z/OS Client Web Enablement Toolkit

This topic describes new z/OS Client Web Enablement Toolkit function in z/OS® V2R2:

z/OS Client Web Enablement Toolkit adds REXX support

Starting in z/OS V2.2 and available in z/OS V2.1 with service updates, IBM® introduces the z/OS Client Web Enablement Toolkit, which provides a high function, secure, web client using HTTP(S) and JSON. Built into the base of z/OS, the toolkit provides an easy-to-use, lightweight solution for applications looking to more easily participate as a client of a web services enabled application. It provides a built-in z/OS HTTP(S) protocol enabler by using interfaces similar in nature to other industry-standard APIs, and a z/OS JSON parser to parse JSON text coming from any source with more functions to build new or add to existing JSON text. Programs running as batch jobs, started procedures or almost any type of address space on a z/OS system now have native APIs that they can use in a similar manner to any standard z/OS APIs provided by the OS to access web services. Programming languages that are supported include C/C++, COBOL, PL/I, Assembler language and now REXX.

New REXX Host Command Environments - IBM now makes the leveraging of REST APIs in z/OS applications even easier by extending the Client Web Enablement toolkit support to the REXX programming language. IBM now introduces new REXX host command environments, HWTJSON and HWTHTTP to allow REXX applications to easily direct their requests to the toolkit using an easy-to-use "made-for-REXX" interface. REXX applications running in TSO/E, System REXX, z/OS UNIX, or ISV-provided REXX environments are supported.

The z/OS Client Web Enablement Toolkit

Applications running in traditional z/OS environments can choose to play the client role of a RESTful web application and initiate a request to a web server residing on z/OS or any other platform supporting web applications. In z/OS Version Release 2, the new z/OS Client Web Enablement toolkit enables these applications to more easily participate in this client/server space by providing a built-in:

• z/OS JSON parser to parse JSON text coming from any source and the ability to build new JSON text or add to existing JSON text.
• z/OS HTTP/HTTPS protocol enabler using interfaces similar in nature to other industry-standard APIs.

The intention of the toolkit is to enable traditional z/OS programs apart from a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) environment to have easy access to these types of services. Programs running as a batch job, as a started procedure or running in almost any address space on a z/OS system now have APIs that they can utilize in a similar manner to any standard z/OS APIs provided by the operating system. Furthermore, programs can invoke these APIs in the programming language of their choice. C/C++, COBOL, PL/I, and Assembler languages are fully supported.

When change was introduced:

z/OS V2R2.

Reference information:

z/OS MVS Programming: Callable Services for High-Level Languages