GT Software BLOG

Over the past several years, I’ve had the opportunity to see what a lot of different organizations are doing to create mainframe web services.     Something that just baffles my mind is how many people are creating web services by hand coding them…..and think that it’s the only way.

You must be kidding me?   I didn’t think people actually wrote code for anything anymore.  Heck, even COBOL, that “ancient” language has tooling to generate the code for you.  So why are you still coding your mainframe services?

Deep breathe, stop ranting.  Good.  Let’s get back to web services, one of the more recent things to come to the IT world.   Certainly, there would have to be a slick interface for creating these web services.   There must be a better way.  NEWS FLASH — THERE IS!   If you want to create simple or complex SOAP, REST or JSON services without writing any code, you must explore Ivory Service Architect from GT Software.   Web services of any level of granularity, done.  Our customers have quit coding and so should you.

I can’t think of anything an organization has that is more important than their data.     We spend so much time and effort making sure it is up to date, clean, and secure.  But data isn’t information if it is impossible to get to.   I can’t even begin to tell you how many folks I’ve talked to that are frustrated by not being able to get at mainframe data in a timely or cost effective manner.   Sure, we have data warehouses, data marts, extract files and a myriad of other custom solutions.   Imagine having to ask a developer to write a COBOL program to grab some data from a VSAM file, write it to a flat file, FTP to somewhere else, load it into another database……then it’s ready to use.   WOW!  How long did that take?  How much did that cost?  Is the data even relevant anymore?  Was it worth it?

It doesn’t need to be that hard!  Imagine your Excel spreadsheet, Crystal Report, web app, or other application pulling datafrom any mainframe database in real time.   Imagine the data being minutes old, not hours or days.  Imagine being able to get the information yourself and not rely on others.

We know where your data is, we know how to get to it, and we certainly know how you can get to it too!..    Click here to learn how you can make mainframe data access quick, timely, and cost effective.

Theme: Deliver Mission Critical Business Services through IT

You are the lead supporter and keeper of your organization’s mainframe and ultimately, the “mainframe culture.” Stay skilled and competitive in this critical role by networking, training and learning at SHARE.  

• Live demos
• Free tote bag for all your stuff!
• $50 iTunes gift card raffle

If we see you walking around with our tote bag, we’ll give you a gift card!

Being called a champion is a great accomplishment. But when you can say you’re the two-time or back to back champion, it sets you apart from your peers. Congratulations goes out to our own Dusty Rivers for being name IBM Champion for the second year in a row by IBM for his innovative leadership within the data management community. An IBM Champion is an IT professional, developer or educator who leads and mentors those in the IBM technical community and helps them make the best use of IBM solutions and services.

“On behalf of IBM, it is with great pleasure that we recognize Dusty as a 2011 IBM Champion,” said Beth Flood, IBM Champion Program Manager. “Thank you for your leadership and contributions to the data management community. You continue to be among a very small group to be chosen for this recognition.”

Rivers, a Principal Technical Architect for GT Software, has an extensive 33-year background in global mainframe systems integration…

Read the full press release here.

JavaScript Web Designers Can Now Easily Integrate with the Mainframe Using Ivory Service Architect

ATLANTA, June 20, 2011 – GT Software, a global provider of mainframe integration and data access solutions, today announced that its flagship product, Ivory Service Architect, now supports JSON as an option for web service processing.  

“This latest enhancement makes Ivory Service Architect easier for developers to use, and opens the door for JavaScript web designers to access the IBM mainframe — enabling more people than ever before to leverage mainframe applications and data,” said Wes Young, Senior Vice President of Sales for GT Software.

“This reinforces Ivory Service Architect’s position as the most cost-effective, flexible mainframe integration tool on the market today.”

Read the full press release here.

The film features one hundred people, who each present the IBM achievement recorded in the year they were born. The film chronology flows from the oldest person to the youngest, offering a whirlwind history of the company and culminating with its prospects for the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39jtNUGgmd4&feature=share

If you have ever doubted the impact of the mainframe on our daily lives, you need to take 30 minutes and watch this video.    So many people take for granted using a credit card, making a phone call or other mundane tasks.   Systems created 30, 40, or more years ago make this happen.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrhDaAmn5Uw

If you’re using or considering IMS SOAP Gateway or CICS Web Service Assistant, you need to understand the limitations of these free tools. Learn about the hidden costs, complications and inefficiencies that come with “free” by attending our live webcast.

Live Webcast: The real cost of bundled mainframe integration tools

Date: July 27, 2011

Time: 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT

Presenters: Rob Morris and Don Spoerke, GT Software
Register now

The free tools only work in limited, rigid scenarios that don’t exist in most environments. For instance, free tools don’t support Occurs Depending On or REDEFINES, can’t leverage XML schemas, require that your copybooks must match perfectly with your WSDL requirements, and assume all web services workload will run on your mainframe.

If the exact qualifications for using free tools don’t exist in your organization, you will spend time and money to write new code, to maintain the new service, to purchase additional software, and for increased MIPS. Plus, it could take months instead of days or weeks.

GT Software’s Rob Morris and Don Spoerke will take you through specific examples so you know what to expect when you opt to use free tools. Plus, find out what the alternative to free tools, Ivory Service Architect, can offer your organization.

Ivory Service Architect enables you to extend access to mainframe applications, data and processes using web services — with no code written, generated or changed and no additional MIPS usage. Ivory Service Architect requires minimal training and offers quick deployment.

Sign up today

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an Internet Protocol for accessing distributed directory services that act in accordance to X.500 data and service models with roots in the Telco industry and honed by 70 years of expertise.  X.500?  With X.500 there is a single Directory Information Tree which is distributed across one or more servers.

Each entry of the X.500 Directory structure consists of a set of attributes.  The server may return the values of an attribute, the attributes in an entry, and the entries found by a search operation in any order. This follows from the formal definitions – an entry is defined as a set of attributes, and an attribute is a set of values, and sets need not be ordered.

So now that you know about the directory abilities of LDAP, what can you do with LDAP?

An LDAP client (JXPlorer for example at http://jxplorer.org) can if programmed accordingly:

• Start TLS – Use the LDAPv3 Transport Layer Security (TLS) for Secure Connections
• Bind – Authenticate and specify LDAP protocol version
• Search/Compare  – Look up directory entries and see entry has a certain value
• Add/Delete/Modify Entries – Normal directory maintenance
• Abandon – Abort Operation
• Unbind – Close connection

Hey wait a minute. The LDAP directory doesn’t look anything like my directory system on the mainframe (e.g. RACF).  Given all of this information, why in the world would one want to consider putting an LDAP on the mainframe?  Think about it for a second.

1. Isn’t your mainframe the centerpiece of your IT Universe?
2. RACF in fact can be used as the back-end Database for LDAP (as well as DB/2).
3. RACF is a robust almost impenetrable security system.
4. IBM provides an LDAP Server for z/OS which provide centralized control.
5. The RACF Security Administrator can easily maintain RACF and not have to learn another Security System.

So if you have web or other corporate applications that need a COMMON directory against which to authenticate users then what more natural place than the mainframe especially since a bulk of corporate data resides on the mainframe?

R. Scott Ray

GT Software

Enterprise Systems Director