GT Software, a provider of mainframe SOA development solutions, has introduced Ivory BMS Studio, an advanced integrated development environment (IDE) for CICS Basic Mapping Services (BMS). Ivory BMS Studio provides a graphical interface for the design, creation and maintenance of artifacts located in the BMS/TS MAPSET repository, expanding beyond older 3270 interfaces that lack the robust functionality and ease of use required for the enterprise.
Ivory BMS Studio allows customers to build and maintain CICS BMS Maps in a Windows GUI environment. Ivory BMS Studio takes advantage of the strengths of both centralized and distributed architectures, even allowing users to develop and maintain maps while disconnected from the mainframe. The central MAPSET repository enables efficient, accurate and more intuitive development through the use of Windows graphical tooling and dialogs, while the ability to connect to multiple distributed MAPSETs allows the developer to move artifacts easily between systems.
Ivory BMS Studio is integrated into Ivory Service Architect, and shares Ivory's user interface. Ivory Service Architect is GT Software's integrated toolset that enables corporations to rapidly assemble web services from mainframe assets, and also enables mainframe applications to consume externally defined web services. Ivory Service Architect consists of Ivory Studio, the graphical modeling environment; Ivory Server, a high performance SOAP processor with runtime service orchestration; and Ivory Server for Batch, which enables batch systems to leverage CICS, IMS, and web services.
Ivory BMS Studio, which can be used standalone or in conjunction with Ivory Service Architect, can build and maintain maps that can then be used in enterprises' service-enablement efforts, thereby getting even more value from the mainframe. As part of the Ivory solution, the products share the same repository and are based on the same toolset, thus providing a powerful bridge to modernization.
Projects developed using Ivory BMS Studio require no user training, and are easier to design and maintain than with traditional mainframe tools, many of which still require hand coding, according to GT Software. All the map and interface design can take place on the same Studio platform, eliminating any need to switch between the mainframe and a desktop.
With GT Software's flagship BMS/TS (transaction server), the IDE is a 3270-based WYSIWYG environment with an advanced interface for 3270 screen processing hardware. With Ivory BMS Studio, the design still provides the 3270 look for the MAPSET design, and adds the dialog processing provided by the Window OS environment. For more information, go here.