DIGITAL Software Product Description ___________________________________________________________________ PRODUCT NAME: DIGITAL ACMSxp V3.1 for OpenVMS Alpha SPD 60.53.05 Application Control and Management Sys- tem / Cross-Platform Edition DESCRIPTION DIGITAL ACMSxp for OpenVMS Alpha is middleware that makes client/server business applications run more reliably, efficiently, and securely. ACMSxp works with other Digital Equipment Corporation commercial soft- ware products to provide users with a complete and customizable de- velopment and run-time environment for transaction processing appli- cations such as order tracking, accounting and billing, shop floor con- trol, 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 designed to take advantage of open transaction processing technology, incor- porating the latest industry standards for data communications and dis- tributed computing. ACMSxp also conforms to widely accepted Spirit and X/Open industry standards for transaction processing. ACMSxp documentation helps guide users through the entire application development life cycle, including the installation, planning, design, development, testing, implementation, management, and maintenance of complex TP applications. ACMSxp provides a high-level structured trans- action definition language (STDL) that defines TP application func- tions and run-time characteristics. February 1998 AE-QRFYF-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 DIGITAL Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) client/server data communication o DIGITAL ACMSxp Desktop kit for multivendor client access to ACMSxp o DEC C language compiler for OpenVMS 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 sup- ports the deployment of TP applications in a production environment. 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 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 2 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 o Execution flow control specification such as IF ... THEN ... ELSE and loop statements. 3 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 DCE. ACMSxp uses DCE for remote procedure call (RPC) communication, naming resolution (CDS), threading (DECthreads), and security. The run-time system is composed of the following components, which man- age applications and the control of the run-time system itself: o Request execution A request performs 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 remote procedure call, the call is redirected to a backup or sec- ondary server if the intended server is not reachable (due to node fail- ure, 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 or 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 task level without the client know- ing an exception occurred. o Servers An ACMSxp system has two types of servers. System servers defined by ACMSxp, and user-defined application servers. System servers provide ACMSxp run-time features and are managed by the ACMSxp system. An ap- plication server provides a set of application procedures and is man- aged through ACMSxp system administration. The set of application pro- cedures provided by a particular server is defined by an STDL group specification. o Security 4 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 DIGITAL platforms including Windows NT, OpenVMS, and DIGITAL UNIX[R]. 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. 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. 5 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. o Performance Monitoring ACMSxp performance monitoring software allows you to collect data con- cerning processing activity within a particular TP system on an as needed basis. o Selectable Resource Manager (RM) Model Allows the configuration of ACMSxp with or without transactional sup- port. Allows selection of several transaction management configura- tions depending on the number and type of resource managers being used. 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. 6 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. Database Management This release of ACMSxp for OpenVMS Alpha supports the Oracle[R] Rdb database management system, from Oracle Corporation. Future releases of ACMSxp will support additional database management systems. Documentation Set ACMSxp for OpenVMS Alpha includes a complete and comprehensive doc- umentation 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 three- part case study demonstrates how ACMSxp applications are designed, de- veloped, and managed, using the example of a reservations processing application. The ACMSxp for OpenVMS Alpha documentation set consists of the fol- lowing manuals and online help: o ACMSxp Release Notes Specific information related to the current version of ACMSxp for Open- VMS 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 OpenVMS Alpha Installation Guide Description of installation requirements, step-by-step installation instructions, and post-installation tasks, with full examples. o Software System Overview 7 An overview of the ACMSxp software system, including an introduction to the STDL language and a discussion of related products. o STDL Encyclopedia The reference material for the STDL application programming interface to the ACMSxp portable transaction processing monitor. 