Liant and the Web2003 Seminar

Series

Web Applications and Services

The Challenge

The Worldwide Web (Today)• Desktop User Agents (Browsers)• Common Language (HTML)• Universal Connectivity (Internet)• Server Locating Protocol (URI)• Information Servers (HTTP)

The Worldwide Web (Today)Used For:• Information Retrieval and Display• Order Entry (Business to Consumer)• Entertainment

The Worldwide Web (Tomorrow)• Location-free Computing

– Unrestricted application point-of-entry• Distributed Applications

– Application specific functions on desktop and [multiple] servers.

• Diverse Human Interface– Multi-sensory (visual, audible, tactile)– Delivery (computer, phone, touch screen,

register, automobile, cable television)

Problems• Reliability

– Immature technology (“bleeding edge”)• Multiplicative probability of failure

(.75x.75x.75=.42) • Functional integrity (multiple skills=essential

complexity)– Malicious attack (targeted and blind)

Problems• Cost

– Diverse skills needed• Demand• Quality

– Legacy integration or replacement– Limited pass-thru ability– Short useful lifetime

• Rarely greater than 3 years• Often less than development time!

Problems• Time-to-market

– Conflicting factors• needed quickly• new skills required• invention on a timetable (never a good idea!)

• Vendor Conflict– Major players – you are in the middle, or

worse ...– Ringside at a sumo match

Could Be Dangerous!

Solutions?• Buy application, rather than build it

– Bounded cost– “Immediate” result– Little or no proprietary competitive advantage– Dependence on yet another vendor (often small)– Approximate fit– Might not be a choice

• Outsource entire function– Usually expensive– No proprietary advantage– Recurring expense

• P.O.R. (“press on regardless”)• Something else?

Solution!

Liant’s Xcentrisity™ solution!• Business Information Server• RM/COBOL + XML• Cobol-WOW w/Browser Extensions• Consulting Services

Xcentrisity™

Real Applications Powering The

Web

Our Belief, Our Focus, Our Goal• The World-Wide Web is the emerging

business application (super-)platform• Our strategic focus has always been on

removing the platform variable from commercial application development and deployment

• Xcentrisity is Liant’s system (methodology) for utilizing the worldwide web and its technology to build and support the next generation of commercial applications and services.

What Is Xcentrisity?• A System for Providing Web

Applications and Services– Consistent – Reliable– Enabling

• Dynamic– Tracking state-of-the-art– Open-ended

• Real Modernization

Characteristics of an Xcentrisity Solution• Utilizes Open Standards

– XML, HTTP, HTML• Leverages Open Source

– Gnome, Apache, Gnu• Targets Key Platforms

– Windows/UNIX/Linux– IBM, HP, Sun, Intel

• Broad Functionality

The SolutionProblem An Xcentrisity Solution

Reliability •Proven logic•Secure infrastructure

Cost •Incremental functionality•Evolutionary development

Time-to-market •Rapid “critical mass”•Minimal invention

Vendor conflict •Vendor neutral•Platform independent

The Hub: Business Information Server• Engine for web-based applications and

services• Extends web server

– IIS and Apache Initially• Seamlessly integrates RM/COBOL

logic• XML at the heart

Spoke: RM/COBOL + XML• Extended by XML Toolkit

– Enables XML data interchange– Enables BIS/COBOL integration

• Language Extensions– DATA DIVISION enhancements– LIKE operator– Selected 200X features

• InstantSQL• Contained within BIS

Spoke: Cobol-WOW• Browser-launched thin-client • <object> HTML element• Self deploying

– All necessary files transparently downloaded by MS ICD

• Requires IE 5+ browser and IIS 5+ server

• Runs under BIS

Spoke: Relativity• Relational data access• ODBC for UNIX/Linux• ODBC.NET Data Provider• Universal access

– Server-side scripts (ASP, PHP, etc.)– BIS applications (InstantSQL)– Client-side applications (WOW, Java)– Java applets– .NET managed applications

Consulting Services• Project assessment• Proof of concept assistance• Early-access product• Ongoing monitoring and advice• Whatever it takes

Xcentrisity

Consulting

Cobol WOW XML Toolkit

Relativity

RM/COBOL

BIS

Business InformationServerPowering

Xcentrisity

Business Information Server• Extends web (HTTP) server• Manages application sessions• Coordinates application interaction

with WWW infrastructure and other applications and services

• Includes web-enabled RM/COBOL runtime engine and XML support

• Exposes legacy business functions

Typical BIS Application

BIS

HTTPServer

App SessionApp Session

App Session

App Session

App Session

COBOLData

COBOL Program

Object

BIS Services• Serves designated URIs• Processes server-based file referenced by

URI as BIS Response File (or SRF)• Establishes and maintains user sessions

automatically• “Renders” the URI by copying SRF as

modified by {{tags}}• {{tags}} trigger key functions• {{tags}} control interaction with programs

