Finite element analysis in a minicomputer/mainframe environment

Design considerations were evaluated for general purpose finite element systems to maximize performance when installed on distributed computer hardware/software systems. It is shown how the features of current minicomputers complement those of a modular implementation of the finite element method for increasing the control, speed, and visibility (interactive graphics) in solving structural problems at reduced cost. The approach used is to implement a finite element system in a distributed computer environment to solve structural problems and to explore alternatives in distributing finite element computations

Video Information Communication and Retrieval/Image Based Information System (VICAR/IBIS)

The acquisition, operation, and planning stages of installing a VICAR/IBIS system are described. The system operates in an IBM mainframe environment, and provides image processing of raster data. System support problems with software and documentation are discussed

COBOL to Java and Newspapers Still Get Delivered

This paper is an experience report on migrating an American newspaper company's business-critical IBM mainframe application to Linux servers by automatically translating the application's source code from COBOL to Java and converting the mainframe data store from VSAM KSDS files to an Oracle relational database. The mainframe application had supported daily home delivery of the newspaper since 1979. It was in need of modernization in order to increase interoperability and enable future convergence with newer enterprise systems as well as to reduce operating costs. Testing the modernized application proved to be the most vexing area of work. This paper explains the process that was employed to test functional equivalence between the legacy and modernized applications, the main testing challenges, and lessons learned after having operated and maintained the modernized application in production over the last eight months. The goal of delivering a functionally equivalent system was achieved, but problems remained to be solved related to new feature development, business domain knowledge transfer, and recruiting new software engineers to work on the modernized application.Comment: 4 pages, Accepted to be Published in: Proceedings of the 2018 IEEE International Conference on Software Maintenance and Evolution (ICSME), September 23-29, 2018, Madrid, Spai

Teaching a Comprehensive Web Based Application within an IS Curriculum

As Internet technologies have exploded over the past few years, corporations struggled to develop standards for managing their Internet resources. Since the passing of “Y2K,” organizations have increasingly focused on developing an effective Internet presence. Consumer shopping on the Internet is expected to grow to around $1 trillion by the year 2003, and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is expected to grow to around$300 billion by the same year. With this escalating demand for Internet-based commerce, organizations are attempting to recruit IS personnel who can develop Internet applications, and they expect academic institutions to provide IS professionals with the skills necessary for this rapidly changing technological environment as well as traditional skills needed for the mainframe environment. With limited resources, academic institutions have been revamping their curriculum to accommodate the growth of the Internet and to maintain the more traditional IS core curriculum. By utilizing readily available computer hardware and software, academic institutions can provide an effective and active Internet learning environment

An evaluation of superminicomputers for thermal analysis

The use of superminicomputers for solving a series of increasingly complex thermal analysis problems is investigated. The approach involved (1) installation and verification of the SPAR thermal analyzer software on superminicomputers at Langley Research Center and Goddard Space Flight Center, (2) solution of six increasingly complex thermal problems on this equipment, and (3) comparison of solution (accuracy, CPU time, turnaround time, and cost) with solutions on large mainframe computers

Getting Relational Database from Legacy Data-MDRE Approach

The previous management information systems turning on traditional mainframe environment are often written in COBOL and store their data in files; they are usually large and complex and known as legacy systems. These legacy systems need to be maintained and evolved due to several causes, including correction of anomalies, requirements change, management rules change, new reorganization, etc. But, the maintenance of legacy systems becomes over years extremely complex and highly expensive, In this case, a new or an improved system must replace the previous one. However, replacing those systems completely from scratch is also very expensive and it represents a huge risk. Nevertheless, they should be evolved by profiting from the valuable knowledge embedded in them. This paper proposes a reverse engineering process based on Model Driven engineering that presents a solution to provide a normalized relational database which includes the integrity constraints extracted from legacy data. A CASE tool CETL: (COBOL Extract Transform Load) is developed to support the proposal. Keywords: legacy data, reverse engineering, model driven engineering, COBOL metamodel, domain class diagram, relational database

An evaluation of superminicomputers for thermal analysis

The feasibility and cost effectiveness of solving thermal analysis problems on superminicomputers is demonstrated. Conventional thermal analysis and the changing computer environment, computer hardware and software used, six thermal analysis test problems, performance of superminicomputers (CPU time, accuracy, turnaround, and cost) and comparison with large computers are considered. Although the CPU times for superminicomputers were 15 to 30 times greater than the fastest mainframe computer, the minimum cost to obtain the solutions on superminicomputers was from 11 percent to 59 percent of the cost of mainframe solutions. The turnaround (elapsed) time is highly dependent on the computer load, but for large problems, superminicomputers produced results in less elapsed time than a typically loaded mainframe computer

Enabling Mainframe Assets to Services for SOA

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a mechanism for achieving interoperability between heterogeneous systems. SOA enables existing legacy systems to expose their functionality as services, without making significant changes to the legacy systems. Migration towards a service-oriented approach (SOA) not only standardizes interaction, but also allows for more flexibility in the existing process. Web services technology is an ideal technology choice for implementing a SOA. Web services can be implemented in any programming language. The functionality of Web services range from simple request-reply to full business process. These services can be newly developed applications or just wrapper program for existing business functions to be network-enabled. The strategy is to form a framework to integrate z/OS assets in distributed environment using SOA approach, to enable optimal business agility and flexibility. Mainframe applications run the business and contain critical business logic that is unique, difficult, and costly to replicate. Enabling existing applications allows reusing critical business assets and leveraging the assets as a service to be invoked in heterogeneous environment