IMS Enterprise Suite IMS Connect API for Java overview

The IMS Enterprise Suite IMS Connect API for Java provides a simple interface for developing custom IMS Connect TCP/IP client applications that are written in Java.

IMS Connect is an optional IMS Transaction Manager (TM) network component that provides high performance communication between one or more TCP/IP clients and one or more IMS systems. The IMS Connect API for Java simplifies the process of developing Java applications that interact with IMS through IMS Connect.

The key features of the IMS Connect API for Java include:

• Opens connections to IMS connect on behalf of the client application
• Provides client applications with programmatic control of connections
• Assembles messages to send to IMS Connect, including the IMS request message (IRM) header
• Manages the IMS Connect message protocol by sending and receiving the appropriate messages for interactions with IMS Connect

The IMS Connect API for Java manages the communication between the Java application and IMS Connect. The client application provides property values that describe the type of connection to establish with IMS Connect. The IMS Connect API for Java establishes a connection for the application and maintains that connection for as long as it is needed.

The IMS Connect API for Java provides methods which encapsulate the creation of an input request message to be sent to IMS Connect and the retrieval of the resulting response from IMS Connect. The creation of the request message is based on properties which are specified in the application or loaded from a reusable properties file. The properties determine the type of interaction to be executed. By completing these steps on behalf of the application, the API reduces the programming overhead associated with the IMS Connect protocol headers.

For a synchronous callout message, the IMS Connect API for Java stores the output message and associated correlator token for the client application in the corresponding interaction object. When the client is finished processing the message, it can return the synchronous callout response (or an error response) to the waiting IMS application program.

The IMS Connect API for Java also provides Java application developers with flexible ways to use IMS Connect. For example, you can either acknowledge responses from IMS Connect manually in your application or have the IMS Connect API for Java internally acknowledge responses from IMS Connect automatically.

You can use the IMS Connect API for Java to drive IMS transactions, OTMA-supported IMS commands, CSL OM-supported IMS type-2 commands, and IMS Connect-supported commands (such as PING and RACF Password Change) from your Java client application. The IMS Connect API for Java supports Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for securing TCP/IP communications between client applications and IMS Connect.

The IMS Connect API for Java supports the HWSSMPL0 and HWSSMPL1 IMS Connect user message exits. The default user exit is HWSSMPL1.