Release Notes for IBM Transformation Extender for z/OS, V10.1.0

© Copyright IBM Corp 2006, 2016 All rights reserved. © Copyright HCL Technologies Ltd. 2017, 2021 All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS
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About this release
Installation and configuration
Upgrade and migration
Related references
Known limitations, problems, and workarounds
New and changed behavior
Resolved Authorized Program Analysis Reports (APARs)
Contacting customer support
Notices and trademarks


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ABOUT THIS RELEASE
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These release notes provide information about IBM Transformation Extender for z/OS.

IBM Transformation Extender was formerly called WebSphere Transformation Extender. Documentation, some interfaces, and some web sites still refer to it as WebSphere Transformation Extender.

These release notes apply to IBM Transformation Extender z/OS features listed below:

• IBM Transformation Extender - Common Components
• IBM Transformation Extender with Command Server
• IBM Transformation Extender with Launcher
• IBM Transformation Extender for Integration Servers
• IBM Transformation Extender for Application Programming

For information about related IBM Transformation Extender components, see the component release notes , as well as documentation on the IBM Transformation Extender support website. These contain the most current information about the release, including additional requirements, configuration instructions, and known issues.

IBM Runtime Environment, Java Technology Edition

IBM Transformation Extender for z/OS V10.1.0 requires IBM® 64-bit Runtime Environment, Java™ Technology Edition, Version 8 SR 1 FP 10. You can download it from z/OS or from Shopz .
 

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INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION
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When you use Transformation Extender with another product, ensure that you satisfy the system requirements of the base product and apply all required fixes to the base product. See the support portal for information about product fixes.

For details about installing and configuring the IBM Transformation Extender z/OS features, see the Program Directory for IBM Transformation Extender for z/OS (order number GI13-4388-01). The Program Directory is available from the Transformation Extender library or the IBM Publications Center.

These notes provide instructions for configuring and deploying the installed features to your runtime environment, setting environmental variables, running examples, and other information about using the features after installation.

For additional configuration information about customizing IBM Transformation Extender for z/OS, see the z/OS Configuration documentation.



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UPGRADE AND MIGRATION
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CARDINFO structure change in Transformation Extender V8.4.1

In Transformation Extender V8.4.1, the CARDINFO structure that is used in the installed Transformation Extender for z/OS examples changed. As a result, you need to recompile older COBOL or PL/I programs that use information from the CARDINFO structure or that use the CARDINFO structure as an argument when they call a Transformation Extender application programming interface (API). Recompile the programs with new copybooks or include files that contain the definitions for the CARDINFO structure used in maps before you run the programs on a z/OS platform.
 

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RELATED REFERENCES
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IBM Transformation Extender documentation is available only on the IBM Transformation Extender online documentation . No documentation is installed with the product. Use the following links to find the documentation for the IBM Transformation Extender for z/OS functions.

 

Function	Documentation
To customize IBM Transformation Extender for z/OS for your site	z/OS Configuration
To use IBM Transformation Extender with Command Server	Command Server
To use IBM Transformation Extender for Application Programming in your IMS execution environment	IMS/DC Execution Option
To use IBM Transformation Extender for Application Programming in your CICS execution environment	Command Server
To use IBM Transformation Extender for Application Programming in your z/OS Batch execution environment	Platform API
To use IBM Transformation Extender for Application Programming in your z/OS UNIX System Services (z/OS UNIX) execution environment	TX Programming Interface C API Java API RMI API
To use the IBM Transformation Extender with Launcher	Launcher
To use the z/OS native administration interface for the IBM Transformation with Launcher	Launcher
To use IBM Transformation Extender for Integration Servers	IBM Transformation Extender for: IBM Integration Bus Business Process Manager Advanced Sterling B2B Integrator Also see the Sterling B2B Integrator section in the Map Designer documentation.
To bind the application plan using the sample DTXBIND JCL	Installed sample readme files in SDTXSAMP PDS: DTXCDRME DTXDMRME
To use the multiple versions of IBM Transformation Extender for the CICS execution environment in a single CICS region	Command Server (z/OS CICS section)
To configure and use the map and mdq preloader exit	IMS/DC Execution Option
To create the resource name file (.mrn) on Windows	Resource Registry
To use the CICS adapter	CICS adapter
To use the DB2 (z/OS ODBC) adapter	DB2 (z/OS ODBC) adapter
To use the DB2 (Windows/UNIX) adapter	DB2 (Windows/UNIX) adapter

 

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KNOWN LIMITATIONS, PROBLEMS, AND WORKAROUNDS
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Possible delay in viewing GUI contents on z/OS UNIX

Because z/OS operating systems do not have GUI hosting capabilities, the Launcher's Java-based GUIs must be displayed on a remote X Window server. This might cause a delay in viewing the contents of these GUIs on the remote machine when running the IBM Transformation Extender with Launcher on z/OS UNIX Systems Services (z/OS UNIX) platforms.

