Transcript Mail2ZOS and FTPSweeper

Mail2ZOS
Presented by
Robert LaBayne
Product Development Manager
[email protected]
Mail2ZOS - Agenda
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Overview
The Problems Addressed
The Mail2ZOS Solution
Mail2ZOS Email Flow
Summary of Benefits
Some Examples
A word about FTPSweeper
Licensing
Overview
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Mail2ZOS is like giving your mainframe
application an email address.
The user sends an email, with or without
attachments, to the mainframe for
processing.
Mail2ZOS then:
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Receives the email
Stores attached files into MVS datasets
And based on the contents performs actions such as
submitting jobs for execution.
Sends email notices to all
The Problems…
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On Demand Jobs
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Driven by end-user requests and requirements
Can have complicated request procedures
Or simply be a nuisance for ‘Operations’
Things can fall through the cracks at busy times.
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Uploading Files and Processing
Multi-step, jury-rigged procedures that
can require costly human intervention
and/or arcane knowledge
…On Demand Jobs
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Some ‘traditional’ ways
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The user calls up ‘operations’:
“Hi George, this is Mary in accounting, can you run job
AB023 for me and send the printout to my printer?”
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Give the user a TSO account:
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Train users in 3270 usage,TSO/ISPF for submitting the
JCL and SDSF for output review
Manage TSO accounts for users
More ways than we can describe…
…Uploading Files and Processing
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Some ‘traditional’ ways
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TSO IND$FILE – requires TSO account, 3270
software and trained end-users
FTP - client connection to open port on host
server
More methods than ways to describe them!
The Mail2ZOS Solution
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Give your mainframe application an
email address!
The user attaches the data to an email
and sends it!
Mail2ZOS takes over:
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Mail2ZOS:
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Receives or retrieves the email
‘Recognizes it’ by email address, sender address
or subject, etc.
Parses the email and safely stores the
attachments into mainframe datasets.
Composes and submits a job to process the
newly stored data.
Sends email confirmation notices to all
concerned (built-in to Mail2ZOS)
Sends job results via email (with JES2Mail)
The Mail2ZOS Solution
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Email is the easiest, most reliable and universal
method for interacting with end users
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Everyone has access to email!
Natural queuing mechanism.
Email could be generated by any mechanism, ie. Web page
Users never ‘see’ the mainframe or require
training – they simply send an email message with a
proper subject to a proper address.
Mail2ZOS does (or at least invokes) the rest.
Flow of email with data
Mail2ZOS Dataflow
Email Client
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Email Request with Data
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Recieve email
as SMTP server
Email with attached Report
POP3 Server Pick up from
POP3 Server
Mail2zOS
'Get Mail'
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Notice
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Mail2zOS
Process
Mail
Decode email, store
attachments, compose
and submit processing job.
Send the report of the
process back to requestor
Submitted
Batch Job
Report of
Processing
JES2Mail
Configuration for Receiving
File: Config
Trace=full
ListenPortNo: 25
OurDomainName: Mail2ZOS.Mainframe.com
TempDirectory: /u/M2Z/Mail2ZOS
ReceiverUserList: UserList
Configuration for Receiving
File: Config
Trace=full
ListenPortNo: 25
OurDomainName: Mail2ZOS.Mainframe.com
TempDirectory: /u/M2Z/Mail2ZOS
ReceiverUserList: UserList
File: UserList
Domain: Mail2zos.Mainframe.com
Domain: Mainframe.com
ForUser: DepositReconciliation Subdir: MailboxDR1
ForUser: TimeSheets
Subdir: MailboxDR2
Configuration for Receiving
File: Config
Trace=full
ListenPortNo: 25
OurDomainName: Mail2ZOS.Mainframe.com
TempDirectory: /u/M2Z/Mail2ZOS
ReceiverUserList: UserList
File: UserList
Domain: Mail2zos.Mainframe.com
Domain: Mainframe.com
ForUser: DepositReconciliation Subdir: MailboxDR1
ForUser: TimeSheets
Subdir: MailboxDR2
[email protected]  /u/M2Z/Mail2ZOS/MailboxDR2
Processing the ‘raw’ Email
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The ‘Process Mail’ task takes over:
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Each ‘host mailbox’ has a corresponding Ruleset, or set of
Rules.
A ‘Rule’ within the ruleset is determined by the email’s
envelope, or so called ‘headers’.
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Some of the envelope items we can look at are:
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Sender address
Recipient address
Subject
The email’s body (‘cover page’) can be processed,
just like an attachment
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I.e. With a script it can ‘pick out’ data fields.
Ruleset for Timesheet Data
File: TimeSht1
RULESET: TimeSheet
RecognizeBy: &Subject; eq “TimeSheet*"
Coverpage:
Action: Ignore
OBject:
Where AttachmentFilename = "*.csv"
Action: File
StoreName: hlq.payroll.time###.dat
StoreOpenOption: wb,type=record,lrecl=100,recfm=FB,blksize=10000,DISP=(*,CATLG,DELETE)
DeeditStyle: Comma
DeeditMask: "11x,25x,7v2z,8v2z,8v2z"
SubmitJobFilename: Job2
JCL to Process Timesheet Data
File: Job2
//M2ZJOB2 JOB . . .
