Chapter 3: Client Tier

This chapter tells you how to set up the following environments on one or more personal computers:

• Component Generation Environment
• Client Development Environment
• Mainframe Emulation Environment

Where appropriate, the chapter includes tips on installing third-party software, but for detailed installation instructions you must refer to the relevant product documentation. For information on tested versions of third-party software see the Third-party Software chapter of your Readme.

Component Generation Environment

A component generation environment consists of:

• Micro Focus Mainframe Express Enterprise Edition. You must select the SOA Express installation option when installing.

  When installing SOA Express, you should have chosen the options that best suit the types of applications you intend to modernize. Your installation should include one or both of the following:

  • Analysis Option
  • Workflow Capture Server
  • Micro Focus Mainframe Access (optional but recommended)

    Mainframe Express Enterprise Edition requires access to your legacy source files, and Mainframe Access is the recommended way to achieve this. Mainframe Access enables you to either offload the source files or access them in place. Mainframe Access has a client component and one or more server (mainframe) components.

• Java Class Libraries and JAR files

  In order to generate JavaBeans or EJBs, SOA Express requires:

  • A Java Development Kit (JDK). This is required if you want to generate beans or enterprise beans, because it is used to compile these middle-tier components.
  • Java Servlet API classes. Again, this is required if you want to generate beans or enterprise beans.
  • Java classes for ECI (which are supplied with CICS Transaction Gateway) or IBM WebSphere MQ. These are necessary to compile the middle-tier components.
  • A Java Run-time Environment (JRE). This is required if you want to use the Workflow Capture feature, and if you want to run Java Application test clients.
  • Enterprise JavaBeans classes and Java Naming classes (that is, the javax.ejb and javax.naming packages). These are required only if you intend to generate enterprise beans. The JAR files to use depend on which application server you are using.
  • IBM XML Parser for Java (Xerces-J). This is required only if you intend to generate XML interfaces for the beans.
  • IBM WebSphere MQ Classes for Java. These are installed automatically when you install the Java Messaging option.
  • J2ME Wireless Toolkit. This is required only if you intend to generate eBiz or Data Access Transactions that support MIDP-compliant client applications running on wireless devices.
  • UDDI classes. These are required only if you intend to generate eBiz or Data Access Transactions that can be deployed as Web services.
• .NET Support

  For the requirements for .NET support, see the appendix SOA Express .NET in your Deployment Guide.

• An SCC-compliant Version Manager (optional)

  The SOA Express IDE supports the use of any SCC-compliant version manager to manage its project files.

Setting up a Component Generation Environment

To set up a component generation environment after installing SOA Express, do the following:

1. If you are using ECI, configure CICS Transaction Gateway (CICS only - JavaBeans and EJBs only)
2. Install the Java Class Libraries and JAR files that you require (JavaBeans and EJBs only)
3. Install the .NET support software that you require (.NET only)
4. Set the PATH and CLASSPATH environment variables

The following sections describe these steps in detail.

Configuring CICS Transaction Gateway

Do this only if you are using CICS and ECI, and will be generating JavaBeans or EJBs.

CICS Transaction Gateway can reside on the middle-tier, mainframe, or any other system. On the client tier, the only changes you need to make to be able to use CICS Transaction Gateway are to update your CLASSPATH (as described in Table 3-1) and set the properties in SOA Express to specify the relevant settings for CICS Transaction Gateway.

For more information on CICS Transaction Gateway, see the chapter ECI Middleware in this Configuration Guide.

Installing Java Class Libraries and JAR Files

Do this only if you will be generating JavaBeans or EJBs.

After installing the required class libraries, be sure to read the next section on Setting the PATH and CLASSPATH Environment Variables, because you may need to update your PATH and/or CLASSPATH environment variables.

JDK/JRE

SOA Express has been tested with each of the following JDK/JREs.

• IBM Developers Kit and Run-time Environment for Windows, Java Technology Edition
• Sun Java 2 Platform

The JDKs for WebSphere are typically included on the WebSphere installation CDs.

Once you have installed a JDK or JRE, you must update your PATH and/or CLASSPATH environment variables.

IBM WebSphere MQ Classes for Java

If you are using WebSphere MQ, SOA Express requires IBM WebSphere MQ classes for Java.

Once you have installed the IBM WebSphere MQ classes for Java, you must update your PATH and CLASSPATH environment variables.

ECI Java Classes

ECI Java classes are provided with the IBM CICS Transaction Gateway, and are located in the CTG\classes folder by default.

