Mainframes as high volume TP servers for the Web

This paper describes recent advances in the usability and access to legacy mainframe data by utilizing Internet technology in a secure high volume transaction processing environment. We describe a working example of mainframes as a key component in a high performance three-tier networked architecture. In this architecture, Mainframes and Transaction Processing (TP) software provide a back-end, high performance transaction server for a Web site (mid-level server). The mid-level server processes and transforms the transactional data from the mainframe server into HTML pages that can then be used by a Client Web browser. The mainframe system may be used-to process update transactions as well as queries. This technology transforms the mainframe and terminal-based TP forms environment into a modern graphically rich environment that will finally deliver the promised rewards of Client Server technology. It is significant because of the large number of Government, Corporate and Aerospace databases and TP applications that now can be put to use serving a much wider community of users than was envisioned when the systems were developed. The paper describes the hardware and software components of the three-level architecture as well as an actual implementation of this technology by Groupe Bull in the development, laboratories in Phoenix. The work completed demonstrates how Web-enabling and minor face-lifting significantly increases the ease of access to and usability of legacy data.