Optimized local adapters on WebSphere Application Server for z/OS

Optimized local adapters support on WebSphere® Application Server for z/OS® consists of a set of callable services and a Java™ EE Connector Architecture (JCA) 1.5 resource adapter that together provide high performance calling between native language applications on z/OS and business logic in a WebSphere Application Server for z/OS environment.

The optimized local adapters can be used to make inbound calls to applications that are deployed on WebSphere Application Server from an external address space and make outbound calls from WebSphere Application Server applications to applications that are running in an external address space on the same z/OS system.

With this support, existing z/OS applications that are written in Cobol, PL/I, C, C++, and assembler can achieve high performance and efficient integration with Java applications that are deployed under WebSphere Application Server on the same z/OS system.

Optimized local adapters also provide close integration of qualities of service (QoS), including support for fast thread-level security propagation and assertion between the API-exploiting external address spaces andWebSphere Application Server for z/OS. Support is provided for using the adapters APIs in the following environments: Customer Information Control System (CICS®), UNIX® System Services (USS), and batch processing.

[Fix Pack 12 or later] In this fix pack, support of Information Management System (IMS™) applications is also available using optimized local adapters.

Two paths for the adapters exist: support for inbound Enterprise JavaBeans™ (EJB) calls to WebSphere Application Server for z/OS and support for outbound communication with locally running external server programs from WebSphere Application Server for z/OS.

A task related user exit (TRUE) program is provided to support the optimized local adapters under CICS.

[Fix Pack 12 or later] Optimized local adapters support is provided for applications running in IMS-dependent region environments using the IMS External Subsystem Attach Facility (ESAF). With this, WebSphere optimized local adapters are implemented as an IMS subsystem.

Benefits to using optimized local adapters

There are several benefits to using the optimized local adapters, including:
  • Performance improvement

    [Fix Pack 12 or later] Significant performance characteristics can be achieved when using the optimized local adapters APIs to call into applications that are deployed on WebSphere Application Server for z/OS from a local batch, USS, IMS, and CICS applications. The ability to pass parameter data using binary techniques provides a large part of the performance improvement. The transport-level support that the adapters provide exploits z/OS cross-memory services to optimize performance of calls to applications deployed on a locally accessible WebSphere Application Server for z/OS server.

  • Identity context propagation

    For inbound requests toWebSphere Application Server using the optimized local adapters APIs, the user ID on the existing z/OS thread is always propagated and asserted in the WebSphere Application Server EJB container. For calls from CICS, this can be extended with a registration option which indicates that the identity of the CICS task level user is propagated and asserted. For calls from applications deployed on WebSphere Application Server, identity can be propagated and asserted under CICS using the optimized local adapters CICS Link server. Selection of this behavior is also controlled with a flag on the registration API.

    [Fix Pack 12 or later] When using optimized local adapters over IMS Open Transaction Manager Access (OTMA) support, the identity of the WebSphere Application Server application user on the current thread can be propagated and asserted in the target IMS-dependent region (Fast Path or Message Processing Region).

  • Global transactions

    Global, two-phase commit transactions are supported with the optimized local adapters for inbound calls from CICS to WebSphere Application Server, as well as outbound calls from WebSphere Application Server to CICS.

    [Fix Pack 12 or later] Resource manager local transactions (RMLT) are supported with the optimized local adapters for outbound calls from WebSphere Application Server for z/OS to CICS when using the supplied link server.

    [Fix Pack 12 or later] Attention: Two phase commit and RMLT support for outbound calls from WebSphere Application Server to CICS requires the use of CICS Transaction Server for z/OS, Version 4.1 or later.
  • Workload balancing and availability

    The workload balancing framework in the optimized local adapter support is designed so that the inbound call requests are passed into the target server control region, where the requests are queued using z/OS workload management (WLM) to an eligible servant region for execution.

  • Local binding support

    Optimized local adapters can provide a high performance local binding for existing applications, middleware and subsystems on z/OS platforms. These local bindings are used with current programming interfaces when it is determined there is a local WebSphere Application Server available.

  • Providing a gateway or proxy for legacy assets on z/OS systems

    Built-in optimized local adapters provide the basis for you to begin to use the WebSphere Application Server for z/OS stack as an easily accessible set of capabilities that extend the life of application assets that might be difficult to replace. When you use an enterprise bean as a proxy, any Cobol, assembler, or C/C+ application that is deployed on a z/OS system can easily become a Web services client or a Web 2.0 application requestor that reaches a set of Web applications that are within reach of your locally running application server.

    Using the WebSphere Application Server outbound APIs, any Cobol, assembler or C/C+ application can be presented to WebSphere Application Server as a callable service. A provider Web services application can then be deployed in the local WebSphere Application Server that accepts requests as a gateway for this backend service. In this scenario, the JCA 1.5 programming model is used to send requests to the application, received responses from it and send back responses to the Web-based caller.




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Last updated: Oct 22, 2010 12:21:29 AM CDT
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