This IBM® Redbooks® publication provides information about the new Java virtual machine (JVM) server technology in IBM CICS® Transaction Server for z/OS® V4.2. We begin by outlining the many advantages of its multi-threaded operation over the pooled JVM function of earlier releases. The Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi) is described and we highlight the benefits OSGi brings to both development and deployment. Details are then provided about how to configure and use the new JVM server environment. Examples are included of the deployment process, which takes a Java application from the workstation Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE) with the IBM CICS Explorer® software development kit (SDK) plug-in, through the various stages up to execution in a stand-alone CICS region and an IBM CICSPlex® environment. The book continues with a comparison between traditional CICS programming, and CICS programming from Java. As a result, the main functional areas of the Java class library for CICS (JCICS) application programming interface (API) are extensively reviewed. Further chapters are provided to demonstrate interaction with structured data such as copybooks, and how to access relational databases by using Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and Structured Query Language for Java (SQLJ). Finally, we devote a chapter to the migration of applications from the pooled JVM model to the new JVM server run time.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication focuses on developing Web service applications in IBM CICS®. It takes the broad view of developing and modernizing CICS applications for XML, Web services, SOAP, and SOA support, and lays out a reference architecture for developing these kinds of applications. We start by discussing Web services in general, then review how CICS implements Web services. We offer an overview of different development approaches: bottom-up, top-down, and meet-in-the-middle. We then look at how you would go about exposing a CICS application as a Web service provider, again looking at the different approaches. The book then steps through the process of creating a CICS Web service requester. We follow this by looking at CICS application aggregation (including 3270 applications) with IBM Rational® Application Developer for IBM System z® and how to implement CICS Web Services using CICS Cloud technology. The first part is concluded with hints and tips to help you when implementing this technology. Part two of this publication provides performance figures for a basic Web service. We investigate some common variables and examine their effects on the performance of CICS as both a requester and provider of Web services.

CICS is an application server that delivers industrial-strength, online transaction management for critical enterprise applications. Proven in the market for over 30 years with many of the world's leading businesses, CICS enables today's customers to modernize and extend their applications to take advantage of the opportunities provided by e-business while maximizing the benefits of their existing investments.Designing and Programming CICS Applications will benefit a diverse audience. It introduces new users of IBM's mainframe (OS/390) to CICS features. It shows experienced users how to integrate existing mainframe systems with newer technologies, including the Web, CORBA, Java, CICS clients, and Visual Basic; as well as how to link MQSeries and CICS.Each part of Designing and Programming CICS Applications addresses the design requirements for specific components and gives a step-by-step approach to developing a simple application. The book reviews the basic concepts of a business application and the way CICS meets these requirements. It then covers a wide range of application development technologies, including VisualAge for Java, WebSphere Studio, and Visual Basic. Users learn not only how to design and write their programs but also how to deploy their applications.Designing and Programming CICS Applications shows how to: Develop and modify existing COBOL applications Become familiar with the CICS Java environment and write a simple Java wrapper for a COBOL application Develop a web front end using servlets, JSP and JavaBeans. Link the web front end to an existing COBOL application using CORBA Write a Visual Basic application to develop a customer GUI Link an existing COBOL application using a CICS Client ECI call Develop a Java application using Swing as an MQSeries Client Use the MQSeries-CICS bridge to access an existing COBOL application Whether for working with thousands of terminals or for a client/server environment with workstations and LANs exploiting modern technology such as graphical interfaces or multimedia, Designing and Programming CICS Applications delivers the power to create, modernize and extend CICS applications.