Today's data centers contain a myriad of disparate computers and operating systems. Some communicate easily with each other; others don't. Cross Platform Commander is a middle-ware product that provides a bridge between disparate platforms. From a Unix machine, Cross Platform Commander can perform work on a z/OS mainframe and display the results locally. It can be used to schedule work on Unix, Linux, Windows, or AS/400 machines by means of your mainframe JOB scheduler. Unix and Windows applications can easily access mainframe data.

Product Application

Cross Platform Commander can solve or simplify a wide variety of problems where multiple machines or several operating systems are involved. The following are just a few of the applications of Cross Platform Commander:

Extend Job Scheduler Capabilities

Cross Platform Commander can be used by MVS-only job scheduler products to schedule work on machines running other operating systems or even other MVS systems. This can save the money, time, resources, and training required for conversion to a new scheduling product.

Cross Platform Commander can also be used by job scheduler products that run on Unix, Linux, AS400, or Windows platforms to schedule MVS batch jobs. In some cases, this makes MVS scheduling products unnecessary.

Integrate Applications on Different Platforms

Cross Platform Commander can draw different pieces of an application together. Perhaps part of a process needs to be performed on a Unix server, and another part as an MVS batch job. Cross Platform Commander can knit the two processes together.

Distribute and Install Maintenance

Cross Platform Commander scripts can do all the following:

Distribute maintenance to machines

Launch the installation process

Report on the success or failure of the installation

Web-Enable MVS and Legacy Data

Cross Platform Commander clients can be driven by Perl, Unix shell scripts, and Windows scripts to access data on legacy systems.
Processing and formatting of the data can be done on the legacy system. The system displaying the data does not require intimate knowledge of the data it displays.

Cross Platform Commander consists of three types of components: clients, managers, and servers.

A client connects to a manager to direct work to a server. The manager validates the user, accepts work, and directs the work to the appropriate server. The server performs the requested work, and the output is returned to the client via the manager.

The basic unit of work is a script file. A Cross Platform Commander script contains conditional logic and commands to be executed in the native environment of a remote Cross Platform Commander server on behalf of a local Cross Platform Commander client.

On Unix and Windows Cross Platform Commander servers, script commands can execute programs or native scripts. Cross Platform Commander traps STDOUT and STDERR and returns these files to the client.

On MVS Cross Platform Commander servers, script commands can run programs directly, execute REXX execs, or submit batch JCL JOBs. In any of these modes, the output of any DD statement can be captured and returned to the client.

Configurable Security

All communications can be encrypted. Nine levels of encryption are supplied. You can select encryption of as much as 256 bits.'
Internal security controls access to all features, commands, and components.

In addition, all data transfers can be compressed so as to conserve band width. Three levels of compression are provided.

Flexible Configuration

Cross Platform Commander can be configured to meet your needs. Any number of clients can connect to a manager. Clients from all platforms can connect to a manager on any platform. A manager on any platform can distribute work to servers on any platform. A manager can be configured to be both a manager and a server.
Network communication between components can be TCP/IP or VTAM/APPC (MVS only).