//*
//* *--------------------------*-//* * SUBJECT: &Subject;
//* * From: &From;
//* *--------------------------*-//STEP1
EXEC PGM=PAYROLL1
//TIMEIN
DD DSN=&ZFULLSAVEFILENAME;,DISP=SHR
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSIN
DD *
From: &From;
Date: &Date;
Multiple Mailboxes can
Isolate Multiple Applications
Email User1
HFS Mailbox App1
Mail2ZOS
'Process Mail'
Application1
Task
Application1
Job1
RACFUser1
Email User2
Mail2ZOS
'Process Mail'
Application2
Task
Mail2ZOS
'GetMail'
Task
Application2
Job2
RACFUser2
HFS Mailbox App1
Email User3
Z/OS Mainframe with Mail2zOS
Email User4
HFS Mailbox App1
Mail2ZOS
'Process Mail'
Application3
Task
Applicaiton3
Job3A
RACFUser3Applicaiton3
Job3B
RACFUser3
Applicaiton3
Job3C
RACFUser3
Email User5
Users Send Email to
different Email Address
Mail2ZOS Receive the
email, and can place in
common or separate 'host'
mailboxes in HFS
directories.
Mail2ZOS Process
operations can select
messages from a 'host'
mailbox and process
under separtate RACF
user IDs appropriate to the
specific application.
After storing data files, the
proper job is submitted or
action performed.
Processing the Attachments
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Attached files can be:
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Translated from ASCII to EBCDIC if needed
De-edited into fixed field records (CSV files)
Parsed into records or treated as an undefined
(Binary files ‘blobs’)
Stored into MVS dataset
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Fixed or we’ll make a unique filename
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Any records with “//” are converted to “$$” to prevent
any JCL to be submitted
Written to JES as a SYSOUT
‘Wrapped’ with JCL and submitted
Processed with the script language
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Parse out data elements that might be used for table
lookup or composing job stream parameters
Issue messages, compose JCL or email notices, etc.
Jobstream ‘JCL’ handling
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JCL composition:
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Can come from a library member.
Can be part of a script.
Cannot come from the email or its attachments.
Symbolic variables can be inserted.
Can have conditional logic to alter the composed JCL
Job submission:
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Submitted via internal reader - or
Instead of immediately submitting jobs, they can be composed
and stored in libraries for later submission - or
The script language can call a routine to schedule a job - or
The script language can issue master console messages (often
used as ‘triggers’ by job schedulers)
More Features
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Email Notices:
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Notices can be emailed to the requester to
confirm message has been received and is being
processed
Notices of what was performed can be emailed
to ‘operations’ to keep them informed
Script Language
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Parse Cover page or text attachments files
‘Pickout’ elements for JCL generation
Do table lookup
Some security features
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We only accept emails addressed to ‘us’.
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We have to ‘recognize’ the email subject or other
envelope info for processing selection.
JCL cannot be submitted directly
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There can be separate email address for different
‘applications’. Their emails are stored in separate
‘mailboxes’ for specific processing.
If we are ‘wrapping’ JCL, then any “//” in the data is
converted to “$$” – not an option!
All JCL is predefined in host libraries, or host maintained
scripts.
All rules of RACF or other host security still apply.
Summary of Benefits
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Allows an end user to request a mainframe action
without direct access to the mainframe.
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Email is about the easiest way to upload data to the
mainframe.
Intrinsic queuing of email insulates the sender from
mainframe or network outages.
Automate more complicated procedures
Better audit trails on upload operations
Better audit of requests for on-demand jobs
Happy Users!
Some examples
A Regional Bank
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Retrieve archived customer statements:
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A batch operation does the job, but
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Someone with TSO knowledge and access is needed
To edit the required a parameter card
And submit the job
And monitor the job
And get the results back to the requester
Now the customer service user just emails the request
with the customer ID and the job is submitted.
The results are emailed back to customer service for
review and forwarding to the customer.
Results: Better customer service!
Request a statement
And a few minutes later:
A Regional Bank
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A department has PC software that
creates large text files to be printed on
forms.
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The old way… FTP and phone calls
Now they simply email the text files.
The subject line is parsed to get the ‘form name’ the file
is to be printed on.
Mail2ZOS submits a job to format the data for the
printer with the appropriate form.
And sends out email notices to operations and the
requesting department that the reports are ready for
printing.
Results: Faster results with less steps!
A County Government
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How to get Excel data into the mainframe.
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The user now saves the spreadsheet as .csv (comma
separated values) and emails the file to Mail2ZOS
Mail2ZOS ‘de-edits’ the .csv file into fixed (zoned) fields
ready for mainframe application use.
Then it submits the job to process the spreadsheet data.
Results: Mainframe database updated faster!
Government Agency
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How to get secure data from remote sites into the
mainframe to update a database.
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The ‘sender’ uses PKZIP to compress and encrypt the
data file, with their assigned password.
They email the encrypted attachment to Mail2ZOS.
Mail2ZOS:
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Stores the encrypted data file on the mainframe
Using the sender’s address, it does a ‘host’ look up to find
their assigned password.
Submits a job that will invoke PKZIP on the mainframe and
inserts the assigned password into the jobstream.
Email notices go out to all
Results: Database updated securely!
FTPSweeper
Just a word about the
companion
FTPSweeper
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Instead of handling email, FTPSweeper:
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Connects to any number of remote FTP servers
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SSL/TLS secure transport is supported
Looks for files to upload
Uploads and stores them on the mainframe
Then deletes or renames them on the FTP
server.
The rest of the functions of Mail2ZOS are
then available:
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Job submission, script, etc.
Licensing – North America
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Annual License.
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Perpetual License.
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Not tier priced
45 day free trial
No more than 5% per year increase
Not tier priced
45 day free trial
Annual Maintenance after 1st year, 15% or price
1st year of Annual License can apply
towards perpetual purchase.
Prices Subject to Change Without Notice
For a Free Software Trial
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Contact:
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Register and download Mail2ZOS from
www.casisoft.com
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Send a request for trial keys to:
[email protected]
Attention: Ed Hollshwandner