IBM MAINFRAME HELP & SUPPORT FORUMS

Rajkumar_n · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 35 Location: Bloomington

Hi,

I was asked to create a new system which currently on mainframes with CICS,MQ-SERIES and cobol batch programs.

Now I am planning to design using FEPI concept in CICS. Front end screens eill be develope in .net. How can integrate mainframes with .net.

Please advise me and provide me if you have some sample programs.

Thanks and Regards,
Rajkumar Nerella

Earl Haigh · Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 219

FEPI is not easy to work with, and most Systems programmers will not
like application programmers writing FEPI code.

If you are trying to integrate mainframe CICS with .net

then you should really be look at some vendor software alternatives;

http://cicswiki.org/cicswiki1/index.php?title=Category:Integration

http://www.cicsworld.com/tools/Web

Rajkumar_n · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 35 Location: Bloomington

Thanks for the response. Sorry for the late response due to work.

I understood that FEPI concept is difficult .

My client has HOST BRIDGE PRODUCT and I think I can make use of it.

Would like to know if any one have any example CICS program that is interacting with XML screens and passing values to it through host bridge.

Thanks and Regards,
Rajkumar Nerella

Earl Haigh · Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 219

If you have HostBridge product, you don't need to use FEPI !!

Look at this link if you want to write COBOL code to run transactions via HostBridge. The BatchCICS product interfaces with HostBridge, seems to be an Ideal fit for what you describe. The name implies Batch, but product also provides ability to write CICS COBOL code.
www.batchcics.com

This link has an example of BatchCICS code;
http://cicswiki.org/cicswiki1/index.php?title=How_do_I_interact_with_a_transaction_from_a_batch_program%3F

ALso, check out this old newsletter; BatchCICS is based on this..
http://www.hostbridge.com/newsletters/2006v3n3/

mkarthikeyan · Joined: 07 Aug 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Bangalore

i think you want .Net application needs to interact with mainframe apps.

my suggestion would

1. configurate the TCP/IP network for communication between Microsoft server and IBM mainframe server.

2. Your .net apps will generate XML and place the message on MQ.

3. Define init Queue which will monitor the queue and trigger the CICS transaction whenever a message is placed on the Queue.

4. Using CICS Adapter, receive the message

5. Use COBOL apps to parse the received XML message to get the input values

6. Manipulate the input and process it. Finally generate the XML in COBOL and place the message on the queue which is expecting the reply.

Using FEPI would a old style and bit complicated.
Writing application to generate the FEPI script is a junk work and it very difficult to identify the error in the FEPI script

dick scherrer · Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 8733 Location: 221 B Baker St

Hello,

Quote: i think you want .Net application needs to interact with mainframe apps. Does this relate to the HostBridge product?

Remember that HostBridge is already installed and may have become the standard for that organization.

Earl Haigh · Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 219

I'm sure if your organization has invested in HostBridge, I doubt
it would be wise to try some other solution. Talk to your systems
support people.

Wth HostBridge, you can issue HTTP requests from .net apps to invoke
COBOL programs (BatchCICS connect translator), that in turn can run HostBridge requests to navigate screens.

if your organization has HostBridge extended (many extra $$), there is an XMScript language available for navigation. Not available to VSE shops.

There is also something called COMQEXEC that provides fastpath
navigation to target 3270 screens using HostBridge.
No programs or scripts to write, just code the http request string.

(runs in VSE or Z/OS)
http://cicswiki.org/cicswiki1/index.php?title=ComqExec