Rocket Data Replicate and Sync (formerly tcVISION) on Amazon Web Services

Mainframe data integration has become more important in the last years. Companies are looking for new ways to move mainframe workloads to cost-effective platforms, modernize mainframe applications, and create new possibilities to execute real-time analyses with complex data.

Cloud technologies have come into the focus of companies that use enterprise-critical data. Many of those companies use Amazon Web Services (AWS^®).

Amazon Web Services (AWS^®) are cloud computing services that are offered by a subsidiary company of the e-commerce company Amazon. AWS is used by popular service providers such as Netflix, Dropbox, and more.

AWS can be used via Amazon Machine Images (AMI). These Images are available at the Online Amazon Marketplace. AMI is a special virtual application that is needed to run a virtual machine in an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud ("EC2").

Users who store their system-critical data on mainframe systems can use the data via the flexible services of AWS to conduct analyses, open new communication channels, or develop new applications quickly.

With Rocket^® Data Replicate and Sync (formerly tcVISION), data can be replicated in real time and bidirectionally between a mainframe (IBM^® z/OS^® or z/VSE) and AWS.

Business-critical data in mainframe environments can be provided in databases in AWS – with a minimum of administrative effort.

Rocket^® Data Replicate and Sync (formerly tcVISION) Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) are now available on the AWS Marketplace.

The AMI component of Rocket Data Replicate and Sync (formerly tcVISION) is automatically set up in the AWS Cloud and allows the user to establish a network connection between the on-premise mainframe and the AWS databases.

This blog entry shows how Rocket Data Replicate and Sync (formerly tcVISION) is integrated into AWS.

Mainframe users store an enormous amount of complex and critical data in proprietary formats grown over decades (e.g. VSAM, IMS, Adabas, CA/Datacom, CA/IDMS, Db2). This data is usually not compatible with modern databases or data types, and are difficult to extract.

Rocket Data Replicate and Sync (formerly tcVISION)solves the problem through the integrated Change Data Capture technology and the replication in modern AWS databases in real time.

The following applications are conceivable:

Analytics

After the replication of the mainframe data through Rocket Data Replicate and Sync (formerly tcVISION) and the data transformation based on the repository, the data is available in an AWS data store, such as the Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3). Here, users can use analytical functions as well as machine learning services for easy access to all relevant data without security risks.

Services ranging from data catalogs and data processing to interactive analyses, desktop and app streaming, and data warehousing.

Innovation

As soon as the data is available in AWS, the users can innovate new functions with Cloud speed. Various applications are possible:

• Access to mainframe data through creating micro services with AWS Lambda without maintaining servers.
• Providing mainframe data for new channels (e.g. smartphones) via the Amazon API Gateway.
• Providing mainframe data for data streams in real time via Amazon Kinesis.

The data modelling and mapping functions of the Rocket Data Replicate and Sync (formerly tcVISION) GUI as well as the uncomplicated migration to AWS make the modernization of big mainframe systems via AWS quick and easy.

Gradual modernization

For a gradual modernization of a mainframe to AWS, it is usually required to synchronize the data between the mainframe and AWS in real time.

Rocket Data Replicate and Sync (formerly tcVISION) supports the bidirectional replication in real time and therefore supports a gradual modernization or migration without the need of creating own synchronization modules and programs.

The bidirectional data synchronization in real time allows for changes in, for example, a PostgreSQL table to be replicated to AWS on the mainframe.

Rocket Data Replicate and Sync (formerly tcVISION) supports the databases of AWS Relational Database Services (RDS). This includes Aurora, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, and Oracle as target databases in addition to the traditional Linux/Unix/Windows targets (LUW) IBM Db2 LUW, Software AG Adabas, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM Informix, Sybase, ODBC.

See the list of supported sources and targets.

Our U.S. distributor Treehouse Software, Inc. is a Standard Technology Partner of the AWS Partner Network (APN).

Check out the blog entry of Treehouse Software, Inc. in the AWS Partner Network (APN) Blog.