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Getting started with BMC AMI Host Communications Interface

BMC AMI Host Communications Interface (HCI) is a facility that provides connectivity between mainframe-based programmer productivity software and peer-node software running on other platforms in a network. The HCI also serves as a server activation facility that is responsible for starting and monitoring application programs that are using the communications facilities. 

Related topics

Using-HCI

The HCI uses a single simplified parameter member that supports all functionality in the HCI for any BMC AMI DevX products including BMC AMI DevX Workbench for Eclipse, BMC AMI DevX DevEnterprise, and BMC AMI Strobe. In addition, HCI operator commands are available to stop and restart the Shared Services Address Space (SSAS) without needing to completely restart the HCI, thus maintaining its established communication connections.

The following figure shows how the HCI fits into the scheme of the TP application and the MVS subsystem components.

TP Subsystem, HCI and Application

image2022-7-20_14-31-8.png

HCI as a communications middleware product provides a common API to BMC mainframe products for TCP/IP (IPv4 and IPv6), LU 6.2, LU 2, and LU 0 communications with network or SYSPLEX connected partner programs. One HCI region on each LPAR can support any number of BMC products, or there may be a dedicated HCI instance for each installed product.

Example

BMC AMI DevEnterprise might have its own HCI running, while the BMC AMI Workbench might have its own. With the Source Parameter Facility, combining multiple HCI regions into a single region becomes more manageable.

SYSPLEX support exists whereby a single HCI region on one member of the SYSPLEX can accept and transfer connection requests to another member of the SYSPLEX. Communication with the network always occurs from the HCI instance accepting the original request.

HCI can act as a listener task waiting for connection requests from network-connected products. It can submit JCL or issue a START command to initiate a program designed to handle the connection request and subsequent data transmissions. Alternatively, the HCI can ATTACH/ATTACHX BMC products such that they do not consume an address space, but instead execute within the HCI address space itself. Further, the HCI can act as the communications pipeline for HTML data going to and coming from client browsers into application server programs.
Data security is provided for TCP/IP using the TLS facility of the protocol stack. HCI provides no encryption or decryption of application data but does allow the protocol stack to perform these functions. Thus, all encryption techniques that are supported by TCP/IP can be employed without changing any application program code.

In addition to listening for connection requests, the HCI can initiate outbound requests under control of application programs using only the single API. As such, HCI can act as both a server and a client for multiple connections/conversations using multiple communication protocols. Additional features can include APIs for establishing environments running under particular user IDs, in order to protect data from unauthorized access.

A logging (journal) facility exists into which a TP application program can write any information it chooses. The HCI uses this log to provide diagnostic information useful to BMC developers. If a problem occurs that cannot be diagnosed by other means, BMC may request that you enable the log/journal and capture information from the time of the problem.

Error and informational messages are internationalized and can be localized by translating the messages in a single source data set (not allowed by customers). Error messages generated by the XML parsing facility are not currently internationalized in this manner.

 

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