Cloud…..meet mainframe

The mainframe continues, by and large, to stand outside of the ever-enlarging world of cloud services, even though there is a growing need for cloud-delivered front-end services to be able to connect, interoperate and collaborate with mainframe-based back-end business systems. Anything that can help shorten – or indeed open up – links between the two will obviously be of interest to many of the larger enterprises that might generate value from direct collaboration between front-end consumer apps on mobiles and tablets, and back-end, mission critical business management services running on mainframes.

Filling at least some of this need is the target for SOA Software, which has just upgraded its Lifecycle Manager product so that it supports API management on mainframe systems. In effect, this creates a `RESTful Mainframe,’ with robust governance of REST APIs that front zOS-based web services.

As APIs mature and gain mainstream adoption, they are converging with SOA from a governance perspective and this new advance provides customers with a unified platform to manage both APIs as well as existing SOA assets.

“With this new functionality in Lifecycle Manager, we are offering mainframe owners a way to effectively execute a mainframe API management strategy.”

Applying development governance to mainframe assets helps enterprises overcome the significant architectural challenges inherent in bringing legacy systems into an IT-related economy that is increasingly geared to the use of APIs. This `API Economy’ is where mobile apps need rapid, agile access to backend systems.

Now, with support for the mainframe, Lifecycle Manager can be the system of record for all enterprise assets including mainframe-based SOAP services and RESTful APIs that expose legacy software functionality. This capability gives enterprise stakeholders seamless access to service discovery and impact analysis, whether on mainframe, distributed system or partner system.

Services architects and developers will now be able to map dependencies between APIs and mainframe assets at the development stage and manage those APIs across their full lifecycles.

“For many organisations, including some of our largest clients, the mainframe is very much part of the RESTful API landscape,” said Brent Carlson, SVP of SOA Software. “With this new functionality in Lifecycle Manager, we are offering mainframe owners a way to effectively execute a mainframe API management strategy.”

SOA Software’s Lifecycle Manager governs the development and use of APIs, services and other software assets across an overall enterprise IT environment, providing a clear view into how each fits into an enterprise’s business and technical landscape. By establishing a comprehensive context for assessing existing software assets and guiding the development of new ones, Lifecycle Manager serves to extend an enterprise’s IT capabilities as APIs so they're accessible and usable in mobile, cloud and web application by enterprise customers and partners.

Leveraging a built-in repository, Lifecycle Manager enables management across all the life stages of an API, i.e. from planning and designing to developing, operating, maintaining and retiring the APIs.

SOA Software brought mainframes into enterprise SOA by creating a SOAP stack on CICS and IMS. The new Lifecycle Manager features are based on integration and experience with large customers using mainframes.

Making RESTful APIs work on the mainframe can be done with Lifecycle Manager either through a `Bottom Up’ or `Top Down’ approach. With the former, there is a service wrapping of existing mainframe programs, for example a Service WSDL generated by SOLA. In the top-down approach, there is a `WSDL First’ approach to designing web services and then developing programs on mainframe to implement them.