Interacting with VTAM applications with OSPI
This section describes the MainView AutoOPERATOR Open Systems Procedural Interface (OSPI) feature and how to use it to interact with VTAM-based applications and for automation tasks.
MainView AutoOPERATOR provides the Open Systems Procedural Interface (OSPI) as an interface to VTAM-based products.
OSPI provides a means for REXX- or CLIST-based automation procedures to interface with any LU2 (3270) VTAM application that uses full screens to communicate with users.
With OSPI, MainView AutoOPERATOR has logon capabilities and complete access to any VTAM application’s data stream. In this way, MainView AutoOPERATOR can interact with the application by analyzing the output data and issuing the VTAM application’s own commands.
By automatically interfacing with critical VTAM applications and simulating a user at a VTAM terminal, OSPI can communicate with various data center software products and decrease the number of physical terminals required.
OSPI includes three components:
- IMFEXEC commands that allow EXECs to communicate with VTAM applications
- Scripting application that automatically generates IMFEXEC command statements by recording your interactions with a terminal
- Debugging facility
These components are described in the following sections:
- OSPI-sessions provides a general overview about how the Scripting application generates OSPI EXECs.
- OSPI-scripting-application provides detailed information about using the Scripting application.
- Terminating-the-application describes how to customize EXECs generated by the Scripting application.
- OSPI-debugging-facilities describes the Debugging facility.