Addressing OLTP Solutions with CICS: The Transaction Server ... - Ibm

11.1 The Big Picture
158 CICS for AIX as the Transaction Server
Figure 42 on page 159 shows you an overall view of TDJ′s OLTP complex. This
is a complex, highly interconnected environment. It was not built by a single big
project. Instead, it has grown organically as the business needs arose. At each
stage of the growth existing investments were preserved and protected while at
the same time pursuing a highly distributed open OLTP strategy. The core of the
OLTP complex is made up of 16 CICS for AIX regions that provide transaction
processing capabilities to serve the different business units within the enterprise.
A variety of DB2 databases largely form the permanent storage for the
enterprise data. The PCs and workstations of the end users form local LANs that
are in turn connected to various servers to build a hierarchy of networks, which
result in the enterprise network.
The three mainframe systems remain active and serve a number of end users
through the 3270 terminals located at the corporate headquarters. They also
serve as the archive servers for old data from other computers within the
enterprise. Corporate legacy data and applications are now accessible by any
authorized user across the whole of the enterprise network.
With the recent explosive growth in usage of the Internet and Web servers,
Kangaroo Airlines established a Web server that is capable of obtaining flight
booking information from the CICS transaction that runs under CICS for AIX.
Thus the potential traveler can make his or her own inquiry about the price of an
air ticket, flight schedules, or seat availability on a particular flight, all from a PC
or workstation at any time of the day.
Within Kangaroo Leisure Group current data is stored in various databases that
reside on a number of different platforms. The main databases are for airline
reservation, hotel reservation, and travel booking. Access to these databases by
a front-line staff is extremely important because the group advertises extensively
that it provides friendly ONE STOP shopping for your next dream holiday!
The Lion Financial Group requires continuous availability for its car, travel, and
house insurance systems so that its branch offices and agents around the globe
always have access. The core machine is a RISC System/6000 SP (9076) with 16
nodes running seven CICS for AIX regions that access a parallel database. The
group has started to set up a Web server to enable existing and potential clients
to browse the new product offerings at their own pace. The ability to submit
loan applications through the Internet is still under trial.
Dragon Industries Group has a number of manufacturing plants located in
several countries. These plants have their own local computers that
communicate with the Group′s central machine so that details such as current
inventory, pending orders, and shipment details are readily available. Thus it is
possible to track the current production status and identify any bottlenecks. The
group has a “just-in-time” manufacturing policy and is actively pursuing ISO 9000
accreditation. Therefore it is vital to have the relevant procedures up to date
and available online to all authorized staff.