Girish Mahajan (Editor)

IBM TXSeries

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Development status
  
Active

License
  
proprietary

Type
  
Transaction monitor

IBM TXSeries

Initial release
  
1997; 20 years ago (1997)

Stable release
  
8.1 / November 29, 2013; 3 years ago (2013-11-29)

Operating system
  
AIX, Windows Server, Solaris, HP-UX, Linux on x86

IBM TXSeries for Multiplatforms is a distributed CICS (Customer Information Control System) online transaction processing (OLTP) environment for mixed language applications.

Contents

TXSeries was introduced by IBM's Transarc subsidiary in 1997 and bundled CICS version 2.1.2 with Encina, MQSeries middleware, Lotus Domino Go web server, and other software.

TXSeries is a transaction server available on AIX, Linux x86, Windows Server, Solaris and HP-UX. It shares similar design principles and some functions with CICS on mainframe. End of 2006 saw a major release of TXSeries V6.1, with DCE and Encina components removed. This brought huge simplification to the product. There is also a new graphical web-based administration console.

TXSeries 7.1, announced in 2009, includes new features such as Channels and Containers that eliminate the 32KB size restriction that previously existed for data being passed between programs. It also includes a new protocol, IPIC that enables communication with mainframes using TCP/IP protocols.

TXSeries for Multiplatforms V8.2 extends the capabilities for TXSeries for Multiplatforms V8.1 and folds in the benefit from earlier releases and offers significant new capabilities in the area of Performance enhancement and introduces support for COBOL-IT, for Linux™ on x86 architecture and Windows, this release of TXSeries extends Micro Focus COBOL support to include Visual COBOL.

Features and benefits

As a part of CICS family, TXSeries for Multiplatforms is a distributed CICS Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) environment for mixed language applications. It is used for integrating data and applications between distributed solutions and enterprise systems, and the deployment of CICS applications written in COBOL, C / C++, and PL/I.

The distributed transactional services created by TXSeries software can be used in a stand-alone environment, or in support of larger mainframe and Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE) application deployments. TXSeries allows the user to scale up to a centralized IBM.

It can be integrated as a component of a service-oriented architecture (SOA), enabling end-to-end, distributed mixed language solutions through integration with WebSphere Application Server and CICS Transaction Gateway. WebSphere MQ can be used to connect TXSeries to IBM WebSphere Message Broker, or to any other product that supports native MQSeries transport.

TXSeries also provides connectivity with CICS Transaction Server (CICS TS) on z/OS. This acts as a gateway to CICS TS on z/OS to increase the performance of CICS TS on z/OS and protect it from client-originated disruption. TXSeries allows the user to scale up to CICS TS on the mainframe if the needs of the user's business grow.

TXSeries also provides an External File Handler (EXTFH) component which allows COBOL applications to transparently access its data stored in a RDBMS product. All the File I/O verbs such as READ, WRITE, DELETE, etc. used in the COBOL applications would remain unchanged. As a result, the COBOL application programmer sees no apparent difference between a standard COBOL File I/O and access to RDBMS through EXTFH.

TXSeries for Multiplatforms V7.1 offers enhancements in integration and connectivity, system resilience, application development and problem determination tooling, Web administration console, and installation. Earlier versions of TXSeries simplified infrastructure, enhanced the administration capabilities by introducing the Web administration console, improved usability, system resilience, and interoperability.

The main enhancements in TXSeries for Multiplatforms V8.1 & V8.2 are:

Improved performance

The performance of TXSeries for Multiplatforms V8.2 is improved in all areas. For example:

  • Up to five times improvement in response time, and up to 50% reduction in memory footprint while processing large data, using channels and containers over IP interconnectivity (IPIC) protocol.
  • Up to 40% improvement in transaction response time for CICS® applications written using Micro Focus COBOL.
  • Improvement in transaction throughput and multifold reduction in memory footprint for CICS applications written in Java by leveraging shared class caching in JVM.
  • Up to 40% improvement in performance for batch applications accessing VSAM files in Structured File Server (SFS).
  • Overall improvement in transaction throughput compared to previous releases of TXSeries.

    • These performance improvements may vary, subject to application, system configuration, and operating environment.

