Smarter Banking with CICS Transaction Server


Book Description

It goes without saying that 2009 was a year of unprecedented change in global banking. The challenges that financial institutions are facing require them to cut costs but also to regain trust and improve the service that they provide to an increasingly sophisticated and demanding set of customers. In the past, siloed and rigid IT systems often inhibited banks in their attempts to re-engineer their business processes. The IBM® smarter banking initiative highlights how more intelligent software can be used to significantly improve the end-to-end integration of banking processes. In this IBM Redbooks® publication, we aim to show how software technologies, such as SOA, Web 2.0 and event driven architectures, can be used to implement smarter banking solutions. Our focus is on CICS® Transaction Server, which is at the heart of most bank's core banking implementations.




CICS Transaction Server from Start to Finish


Book Description

In this IBM® Redbooks® publication, we discuss CICS®, which stands for Customer Information Control System. It is a general-purpose transaction processing subsystem for the z/OS® operating system. CICS provides services for running an application online where, users submit requests to run applications simultaneously. CICS manages sharing resources, the integrity of data, and prioritizes execution with fast response. CICS authorizes users, allocates resources (real storage and cycles), and passes on database requests by the application to the appropriate database manager, such as DB2®. We review the history of CICS and why it was created. We review the CICS architecture and discuss how to create an application in CICS. CICS provides a secure, transactional environment for applications that are written in several languages. We discuss the CICS-supported languages and each language's advantages in this Redbooks publication. We analyze situations from a system programmer's viewpoint, including how the systems programmer can use CICS facilities and services to customize the system, design CICS for recovery, and manage performance. CICS Data access and where the data is stored, including Temporary storage queues, VSAM RLS, DB2, IMSTM, and many others are also discussed.




Event Processing with CICS


Book Description

This completely refreshed IBM Redbooks® publication provides a detailed introduction to the latest capabilities for business event processing with IBM® CICS® V5. Events make it possible to identify and react to situations as they occur, and an event-driven approach, where changes are detected as they happen, can enable an application or an Enterprise to respond in a much more timely fashion. CICS event processing support was first introduced in CICS TS V4.1, and this IBM Redbooks® publication now covers all the significant enhancements and extensions which have been made since then. CICS Transaction Server for z/OS provides capabilities for capturing application events, which can give insight into the business activities carried out within CICS applications, and system events, which give insight into changes in state within the CICS system. Application events can be generated from existing applications, without requiring any application changes. Simple tooling allows both application and system events to be defined and deployed into CICS without disruption to the system, and the resulting events can be made available to a variety of event consumers. CICS events can amongst other things be used to drive processing within CICS, to populate dashboards that are provided by IBM Business Monitor and to search for patterns in events using IBM Operational Decision Manager. This IBM Redbooks® publication is divided into the following parts: Part 1 introduces event processing. We explain what it is and why you need it, and discuss how CICS makes it easy to both capture and emit events. Part 2 of the book focuses on the details of event processing with CICS. It gives a step-by-step guide to implementing CICS events, along with the environment used in the examples. Part 3 provides some guidance on governance and troubleshooting for CICS events, and describes how to integrate CICS events with IBM Operational Decision Manager and IBM Business Monitor. The Appendices include additional reference information.




CICS and SOA: Architecture and Integration Choices


Book Description

The service-oriented architecture (SOA) style of integration involves breaking an application down into common, repeatable services that can be used by other applications (both internal and external) in an organization, independent of the computing platforms on which the business and its partners rely. In recent years CICS® has added a variety of support for SOA and now provides near seamless connectivity with other IT environments. This IBM® Redbooks® publication helps IT architects to select, plan, and design solutions that integrate CICS applications as service providers and requesters. First, we provide an introduction to CICS service enablement and introduce the architectural choices and technologies on which a CICS SOA solution can be based. We continue with an in-depth analysis of how to meet functional and non-functional requirements in the areas of application interface, security, transactional scope, high availability, and scalability. Finally, we document three integration scenarios to illustrate how these technologies have been used by customers to build robust CICS integration solutions.




