Release Notes (Microsoft Word Format).doc

CONNX Solutions

CONNX 8.6 Release Notes

CONNX8.6_ReleaseNotes - 1 - 04/12/23

CONNX Solutions

Table of ContentsTable of Contents.................................................................................................................2CONNX 8.6 Release Notes.................................................................................................3

Overview..........................................................................................................................3CONNX Architecture (ODBC/JDBC)................................................................................4

CONNX ODBC Client..................................................................................................5CONNX Data Dictionary..............................................................................................5CONNX Data Server....................................................................................................5CONNX JDBC Thin Client..........................................................................................5CONNX JDBC Server..................................................................................................5CONNX JDBC Router..................................................................................................5CONNX Client PC........................................................................................................6CONNX Data Server....................................................................................................6

Requirements For CONNX 8.6...........................................................................................7Data (Host) Server Requirements.................................................................................7CLIENT PC REQUIREMENTS...................................................................................8JDBC Pure Java Client Requirements..........................................................................9Compatible Front Ends...............................................................................................10Installation Instructions...............................................................................................10

Changes in CONNX 8.6....................................................................................................11VSAM Support...............................................................................................................11New Features..................................................................................................................11Additional CORE Features.............................................................................................12

InfoNaut New Features...............................................................................................12POISE-specific Enhancements...................................................................................13SCT Specific Enhancements - Improved DBD Overlay Import.................................14CONNX CDD Instant Search.....................................................................................15

FTL Enhancements.........................................................................................................16Resolved Issues..............................................................................................................17

Addendum to VSAM Documentation...............................................................................18


CONNX Solutions

CONNX 8.6 Release Notes

OverviewCONNX 8.6 has been developed as a response to the numerous feature requests we have had regarding the addition of even more capability to CONNX. The features contained within this release add performance, functionality, and ease of use to CONNX. In addition, specific enhancements have been made for users of SCT Plus 2000 software and Oracle Discover. This release contains all previous enhancements and resolved issues. Please see previous release notes for enhancements contained within those versions.

CONNX provides businesses secure read/write real-time access to all enterprise data from any platform and presents them to familiar standards-based tools as if all the data existed in one relational database. All data is then accessible using standard SQL and any standards-based application. CONNX acts as a reusable data access framework for projects throughout the enterprise. CONNX supports VSAM, DB2, Oracle, RMS, Rdb, DBMS, Dataflex, POWERflex, SQL Server, Sybase, Informix, and any OLE DB or ODBC data source.

Here are just some of the implementations in which CONNX 8.6 can be utilized.Data Migration Web DevelopmentApplication/ Data Integration Application DevelopmentAd Hoc Reporting Data Warehousing


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CONNX Architecture (ODBC/JDBC)


CONNX Solutions

CONNX ODBC ClientThe CONNX Client is based on an ODBC driver, which is a dynamic link library that applications call to access data located in remote systems. The CONNX ODBC driver processes the ODBC function calls, submits requests to the appropriate data source, and then returns the results.

CONNX Data DictionaryThe CONNX Data Dictionary (CDD) is a repository of information about the database tables and fields accessed through CONNX, including structure and security. It contains the metadata about the source information and provides a GUI screen for easy and intuitive maintenance of the metadata, stored procedures, security, and views.

CONNX Data ServerThe CONNX servers for Oracle DBMS, Oracle Rdb, Digital RMS Files, DataFlex, Oracle, and DB2 are full-featured data servers that translate SQL requests into native database requests. The CONNX ODBC driver makes the server transparent to the end user. In the case of DataFlex, Oracle, and DB2 the server functions are resident on the client PC. The third party driver determines the location of the server components for ODBC and OLE DB datasources.

CONNX JDBC Thin Client The CONNX JDBC thin client allows read/write access to a CONNX data source from any client machine possessing a JDK (1.02+). JDKs exist for most platforms. The CONNX JDBC thin client is a Type 3 driver which processes the JDBC function calls and submits requests to the CONNX JDBC Server, then returns the results.

CONNX JDBC ServerThe CONNX JDBC server handles requests from the CONNX JDBC thin client and accesses the target data sources. The CONNX JDBC server component is a Microsoft Windows server component that enables access to multiple heterogeneous data sources.

CONNX JDBC RouterThe CONNX JDBC Router component is only necessary if Web applets are served by a non-Windows Web server. The router is a Java application placed on the non-Windows Web server. It is designed to route JDBC requests to the CONNX JDBC server.


