Shadow z/Presentation
Mainframe Modernization via Web Enablement
Shadow z/ Presentation is a rapid web enablement and mainframe modernization solution, enabling developers to extend core legacy screen logic from proven environments such as CICS TS, IMS TM, CA IDMS, CA IDEA, Natural, or ADSO.
Shadow simplifies the process for extending mainframe screen-based applications to the Web, while significantly reducing mainframe processing costs. By diverting processing-intensive Web enablement processing away from the mainframe’s General Purpose Processor to the zIIP specialty engine, Shadow lowers MIPS capacity usage and reduces Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
As enterprise organizations weigh options for modernization of legacy assets, components continue to provide a viable option for extending mainframe applications to modern computing platforms. Shadow z/Presentation is a rapid legacy extension solution for CICS TS, IMS TM, CA IDMS, CA IDEAL, Natural, or ADSO applications, providing a dramatic improvement to business processes that rely on enterprise data and applications.
Shadow lowers costs by reducing the need for terminal emulators. It improves usability through simplifying the user interface by combining multiple 3270-screens and eliminating the use of cryptic codes and fields. And finally, it reduces the costs associated with training employees and customers to use these applications, that before were limited to the capabilities of 3270.
With minimal risk and development overhead, Shadow rapidly and seamlessly integrates mainframe 3270 screen applications with distributed Java or .NET web applications. If the need to migrate to a Service-Oriented Architecture materializes in the future, applications built with Shadow are easily re-deployed as a Web service – no development is required beyond the simple configuration of HTML templates and associated microflows.
Shadow shields developers from the complexity of mainframe Web enablement by providing an intuitive, highly-functional development environment, seamlessly tied to a mainframe integration server that provides secure, scalable, enterprise-class performance.
Development
Shadow z/Presentation is a giant step beyond outdated "screen scrapers." With an open, Eclipse-based development and test environment for the management of mainframe business events, Shadow Studio is a robust development platform for extending core mainframe applications to more modern business systems.
Shadow high-performance low-level APIs work with unique Dynamic Introspection technology to interact directly with the meta data associated with screen field definitions and more efficiently access screen-based mainframe applications. Shadow automatically exposes mainframe screen applications as ready to use COBOL, .NET and J2EE components to allow Java or .NET developers to use existing tools and skills when creating new Web applications.
Shadow offers developers a simple way to deliver a reliable solution which provides the appearance of a completely re-engineered application with minimal development overhead. Unlike other solutions that access screen fields by row and column, Shadow references all screen fields by screen field names, ensuring that the screen interaction will continue to reliably produce the correct results even if a host screen field is moved.
Deployment
An inherently more robust product than competing mainframe integration solutions, Shadow provides multiple options for extending mainframe screen logic in order to better meet customized infrastructure requirements. The runtime options are:
- CICS Region – When transforming application business or screen logic into Web services, Shadow offers a runtime server that deploys within a CICS region on the mainframe, offering four high-performance options for direct access:
- COMMAREA
- OTMA
- 3270 Bridge/Linkable Bridge
- FEPI
- Shadow Distributed – When tn3270 or tn5250 API screen access is the requirement, Shadow also provides a Windows-based, mid-tier solution requiring no software installation on the mainframe.
Shadow z/Presentation’s comprehensive feature set helps streamline access to mainframe screen logic:
- Non-Invasive Development – Requiring no change to mainframe application code, Shadow minimizes development time and risks to business logic
- Automated Java and .NET Generation – Shadow delivers Web enabled interfaces to existing mainframe 3270 screens in a manner compatible with JSP, ASP, and ASP.NET. Shadow also generates native Java or .NET enterprise components from mainframe screen logic.
- Automated COBOL Component Generation – Shadow automatically generates CICS-native COBOL components that communicate with any platform able to interface with CICS DPL programs.
- Direct Runtime Access – Shadow works directly with CICS and IMS logic, providing numerous high-performance, low-level APIs to mainframe transactions, including COMMAREA, OTMA, 3270 Bridge/Linkable Bridge, FEPI, ACI, SQL, APPC, or tn3270.
- Reduced Maintenance – Shadow references screen fields by screen map names rather than row and column designations. This makes development simpler and more straightforward, minimizes the maintenance required in support of application changes, and reduces the chance of programming errors.
- Improved Reliability - Because Shadow references screen fields by screen map names, the web screen will still function correctly even if screen fields are moved.
Shadow’s foundation architecture provides holistic zIIP exploitation across all of the Shadow integration options, providing up to 99% offload to the zIIP specialty engine for integration-related processing. And, Shadow opens up the zIIP to extend core legacy screen logic from proven environments such as CICS TS, IMS TM, CA IDMS, CA IDEAL, Natural, or ADSO.
By dramatically offloading web enablement transactional workloads from the GPP to the zIIP, Shadow ensures not only a lower TCO for the mainframe, but also more streamlined integration within the context of SOA.
