Connector

z/OS Interface Component

Enhanced Definition

A software component or API that facilitates communication and data exchange between applications running on z/OS (e.g., CICS, IMS, DB2, batch) and external, often distributed, systems. Its primary purpose is to expose mainframe assets and data in a consumable format for non-mainframe applications, thereby enabling integration and modernization initiatives. In the z/OS environment, a connector is a software component designed to facilitate communication and data exchange between mainframe applications and external systems, or between different applications within the mainframe itself. It acts as an interface component, abstracting underlying communication protocols, data formats, and security mechanisms to enable seamless integration and interoperability.

Key Characteristics

- Protocol Translation: Translates proprietary mainframe communication protocols (e.g., ECI for CICS, DRDA for DB2, OTMA for IMS) into standard network protocols like TCP/IP, HTTP/S, or middleware-specific protocols.
- Data Transformation: Performs necessary data format conversions (e.g., EBCDIC to ASCII, COBOL copybook structures to JSON/XML) to ensure data is intelligible to both mainframe and distributed applications.
- Security Integration: Integrates with z/OS security mechanisms (e.g., RACF, ACF2, Top Secret) for authentication and authorization, often mapping distributed user identities to mainframe security contexts.
- Resource Abstraction: Provides a layer of abstraction, allowing external applications to interact with mainframe resources (transactions, programs, data) without requiring deep knowledge of z/OS internals or programming paradigms.
- Scalability and Reliability: Designed to handle high volumes of concurrent requests and provide robust, fault-tolerant connections to critical mainframe systems, often with features like connection pooling and workload balancing.
- API Exposure: Modern connectors like z/OS Connect EE specifically expose mainframe programs and data as RESTful APIs, simplifying integration for web, mobile, and cloud-native applications.

Use Cases

- Web Application Integration: A Java web application needs to retrieve customer data from a DB2 database on z/OS or invoke a CICS transaction to process an order, utilizing JDBC drivers or CICS Transaction Gateway (CTG).
- Mobile Backend Services: A mobile application requires access to a COBOL program running in CICS or IMS to check account balances, with z/OS Connect EE exposing these programs as REST APIs.
- Enterprise Application Integration (EAI): Integrating mainframe batch processes or IMS transactions with an SAP or Salesforce system using message queues (MQ Series) or specialized integration platforms.
- Data Warehousing/Analytics: Extracting operational data from DB2 tables or VSAM files on z/OS for loading into an enterprise data warehouse or big data platform for business intelligence.
- Cloud Integration: Connecting cloud-native applications or microservices to existing mainframe applications and data as part of a hybrid cloud architecture, leveraging secure and performant connectors.

Related Concepts

Connectors are pivotal for mainframe modernization and hybrid cloud strategies, serving as the essential bridge between traditional z/OS environments and modern distributed or cloud platforms. They often work in conjunction with middleware like MQ Series for asynchronous communication, **API