The VSE e-business connectors (5686-CF8-35 and 5686-CF8-38) enable you to integrate your VSE system into an e-business world. You can have realtime access to VSE resources (like VSAM, POWER, DL/I, Librarian, ICCF, console) from remote platforms. You can also access remote data (like databases or flat files) from your VSE programs. In addition there are a set of utilities for download, that helps you to manage your VSE system.
To read more about a specific component, click on the area of your interest in the picture, or choose one.
VSE/ESA 2.5 introduced the Java-based connector, which enables the you to write Java applications that access VSE data and functionality.You can have realtime access to VSE resources (like VSAM, POWER, DL/I, Librarian, ICCF, console) from remote platforms.
The Java-based connector is part of the VSE e-business connectors component (5686-CF8-35 and 5686-CF8-38) and consists of two parts:
- the VSE Connector Client (downloadable from this web page), provides the VSE Java Beans class library, online documentation and programming reference (Javadoc), and many samples including Java source code for writing Web applications like applets, servlets, Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs) etc.
- the VSE Connector Server (part of VSE/ESA 2.5 or later releases) is running on VSE and implements native access methods to VSAM, Librarian, VSE/POWER, ICCF(read-only), allowing you to submit jobs, and access the VSE operator console.
The VSE Connector Client provides extensive online documentation about the VSE connectors, 2-tier and 3-tier environments, and writing VSE-based Web applications. See our VSE Navigator application for a ready-to-run tool, which makes use of this class library.
Web services is a technology that allows applications to communicate with each other in a platform- and programming language-independent manner. A Web service is a software interface that describes a collection of operations that can be accessed over the network through standardized XML messaging. It uses protocols based on the XML language to describe an operation to be executed or data to be exchanged with another Web service.
SOAP is a lightweight protocol for exchange of information in a decentralized, distributed environment. It is an XML based protocol that consists of three parts: an envelope that defines a framework for describing what is in a message and how to process it, a set of encoding rules for expressing instances of application-defined datatypes, and a convention for representing remote procedure calls and responses. SOAP can potentially be used in combination with a variety of other protocols; however, the only bindings defined in this document describe how to use SOAP in combination with HTTP and HTTP Extension Framework.
Since VSE/ESA 2.7 there is a SOAP implementation available for CICS TS. It is also available for VSE/ESA 2.6 with APAR PQ78973 / PTF UQ81044. The SOAP implementation is part of the VSE e-business Connectors component (5686-CF8-35 and 5686-CF8-38) and runs within CICS TS. A simple SOAP sample for VSE is part of the VSE Connector Client.
The implementation allows a VSE system to act as a WebService provider (server) and as a WebService requestor (client).
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VSE as a service provider: a CICS TS application can be provided as a WebService that is callable from outside VSE/ESA using the SOAP protocol (the program must be callable with a COMMAREA).
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VSE as a service requestor: any CICS TS application can call a WebService that resides outside of VSE using a EXEC CICS LINK.
Note: The VSE SOAP implementation does not have any VSE specific workstation part. There are a lot of SOAP implementations available for various operating systems and programming languages (see section "Related information").
The SOAP interfaces are defined by the C-header file IESSOAPH.H in PRD1.BASE.
For more information please see the z/VSE V4R2 e-business Connectors User's Guide, SC33-8310
The CICS2WS Toolkit is a development tool that helps you to use WebServices with your existing CICS programs. The tool reads WSDL files and Copybooks and creates proxy code that you use as a layer between your existing programs and the VSE SOAP engine. The proxy code is generated as Assembler program, therefor you do not need a Cobol or PL/I compiler.
It allows a VSE system to act as a WebService provider (server) and as a WebService requestor (client) and can create proxy code for both scenarios.
The VSAM Redirector allows you to redirect all accesses to a certain VSAM file into any other file system or database on any other (Java-enabled) platform.
The VSAM Redirector connector is part of the VSE e-business connectors component (5686-CF8-35 and 5686-CF8-38) and consists of two parts:
- the VSAM Redirector Client (part of VSE/ESA 2.6 or later releases) is an exit program runing on VSE. It is called for each VSAM request and forwards it to the VSAM Redirector Server.
- the VSAM Redirector Server (downloadable fom this web page) is running on a Java enabled platform. If receives the VSAM requests and translates them into SQL queries or requests to flat files.
You redirect access to a VSAM file by setting up the Redirector's config table (see job skeleton SKRDCFG in ICCF library 59), which specifies a list of VSAM files and their new locations.
The VSAM Redirector can be used to migrate a VSAM file to a DB2 database running on a Linux on IBM System z in another LPAR, or running on any other Java enabled platform. By utilizing the VSAM Redirector your existing VSAM programs do not require any revisions.
The VSE Script Server provides access to VSE resources using the Java based connectors, but without writing Java programs. The VSE Script Server is part of the VSE e-business connectors component (5686-CF8-35 and 5686-CF8-38) and is used to execute so called VSE scripts. VSE scripts are written in a simple script language. It provides statements like if, while, for to control the program flow. VSE scripts can use various script commands to access VSE resources.
