 |
Web Services with VSE
|
Cross platform and cross system process integration is a major goal for today's IT environments. One of the most advanced internet technologies that allow a such integration is the technology called Web Services (SOAP). It allows platform independent programs to communicate and exchange data based on a platform independent data representation.
VSE CICS applications can take advantage of this technology.
|
Overview |
Web Services is one of the most modern Internet technologies for program to program communication. With this technology, the invocation of a remote program can be done platform and program language independent, using the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP). The data interchange is done in a standard, platform independent format with eXtendable Markup Language (XML).
With the implementation in VSE, existing CICS applications can be used as web services. With VSE/ESA 2.7 a SOAP engine was introduced for VSE. The SOAP engine can be used to:
- Invoke CICS Programs as Web Service from a remote system using the SOAP protocol.
- Invoke an external Web Service from within an CICS application using the SOAP protocol.
In addition an XML Parser is available on VSE. It can be used to parse and create XML documents from VSE applications.
|
Benefits |
Web Services is a very modern technology and allows a full integration in heterogeneous environments for CICS applications. It makes use of a standard internet architecture.
Distributed processes can be interconnected independent of their operating system or programming language.
A CICS application can call remote processes and also interact as a service provider for remote systems.
An integration with web processes within a web application server.
|
Software requirements |
The following software requirements must be meet in order to implement this solution:
-
VSE/ESA 2.7 or VSE/ESA 2.6 with PTF UQ81044
-
-
CICS Transaction Server 1.1.1 for VSE
-
A SOAP client or server on the remote platform
|
How to get started |
To get started with Web Services, it is recommended to be familiarized with the concepts like SOAP and XML, and then start with the installation of the VSE Connector Client as infrastructure.
- Install a Java Developer Kit
- Download the VSE Connector Client
- Install VSE Connector Client (using the install scripts provided)
- Use the samples described and commented in the online documentation for Web Services.
|
Additional information |
Additional information for this solution scenario can be found:
|
