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Inet - Internet

Enhanced Definition

The Internet, in the context of IBM z/OS, refers to the global system of interconnected computer networks that utilizes the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide. For the mainframe, it signifies z/OS's capability to establish secure, high-performance connections to this global network, enabling mainframe applications to interact with external web services, cloud platforms, and remote users, and vice-versa.

Key Characteristics

- TCP/IP Protocol Suite: The foundational set of communication protocols (e.g., IP, TCP, UDP) fully supported by z/OS Communications Server, enabling all internet-based communication.
- z/OS Communications Server Integration: The core component on z/OS that provides the robust TCP/IP stack, allowing mainframe applications to act as clients or servers on the Internet.
- Bidirectional Connectivity: Facilitates both outbound connections from z/OS applications to external internet resources and inbound connections from internet clients to mainframe services.
- Enterprise-Grade Reliability: Leverages z/OS's inherent high availability, scalability, and workload management capabilities to handle demanding internet-facing workloads.
- Robust Security Framework: Integrates with z/OS security mechanisms like RACF, AT-TLS, and z/OS Firewall to protect sensitive mainframe data and resources from internet threats.

Use Cases

- Web Application Hosting: z/OS applications, often via CICS Web Support or z/OS HTTP Server, serving dynamic web content or RESTful APIs to internet-connected browsers and client applications.
- Hybrid Cloud Integration: Mainframe applications consuming or providing data to external cloud services, SaaS platforms, or partner systems over secure internet connections.
- Secure File Transfer: Utilizing protocols like SFTP or FTPS for secure, automated file transfers between z/OS and external internet-connected systems.
- Email and Messaging: z/OS applications sending emails (e.g., alerts, reports) via SMTP to internet-based email servers or integrating with internet messaging queues.
- Remote Access and Management: Securely accessing and managing z/OS systems from remote locations over the Internet using protocols like SSH or secure web interfaces.

Related Concepts

The Internet's interaction with z/OS is fundamentally enabled by z/OS Communications Server, which provides the TCP/IP stack. It forms the backbone for modernizing mainframe applications by enabling CICS and IMS transactions to be exposed as web services, and DB2 and IMS DB data to be accessed via APIs. Security for these internet interactions is paramount and heavily relies on RACF for authentication and authorization, and AT-TLS for encryption. It is also key to z/OS Connect Enterprise Edition for creating RESTful APIs.

Best Practices:

Implement Multi-Layered Security: Utilize AT-TLS for transparent data encryption, z/OS Firewall for network segmentation, and RACF for granular access control to secure internet-facing services.
Optimize TCP/IP Configuration: Regularly review and tune TCP/IP profile parameters (e.g., buffer sizes, connection limits) to ensure optimal performance and resource utilization for internet traffic.
Monitor Network Performance: Employ SMF records, NetView, and OMEGAMON to continuously monitor internet connectivity, identify bottlenecks, and proactively address performance issues.
Prioritize Secure Protocols: Always use HTTPS, SFTP, SSH, and TLS/SSL for all internet communications to protect data integrity and confidentiality, avoiding insecure protocols like plain HTTP or FTP.
API-Enable Mainframe Assets: Leverage z/OS Connect Enterprise Edition to securely expose mainframe data and applications as standardized RESTful APIs, facilitating seamless integration with internet-connected applications and hybrid cloud environments.