Integrating Web services into your IMS applications has always been a challenge. Several technical challenges must be addressed. Discover how VIRTEL and OMTA play nicely together, address these challenges and allow customers to focus on business. Virtel, a mainframe modernization middleware enables IBM IMS applications to interact more easily with the web. It allows any IMS application to call a remote Web service through a simple ICAL call (IMS standard). The web service call is seen as a simple function call, the data is manipulated in the original language of the IMS application (COBOL, ...), format conversion and management of the protocol is performed by Virtel. All necessary information is generated by Virtel Studio from the Web service description which allows rapid implementation and maintenance.

1. © 2012
Instant access to
Web Services into
IMS applications
1

2. © 2012
Agenda
Agenda
• Virtel presentation
• Virtel IMS Extender concepts
• Demonstration
• Questions and answers
2

3. © 2012
SysperTec Communication
Overview
 Over 20 years in business
 Over 500 Virtel and Synapse licenses
 Simple communication solutions for
heterogeneous computing environments
3
 Strong financials
 Highly profitable
 Significant recurring revenue
stream
 Worldwide distribution
 Paris France HQ
 U.S. branch offices
 International distribution network

4. © 2012
VIRTEL Introduction
What is VIRTEL?
4

5. © 2012
Virtel Web Suite
5
ONE AGILE MIDDLEWARE  MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS
Virtel Web Access – Thin-Client 3270 TE
 Serve 3270 application screens to thin-client web browsers
Virtel Web Modernization – Web Portals (GUI/WUI)
 Serve 3270 screens as user-friendly web pages that provide a
genuine web experience
Virtel Web Integration – App-to-App Connector
 Create interactive bidirectional application-to-application
connections over the Internet:
 Web services: SOAP, RESTful, XML, JSON, MQ …
 Replace SNA (3745, HIS …) with IP connections

6. © 2012
SysperTec References
6

7. © 2012
Virtel PureWeb™ Technology
Solutions Architecture
User
Interface
Transactions
Data
VSE or z/OS Platform
@
WEB
CLIENTS
WEB APPLICATIONS
SERVERS (WAS, etc..)
VIRTEL
=
VTAM
Interface
+
HTTP/S
Server
+
SMTP
Server
XML, HTML,
WEB SERVICES
THIN-CLIENTS:standardJavaScript capable
browsers(no applets) on PC, Mac, mobiles, etc.
HTML, XML,
WEB SERVICES…
HTTP or
HTTP/S
SMTP
HTTP or
HTTP/S
EMAIL, SMS…
Web Access
Web Integration
Web Modernization

8. © 2012
One Technology  Multiple Web-Enablement Solutions
8

9. © 2012
VIRTEL Technology
How does VIRTEL work?
9

10. © 2012
VIRTEL Product Architecture

11. © 2012
VIRTEL Solutions Architecture
11

12. © 2012
Legacy TN3270 Architecture
3270 emulation uses
either a thick-client
architecture or one
based on middle-tier
servers
12

13. © 2012
Virtel PureWeb™ Technology
Key Features and Benefits (1/2)
+ 100% host-based installation and support
+ Thin-client: nothing to install or support on clients
+ Two-tier: no middleware or intermediate servers
+ Requires no modification of application code or TS,
and can coexist with any other connector
☺Very simple installation-deployment-support
☺Universal compatibility: Windows 7, 64-bits, Linux,
Unix, Mac, Smartphones, PDAs, tablets, etc
☺Low risk: no impact on host applications and TS

14. © 2012
Safer than TN3270
 IP security:
 PROXY, SSL, SSO, VPN, etc
 Uses AT-TLS protocol for HTTPS (SSL encryption)
 Mainframe security:
 Standard TCP/IP port: no need to open special port in host’s
firewall as with TN3270
 Reuses RACF-TSS-ACF2 application access control rules to
control web access to mainframe
 Client security:
 No data stored on client  no exposure if client lost/stolen
14

15. © 2012
Welcome Menu Works as Simple Session Manager
15
Virtel welcome menu + browser multi-window capability =
simple session manager alternative

16. © 2012
VIRTEL Functionalities
What can VIRTEL do?
16

17. © 2012 17
3270 application codes
3270 screen appearance and ergonomics
in a web browser

18. © 2012 18
VIRTEL Web Modernization – Highlights
 Web portals (GUI/WUI) for 3270
apps:
 Reduce data entry errors
 Reduce training for new/temp staff
 Self-service by clients and BPs
 Integrate host apps to existing
WUI/GUI
 Reach consumer/mobile devices
 Replace IBM-HATS, screen-scrappers …
 No application change
 Fast and agile development
create GUI from 3270 screens
different concurrent layouts

19. © 2012
Web Modernization - Web 2.0 Presentation
Picture and logo insertion
Navigation tabs
Drop-down lists with
plain English values
Context sensitive drop-
down list
Collapsible/Expandable section
19

20. © 2012
Web Modernization - Web 2.0 Presentation
Graphical calendar
Calculated information
No reloading of static page components
Option buttons
Push buttons

