Janus Web Server

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Janus Web Server is part of the Janus family of products that provides connectivity to the Model 204 database.

A site that has Janus Web Server must have the Janus TCP/IP Base because without it, it is impossible to use Janus Web Server. A Janus Web Server site might also have one or more of the other products in the Janus family, though no others are required. Note that if Limited Janus Web Server is available, then Janus TCP/IP Base is automatically authorized. Limited Janus Web Server is a free, restricted version of Janus Web Server.

The Janus Web Server programmer API is implemented as the Janus Web Server $functions.

Janus, the Sirius Mods, and UL/SPF

Template:Janus, Sirius Mods, and UL/SPF

Additional Janus Web tools

Janus Web Server is distributed with two utilities: SIRPIPE and SIRPUT. These can be used to facilitate loading of binary and text data into Model 204 procedure files. Both utilities are distributed as stand-alone load modules that requires a separate (though simple) installation from the Sirius Mods and UL/SPF.

Janus Web Server also includes a facility called Janus Web Legacy Support. Not a separate product, this is a standard part of Janus Web Server. By converting 3270 screens into HTML pages, Janus Web Legacy Support makes it possible to access existing 3270 applications from a browser. For more information about this feature, see Janus Web Legacy Support.

Related documentation

As mentioned above in "Janus, the Sirius Mods, and UL/SPF", Janus Web Server requires the installation of both the Sirius Mods and UL/SPF. As such, the person responsible for the installation of Janus Web Server should refer to the Sirius Mods Installation Guide and the UL/SPF Installation and Maintenance Guide.

The Sirius Messages Manual contains documentation on Sirius Mods error messages, so it might be useful to application programmers.

Janus Web Server depends on the Janus TCP/IP Base product, and there is much useful information in the Janus TCP/IP Base Reference Manual.

You are authorized to use a number of Sirius $functions along with Janus Web Server, including procedure processing $functions and $list processing $functions. Unless otherwise stated, documentation for these functions, and any $functions mentioned but not documented here that are not standard Model 204 $functions, is accessible via the "List of $functions".
Note: One of the limitations of Limited Janus Web Server is that it only authorizes the $WEBxxx functions; it does not authorize the other Sirius Functions, which are authorized by a full Janus Web Server license.

For details about date processing relevant to some of the Janus Web Server $functions, see "Datetime string formats".

Related products

The Janus TCP/IP Base must be installed to use Janus Web Server. This is the only other Sirius Mods product that must be installed in a Model 204 region to use Janus Web Server.

If security is a concern, whether it be internet or intranet security, SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is the de-facto standard for providing encryption and validation security for web-based applications. The Janus Network Security product provides SSL support for Janus Web Server (as well as other products in the Janus family).

One of the convenient debugging features available with Janus Web Server is a TRACE facility which logs Janus request/response information to the Model 204 journal. In addition, most application debugging in a Model 204 environment is done on a 3270 or 3270 emulator — but since Janus Web Server applications are not associated with a 3270, debugging techniques geared toward a 3270 will not work for them, so most of their debugging information goes to the Model 204 journal. If you don't have good tools to view the journal, using it for debugging is a tedious process. AUDIT204 and ISPF provide some capabilities for viewing the journal, but they have many inherent shortcomings and inefficiencies. Because of this, it is strongly recommended that any site that installs Janus Web Server also install SirScan.

SirScan is a product in the UL/SPF family that facilitates the interactive extraction of journal information within the Model 204 region. It does so via a user-friendly web browser or full-screen 3270 interface and low-level routines to provide efficient access to in-memory and on-disk journal buffers. SirScan can provide an order of magnitude improvement in debugging efficiency for non-terminal-related Model 204 processes such as Janus Web Server, Horizon, BATCH2 and other Janus server applications.
Note: If Limited Janus Web Server is available, SirScan is automatically authorized for viewing audit trail entries on WEBSERV threads.

System requirements

The current release of Janus Web Server requires the following components to run:

  • Mainframe operating systems:
    • Any supported version of z/OS
    • z/VSE Version 4 or later or
    • CMS (releases currently supported by IBM) running under any supported version of z/VM
  • Model 204 Version 6 Release 1 or later
  • One of the following mainframe TCP/IP implementations:
    • IBM TCP/IP for z/VM or z/OS
    • InterLink TCP/IP for MVS - Version 1.1 or later
    • TCP/IP for VSE (Connectivity Systems, Inc., Columbus, OH) - Version 1 Release 4.0 or later
  • Any HTTP 1.0 or later compliant browser such as Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or later or Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, or virtually any other browser

Limited Janus Web Server

The Limited Janus Web Server capability allows you to write limited-scale Janus Web Server applications without requiring you to purchase a copy of Janus Web Server. This allows you to implement low-volume applications using the power of the Web, even if your only Sirius Mods product is, for example, Fast/Backup or Fast/Reload.

The Limited Janus Web Server capability is automatically created in any Model 204 load module that has at least one Sirius Mods product authorized and does not contain authorization to Janus Web Server. The duration of that capability is the maximum duration of any of the authorized Sirius Mods products.

Limited Janus Web Server consists of the following:

  • Authorization to use the $Web* functions ("Janus Web Server $functions").
  • If Janus TCP/IP Base is not otherwise authorized, authorization to it with 3 threads.
  • Authorization to define and use Janus Web Server (WEBSERV) ports with up to 3 connections.
  • Authorization to use SirScan to view the audit trail entries of any WEBSERV thread.
  • Authorization for the Html/Text statement and the SIREDIT and WEBAUDIT parameters.
  • Customer support and maintenance for Limited Janus Web Server. The limitations imposed in Limited Janus Web Server are as follows, relative to a full Janus Web Server license:
    • At most 3 concurrent Janus WEBSERV threads may be active.
    • The only $functions authorized by Limited Janus Web Server are the $Web* ones; Janus Web Server authorizes many $functions beyond the $Web* functions.

Sirius Software will encourage and assist users among its customer base to develop applications that can be shared among Limited Janus Web Server and Janus Web Server customers. Of course, Sirius Software hopes that the functionality provided by Limited Janus Web Server convinces you to purchase full Janus Web Server and SirScan licenses.

References and links