CONNX Solutions

CONNX Client PCFunctions for the client PC in the CONNX distributed architecture include the following:Data Conversion SortingMetadata Retrieval (CONNX CDD) GroupingFirst Pass SQL Optimization Extended SQL FunctionsPartial Joins CONNX Security

CONNX Data ServerFunctions for the data server in the CONNX distributed architecture include the following*:Indexed Retrieval Data Compression (on Request)Non-Index Retrieval Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs)Partial Joins Database Security Client*In the case of DataFlex, Oracle, and DB2 the server functions are resident on the client PC.


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Requirements For CONNX 8.6

Data (Host) Server RequirementsPlease see the accompanying documentation for additional System Requirements.

Database Hardware Network Operating System

Memory/ HD requirements

Digital RMS

(any version)

Compaq/DEC VAXServer

Compaq/DEC AlphaServer

UCX 3.0 or above compatible

TCP/IP Software

or

DECnet Phase IV or above

OpenVMS/VAX

OpenVMS/Alpha {AXP]

VMS 5.3 and above

12mb VAX

32 mb Alpha

Working Memory.

20k Blocks HD avail

Oracle Rdb

(version 4.1)

(version 6.0 and above)



UCX 3.0 or above Compatible

TCP/IP Software

or


OpenVMS/VAX

OpenVMS/Alpha [APX]

VMS 5.3 and above

12mb VAX

32 mb Alpha

Working Memory.

20k Blocks HD avail

Oracle DBMS




UCX 3.0 or above Compatible

TCP/IP Software

or


OpenVMS/VAX

OpenVMS/Alpha [APX]

VMS 5.3 and above

12mb VAX

32 mb Alpha

Working Memory.

20k Blocks HD avail

Oracle RDBMS




Personal Computer (Intel)

Sun Workstation

IBM RS/6000(AIX)

SQLNet 2.x

And

TCP/IP

Or

IPX/SPX

OpenVMS/VAX

OpenVMS/Alpha

VMS 5.3 and above

[APX] Microsoft

Windows NT

UNIX(ANY)

12mb VAX

32 mb Alpha

Working Memory.

20k Blocks HD avail

IBM DB2

(Univeral Database Version

5.0 to 5.2)

(DB2 for OS/390 any)

(DB2 for AS/400 version 4

rev 2)

Personal Computer (Intel)

Sun Workstation

IBM AS/400 Minicomputer

IBM Mainframe S/390.

NUM-Q (Untested)

RS/6000 (Untested)

SNA/LU6.2

And supported protocol of choice

Or

TCP/IP

Microsoft Windows NT

OS/2 OS/400 OS/390

MVS/ESA

LINUX

AIX(Untested)

32mb PC RAM

25mb PC HD

VSAM files under CICS IBM S/390 or compatible TCP/IP under CICS OS/390 or MVS

DataFlex

(any version)

Personal Computer

Sun Workstation

Any supported protocol under

Windows.

Windows 16-bit, 32-bit,

UNIX

Any OLE DB Compliant

data source

Sybase

Informix

C-ISAM

VSAM

SQL Server

No requirementsexcept those

of the database itself and the

third-party driver.

An ODBC Level 2-

compliant driver must exist

for the platform and

database.

TCP/IP software

Requirements of third-party driver.

No requirementsexcept

those of the database itself

and the third-party driver.

No requirementsexcept

those of the database

itself and the third-party

driver.


CONNX Solutions

CLIENT PC REQUIREMENTSMinimum Recommended

Processor Pentium 90+ Pentium II 500+Memory 32 MB 64MB memoryAvailable space on hard drive

50 MB 250 Mb

OS Windows 9X/ 2000 or NT 4.0

Windows 2000/NT

Network Connectivity Microsoft TCP/IPOR DECNET Pathworks 7.0 +

ORSQL Net 2.x

ORSNA/LU.6.2

With TCP/IP or DLCNetwork Protocol

Microsoft TCP/IPOR

SQL Net 2.xOR

SNA/LU.6.2With TCP/IP or DLC

Network Protocol

CD-Rom drive YES YESCONNX login YES YESAccess or permission on the appropriate databases

YES YES


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JDBC Pure Java Client RequirementsRequirement MinimumJDK* 1.02+Hard Drive Space 10MB FreeNetwork Connectivity TCP/IP

