HP ACMS for OpenVMS, Version 5.1B (SPD 82.40.04)
HP ACMS for OpenVMS, SPD 82.40.04
Version 5.1B
Presentation Services
ACMS supports both terminal-driven and PC/workstation-
driven TP applications with presentation services. Users
have the option of running ACMS tasks from menus
on VT terminals, or from a GUI interface on a
PC/workstation desktop system.
ACMS supports DECforms as its primary presentation
service for character-cell terminals in ACMS applica-
tions. In addition, ACMS provides support for HP TDMS.
ACMS applications that use TDMS must be distributed
in order to use ACMS on OpenVMS Alpha. See the
HP ACMS for OpenVMS Writing Applications manual
for more information about these restrictions.
The TP Desktop Connector and TPware .NET Plugin
provides an API that allows user-written program run-
ning on various PC or workstation desktop systems to
initiate and respond to ACMS tasks. A wide range of
HP and third-party desktop tools can be used for the
development of client presentation services and appli-
cations.
ACMS also provides support for other presentation ser-
vice products through the ACMS Request Interface
and Systems Interface. The Request Interface lets
users use presentation services other than DECforms
or TDMS for I/O functions limited to one user per pro-
cess. The Systems Interface lets users use presentation
services for single-user or multiple-user I/O functions.
Database Management
ACMS includes support in its definition language for
starting and ending database transactions/recovery
units through a database management system. Database
products supported include Oracle Rdb (including SQL),
RMS, and Oracle CODASYL DBMS.
Using the DECdtm component of the OpenVMS oper-
ating system, ACMS lets users coordinate operations
on multiple recoverable resources (such as databases
and files) within a single atomic transaction. Users
can perform operations on multiple databases through
a single transaction and ensure atomicity (that is, if
the transaction fails, any changes made to databases,
files, or ACMS queues are rolled back to their previous
state before the transaction started). Please note that
RMS Journaling for OpenVMS is required to support re-
coverable ACMS queue operations coordinated using
DECdtm. RMS Journaling for OpenVMS is a separate
layered product, distinct from RMS, and is supplied with
OpenVMS.
ACMS applications can also access other data manage-
ment products or file management systems that support
the OpenVMS Calling Standard.
Resource Utilization Collection and Reporting
ACMS supports Oracle Trace to allow the collection and
reporting of event-based data gathered from any com-
bination of OpenVMS layered products and ACMS ap-
plications. For each predefined event in ACMS, Oracle
Trace can collect information about resource utilization,
such as CPU time, or ACMS data items, such as task
name. Using the Oracle Trace cross-facility feature, you
can relate ACMS events with events from multiple lay-
ered products.
Task Queuing
Some ACMS applications require that the data be col-
lected and stored in a temporary storage area (queue)
for the application to process at another time. The
ACMS queuing facility lets users create and manage
ACMS task queues. ACMS queue services are used to
place/remove tasks on/off ACMS task queues.
Data Dictionary
ACMS supports the Oracle CDD/Repository data dic-
tionary. ACMS stores application definitions in Or-
acle CDD/Repository directories and uses Oracle
CDD/Repository record definitions for its workspaces.
Security
ACMS ensures that the user’s data remains secure by
giving the system manager control over which users
have access to ACMS. Using OpenVMS and ACMS au-
thorization facilities, system managers can:
• Authorize users to use ACMS.
• Control terminals connecting to ACMS.
• Limit the applications a user can run.
• Prevent unauthorized access to the operating system
while running ACMS tasks.
ACMS includes transaction security in the form of ac-
cess control lists (ACLs) in the definition language.
Whenever a user selects a transaction, that user’s
OpenVMS identifier is checked against the ACL defined
for that transaction to determine whether that user is
allowed to execute that transaction.
OpenVMS Cluster Environment/Availability
In an OpenVMS Cluster environment, ACMS applica-
tions support highly available configurations that help
avoid single points of system failure.
ACMS includes support for failover in an OpenVMS
Cluster environment. If one OpenVMS Cluster proces-
sor is not available to process a transaction, ACMS can
automatically route the transaction to another applica-
tion running on an available processor that shares the
same data.
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