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 ACMSxp Management GUI Help A system administration GUI help file that provides information about managing ACMSxp entities through the GUI entity heirarchy window. 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) Distributed Computing Environment o Multivendor Integration Architecture (MIA) o NMF/Spirit o X/Open 8 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ACMSxp Version 3.1 for OpenVMS is supported on all Alpha hardware con- figurations running OpenVMS Version 6.2 or 7.1. Reference can be made to the configuration charts listed in the OpenVMS Operating System Soft- ware Product Description (SPD 25.01.xx) Hardware Support Tables. Disk Space Requirements (Block Cluster Size = 1): Disk space required on 30,000 blocks user disk for installa- tion: Disk space required on 24,000 blocks user disk for permanent use: 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 OpenVMS Alpha runs on all Alpha machines that use the Open- VMS operating system. Allowable configurations include: one Alpha pro- cessor for centralized configurations; multiple Alpha processors for client/server configurations. Software required on all OpenVMS Alpha nodes in ACMSxp environment: o OpenVMS Alpha V6.2 or V7.1 o DIGITAL TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS V4.1 (ECO 4) o DIGITAL Distributed Computing Environment V1.4 Run-Time Services for OpenVMS Alpha 9 o RMS Journaling License o DECnet/OSI V6.3 (ECO 6) Additional software required on at least one OpenVMS Alpha node in the network: o DIGITAL Distributed Computing Environment V1.4 Cell Directory Server for OpenVMS Alpha o DIGITAL Distributed Computing Environment V1.4 Security Server for OpenVMS Alpha Additional software required on all OpenVMS Alpha nodes used for de- velopment: o DEC C V5.3-006 o DIGITAL Distributed Computing Environment V1.4 Application Devel- opers Kit for OpenVMS Alpha OPTIONAL SOFTWARE o TP Web Connector V1.0 - Enables seamless web access to business ap- plications running on ACMSxp or ACMS systems. For more information regarding TP Web Connector, please refer to it's SPD, 64.97.xx. o DEC COBOL V2.4 o ALSTRA[TM] - ALSTRA is a Windows NT and Windows 95[R] based code generator for ACMSxp. It utilizes a Visual Basic[TM] GUI for ap- plication development and prototyping and generates STDL code for deployment on OpenVMS, DIGITAL UNIX and Windows NT platforms. For more information regarding ALSTRA, please refer to it's SPD, 56.32.xx o Any database supported by OpenVMS Alpha V6.2 or V7.1 o DIGITAL DECforms is an optional software product for the develop- ment and deployment of forms-based user interfaces for interactive applications running on OpenVMS systems. DECforms is a complete user interface management system (UIMS), providing applications with the 10 look and feel of a forms interface and a robust set of dialog man- agement and validation functions to control the user interface dur- ing application execution. DECforms supports Motif-based worksta- tions, X terminals, VT-based character-cell terminals, and PostScript printers. o ACMSxp Desktop V3.0 - Enables desktop system users to access ACMSxp applications from the native desktop system environment. For more information reference the DIGITAL ACMS Desktop Software Product De- scription (SPD 34.81.xx). 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 OpenVMS Consolidated Software Distribution on CD-ROM. ORDERING INFORMATION Listed below is the ordering information for the ACMSxp Development and Runtime offerings. ___________________________________________________________________ Development________________________________________________________ Licenses QL-4WRA*-** Media/Documentation QA-4WRAA-H8 Documentation Only QA-4WRAA-GZ Product_Services_____________QT-4WRA*-**___________________________ 11 ___________________________________________________________________ Licenses QL-4WSA*-** Media/Documentation QA-4WSAA-H8 Documentation Only QA-4WSAA-GZ Run-time_Services____________QT-4WSA*-**___________________________ * 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 OpenVMS 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 OpenVMS License Management Facil- ity. 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 OpenVMS Alpha Operating System Software Product Description (SPD 41.61.xx) or the OpenVMS Alpha Operating System documentation. 12 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. © 1998 Digital Equipment Corporation. All rights reserved. [TM] ACMS, ACMS Desktop, OpenVMS, DECforms, DECthreads, DECwin- dows, OpenVMS, VAX, and the DIGITAL logo are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. [R] Motif and OSF are registered trademarks of Open Software Foundation, Inc. [R] Oracle and Oracle Rdb are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. [R] UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Lim- ited. [TM] ALSTRA is a trademark of Mirus Data AB. [TM] Visual Basic, Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Mi- crosoft Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders. © 1998 Digital Equipment Corporation. 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