A VSE Script can be invoked by any kind of programs (especially non Java Programs). The downloadable package contains samples to invoke a VSE script from office applications like Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3. The samples shows how to read a VSAM record and include it into a spread sheet.
The VSE Navigator Function provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for the VSE operating system, which behaves very much like file managers that you know from other platforms, such as Windows (Explorer). The difference is, that it includes host based VSE file systems (VSE Librarian, POWER queues, ICCF, VSAM) and provides host specific functions, such as Generate and submit VSE jobs, Operator Console, List VTOC, Retrace products and PTFs, Display phases in the SVA, Display host CPU activity, and many more.
The VSE Navigator is a client/server Java application that is based on the VSE e-business Connectors, which are delivered as part of VSE/ESA 2.5 and later releases. The VSE Navigator client is implemented using the VSE Java Beans that are part of the VSE e-business Connectors.
The VSAM Maptool allows to create a data map for a given VSAM file. Another way to create a VSAM map is using the VSE Java Beans VSEVsamMap, VSEVsamView, and VSEVsamField, or using the IDCAMS RECMAP command.
The VSAM Maptool allows you to create a map from parsing a given COBOL or PL/I copy book. Additionally, the VSAM Maptool allows you to:
- import (receive) a given map from a given VSE system,
- export a map to a VSE system (send it to VSE),
- import a map from a XML file,
- export a map to a XML file,
- create a Java source file from a given map. The Java program can get all records from the related VSAM file via the given map.
Examples are provided with the VSAM Maptool installation package.
TCP/IP for VSE Configuration utility is a workstation-based tool to help configure TCP/IP for VSE. It is part of the TCP/IP for VSE product (5686-A04). The tool reads an existing IPINIT-member and display the definitions in a set of dialogs. These definitions can be modified or deleted, or new definitions can be added. The definitions can be saved to the same or a new IPINIT member. The tool also creates a TCP/IP startup job, a VTAM B-book if Telnet daemons are defined, and a batch file to upload all files to the host through SNA filetransfer.
The VSEPrint utility allows you to print VSE/POWER list queue entries on any locally or LAN-attached printer. The queue entry can be formatted for proper output by specifying a meta-file, which contains instructions for formatting the file. The print-file can be previewed on the platform where the LAN-printer is attached.
On VSE, the TCP/IP command DEFINE EVENT is used to setup a listener for list queue entries which have a given class. These queue entries are then sent via AUTOFTP to a platform, where the VSEPrint utility runs. The VSEPrint utility then performs all print setup, formatting and optional previewing.
Keyman/VSE is a tool to manage the VSE specific public key infrastructure. It can create RSA key pairs, create and sign certificates, and upload them to a VSE system. It can also read and write PKCS#12 keyring files (PFX). Recent updates include support for Java key stores (JKS) and OpenPGP.
In general, Keyman/VSE can
- create 512, 1024, and 2048-bit RSA key pairs
- create self-signed certificates for testing and learning purposes
- create PKCS#10 certificate requests
- sign certificate requests
- import and export certificates in Base64 text form
- import and export OpenPGP public keys for use with Encryption Facility for z/VSE
- read and write from and to the clipboard
- read and write PKCS#12 keyring files and Java key stores
- maintain multiple VSE systems
- catalog keys and certificates on VSE
- validate a VSE keyring
- show the member list in the VSE keyring library
- show the mappings of VSE client certificates to VSE user IDs
- create VSE client certificates and create/update their mapping to a VSE user ID
In addition to these basic functions, Keyman/VSE provides two "Wizard dialogs" for
- creating a complete self-signed VSE keyring including the server side VSE library members and a client side keyring file, and
- creating a complete VSE keyring with certificates issued by an external Certificate Authority (CA), like Thawte or Verisign
Note: This tool is based on the VSE Connector Client and its current version requires a JRE/JDK 1.5 or higher.
The VSE Health Checker is a Java-based system diagnosis utility to retrieve, display, and analyze performance relevant data from a VSE system. Gathered data can be exported and imported in XML format. A health check is performed by applying a set of rules against a snapshot of retrieved VSE data.
VSE data is retrieved by sending console commands, submitting VSE/POWER jobs, downloading VSE Librarian members, and invoking CICS transactions. There is no dependency to any vendor tools. The output is transferred to the workstation, parsed, and displayed in the GUI for further analysis. The VSE data is retrieved using the VSE System class library, that is also available separately.
The Health Checker does not change any system parameters on VSE. All actions only read data from VSE. Although the whole process of getting data from VSE can take up to several minutes, this is just elapsed time. CPU overhead is minimal.
Note: This tool is based on the VSE Connector Client and requires a JRE/JDK 1.4 or higher.
The VSE System class library provides a Java API to access general VSE system parameters. Data is retrieved from a VSE system on the basis of the VSE Connector Client by executing console commands, invoking CICS transactions, submitting VSE/POWER jobs, or downloading VSE library members. The API includes access to data from VSE components, like CICS, POWER, VTAM, or TCP/IP, but also output from basic commands like SIR, GETVIS, MAP, PRTY, and others.
Note: This class library is based on the VSE Connector Client and requires a JRE/JDK 1.4 or higher.
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