HostBridge Technical Overview
Lists below include HostBridge components and support for CICS Transaction Server, IBM System z, and services technologies. Italics indicate support added in HostBridge version 6.
HostBridge Tools and Support
- Services Types and Protocols
- XML
- SOAP/WSDL (formal) services
- SOAP 1.2, via HB SOAP stack or IBM SOAP for CICS (6.1)
- REST/RESTful (informal) services
- XPath 2.0 (W3C-standard XML path language simplifies navigation within XML documents, interaction with nodes)
- JSON (JavaScript Object Notation: lightweight data interchange format commonly used with ECMAScript; part of the ECMAScript standard, provides for simpler CICS interaction with Ajax/object-based web applications)
- Atom
- HBJS (HostBridge JavaScript Automation Engine: orchestration/automation of transaction micro flows as web services)
- Rebuilt on a new code base for v6 (HB v5 scripts still supported)
- ECMAScript Edition 3/JavaScript 1.8
- E4X (ECMAScript for XML, simplifies consumption and production of XML)
- Eclipse-Based Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
- Independent IDE
- IBM Rational Application Developer plug-in
- CICS Explorer plug-in
- Connectivity
- HTTP Interface
- LINK/EXCI Interface
- MQ Interface
- Application Access
- CA Ideal™, CA Telon®, CA ADS™/IDMS™, CA Gener/OL™
- Fidelity/ALLTEL
- CSC Vantage (VIDD)
- Data Access Modules
- DB2
- VSAM
- DL/I
- MQ
- DDA for Datacom
- Specialty Connectors
- Pega
- Siebel
- IVR
- Batch to CICS
- eTrans
- WIRE – HostBridge Web Interface Rules Engine
- Rapid development/deployment of web interfaces for CICS
- Classic, standard, enhanced modes
- .NET facility, XSLT Stylesheets, ASP.NET custom controls, etc
- CICS Transaction Server v3.x/v4.x Support
- Terminal-oriented (visual) transactions: BMS, non-BMS, 3270, CA types
- COMMAREA (non-visual) programs
- Data resources: DB2, VSAM, DL/I, MQ, Datacom
- Connectivity: HTTP, LINK/EXCI, Enhanced WebSphere MQ
- Enhanced Multi-Region Operation (MRO)
- Formal web services technologies: SOAP/WSDL
- Informal web services technologies: REST, Atom, other Web 2.0
- Channels and containers
- Link with channels
- CICS resources: TSQueues; TDQueues; ENQ/DEQ; TWA, TCTUA, CWA, EIB, etc.; commit/rollback; many others
- CICS Explorer
- CICS Event Processing
- System z Support
- Rational Developer for System z
- SFM Plugin for creating invocable CICS services
- Security
- HostBridge leverages existing mainframe security, e.g., RACF, ACF/2, TopSecret
- Services treatable as SAF resources (6.1)
- SSL
- Digital certificates
- IP Address/Host Name inclusion/ exclusion lists (6.1)
