Mainframe Training : CICS/TS Web services

CICS/TS Web services

Mainframe Training Overview

IBM has implemented a number of facilities in its CICS product to facilitate the integration of traditional CICS applications to the Internet. This is a process that started with the implementation of CICS/TS 1.3. CICS/TS 3.1 has continued this trend. Today, CICS applications can talk to web browsers as well as web servers. With the introduction of web services and SOAP, they can also talk to UNIX and .NET platforms. All in all, CICS/TS 3.1/3.2 is now an important player in implementing Service Oriented Architecture in your organization.

This course will concentrate on the new facilities implemented in CICS/TS 3.2. We will discuss HTTP 1.1 support, CICS transactions acting as clients in a CICS/WEB scenario, XML, SOAP and Web Services.

Topics

HTTP 1.1 Support

CICS Channels and Containers

Web Service, SOAP and XML

CICS as a Web Service Provider

CICS as a Web Service Requester

Security

Mainframe Training Audience

This course is designed for programmers, designers, system architects and system administrators interested in this subject. Please note that there are 5 exercises which will require a little programming; all exercises will be using COBOL program skeletons.

Mainframe Training Prerequisites

Some knowledge of CICS and COBOL is required. Working knowledge of TSO/ISPF and JCL is required. No knowledge of SOAP or XML or UNIX is necessary, although would be helpful.

Mainframe Training Course duration

Four and one/half days

Mainframe Training Course outline

I. Introduction

Review of the web facilities available in CICS
CICS/WEB API, CICS DOCUMENT API and TCP/IP API
Overview of the various ways one can connect to a CICS system and provide some information on some of the newer facilities available ion CICS/TS 3.1

II. HTTP 1.1 Support

The new date format and the CICS commands that will help you get to these new formats
Chunked and pipelined messages
Virtual hosts,
CICS URIMAP and TCPIPSERVICE definitions
New compliancy rules
New behavior of the CICS Web
Monitor transaction

III. CICS Channels and Containers

CICS/API commands related to implementing CONTAINERS in your CICS programs
GET, PUT and MOVE commands
Information on how to browse through the list of CONTAINER names available within the CHANNEL
Review existing CICS/API commands that can be used to pass CHANNEL to other programs, namely XCTL, LINK, START and RETURN

IV. WEBSERVICE, SOAP and XML

CICS/TS 3.1 introduced WEBSERVICE and SOAP support
Overview of these facilities will be provided
The tools that are available to programmers for dealing with XML messages

V. CICS as a WEBSERVICE provider

Web service assistant DFHLS2WS
Review the parameter to the utility
The rules that the application program must follow in order to have a successful implementation
The concept of PIPELINE

VI. CICS as a WEBSERVICE requester

Web service assistant DFHWS2LS
Review the parameter to the utility,
The rules that the application program must follow in order to have a successful implementation
Review of the CICS commands available to the programmer to invoke a web service

VII. Security

A brief overview of the security available in CICS/TS 3.1
The changes to SSL support
Certificate revocation lists
Behavior changes of the EXEC CICS VERIFY PASSWORD command and the introduction of the support for TLS