Several factors can contribute to the time delay in displaying the GUI, including, but not limited to:

• Network traffic
• CPU utilization on the z/OS system
• TCP/IP communication delays
• Capabilities of the X Windows server

Possible z/OS UNIX Launcher failure

A large number of maps, triggers, or I/O requirements might cause the IBM Transformation Extender with Launcher to fail on the z/OS UNIX System Services (z/OS UNIX) platforms due to resource shortage. You might need to increase the region size or adjust 'SYS1.PARMLIB' parameters, which affect z/OS operating systems on z/OS UNIX platforms. Most of these parameters are described in the IBM z/OS Initialization and Tuning Guide section for member 'BPXPRMxx'.


Adjust settings in the dtx.ini file

Every system environment is different. When you run Transformation Extender with Launcher on the z/OS UNIX System Services (z/OS UNIX) platform, review the dtx.ini configuration file and adjust the resource allocation settings for your environment. See the IBM z/OS Initialization and Tuning Guide section for member 'BPXPRMxx' for recommendations on additional parameter settings.


Using DBLOOKUP, DBQUERY, GET, and PUT functions with the database adapter

When the DBLOOKUP, DBQUERY, GET and PUT map functions pass data to the database adapter, the adapter uses the default values for the Delimiter, Terminator and Release settings. Data passed to and from the adapter by these functions is not represented by a type tree generated in Database Interface Designer.


Preserving the encoding of XML files

To preserve the encoding of XML files that were created on an ASCII platform, transfer the files in binary mode, including files such as the Resource Registry .mrc and .mrn files. For example, you can use FTP or IND$FILE to transfer these files. ASCII-encoded files require you to perform extra steps to view or edit them on z/OS systems.

An XML instance document might contain an encoding attribute that identifies the code page of its content. If you transfer an XML file to your z/OS system in ASCII mode or convert it to EBCDIC, you must manually change the encoding setting in the resulting XML instance document to the correct code page to ensure that the XML parser correctly processes the file. In most cases, change UTF-8 encoding to IBM-1047 encoding. If using ASCII transfer, FTP or IND$FILE does not properly convert multiple-byte UTF-8 characters to EBCDIC(IBM-1047).


Considerations for using the 64-bit implementation for COBOL programs

• The Transformation Extender feature that allows COBOL programs to call the Transformation Extender 64-bit platform application programming interface (API) might not perform as well as COBOL programs that call the 31-bit platform API. Use the 64-bit implementation only if it is necessary to manage the data you are processing.
• All of the buffers which the COBOL program provides to the Transformation Extender platform API and all of the buffers which the platform API returns to the COBOL program calling it must fit in 31-bit storage ("below the bar").
• This implementation uses the z/OS ATTACH, WAIT and POST macros. DB2 Commit might not be coordinated with the COBOL program because the Transformation Extender platform API runs with a different TCB than the COBOL program. The COBOL program WAITs for the Transformation Extender platform API to complete running. If the COBOL program fails to call MercExitAPI, an abend occurs when the COBOL program terminates.

Using IBM Transformation Extender for Application Programming on z/OS UNIX

IBM Transformation Extender for Application Programming contains Java™ interface components that run the IBM VM, Java™ Edition on the UNIX System Services (z/OS UNIX) element of z/OS.

The native character encoding of z/OS UNIX is EBCDIC and the native character encoding of Java JVM is UTF-8. Use the LATIN-1 data type to exchange data between Transformation Extender for Application Programming interfaces and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). When you write a map to call a Java-based adapter on z/OS UNIX, consider the following adapter behaviors:

• In the type tree, set the Data language property to LATIN-1 for all character text data items that are to be passed to the adapter.

• The Java-based adapter typically returns a LATIN-1 encoded byte stream. In most cases, use the following type tree properties to set the format of output results that are to be passed from the adapter to the map:

• Set the Item Subclass property to Text
• Set the Interpret as property to Binary

These settings are especially important if the results are to be used as input into another map or adapter.

For additional information about the Java programming code page considerations, see Java™ Standard Edition Products on z/OS .  

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NOTICES
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