Obtaining a current JDK (Java Development Kit)*JDKS are available through your platform vendor.Platform URLWindows 9.x/2000/NT

http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/download-windows.html

Sun Solaris http://www.sun.com/solaris/java/Linux http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/download-linux.htmlVMS-Alpha http://www.digital.com/java/download/index.htmlDigital Unix http://www.digital.com/java/download/index.htmlAlpha NT http://www.digital.com/java/download/index.htmlApple http://www.apple.com/java/SCO Unix http://www.sco.com/java/IBM(OS/2, AS/400, OS/390, VM/ESA, AIX)

http://www.developer.ibm.com/java/

SGI http://www.sgi.com/developers/devtools/languages/javafaq.htmlUnisys http://www.unisys.com/marketplace/clearpath/techlibrary/papers/javaenviron.htmlHP-UX http://www.unixsolutions.hp.com/products/java/index.html* Your platform vendor is usually the best source for platform specific JDKs.JDK required for CONNX client machine using JDBC only.

Please follow your vendor’s instructions for installation.


http://www.unixsolutions.hp.com/products/java/index.html

http://www.unisys.com/marketplace/clearpath/techlibrary/papers/javaenviron.html

http://www.sgi.com/developers/devtools/languages/javafaq.html

http://www.developer.ibm.com/java/

http://www.sco.com/java/

http://www.apple.com/java/

http://www.digital.com/java/download/index.html



http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/download-linux.html

http://www.sun.com/solaris/java/

http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/download-windows.html

CONNX Solutions

Compatible Front EndsOLEDB ODBC JDBC Application Microsoft Visual Basic Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio Microsoft Visual Studio .NET - New PowerBuilder Microsoft Access

Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) Microsoft Excel (MSQuery) and Excel Internet Information Server (IIS) Cognos Impromptu Crystal Reports

Borland C++ Borland Delphi

Borland JBuilder Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) Paradox for Windows

Dharma ODBC Integrator Visual FoxPro for Windows JetForms Sagent Oracle Developer/ Designer 2000 Oracle Discover Any ODBC or OLE-DB compliant application

Apache Web Server Netscape (iPlanet) Enterprise Server Any JDBC compliant applications

GIS (geographical information software) Sun Forte Sun Netbeans Sun Netra Web server

Star Office

Installation InstructionsInstallation instructions for CONNX 8.6 are available from http://www.solutionsiq.com/products/helpdesk.html


CONNX Solutions

Changes in CONNX 8.6

VSAM Support

CONNX provides real-time, high-performance access to VSAM files under CICS.

The CONNX VSAM Module runs as a CICS transaction, which ensures interoperability with your existing CICS applications.

CONNX imports directly from COBOL copybooks in order to determine the structure of the VSAM files.

CONNX supports all three types of VSAM Files: KSDS – Keyed Sequential Data Sets RSDS – Relative Sequential Data Sets ESDS – Entry Sequenced Data Sets

New Features Support for Mixed-case VMS passwords Support for Oracle's SQL*Plus Copy command MAXROW and NOMAXROW


CONNX Solutions

Additional CORE Features

InfoNaut New FeaturesInfonaut now provides instant sorting on any column. Simply click the column heading, and the data is resorted.

Additionally, instant grouping is one of the new eye-popping features in this release. It is as simple as dragging-and-dropping any column heading to the new “grouping” bar.


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POISE-specific Enhancements

CONNX has partnered with Jenzabar and Campus America to deliver a Plug-and-Play data access solution for POISE users.

CONNX has new data types, and an expanded import that works with the POISE metadata export utility.

This results in instant access to POISE data through CONNX, including POISE virtual fields and POISE code tables.


CONNX Solutions

SCT Specific Enhancements - Improved DBD Overlay Import

The SCT Overlay Import will change the field names and comments of SCT COBOL FD record layouts within the CONNX Data Dictionary, allowing you to more easily utilize your information by renaming the fields to commonly known screen field names.

To utilize this new feature, you must first import one or more record layouts using the SCT Import. select the DBD Overlay Import feature under the Tools menu in the CONNX CDD Administrator.

You have the option of importing both the DBD field names, and the comments, or only the comment. The comment field is populated with the fivecharacter mnemonic unique field identifier, and then any comments located in the DBD*.DAT file. This unique value is found on all SCT input screens by selecting the Help key within the SCT application. Please review your CONNX documentation for further instructions. Additionally, you can specify an alternate DBD import path.


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CONNX CDD Instant Search

The CONNX CDD instant search allows you to quickly locate any table within the CONNX Data Dictionary. Simply start typing in the name of the table, and CONNX will jump to that table automatically.


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FTL Enhancements

CONNX FTL (Fast Tuning Logic) delivers a power punch of performance for RMS files. CONNX sequentially reads indexed RMS files up to 4 times faster than in version 8.5.

