Linking z/OSMF tasks and external applications

To perform traditional system management tasks in z/OS, you might interact with several different interfaces, such as the TSO command line, graphical user interfaces, and web-style interfaces. In z/OSMF, it is possible to link or connect some of these tasks and external applications together for a smoother user experience. To help manage these connections, z/OSMF provides the Application Linking Manager task.

Key components

The key components of the Application Linking Manager task include the:

Event requestor. z/OSMF task or external application that requests the launch of a specific function within another task or external application
Event. Action requested by the event requestor. It includes the type of event and the event parameters.
Event type. Object that connects an event requestor to an event handler. It identifies the handlers that can process an event and the possible parameters that can be supplied with an event.
Event handler. z/OSMF task or external application that can process the event parameters and display the requested information.

Figure 1 depicts the relationship of these components in the application linking process.

Figure 1. Key components in the application linking process

This graphic shows the relationship between the event requestor and the event handler in the application linking process.

The process begins with a user action, such as clicking a link. In response to this action, the event requestor creates an event and sends it to the Application Linking Manager. The Application Linking Manager searches the set of known event types for the type identified by the event. If a match is found, the Application Linking Manager searches for event handlers that are registered for this event type. If only one handler is found, it is launched. Otherwise, the user is prompted to select the handler to launch. The Application Linking Manager provides the handler with the parameters that were supplied with the event. The event handler processes the parameters and displays the requested information.

z/OSMF includes a number of predefined event types, requestors, and handlers. For a list, see the topic about the event types, requestors, and handlers that are shipped with z/OSMF in IBM z/OS Management Facility Programming Guide.

Key features

To open the Application Linking Manager task, in the navigation area, expand the z/OSMF Administration category and select Application Linking Manager. The task provides a web-based, user interface that you can use to:

Define new event types, and view and delete existing event types.
Define new handlers; view, enable, disable, and delete existing handlers; and make a handler the default handler.

For assistance with the Application Linking Manager task, see the online help.

Programming interface

The Application Linking Manager task also provides an application programming interface (API) that you can use to complete the aforementioned actions. For more details about the API, see IBM z/OS Management Facility Programming Guide.