Applicative interfaces

TBT400's applicative interfaces :
Transmission

TBT400 uses a collection of OS/400 commands to send a file to a given network.

Certain commands ensure the independence with regard to the network : for example, IPSNDEDI OBJFIL(COMMAND) NOMLOG(MYSUPPLIER) requests TBT400 to send the file COMMAND to the correspondent MYSUPPLIER whose address is found in the directory.

These instructions constitute a 1st level API that will be the most frequently used. They call a 2nd level API whose functionalities are more complete and is accessible by RPG, COBOL, and C programs.

At the time of the transmission request, a capability of copying the file to be transmitted exists; TBT400 therefore takes a copy, and works using this copy. This allows:

  • the dissociation of the TBT400 transmission application; as soon as the request for transmission is accepted, the application can once again work on the initial file (otherwise , the transmission being asynchronous, the application must prohibit the use of the file until it has been fully processed by TBT400, otherwise it has to create its own file).
  • To provide an archive of transmitted files identical to the archive of received files.
Transmission of events to application

In order to keep the applications directly informed, the different level acknowledgments can be transmitted to them. This allows the applications to track the life of a message (this is in addition to the systematic archiving effected by TBT400).

Reception

TBT400 , after receipt of a file, can manage an application process in several ways:

  • immediate start-up of the process : linked to the direct receipt of messages from the network, this permits the processing of the files as and when they arrive.
  • storage of the file and start-up of the process via a TBT400 command
  • storage of the file and start-up of the process not effected by TBT400, however the processing being controlled by TBT400
  • simply a storage of the file, TBT400 ignoring future processing applications.
  • The choice is effected via an external parameter; in the first three cases the application codification is identical; therefore it is possible to change the mode by direct parameter.;.
  • A set of (compiled) commands provides the access to information available in TBT400. These commands constitute a 1st level API which will be the most frequently used. As in the case of transmission, they call a second level API whose functionalities are more complete and accessible by RPG, COBOL, and C programs.

IPSRCVTBT OBJLIB(&LIB) OBJFIL(&FIL) OBJMBR(&MBR) NOMLOG(&NAME) expands the variables &LIB, &FIL, &MBR with characteristics of the received file, and &NAME with the name of the correspondent sending the file. Optionally, the quasi-totality of the fields of the network envelope are also accessible.

A model of the reception program (in CLP) is available. This model is operational, only the part ‘user processing’ remains to be completed. If an application program possessing an input file is available, it is possible to interface with TBT400 in only a few minutes.