CONNX has always delivered blazing performance against indexed RMS files, when using an index field. Now, CONNX delivers even faster performance on queries that contain non-indexed criteria.

Additionally, the CONNX Data Dictionary now supports multiple “virtual” RMS databases. This means you can create a single CONNX Data Dictionary that contains tables located in multiple RMS servers. The catalog support added in CONNX 8.5 provides a simple mechanism to access your enterprise RMS data through a single connection.


CONNX Solutions

Resolved Issues

SCT DBD Overlay Import - Properly overlays all fields for all tables.

RMS - Variable length RMS files no longer have unreadable content at end of records.

VMS - 4- and 6-byte Date data types fixed.

RMS /Rdb – Quadword data type fixed.

Core – CONNX now opens the Registry in read-only mode.

Dataflex – Indexes on Overlap fields are now recognized by CONNX.

Business Objects - Performance no longer an issue with Extended Fetch.

Lotus Notes database imports can be achieved with the CONNX OLEDB Desktop Adapter.

Dates stored with the data type Dataflex Flex Date read correctly.

MS Access - Large text fields of over 255 characters can be imported.

MS Access Append Query - Function is operable.


CONNX Solutions

Addendum to VSAM Documentation

CONNX 8.6 Installation GuideStep 5 – Install IBM Mainframe-compatible ServerAddendum - Page 5-32

This is an addendum to Part 4 – CONNX Configuration Utility on page 5-30 of the CONNX 8.6 Installation Guide.

To stop the CONNX CICS/VSAM TCP/IP Listener ProgramYou can stop the CONNX CICS/VSAM TCP/IP listener program with the NX01 transaction from an authorized 3270 terminal session. The NX01 STOP command terminates the CONNX CICS/VSAM TCP/IP listener, and permits it to be restarted on the same or on a different TCP/IP port.

1. Verify that the CONNX CICS TCP/IP listener transaction/program (NX00/CNXRUN) is running by typing the following command. Press <Enter>.

2. Verification appears. Press PF3, and then press <Clear>.


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3. Stop the CONNX CICS TCP/IP listener by typing NX01 STOP, and then pressing <Enter>.

4. Verification appears.

5. You can verify further that CONNX CICS TCP/IP listener transaction/program (NX00/CNXRUN) is stopped by issuing a second CEMT INQ TA command, which shows that the NX00 task has been stopped. You can restart the CONNX CICS/VSAM TCP/IP listener program on the same TCP/IP port, or you can change the TCP/IP port using the NX01 CNXRUNPORT command, and restart the listener on a different port.


CONNX Solutions

Step 5 – Install IBM Mainframe-compatible ServerAddendum - Page 5-15, Table 5-4

Table 5-4 AddendumVSAM Objects for CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES

VSAM Object Description CICS File Name

CONNX Sample Table Name

CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES.CUSTOMER.E Customer File ESDS

CNXCUSTE CUSTOMERS_VSAM_ESDS

CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES.CUSTOMER.R Customer File RRDS

CNXCUSTR CUSTOMERS_VSAM_RRDS

CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES.EQUIPMNT.E Equipment File ESDS

CNXEQUIE EQUIPMNT_VSAM_ESDS

CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES.EQUIPMNT.R Equipment File RRDS

CNXEQUIR EQUIPMNT_VSAM_RRDS

CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES.ORDER.E Order File ESDS

CNXORDE ORDERS_VSAM_ESDS

CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES.ORDER.R Order File RRDS

CNXORDR ORDERS_VSAM_RRDS

CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES.PRODGRP.E Product Group File ESDS

CNXPGRPE PRODUCT_GROUPS_VSAM_ESDS

CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES.PRODGRP.R Product Group File RRDS

CNXPGRPR PRODUCT_GROUPS_VSAM_RRDS

CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES.PRODUCT.E Product File ESDS

CNXPRODE PRODUCTS_VSAM_ESDS

CONNX.V08R06.SAMPLES.PRODUCT.R Product File RRDS

CNXPRODR PRODUCTS_VSAM_RRDS

Addendum for Page B-9

Table B-16Files installed in C:\CONNX32\VSAM\SAMPLES\COPYBOOK

C:\CONNX32\VSAM\SAMPLES\COPYBOOK@INDEX CUSTOMER CUSTOMRE

CUSTOMRR EQUIPMNE EQUIPMNREQUIPMNT ORDER ORDEREORDERR PRODGRP PRODGRPEPRODGRPR PRODUCT PRODUCTEPRODUCTR


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