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DataDirect Web Services and Service Oriented Architectures
View PDFThere is no denying the benefit of Web services and Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) for increasing the effectiveness of mainframe integration. The challenge now is to identify cost-effective strategies that lower mainframe TCO while increasing mainframe interoperability across the enterprise. DataDirect Shadow is engineered to reduce mainframe costs through its unique, patent-pending technology that exploits IBM's zIIP and zAAP specialty engines - both of which are unmeasured, non-speed restricted processing environments. Shadow seamlessly diverts processing intensive SOA workloads, such as Web services involving ADABAS, DB2, CICS, IMS/DB, IMS/TM, IDMS, Natural or VSAM - from the mainframe's General Purpose Processor to the zIIP specialty engine, reducing MSU utilization. With unrivaled product ingenuity on its side, DataDirect Shadow enables enterprise IT organizations to take quick strides towards reaching mission-critical mainframe SOA integration, with dramatically reduced 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 is a component of Shadow z/Services that enables the orchestration of Web services, regardless of where they reside, into business processes. It uses industry standard Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) to facilitate the building of Executable and Abstract processes. It does so in manner that exploits the zAAP specialty engine to provide a high performance, cost effective runtime environment for web services orchestration and process optimization. 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 Server – 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.
- Shadow 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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