Migrate from MainFrame TO Windows(need urgent ideas)

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1

hi everyone.

I used Adabas/Natural for 6 months almost 10 years ago.I already forgot everything.

but now I was asked one urgent question about Migrating one sample application from mainframe to windows.

Situation/aim:

I should install Adabas/Natural on PC/windows then I have to download one sample database, all related transactions and natural codes from mainframe to PC and run those transactions on windows same as mainframe.

I would like to learn from you is;

1- Can I accomplish the above scenario without struggling ?
2- What kind of program or db I have to install?
3- is the database structure same ? is there any modification for table fields or natural codes?

Thank you for your help

2

This topic has been discussed before in these forums. Try a search of “re-hosting” or “mainframe to unix”.

Everyone’s first attempt is a struggle, and yours will be doubly so because of your lack of Natural experience. Although most of your Natural code will migrate easily, there are a number of “gotchas” - for example, EBCDIC vs ASCII, big endian vs little endian, and whether you have used mainframe features which are not supported under Windows. If your needs are as urgent as you say, consider SAG’s Professional Services or an experienced independent contractor :wink:. (There are third-party vendors, too.)

Install Natural for Windows and Adabas for Windows. Natural Development Server can make your life much easier for this sort of effort.

Functionally, the products are very similar on the two platforms. Unless you buy a 3rd-party product, you’ll need to decompress your files, FTP them to Windows, and then load them into Adabas there.

Ralph Zbrog
LEN Consulting LLC

3

Thanks Ralph Zbrog

I really appreciated your answer.

I would like to ask one more question if you or other community members have time.

How much time an expert (Adabas / Natural) needs for migrating one application from mainframe to windows.

for example, can I say 5, 10 days ?(of course depends on app).

I have to make an urgent suggestion to a decision maker for migration.

can I say, migration can be done %100 guarantee by an expert and in short term

Thanks again and I am looking forward to seeing final answer.

4

Presuming that you have the necessary resources, what you can guarantee in 5 to 10 days is a demonstration of the basic on-line functionality of your application.

Resources:
. mainframe availability
. Windows server
. mainframe-to-Windows connectivity (for FTP and NDV)
. Windows versions of Adabas and Natural, with valid license keys
. Entire Net-Work - mainframe and Windows versions (for testing and verification)
. Natural Development Server - mainframe (for code conversion, enhancement, comparison, and testing)

A complete implementation likely will require much more time.
. Your application may be using mainframe features which are not available under Windows, forcing major application changes. For example, under Windows, you cannot select an output-only detail line using a PF key (ie drill-down).
. Batch JCL must be converted to scripts.
. Ending value ‘9’ must be changed to high-values.
. EBCDIC hex codes must be changed to ASCII.
. Screen-level help cannot be invoked as on the mainframe, forcing map changes.
. etc

A checksum routine can be used to verify your Adabas data, but some amount of testing will be necessary to validate the application. When comparing output from the two platforms, remember to look for equivalent results, not identical results. If you use keys that mix numeric and alpha values, EBCDIC and ASCII sequences will differ.

It would take a few days to analyze the application and provide an accurate estimate of the conversion effort.

5

That’s the key here - giving an estimate without ever looking at “an application” in detail first is very shady.

What is “an application” ?

An application with 1000 modules will, for obvious reasons,
take more effort to convert than one with 100 modules.