Mainframe IPL: 2009

What is RXMON ?

RXMON is a project to mix a lot of concepts from Mainframe and Unix/Windows platforms.It is a deamon, like a telnetd from Unix. It runs Rexx and COBOL workload but it uses TN3270 for online transactions/application. All tasks runs in threadsafe mode using PThread POSIX model.

He can be used either as a deamon, providing access by terminal emulator or when we need to run a batch REXX scripts (like a long process). For this cases we have two differents engines, "zrx" as a interpreter and "zssss" as a server.

Nowadays I am the mainly user of RXMON.

I have a great passion by TSO, REXX, CMS, VM and ISPF, and of course, 3270 protocol, emulators, green screens..... I tried to implement some pieces from known program products in RXMON. (I will show some examples) I have a couple of JCL and transactions in my lab to improve procedures and tasks, like backup/restore, send/receive emails, to collect data using 3270 panels, code generators, file transfers....

Who had a chance to work with CICS/IMS/CMS or TSO will be able to compare RXMON with them. It is a mix from them. But we can forget that basically is a monitor to run infrastructure applications or business transactions.

Where can we use RXMON?

- production applications, to improve data entry (no mouse! no graphical slow interfaces!)

- scheduler tasks

- Mainframe migrations, emulating CICS or IMS transactions, JCL and other mainframe concepts

- Development teams, when we need to save CPU consuption by TSO and edit/compile/test procedures (just using to mainframe to run applications)

Features from version 1.0 (alpha) :

- Running under Windows (CYGWIN) or Linux

- TN3270 traffic to use emulator terminals (like PCOM, EXTRA, x3270)

- portable to use Regina REXX (REXXSAA)

- support to use MYSQL clients, directly from REXX- internal SQLite support to manage product database or application data (like a VSAM to MVS)

- TCPIP support and CURL interface (TCPIP protocols support)

- provided a DSS subsystem as a REXX Host Command Interface

- OpenCobol support (see http://www.opencobol.org/ )

Please, let me know if you have comments or doubts about this product.

DSS Host Command Summary :

- CONVERSE send/reveive a 3270 datastream to terminal

- EXECIO <*n> DISKWAR (STEM stem FILTER label like a TSO EXECIO with some improvements like FILTER callback and DISKA, for append feature

Example :
In this sample, you can select which records will be loaded to STEM variable or stack area.

say 'mode='execmode()
dados='/home/gaeta/sss/arq2.txt'

'execio * diskr dados (stem ll. filter selectrec'

say 'rc='rc

say 'total='ll.0

do i=1 to ll.0

say i'->'ll.i

end

exit

selectrec: parse arg act,rec

rec=strip(rec)

execio='NOREAD'

if substr(rec,1,2)='11' then execio='READ'

return

- PANEL show a map in a based NCurses terminal from STEM map variable

- MAP <*vsocket> like a PANEL command, but send/receive a map to/from TN3270 terminal

- REFRESH ?

- CBTASK to start a OC Cobol task

- LIST INS SELECT LOADFILE SAVEFILE DEL COUNT GET ADD DESTROY
to manage linked lists.

- BROWSE DEFINE REFRESH UPDATE NEXT PREV RESET
to manage browse resource in 3270 panels SYSRETR
to extract system variables

- DBOPEN file DBCLOSE
to open/close user databases (MYSQL and SQLite supports)

- DBSQL qualif SQLCODE SQLROWS SQLRECS SQLMSG SQLRESULT
to run queries and returns SQL fields retrieved into REXX variable as STEM model.
Example :

'dbopen test.db'

var1="select * from tab1"

'set sqlline field'

'dbexec var1'

say 'sqlrecs=' sqlrecs

do i=1 to sqlrecs

say cod.i substr(nome.i,1,40) fone.i

end

'dbclose test.db'

exit

- DBEXEC SYSEXEC
to run SQL DML commands

- SYS qualif SQL
like a DBSQL command, but runs a query from IPD (Internal Product Database)

- SHOW flush a output data

- RXTHREAD to start a new REXX thread - DUMP to DUMP internal structures, used to debug data

- GLOBALV CLEAR PUSH ... POP ... to interchange Rexx variables between programs, you can PUSH variables to Rexx called and restore using POP parameter.

- LOG sysid sysappl msgclass internal LOG structure

- SPOOL OPEN CLOSE PURGE sysid jobid
to manage spool data, used by JCL feature or application/transactions. You can interchange spool data from online to batch scripts

- SPWRITE sysid jobid jobstep jobfile SPREAD sysid jobid jobstep jobfile
write/read record to/from spool

- PERFORM lbl1,lbl2...lbln
call Rexx internal procedures

- DEF BEGIN 1 n-lvl * ... END LIST
to manage records, using to COBOL record concepts

"SET" commands :

SET SYSTEM $USERID $SYSID $SUPER OFFon
sets internal data

SET OUTMODE OFFon
?

SET MAPDELAY OFF0-milisec
sets a delay for each receive map

SET MAPCASE UcaseMixed
force a uppercase in data map

SET FEATURE offon
load a lot of features to BATCH Rexx script

SET SQLLIM NOmaxrecs
sets a number max record to ceate a STEM variables using to DBSQL or SYS commands

SET SQLEXT OFFon
sets a SQL extensions on or off, to bring Rexx procedures as SQL SELECT functions.
Example :
'set sqlext on'
esql="attach database 'test.db' as test"'sysexec esql'
var1="select vardata,rxproc('ff1',varname,'f') as x from sssreg"'sys var1 var1_field.'say 'sqlresult=' sqlresultsay 'sqlmsg=' sqlmsg
do i=1 to sqlrecs say vardata.i 'x=' x.iendsay 'sqlrecs=' sqlrecs
if execmode()='BATCH' then do 'set feature off'end
exit
ff1: parse arg p1,p2 say 'p1=' p1 ' p2=' p2 sqlexpr='$'p1'$'return

SET SQLPROC onOFF
sets a Rexx procedure as a record callback from SQL SELECT command.
Example :
'dbopen test.db'say 'dbopen rc='rc
'set sqlproc to each_record'esql='select * fxom tab1''dbsql esql ff.'do i=1 to ff.0 say i'='ff.iend
'dbclose test.db'say 'dbclose rc='rc
exit
each_record: parse arg p1,p2 say 'p1='p1 say 'p2='p2return

SET DEBUG OFFon
sets a debug on/off to DSS commands

SET SQLLINE compactFIELD
sets a type of output record from SQL SELECT commands compact - all fields will be concat in a one field field - each field will be a STEM

SET CURSOR NORMAL,UNPROT BRIGHT,UNPROT NORMAL,ASKIP BRIGHT,ASKIP DARK BLINK NORMAL,REVERSE ULINE,NORMAL ULINE,BRIGHT
sets a map field attribute

SET MAPEVENT OFFon,procedure
sets a map events on/off

SET KEY PFx,label,vcmd
sets a command to PFxx

Built-in :

E2A(ebcdic-string), converts ebcdic to ascii

A2E(ascii-string), converts ascii to ebcdic

LITEM(,), retrieve a item from linked list pointed by

LCOUNT(), count a linked list items

SEARCH('stem',vstr,istart,iend), search in a STEM variable, using vstr argument, from to item

REMOVE(vname), ?

EXECMODE(), returns ONLINE or BATCH mode

STORAGE(ioffset,ibytesread,), to manage Rexx task storage (about 32K)