Introduction to CICS Dynamic Scripting


Book Description

IBM® CICS® Transaction Server Feature Pack for Dynamic Scripting embeds and integrates technology from WebSphere® sMash into the CICS TS V4.1 run time, helping to reduce the time and cost of CICS application development. The Feature Pack provides a robust, managed environment for a wide range of situational applications allowing PHP and Groovy developers to create reports, dashboards, and widgets, and integrate CICS assets into mash-ups, and much more. The CICS Dynamic Scripting Feature Pack combines the benefits of scripted, Web 2.0 applications with easy and secure access to CICS application and data resources. The Feature Pack includes a PHP 5.2 run time implemented in JavaTM and with Groovy language support, support for native Java code and access to many additional libraries and connectors to enhance the development and user experience of rich Internet applications. Access to CICS resources is achieved by using the JCICS APIs. In this IBM Redbooks® publication, we introduce the Dynamic Scripting Feature Pack, show how to install and customize it, and provide examples for using it.




The Next Generation of Distributed IBM CICS


Book Description

This IBM® Redbooks® publication describes IBM TXSeries® for Multiplatforms, which is the premier IBM distributed transaction processing software for business-critical applications. Before describing distributed transaction processing in general, we introduce the most recent version of TXSeries for Multiplatforms. We focus on the following areas: The technical value of TXSeries for Multiplatforms New features in TXSeries for Multiplatforms Core components of TXSeries Common TXSeries deployment scenarios Deployment, development, and administrative choices Technical considerations It also demonstrates enterprise integration with products, such as relational database management system (RDBMS), IBM WebSphere® MQ, and IBM WebSphere Application Server. In addition, it describes system customization, reviewing several features, such as capacity planning, backup and recovery, and high availability (HA). We describe troubleshooting in TXSeries. We also provide details about migration from version to version for TXSeries. A migration checklist is included. We demonstrate a sample application that we created, called BigBlueBank, its installation, and the server-side and client-side programs. Other topics in this book include application development and system administration considerations. This book describes distributed IBM Customer Information Control System (IBM CICS®) solutions, and how best to develop distributed CICS applications.




A Software Architect's Guide to New Java Workloads in IBM CICS Transaction Server


Book Description

This IBM® Redpaper Redbooks® publication introduces the IBM System z® New Application License Charges (zNALC) pricing structure and provides examples of zNALC workload scenarios. It describes the products that can be run on a zNALC logical partition (LPAR), reasons to consider such an implementation, and covers the following topics: Using the IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty profile to host applications within an IBM CICS® environment and how it interacts with CICS applications and resources Security technologies available to applications that are hosted within a WebSphere Application Server Liberty profile in CICS How to implement modern presentation in CICS with a CICS Liberty Java virtual machine (JVM) server How to share scenarios to develop Liberty JVM applications to gain benefits from IBM CICS Transaction Server for IBM z/OS® Value Unit Edition Considerations when using mobile devices to interact with CICS applications and explains specific CICS technologies for connecting mobile devices by using the z/OS Value Unit Edition How IBM Operational Decision Manager for z/OS runs in the transaction server to provide decision management services for CICS COBOL and PL/I applications Installing the CICS Transaction Server for z/OS (CICS TS) Feature Pack for Modern Batch to enable the IBM WebSphere® batch environment to schedule and manage batch applications in CICS This book also covers what is commonly referred to as plain old Java objects (POJOs). The Java virtual machine (JVM) server is a full-fledged JVM that includes support for Open Service Gateway initiative (OSGi) bundles. It can be used to host open source Java frameworks and does just about anything you want to do with Java on the mainframe. POJO applications can also qualify for deployment using the Value Unit Edition. Read about how to configure and deploy them in this companion Redbooks publication: IBM CICS and the JVM server: Developing and Deploying Java Applications, SG24-8038 Examples of POJOs are terminal-initiated transactions, CICS web support, web services, requests received via IP CICS sockets, and messages coming in via IBM WebSphere MQ messaging software.




