B.3 Programming model and middleware platform

StoreCompany made a strategic decision to develop an object-oriented model of its business processes.

The advantage of object-oriented program modules is that their clearly defined interfaces make them easy to reuse. There are also effective tools that support object-oriented programming. Enhancing and changing object-oriented programs is much faster than with traditional programming methods. An object-oriented approach allows for the rapid development and deployment of IT based projects that StoreCompany needs to turn its IT capabilities into a competitive edge.

StoreCompany chose IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) as the middleware plat- form for its object-oriented applications. WAS offers a solid basis with rich security interfaces and transaction capabilities. For StoreCompany it was important that the spectrum of supported operating systems include z/OS and Linux. StoreCompany's vital business data and transaction processing are all on z/OS with its strong availability and recovery features. Mainframe Linux is intended as the initial integration point and rapid deployment platform for new technology ideas.

This dual approach of running some application parts on Linux and others on z/OS is tied together logically by WAS and physically by the mainframe hardware with its LPARs and HiperSockets. As an application evolves and its requirements to the underlying operating system change, StoreCompany can use WAS to redeploy the application or parts of it on a different operating system.

Because Linux and WAS subscribe to open standards, the flexibility and potential for integration that StoreCompany gains goes beyond its current infrastructure. Open standards facilitate assimilation of future additions to its infrastructure. Open standards also pave the way to take advantage of current and future developments, for example, business to business applications or on demand computing.



Linux on the Mainframe
Linux on the Mainframe
ISBN: 0131014153
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 199

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