Nastel Technologies has announced Version 6.5 of AutoPilot, which monitors and manages applications end-to-end across the enterprise by automating the analysis of complex issues. This unified platform manages multiple middleware technologies. The new version simplifies monitoring and management, automates the analysis of complex issues, improves IT staff efficiency, and reduces risk and overall costs - they claim. AutoPilot 6.5 now monitors CICS, WebSphere MQ and DataPower, TIBCO RV and EMS, Solace, and homegrown middleware. There's a new Web-based GUI for ease of use and simplicity in management. A unified middleware management strategy can be beneficial in removing some of the duplicate tools or at least funnelling their events into a single view and analysis engine and thus reduce both cost and error. More information can be found here.
IBM plans to make the CICS Transaction Server for z/OS V5.1 open beta available on 13 July. It introduces cloud-style CICS development, deployment, and operations. More information can be found here.
Matter of Fact Software has announced Version 1 Release 0 of CICS JS/Server, which allows the Dojo Javascript toolkit (which enables the development of browser-based user interface functions) to be installed and controlled on mainframe PDS datasets. CICS JS/Server was devised to provide control over the serving of the Dojo Javascript Toolkit as it is used by their other product, PlexSpy Application Status Monitor. More information about Dojo can be found here. More information about CICS JS/Server can be found here.
IBM has announced CICS TS Developer Trial V4.2, which is free of charge and for evaluation (non-production) use only, and offers a full set of features but with restricted performance and limited operational lifespan. It will be updated, periodically, to include the latest service fixes, and to provide an evaluation period of at least 90 days.
IBM has also launched CICSdev, an online community for CICS users to discuss, share, and learn. More information can be found here.
Compuware has announced Strobe 4.3. This mainframe application performance management solution, now includes the ability to automatically measure batch jobs that exceed dynamically calculated thresholds. Other new capabilities include: integration with existing monitoring tools; improved CICS transaction reporting; and new views of DB2 accounting statistics. More information can be found here.
Viaserv has announced Version 4.5 of ViaSQL, which is now able to provide CICS 4.2 support. ViaSQL connections now support use of SSL/TLS protocols. The Viaserv TCP/IP Secure Tunnel Processor is distributed with Access Server to support its use and of multiple TCP/IP resource managers in the same CICS region. ViaSQL V4.5 is available immediately for both the z/OS and z/VSE platforms. ViaSQL provides access to VSAM, sequential, DB2, IMS, DL/I, Datacom, Adabas, and other z/OS and z/VSE data stores, and to mainframe applications and stored procedures. More information can be found here.
DSI Document Systems (DSI) has announced SysQManager, which dynamically creates and manages CICS extra-partition Sysout Transient Data Queues (TDQs). SysQManager automatically manages CICS TDQ output, thereby eliminating the risk of non-stop CICS processing generating Sysout TDQs that could interfere with 24x7 CICS operation. SysQManager includes Critical Message Alert Detection, which can be set to e-mail notify designated users. DSI has also refreshed BatchCICS-Connect for real-time interfacing to CICS via batch. More information can be found here.
Progress Software has announced Version 2.0 of its Progress Responsive Process Management (RPM) suite, which comprises the Progress Actional Business Transaction Management (BTM), the Progress Apama Complex Event Processing (CEP), and the Progress Savvion Business Process Management (BPM) platforms, all of which are managed using the Progress Control Tower interface. Progress Control Tower is a browser-based interactive interface that can be accessed on an Apple iPad anywhere with Internet connectivity. Users can monitor, manage, analyse, and also act on information stored across a variety of data sources, including IBM mainframe CICS, Tibco, Oracle, FUSEsource, and SAP environments. Progress RPM suite uses Progress Actional interceptors to gain access into IBM CICS/MQ mainframes, Tibco Activematrix BusinessWorks, SAP ABAP, and Lombardi TeamWorks facilitating real-time cross platform visibility without additional mainframe costs. More information can be found here.
New Era Software has a free download for auditors called "Auditing CICS - A Beginner's Guide". More information can be found here.
Voltage Security has announced Voltage SecureData z/Protect, which makes encryption easier for any application in any z/OS environment. Mainframes running CICS, IMS, DB2, and batch can now add native encryption. More information can be found here.
Rocket Software has announced the availability of Rocket Seagull LegaSuite 6, its application modernization suite offering new features and functions across the entire LegaSuite lineup of modernization, integration, localization, automation, reporting, and testing solutions. LegaSuite now offers a Java-based runtime CICS engine that leverages the latest multithreaded 64-bit JVM server in IBM CICS TS 4.2 and brings significant savings for SOA deployments, reducing the cost of ownership of an SOA infrastructure. More information can be found here.
Zephyr has announced a new version of PASSPORT Host Integration Objects 2011-826 (HIO), its non-intrusive IBM System z and System i host application integration software that allows fast creation of custom .NET applications to access and integrate with existing host-based systems. Along with the release of this version of HIO, Zephyr is providing open access to a sample z/OS application running under their CICS environment. Zephyr has written a new sample C# .NET application and re-written existing ones to use its CICS-based host application, allowing users to familiarize themselves with its server and client-based custom HIO applications. More information can be found here.
IBM has announced that CICS TS 4.2 is now generally available. More information can be found here.
Also, IBM has announced that CICS has been recognised as an 'Icon of Progress' - meaning CICS has been chosen as one of the 100 most important ideas in IBM's 100 year history. Find out more here.
CA Technologies has announced that CA ACF2 r14 SP1 for z/OS and CA Top Secret r14 SP1 for z/OS have met the requirements of Common Criteria, an independent security certification recognized by governments in more than 26 countries, including the USA. CA ACF2 and CA Top Secret provide access control for z/OS resources across operating systems, subsystems, third-party software and databases, which includes externalized security controls for UNIX System Services (USS) as well as DB2, CICS, and IMS transaction and database management subsystems. More information can be found here
H&W has announced SYSB-II Version 6.4, which allows users to keep mainframe CICS applications online while batch updates VSAM files. This ability allows organizations to increase business capacity, extend the life of crucial business systems, and obtain updated information more often to make better decisions and ensure customer satisfaction. Performance enhancements gained from features designed to avoid unnecessary update locking, optimize use of Read Ahead Buffer space, and take advantage of syncpoint optimization. Full details can be found here.
Rocket Software has announced that its LegaSuite SOA integration and application modernization software will support CICS TS V4.2 when it becomes generally available. Among the new features is a Java-based CICS service flow runtime engine that offloads SOA processing to an IBM System z Application Assist Processor (zAAP). This leverages the latest multithreaded 64-bit JVM server in CICS TS 4.2. Full details can be found here.
IBM has decided to run another open beta program for the new release of CICS TS Version 4 Release 2. The objectives of providing an open beta program for this release are: to give early access to the new function in CICS TS V4.2; to provide feedback to IBM; to test the code in various and unique environments; to ensure that the code functions as designed. Full details can be found here.
Veryant has announced vCOBOL Enterprise, a platform to migrate legacy COBOL applications off IBM mainframes to Unix, Linux, and Microsoft Windows systems. This approach significantly improves critical runtime performance commonly associated with mainframe CICS transactions, the company claims. Full details can be found here.
Alchemy Solutions has announced Version 2 of NeoData, which comprises NeoData SQL, NeoData Utilities, and NeoData zLink, its migration software for COBOL applications and VSAM data. This release of NeoData zLink provides access to VSAM files from batch applications in addition to online (CICS) transactions from the original version. Batch applications can be migrated to Windows even if they still need to share VSAM data with applications remaining on the mainframe. Full details can be found here.
