- Create a target system (i.e. DB2, CICS, IDMS, IMS/DB, Natural)
- Create a relational map of the mainframe file
- Specify the SQL statement
For Business Logic
- Create a virtual directory (where you want the WS to be hosted)
- Create a target system (i.e. DB2, CICS, IDMS, IMS/DB, Natural)
- Specify program name
- Specify where the program is to be executed (target system)
- Specify the name of the copy book that defines the data required by the program
For Screens
- Create a virtual directory (where you want the WS to be hosted)
- Create a target system (i.e. DB2, CICS, IDMS, IMS/DB, Natural)
- Log onto the application/run the application
- Select screens for input and output
- Add alternate navigation for multiple screens
Security Optimization and Management for Web Services
A unique feature of Shadow z/Services is Security Optimization and Management (SOM). SOM provides improved Web services processing through a sophisticated caching mechanism for ACEE credentials. Through integration to the Extended Security Management, z/Services maintains the integrity of the security infrastructure by subscribing to the security database and purging changed credentials. SOM provides improved performance and lower cost by avoiding the redundant re-authentication and re-authorization of each stateless web service invocation on the mainframe.
Support for Multiple Transports
Shadow provides multiple transport options to increase the flexibility of integrating mainframe resources into SOAs or composite application development initiatives, providing support for either HTTP or MQ networks.
Flexible Web Services Deployment Options
Shadow z/Services provides multiple options for deploying mainframe Web services in order to better meet your unique infrastructure requirements. For Shadow z/Services solutions, the runtime options are:
- Shadow BPEL – An industry standard BPEL 2.0 runtime that offers high performance and lower costs through the exploitation of the zAAP specialty engine.
- Shadow – A robust, multi-threaded, native runtime server that deploys within a started task on the mainframe. It provides a real-time foundation architecture for standards-based mainframe integration, supporting Web services/SOA, real-time events, SQL and Web enablement.
- Distributed – A Windows-based, mid-tier solution requiring no installation of software on the mainframe, offering tn3270 or tn5250 API screen access.
- CICS Region - A runtime server that deploys within a CICS region on the mainframe, offering four high-performance options for direct access to mainframe screen and business logic:
- COMMAREA
- OTMA
- 3270 Bridge/Linkable Bridge
- FEPI
Shadow and its Web services component, Shadow z/Services, can accelerate your mainframe SOA initiatives, with new technologies for improved performance and reduced mainframe TCO, providing the ability to re-use mission-critical mainframe resources and spur the development of new applications that drive increased business value.
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