Java Servlet API classes

You need to add the servlet-api.jar file to your CLASSPATH. This file is supplied with some application servers (with Tomcat, for example, it is supplied in the tomcat\common\lib folder), but if your application server does not provide it, you can obtain it from the Apache Software Foundation's Jakarta project (jakarta.apache.org).

Enterprise JavaBeans classes and Java Naming classes

You need these only if you are intending to generate EJBs.

If you will be deploying your EJBs to WebSphere, you need to add WebSphere\AppServer\lib\j2ee.jar to your CLASSPATH.

Otherwise, you must install Sun's Enterprise Edition JDK and update your CLASSPATH.

IBM XML Parser for Java

You need this only if you intend to generate an XML interface to some or all of your beans.

After installing the IBM XML Parser for Java, you must update your CLASSPATH (see Table 3-1 for details).

J2ME Wireless Toolkit

You need this only if you intend to generate eBiz or Data Access Transactions that support MIDP-compliant client applications running on wireless devices.

In order to use the J2ME Wireless Toolkit, you will also need to install the Sun JDK (this is installed automatically with the Java 2 SDK).

UDDI Classes

You need these classes if you intend to generate Java application Web Services clients that target WebSphere.

You must update your CLASSPATH to point to the uddiv3client.jar file (see Table 3-1 for details).

For .NET, you need the Microsoft Core SDK Platform SDK.

Installing .NET Support Software

Do this only if you will be generating .NET components.

After installing the required software, be sure to read the next section on Setting the PATH and CLASSPATH Environment Variables, because you need to update your PATH environment variables.

You need WebSphere MQ Server, with amqmdnet.dll installed in the Global Assembly Cache.

Setting the PATH and CLASSPATH Environment Variables

Table 3-1 shows the paths you need to add to the PATH and CLASSPATH environment variables once you have installed the Java classes that you require.

How to...

CTG\classes\ctgclient.jar
CTG\classes\ctgserver.jar
CTG\classes\Cfwk.zip

c:\jdk\bin;

installation-directory\servlet-api.jar;
y:\WebSphere\AppServer\lib\j2ee.jar

c:\jdk1.3\bin;

c:\jdk1.3\lib\tools.jar;

c:\j2sdkee1.2.1\lib\j2ee.jar;

installation-directory\servlet-api.jar;

c:\mq\java\lib;

c:\mq\java\lib\com.ibm.mq.jar;
c:\mq\java\lib\connector.jar

pathname\xmlParserAPIs.jar;

pathname\xercesImpl.jar;

Footnotes:

1.

We assume that the Java classes are installed on the c: drive, that you are using the most recent supported versions, and that you chose \mq\java as the installation path for the WebSphere MQ classes for Java. The IBM and Sun JDKs are alternatives; you can use one or the other, not both.

2.

ctgserver.jar is only required if CICS Transaction Gateway is installed on the middle tier. Cfwk.zip is only required if SSLight security is being used. See your CICS Transaction Gateway documentation for more information.

3.

servlet-api.jar is not supplied with early versions of WebSphere. In this case, we recommend you use servlet-api.jar from Tomcat's common\lib folder regardless of the application server being used.

4.

To generate JavaBeans or EJBs for use with IBM WebSphere Application Server, the CLASSPATH must also include a path to WebSphere's j2ee.jar files We assume that this file is on the middle-tier computer where WebSphere is installed and accessible via a mapped drive (identified by the placeholder y: in the table). Of course, you can copy these files to the client tier if you prefer.

5.

The XML Parser is required only for XML support. IBM frequently release new versions of the XML Parser and the version number is incorporated in the filename and the pathname. For this reason the table does not show a pathname for the XML Parser. We recommend that you download the latest version from the Apache Web site.

Installing and Configuring Mainframe Access

Mainframe Access has a client component and individually installable server (mainframe) components. A Mainframe Access client is installed automatically with SOA Express. The Mainframe Access servers are included on the Host Connectivity CD supplied with Mainframe Express Enterprise Edition. For further information about the Mainframe Access server components, see the Mainframe Tier chapter.

Mainframe Access uses the Micro Focus Common Communications Interface (CCI) to isolate itself from the underlying network protocol. For detailed instructions on configuring CCI, particularly if your mainframe does not support TCP/IP, refer to your Configuring CCI book.

How to...

For information on using Mainframe Access, refer to your Mainframe Access Installation and Usage Guide.