IBM CICS Performance Series: FiTeq Authenticator Benchmark


Book Description

FiTeq is an IBM® Business Partner that specializes in fraud prevention technologies for the payments industry. This IBM RedpaperTM publication records the methodologies and results of a performance benchmark using the FiTeq Authenticator, which is a component of FiTeq's family of Secure Transaction Solutions. The FiTeq Authenticator is an IBM CICS® enabled application that was run under CICS Transaction Server for z/OS® V5.1 in this benchmark. The performance benchmark was conducted as a joint venture between IBM and FiTeq in January 2014. In summary, the following FiTeq Authenticator application performance characteristics were demonstrated: A scalable solution: CPU usage scales linearly as the number of transactions per second increases. Cost-effective: Approximately only 500 microseconds of CPU per transaction were used for the single configuration. Efficient: Average response times below 20 milliseconds per transaction were maintained at a transaction rate exceeding 8,000 per second. These benchmark test results confirmed and validated that the FiTeq Authenticator is, in conjunction with the performance, reliability, and scalability provided by IBM z/OS and CICS architectures and associated hardware, fully capable of satisfying the requirements of all top financial institutes. As a by-product of the FiTeq Authenticator performance test, the IBM World-Wide Solutions-Cross ISV Sizing team developed a FiTeq Authenticator Sizing Tool to forecast system requirements based on the transactions per second (TPS) and other system requirements of any future FiTeq client. As a result, the IBM pre-sale team and the FiTeq marketing team will be able to recommend the best fit and most cost-effective IBM software and hardware solution for a particular FiTeq client. Performance is based on measurements and projections using standard IBM benchmarks in a controlled environment. The actual throughput or performance that any user will experience will vary depending upon many factors, including considerations, such as the amount of multiprogramming in the user's job stream, the I/O configuration, the storage configuration, and the workload processed. Therefore, no assurance can be given that an individual user will achieve results similar to those stated here.




A Transformation Approach to Smarter Core Banking


Book Description

The extensive experience brought by IBM to core banking transformation indicates that the most successful transformation approach is a progressive one in which modernization is a process that incorporates flexibility and business acumen, and can adapt as requirements change. Creating a componentized architecture that separates key constructs and their assets from the core transaction engine is a critical factor in achieving a successful transformation. Such a scenario makes the architecture the central concern and allows a bank to benefit from the necessary flexibility and efficiency. After the core architecture is established, the bank can address each requirement and modification on a case-by-case basis by choosing from custom and packaged options. Further, the core transformation method outlined in this IBM® RedguideTM publication allows a bank to make deployment decisions based purely on business benefits by using a progressive program that delivers value at each step of the process, and every step can be tailored to keep pace as needs and requirements change. Finally, this method ensures that the overall transformation process remains in line with evolving business objectives.




IBM CICS Asynchronous API: Concurrent Processing Made Simple


Book Description

This IBM® Redbooks® publication covers the background and implementation of the IBM CICS® asynchronous API, which is a simple, accessible API that is designed to enable CICS application developers to create efficient asynchronous programs in all CICS-supported languages. Using the API, application developers can eliminate the overhead that is involved in coding and managing homegrown asynchronous solutions, instead using a set of CICS-supported API commands to underpin CICS applications, which are more responsive and robust than ever. Initially, the book reviews the history and motivations of asynchronous processing in computing and the benefits involved when calling external services. It then introduces the asynchronous API itself and its commands. It also provides a range of scenarios, including sample code, that cover everything from the basics of making an asynchronous request to updating existing synchronous program calls, with the goal of illustrating how to harness the CICS asynchronous API to solve real business problems. Later chapters take a deeper dive into the capabilities of the asynchronous API for advanced use cases. Beyond application development, CICS provides a complete solution for system programmers to manage and monitor asynchronous business logic. Thus, the final chapters of this book cover enhancements to CICS monitoring, statistics, trace, and dumps. Using supporting CICS tooling, system programmers have greater insight than ever, with improved transaction tracking capabilities and CICS policies to provide maximum control and optimization of asynchronous processing in CICS environments.