21. © 2012 21
VIRTEL Web Integration – Highlights
 Interactive bidirectional app-to-
app connections:
 New (or replacement) web services
 Application interoperability
 Outdated connectors: SNA/3745 …
 Cloud integration
 Single European Payment Area
 No application change
 Fast and agile development
 Great for “hard stuff”
integrate mainframe and web apps

22. © 2012
Virtel IMS Extender
Easy integration of Web Services
from IMS applications

23. © 2012
A composite IS
 Modern IS are heterogeneous
 Mainframe
 Unix/Linux
 Windows
 Cloud
 Applications need to communicate
 Mainframe applications are critical
 Applications need a common language (protocol, format)

24. © 2012
The mainframe legacy
 Mainframe applications
 Are evolving (time to market, regulation,…)
 Are not monolithic
 Need to integrate external data sources, applications,
services
 Integrating external services
 Dealing with XML content is hard
 Dealing with protocol (HTTP,…) is also hard

25. © 2012
Calling outside
 Monitor based applications
 Impose constraints
 Outgoing TCP calls may block the monitor
 Solution must respect the architecture
 Solutions
 IMS has implemented ICAL API
 Virtel is a good IMS citizen
 Virtel IMS connector implements RESUME/TPIPE through IMSConnect
 Virtel services may be called from any IMS application through ICAL
 Synchronous call from application point of view
 IMS internal queue is used for exchanging messages

26. © 2012
Virtel IMS integration
 Virtel issues RESUME/TPIPE using IMS Connect
 Application send an input message to Virtel using ICALL
 The input message is processed by a Virtel scenario which
respond an output message
 Output message is returned transparently to the IMS
application

27. © 2012
Virtel IMS integration
Linux
Windows
Cloud
Virtel
STC
IMS
1
2
3
4
5
1: Virtel issues RESUME/TPIPE
2: Msg received from IMS app
3: SOAP request sent
4: SOAP response received
5: Msg sent to IMS app

28. © 2012
Use case: external web service
 From the IMS point of view
 XML payload converted to COBOL copybooks
 Virtel scenario performing the conversion
 Calling the service:
 Filling a COPY-BOOK (routing information + user data)
 Performing an ICALL call returning the output copybook
 All artifacts are generated by Virtel Studio
 Scenario
 Input and output copybooks

29. © 2012
Virtel Studio
 Virtel Studio is used for
 Managing XML to COBOL mapping:
 Strings needs to be sized (a default one is provided) -> PIC X
 Arrays needs to be sized (a default one is provided) -> OCCURS
 Once mapping has been tuned, Virtel Studio will:
 Generates the scenario and input and output copybooks
 From Virtel Studio, upload the generated scenario to Virtel and
copy the generated copybooks to the IMS development
environment and modify the IMS application

30. © 2012
Virtel Studio interface

31. © 2012
Generated copybook (input)
01 CsearchINPUT.
02 VIRT-VERSION PIC X(4) VALUE "/V1/".
02 VIRT-TRANSACTION PIC X(8).
02 VIRT-USERDATA PIC X(32).
02 VIRT-CHECKSUM PIC X(16)
VALUE X"2EC8587FCEC5F0CC3E94F8D49B245441".
02 PREFIX PIC X(32).

32. © 2012
Generated copybook (output)
01 CsearchOUTPUT.
02 VIRT-VERSION PIC X(4) VALUE "/V1/".
02 VIRT-CODE PIC 9(8).
02 VIRT-ERR-MSG PIC X(128).
02 VIRT-APPLID PIC X(8).
02 VIRT-SCENARIO PIC X(8).
02 VIRT-SITE PIC X(32).
02 VIRT-SERVICE-NAME-URIPIC X(64).
02 VIRT-SERVICE-NAME-LOCALPIC X(64).
02 VIRT-OPERATION PICX(64).
02 VIRT-FAULT PIC 9.
02 VIRT-USERDATA PIC X(32).
* if VIRT-FAULT=1
02 VIRT-FAULT-DATA.
03 VIRT-FAULT-CODEPIC X(32).
03 VIRT-FAULT-STRINGPIC X(32).
03 VIRT-FAULT-ACTORPIC X(32).
03 VIRT-FAULT-TYPEPIC X(32).
03 VIRT-FAULT-DETAILPIC X.
* if VIRT-FAULT=0
02 RESPONSEREDEFINESVIRT-FAULT-DATA.
03 RETURN-RENAMED OCCURS10.
04 RETURN-CITYPIC X(32).
04 RETURN-COUNTRYPIC X(32).
04 RETURN-NAMEPIC X(32).
04 RETURN-PRICEPIC X(32).

33. © 2012
Demo: tuning input
33

34. © 2012
Demo: input visualisation
34

35. © 2012
Demo: tuning output
35

36. © 2012
Demo: output visualisation
36

37. © 2012
Demo: generated COBOL
37

38. © 2012
Demo: test IMS transaction
38