    Enhanced application development

  • TXSeries for Multiplatforms V8.2 introduces support for COBOL-IT, for Linux™ on x86 architecture.
  • This release of TXSeries extends Micro Focus COBOL support to include Visual COBOL.
  • IBM COBOL application developers can now simultaneously debug their online CICS Applications.
  • With TXSeries for Multiplatforms V8.2, Temporary Storage Queue (TSQ) names can now be up to 16 characters.
  • Enhanced IP Sockets interface to support COBOL.
  • Support for External Call Interface (EXCI) facility.
  • Support for concurrent TCP/IP Listener programs with the implementation of the CSKL transaction.

    • Enhanced platform coverage

  • Support for Linux™ on x86 architecture

    • Improved operational efficiency

  • Real-time monitoring capability with IBM Tivoli® Monitoring infrastructure
  • Simplified administration on UNIX™ platforms by allowing non-root users to perform TXSeries administrative tasks
  • Support for passwords of greater than eight-character length for better alignment with new security policies
  • TRANCLASS feature for improved management of resources
  • Extension to networking support with Internet Protocol version 6
  • Better handling of stored XA passwords to reduce security exposures
  • Improved transaction co-relation capabilities across TXSeries regions
  • Provision of user exit chaining for better customization capability
  • Enhanced Workload Manager with simplified configuration and improved health monitoring
  • WebSphere® Liberty as a backbone for web-based infrastructure in TXSeries for better scalability

    • Enhanced enterprise integration

  • Improved integration with WebSphere MQ with support for CKTI and CKQC transactions
  • In-bound SOAP support with addition of PL/I as a supported language

    • In addition, TXSeries serviceability is improved with additional problem determination tools.

    Common deployment scenarios

    As a distributed transaction server IBM TXSeries for Multiplatforms provides base-level CICS programming interfaces, allowing industry-specific COBOL, C, C++, PL/1, and Core Java specialists to create solutions for business-critical transaction processing. TXSeries supports screen-based terminals and provides programming interfaces for connectivity with graphics-rich displays, depending on the business requirement. Data can be accessed from the integrated CICS Structured File Server, local and remote RDBMS such as DB2, or messaging subsystems like WebSphere MQ. With enterprise integration support, TXSeries can create mainframe value-add or stand-alone distributed transaction processing solutions. Common transaction server deployment scenarios include:

  • As a stand-alone distributed transaction server for industry-specific applications written in COBOL, C, C++, PL/1, or Core Java applications running inside TXSeries, or where TXSeries provides the transactional run time for a vendor-produced packaged application
  • As a stand-alone COBOL, C, C++, PL/1 or Core Java transaction server, connecting to a stand-alone J2EE application server, such as WebSphere, delivering high performing transactional applications that are tightly integrated with applications developed in Java EE
  • As a physically distributed transaction server for simple CICS workloads that require a level of local branch level processing before periodically replicating the data with a back-end mainframe system

    • Features of this deployment are:

  • Solution for deploying and running business transaction
  • Solution for customers who do not have CICS or large-scale EIS systems, but require the transaction handling qualities of service offered by CICS

    • A rapid deployment integration server

    As a rapid deployment integration server, TXSeries for Multiplatforms has support for enterprise information systems (EIS), such as CICS Transaction Server, IMS, DB2, WebSphere MQ, and WebSphere Application Server. It can use TCP/IP and SNA-based communication protocols. The ability to run intelligent business logic in a mid-tier environment that supports the same languages and APIs as the systems that require the integration enables a complex integration solution to be deployed rapidly.

    Common integration server deployment scenarios include:

  • As a consolidating mid-tier terminal server, between internal customer service representatives at end-user terminals, using industry-specific graphical or screen-based interfaces to access applications and data from more than one EIS
  • As an intelligent mid-tier gateway between a Java EE application server that delivers web content to Internet users who are unknowingly accessing applications and data from more than one EIS
  • As a mid-tier integration server for applications and data residing on more than one heterogeneous EIS, as a result of consolidation within a corporation, or after a merger or acquisition, for example.

    • The key features of this deployment:

  • Reduced resource consumption on the EIS because TXSeries takes over a number of business operations
  • Web-based interfaces are now available to users
  • Consolidated data from multiple EIS systems before presentation to users

    • References

    IBM TXSeries Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA