DIGITAL Software Product Description ___________________________________________________________________ PRODUCT NAME: DIGITAL ACMSxp V3.0A for DIGITAL UNIX Alpha SPD Application Control and Management Sys- 50.66.06 tem / Cross-Platform Edition DESCRIPTION ACMSxp for DIGITAL UNIX[R] Alpha is middleware that makes client/server business applications run more reliably, efficiently, and securely. ACMSxp works with commercial software products from DIGITAL and other third party vendors to provide users with a complete and customizable development and run-time environment for transaction processing ap- plications such as order tracking, accounting and billing, shop floor control, and insurance claims processing. Many of the concepts and features incorporated in ACMSxp have evolved from the DIGITAL ACMS TP monitor, which has been available on the Open- VMS VAX platform since 1984. However, ACMSxp is a different and sep- arately orderable product, that runs on multiple platforms and does not share any common source or binary ACMS files. ACMSxp has been de- signed to take advantage of open transaction processing technology, incorporating the latest industry standards for data communications and distributed computing. ACMSxp also conforms to widely accepted Spirit and X/Open industry standards for transaction processing. ACMSxp helps guide users through the entire application development life cycle, including the installation, planning, design, development, testing, implementation, management, and maintenance of complex TP ap- plications. ACMSxp provides high-level application definition language for structured definition of TP application functions and run-time char- acteristics. June 1997 AE-Q1MXF-TE ACMSxp makes efficient use of the operating system and associated hard- ware resources, making itself particularly suitable for running mission- critical applications that require high throughput and performance. ACMSxp is closely integrated with the following DIGITAL layered soft- ware products: o Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) for interprocess and client /server data communication o ACMSxp Desktop kit for client access to ACMSxp o C language compiler for DIGITAL UNIX Alpha o DEC COBOL language compiler for DIGITAL UNIX Alpha Because ACMSxp is designed to allow for modular implementation as well as development, users can separate and distribute front-end process- ing (data input/output operations such as forms processing) from back- end processing (data calculations and database storage). In addition, ACMSxp allows developers to implement applications using nonstandard terminal or I/O devices (such as barcode readers and ATMs). ACMSxp supports the deployment of TP applications in a production environ- ment. Features o Application development environment o Run-time system o System and application administration o Front-end/back-end processing o Database management o Documentation set 2 Application Development Environment The ACMSxp development environment is based on a modular approach to application development. When creating an application with ACMSxp, pro- grammers can clearly delineate the behaviors of the various functional portions of the application, including user interface capture and dis- play, data calculation, access to data storage, and higher level trans- action block responsibilities. To support programmers in adhering to this modular approach, ACMSxp provides a high-level programming language called the Structured Trans- action Definition Language (STDL). STDL is a compiler-based, English- like definition language that replaces lower level system service calls for most TP application functions. Because the STDL syntax is simi- lar to English, programmers can more easily define the sequence and style in which the various functions of an application occur. Using STDL, programmers can specify as much or as little application control as they choose, depending on their preferences for configur- ing the application environments. Some environments require that most of the control occur at the client, with the server dedicated to database access. In this case, relatively little STDL programming is required. Other applications require more stringent control at the server, to provide more sophisticated security, reliability, or availability fea- tures. A more robust high-level definition of the application using STDL is warranted in this case. The basic functional components of STDL are: o Exchange step definition and invocation for display interaction o Processing step definition and invocation for database access and general computation activities o Data resource definition of entities such as servers, tasks, workspaces, and logs o Transaction demarcation and resource manager recovery specifica- tion 3 o Execution flow control specification such as IF ... THEN ... ELSE and loop statements Run-Time System ACMSxp , when integrated with other layered products, provides all fea- tures required for the execution of TP applications in a distributed environment. The ACMSxp run-time system is based on the DIGITAL DCE. ACMSxp uses DCE for remore procedure call (RPC) communication, nam- ing resolution, threading and scurity. The run-time system is composed of the following components, which manage applications and control of the run-time system itself: o Request execution A request is the execution of a sequence of application procedures that perform work for an ACMSxp end user. A request is always executed on behalf of a particular ACMSxp end user and is created when the end user invokes an application procedure. When a client performs a re- mote procedure call, the call is redirected to a backup or secondary server if the intended server is not reachable (due to node failure, for example). This behavior is called failover. o Exception handling An exception is the occurrence of an error or other unexpected con- dition during the execution of a request. Exceptions may be raised by the application of the ACMSxp run-time system. When an exception oc- curs, it is either propagated back to the client that initiated the request, or it is handled at the tasl level without the client know- ing and exception occured. o Servers ACMSxp system execution occurs at a collection of system servers de- fined by ACMSxp, and user-defined application servers. System servers provide ACMSxp run-time features and are managed by the ACMSxp sys- tem. An application server provides a set of application procedures and is managed through ACMSxp system administration. The set of ap- plication procedures provided by a particular server is defined by an STDL group specification. 4 o Security To invoke a server, ACMSxp software uses an authorization mechanism. If authorization fails, invocation is rejected. Any authorization fail- ure is logged as a security event. o RPC communication The ACMSxp run-time environment provides full support for the DCE RPC protocol supplied with the DCE RPC product. The DCE RPC protocol sup- ports full interoperation between ACMSxp clients and servers resid- ing in separate address spaces. o Transactional Coordination The ACMSxp runtime environment provides full transactional coordina- tion of resources across all platforms including Windows NT, OpenVMS, and DIGITAL UNIX. o Process management Run-time server process termination is detected by the ACMSxp run-time system and may cause the creation of a new server process to replace the terminated one. System and Application Administration ACMSxp provides facilities for managing the run-time system environ- ment and includes the following administrative features: o System configuration Scripts are provided for creating, deleting, starting, and stopping TP system. Most management operations can be performed remotely us- ing the ACMSxp GUI. o Centralized administration System and application servers can be managed from a central location. This can be done from either the command line interface or from the GUI (Graphical User Interface) running on the Windows NT[TM] platform. 5 The operations that can be performed from one location include: cre- ating, deleting, starting, and stopping servers; showing and modify- ing attributes of TP systems, servers, and other objects within TP sys- tems. o Multiple TP systems A single node can host multiple TP systems. Each TP system and the ap- plication components within it are completely isolated from other TP systems on the node. For example, test and production versions of an application can run in separate TP systems on the same node. o Access control Access control lists (ACLs) control who can invoke procedures or in- sert elements into queues at run time. ACLs can also control who can perform administration operations. o Event logging Exceptions and trace information in the run-time environment can be configured to capture events and record them in an event log. A tool is provided for examining the contents of the event log. Front-End/Back-End Processing With the aid of customer-written presentation servers, ACMSxp appli- cations can be developed with a centralized or client/server config- uration. Customer-written presentation servers enable customers to in- terface with client devices or nonstandard devices. ACMSxp routes ex- change I/O to the device that originated the request and supplies the device with the context necessary for the customer-written presenta- tion server to access the device. Customer-written presentation servers are serially reusable, single user, synchronous servers. However, the presentation server code de- veloper must be aware that the presentation procedures run in a mul- tithreaded environment. 6 Database Management For non-transactional access, ACMSxp supports any database management system that runs on DIGITAL UNIX Alpha and can be called from C or COBOL procedures. For transactional access, ACMSxp supports any XA compli- ant resource managers. Documentation Set ACMSxp for DIGITAL UNIX Alpha includes a complete and comprehensive documentation set. ACMSxp concepts and components are explained to new users in a Software System Overview, an STDL Encyclopedia is provided as a full reference to the STDL language, and a comprehensive case study demonstrates how ACMSxp applications are designed, developed, and man- aged, using the example of a reservations processing application. The ACMSxp for DIGITAL UNIX Alpha documentation set consists of the following manuals and online help: o ACMSxp Release Notes Specific information related to the current version of ACMSxp for DIG- ITAL UNIX Alpha and material added too late for publication in other ACMSxp documents. o Getting Started A manual containing a step-by-step tutorial for developing a simple ACMSxp application. o ACMSxp for DIGITAL UNIX Installation Guide Description of installation requirements, step-by-step installation instructions, and post-installation tasks, with full examples. o Software System Overview An overview of the ACMSxp software system, including a discussion of related products. o STDL Encyclopedia The reference material for the STDL application programming interface to the ACMSxp portable transaction processing monitor. 7 o ACMSxp Developing and Managing Applications A three-part manual describing how to design, develop, and manage a transaction processing application that can be implemented using the ACMSxp portable TP monitor. o ACMSxp Help A comprehensive help file that describes the STDL language and how to develop and manage ACMSxp applications. o ACMSADMIN Help A system administration help file that provides reference information about the TPsytem global entity class and supported attribute, man- agement operations, and subordinate entity classes. CONFORMANCE TO STANDARDS ACMSxp conforms to formal industry standards set forth by the follow- ing standards bodies: o International Standards Organization (ISO) o American National Standards Institute (ANSI) ACMSxp conforms to the following industry specifications: o Open Software Foundation (OSF) DCE o Subset of Multivendor Integration Architecture (MIA) o NMF/Spirit o X/Open - XA Interface - TxRPC interface - STDL 8 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ACMSxp Version 3.0A for DIGITAL UNIX is supported on all hardware con- figurations running DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0B. Reference can be made to the configuration charts listed in the DIGITAL UNIX Operating Sys- tem Software Product Description (SPD 41.61.xx). Disk Space Requirements (Block Cluster Size = 1): Disk space required on 84,000 blocks (43 megabytes) user disk for installa- tion: The sizes are approximate; actual sizes may vary depending on the user's environment, configuration, and software options. Memory Requirements: The minimum memory supported is 128 Megabytes. However, the use of this software in conjunction with increased memory capability improves per- formance. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS ACMSxp for DIGITAL UNIX Alpha runs on all Alpha machines that use the DIGITAL UNIX Alpha operating system. Allowable configurations include: one Alpha processor for centralized configurations; multiple Alpha pro- cessors for client/server configurations. For DIGITAL UNIX Alpha workstations or systems that use terminals: Software required on all DIGITAL UNIX Alpha nodes in ACMSxp environ- ment: o ACMSxp V3.0A for DIGITAL UNIX Alpha o DIGITAL UNIX Operating System V4.0B (includes TCP/IP) o DIGITAL DCE V2.0A (ECO 1) Runtime Services for DIGITAL UNIX 9 Additional software required on at least one node in the OSF/DCE cell: o DIGITAL DCE V2.0A (ECO 1) Cell Directory Server for DIGITAL UNIX o DIGITAL DCE V2.0A (ECO 1) Security Server for DIGITAL UNIX Additional software required on all DIGITAL UNIX Alpha nodes used for development: o DIGITAL UNIX Alpha Developer's Extension (includes C compiler) o DIGITAL DCE V2.0A (ECO 1) Application Developer's Kit for DIGITAL UNIX OPTIONAL SOFTWARE o MICROFOCUS COBOL V4.0 o DEC Cobol V2.3 o Any XA compliant database (ie. OPENIngres, ORACLE7[TM], SYBASE[R]) o ACMSxp Desktop V3.0: Enables desktop system users to access ACMSxp applications from the native desktop system environment. For more information reference the ACMS Desktop Software Product Descrip- tion (SPD 34.81.xx). o AltaVista Tunnel GROWTH CONSIDERATIONS The minimum hardware/software requirements for any future version of this product may be different from the requirements for the current version. DISTRIBUTION MEDIA This product is distributed on an individual product CD-ROM, or part of the DIGITAL UNIX Alpha Consolidated Software Distribution on CD- ROM. 10 ORDERING INFORMATION Software Development Licenses: QL-247A*-** Software Run-time Licenses: QL-248A*-** Software Media/Documentation: QA-247AA-H8 Software Documentation: QA-247AA-GZ Software Product Services: QT-247A*-** * Denotes variant fields. For additional information on available li- censes, services, and media, refer to the appropriate price book. The above information is valid at time of release. Please contact your local DIGITAL office for the most up-to-date information. SOFTWARE LICENSING ACMSxp for DIGITAL UNIX Alpha is available with two licensing options: o Traditional use license, price based on capacity of machine o Concurrent use licenses, price based on number of users This software is furnished under the licensing provisions of Digital Equipment Corporation's Standard Terms and Conditions. For more in- formation about DIGITAL licensing terms and policies, contact your lo- cal DIGITAL office. License Management Facility Support: This layered product supports the DIGITAL UNIX Alpha License Manage- ment Facility. This layered product offers a Concurrent Use license. Each Concurrent Use license allows any one individual at a time to use the layered prod- uct. For more information on the License Management Facility, refer to the DIGITAL UNIX Alpha Operating System Software Product Description (SPD 41.61.xx) or the DIGITAL UNIX Alpha Operating System documentation. 11 SOFTWARE PRODUCT SERVICES A variety of service options are available from DIGITAL. For more in- formation, contact your local DIGITAL office. SOFTWARE WARRANTY Warranty for this software product is provided by DIGITAL with the pur- chase of a license for the product as defined in the Software Warranty Addendum of this SPD. [R] SYBASE is a registered trademark of Sybase, Inc. [R] UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Lim- ited. [TM] ORACLE7 is a trademark of ORACLE Corporation. [TM] Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. [TM] ACMS, ACMS Desktop, DEC, AltaVista, DIGITAL, OpenVMS, VAX, and the DIGITAL logo are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders. © 1997 Digital Equipment Corporation. All rights reserved. 12