Installing a Version Manager

SOA Express supports any SCC-compliant version manager. To install a version manager, see your version manager documentation. Once a version manager is installed, the SOA Express IDE detects its presence and automatically enables the relevant menu items.

Client Development Environment

When you generate an eBiz or Data Access Transaction, you can choose to have SOA Express automatically create a default client. This generated client can be used to test your eBiz or Data Access Transactions. You may want to use your development environment as a test deployment environment.

The generated client is provided for testing purposes, and as example code which you can use as a starting point when writing your own production-quality client application.

For full details on clients and setting up a deployment environment, see your Deployment Guide.

Java Clients

If you want to enhance a generated Java client, or write your own, a Java development environment is required. The JavaBeans and EJBs produced by SOA Express can be employed by a Java application, a Java servlet or Java Server Pages (JSP). The JavaBeans or EJBs can be imported into any Java IDE, such as IBM's WebSphere Studio.

You will also require the IBM WebSphere MQ classes for Java or the ECI Java classes supplied with CICS Transaction Gateway. These classes are required because they are referenced by the JavaBeans and EJBs produced by SOA Express.

.NET Clients

WAP Clients

If your eBiz or Data Access Transaction supports WAP-enabled client applications, the generated client is a WML file. There are many WAP SDKs available that you can use to enhance a generated client application or to write a client application from scratch. These toolkits generally contain a WML editor, a debugger and an emulator that you can use to perform preliminary testing on your application. Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola and openwave.com all provide such toolkits which can be downloaded from the appropriate Web site.

MIDP Clients

If your eBiz or Data Access Transaction supports MIDP-compliant client applications, you can use the J2ME Wireless Toolkit (which must be installed in order to generate such eBiz or Data Access Transactions) to enhance a generated client application or to write a client application from scratch. To use the J2ME Wireless Toolkit, you must install the Sun JDK, which is automatically installed as part of the Java 2 SDK Standard Edition.

Mainframe Emulation Environment

This optional environment enables you to test your eBiz or Data Access Transactions with little or no impact on mainframe operations. This allows your business to continue as normal while you are developing your eBiz or Data Access Transactions.

A mainframe emulation environment consists of:

• Mainframe Express Enterprise Edition. You must select the CICS Option or IMS Option when installing.

  The CICS Option and IMS Option are emulators that enable you to emulate the CICS or IMS region that is running your legacy transactions.

• Middleware software. This can be one of:
  • IBM WebSphere MQ Server for Windows
  • CICS Transaction Gateway(commonly known as ECI) (CICS only) (JavaBeans or EJBs only)

  The middleware software is the connection between the middle and mainframe tiers.

• Mainframe Access (optional but recommended)

  Mainframe Access enables you to either offload the legacy application's source files or access them in place. Mainframe Access has a client component and one or more server (mainframe) components.

Setting up a Mainframe Emulation Environment

To set up a mainframe emulation environment you must:

1. Configure Mainframe Express
2. Install the middleware software
3. Install and configure Mainframe Access (optional but recommended)

The following sections describe these steps in detail.

Configuring Mainframe Express

For instructions on configuring Mainframe Express for different testing scenarios, refer to the Testing eBiz Transactions and Data Access Transactions chapter in your User's Guide.

Installing IBM WebSphere MQ Server for Windows

Follow the instructions in your IBM WebSphere MQ: Windows Quick Beginnings book to install WebSphere MQ Server from the WebSphere MQ Server installation CD. You must be logged on as an administrator. The default installation is acceptable.

After installing WebSphere MQ Server, you must define WebSphere MQ objects that correspond to the objects defined at the mainframe. See the WebSphere MQ Middleware chapter for more information.

Although it is simplest to use WebSphere MQ Server, you could use WebSphere MQ Client instead if you configured it to communicate with a WebSphere MQ Server on another machine, such as the mainframe.

Installing and Configuring Mainframe Access

Mainframe Access has a client component and individually installable server (mainframe) components. A Mainframe Access client is installed automatically with Mainframe Express; the Mainframe Access servers are included on the Host Connectivity CD supplied with Mainframe Express Enterprise Edition. For further information about the Mainframe Access server components, see the Mainframe Tier chapter.

Mainframe Access uses the Micro Focus Common Communications Interface (CCI) to isolate itself from the underlying network protocol. For detailed instructions on configuring CCI, refer to your Configuring CCI book.

For information on using the SourceConnect feature of Mainframe Access within Mainframe Express, refer to the chapter SourceConnect in your Mainframe Express Administrator's Guide.

How to...

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