SNA Server to Connect to CICS Application

[Bathing With Peter]

I have to connect to a debit/credit fucntion on a CICS mainframe using SNA Server.

It would appear that I have a couple of options open to me - just wondering if anyone has any experience of doing this kind of thing.

First is to use screen scraping which, I understand, involved storing the co-ordinates of all the input fields on the application screens plus a whole load of other stuff.

Second is to use LU0 which is basically roll your own. Everything into and out of the mainframe is a stream of raw bites and my data is inserted at the appropriate locations in these screens appropriately encoded.

The communications between the 2 systems will be login, login response, call of debit/credit function and its response - not particulary complicated.

Anyone any thoughts on which way to go?

[Malcolm Buggeridge]

Can't you go the LU6 route?

[darmstadt]

I've done many similar things but I would suggest looking at the CICS manuals on the IBM website at look at the APIs available. CICS does have a web interface, in fact look at CICS Transaction Gateway. Do not use screen scraping, its slow and sometimes unreliable. I've done the LU6.2 route which is reasonably simple but still a fair bit of work. I think you'll find your CICS guys will know what to do, speak to them.

[Bathing With Peter]

Yes, looks like LU6.2. No web service route available.

In the mean time, looks like I'm going to be sat twiddling my thumbs until I have a CICS region to play with.

[SupremeSpod]

I've done many similar things but I would suggest looking at the CICS manuals on the IBM website at look at the APIs available. CICS does have a web interface, in fact look at CICS Transaction Gateway. Do not use screen scraping, its slow and sometimes unreliable. I've done the LU6.2 route which is reasonably simple but still a fair bit of work. I think you'll find your CICS guys will know what to do, speak to them.

Whs - back in my OS/2 days