Simple Stencil (Server Response File){{ handler * }}{{ RunProgram(Sample -v,xmlif.dll) }}<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN"

"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"><html> <head> <META http-equiv="Content-Type“ content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"> <META http-equiv="Content-Style-Type“

content="text/css"> <title>Liant BIS Web Application Sample</title> </head> <body> <h3>Liant BIS Program-driven Web Application

Sample</h3> <p>---Begin Application-Generated HTML Payload---</p> {{ XMLExchange(OnExit="goodbye.srf") }} <p>--- End Application-Generated HTML Payload ---</p> </body></html>

HTTP Server

(IISor

Apache)

BIS Session Manager

COBOLData

BISExchange

Data

Request

Response

BISServiceEngine

RM/COBOLApplicationProgram

WEB Server Service Instance

BIS Data Flow

Web Data

Application Input Pipeline

HTTPGET/POSTRequest

IIS/BISXML

ServiceRequest

COBOLRun UnitMemory

COBOLXML

Request

XSLTransform

IMPORT

Application Output Pipeline

COBOLRun UnitMemory

EXPORTXML

ResponsePayload

HTTPGET/POSTResponse

HTMLResponsePayload

XSLTransform

BIS/IIS

BIS Data Pipeline

HTTP

HTML,SOAP

Stencils

XSLT

XML

BIS Application (Typical Program Flow)• Starts when app URI is requested

(HTTP GET)• User Interaction:

– Responds with HTML (<form>)– Obtains HTTP POST request payload– Responds with HTML (<form>)– Obtains HTTP POST request payload– Etc.

• Terminates

BIS: Common Application Types • Program-driven application• Transform-driven application• SOAP-based service• Content provider service

Program-Driven Application• Service program controls most or all of

dynamic content, including visual layout and appearance

• Detailed “look and feel” provided by style sheets (CSS)

• Single point of control (the program)• Web design and application design

almost independent

Transform-Driven Application• Service program controls logic flow

and dynamic data content• Style sheets (XSLT) provide visual

layout and appearance, as well as determining data presentation and interaction with the user

• Control shared by program and web developer

SOAP-Based Service• No visual interface awareness in

program, style sheets, or server response file

• Program processes functional requests• Responses are XML (SOAP), not

HTML• State may be maintained between

requests

Content Provider Service• URI identifies dynamic content• Program processes request for

dynamic content (HTTP GET)• Program provides response payload

(may be HTML or XML, or neither)• Often used to provide partial results to

“outer layer” process• Does not use persistent session

Why BIS?• Fast, economical integration with

legacy application logic and data• Leverages most advanced technology

for practical business problems• Completely interoperable with all web

services and technologies• Opaque to application users and

technology partners• Safe and reliable

Why BIS?

BIS is the best way to deliver business functions and services on the web.

The RM/COBOL®

Tool SetBetter Than Ever,

Second to None

Active Products• RM/COBOL• XML Toolkit• BIS• Relativity• Cobol-WOW• InfoExpress

What do we consider?• Benefits

– Platform portability– Programming Efficiency– Interoperability– Reliability– Maintainability– Performance

Why Platform Portability?• Shield yourself from “Sumo” vendors• Focus on your application, not where it

runs• Platforms

– Windows– UNIX– The Web

Programming Efficiently• Development environments

– CodeWatch– WOW Designer– Relativity Designer

• Built-in functionality

Interoperability• Access to other languages

– C and C++– JAVA– SQL

• Access to Industry Standards– ODBC– XML– SOAP

Reliability• Proven logic

– your application already works• Data integrity

– Atomic I/O• Fast recovery when unavoidable errors

do occur• Clear, unambiguous error codes

What’s not to LIKE?• The LIKE operator

– Regular expression (”regxp”)– Allows any display item to be compared not to

just a single text value, but to a potentially infinite set of text values generated by a “pattern”

– box– Box|box– [bB]ox– .*[bB]ox.*– .*\s(([tT]ext)|([cC]at))\s([bB]ox).*

How do you manage your code?

Reduce your development and support efforts • Relativity Multi-file Support

– Create a single catalog with a single table– Point at multiple data files

• Cobol-WOW for UNIX now supports:– Character-based screens– Remote printing

Did you know?• Relativity’s Data Server

– Comes configured for X number of connections

– File access happens on the server– Only the records returned by a query

come back across the network– Can dramatically improve the

performance

The Right Tool for the Job• Web Applications

– BIS– Relativity– Cobol-WOW– Cobol-CGI

• Web Services– BIS

• Web Data Access– BIS– Relativity– Cobol-CGI

The Right Tool for the Job• Client/Server Applications

– Cobol-WOW– Relativity– RM/COBOL

• Client Server Data Access– Relativity

• Single Tier Applications– RM/COBOL– Relativity– Cobol-WOW

Made in America• RM/COBOL’s classic engine provides the muscle

to drive your application in a sleeker, more modern model…

Made for the Future

•The Information Highway—a.k.a.the Web

ConclusionReady for You