GSF Software offers a set of optional, fee-based services to help Prism-CS licensees make the most of the software product when converting VSE applications to OS/390 or z/OS. GSF Software consultants have offered these services to dozens of Prism-CS™ and MS-Tools™ customers in recent years and have accumulated a wealth of experience that is unmatched in the industry. Prism-CS licensees can take advantage of this experience to ensure complete success of their VSE/MVS application conversion project.

The services offered by GSF Software provide the following benefits to Prism-CS customers:

• Strict adherence to the mass-conversion method resulting in 100% automated conversion with no application freeze
• Reduced customer staff requirements
• Reduced overall project duration
• Reduced overall project cost
• Enhanced quality of converted applications, resulting in faster testing and fewer errors during and after switch-over

Most of the Prism-CS services we offer are performed off-site, via the Internet, but we can provide on-site interventions at the customer's location as well. In fact, each service offering is tailored to the customer's needs and preferences.

The following service offerings are currently available:

Project Assessment KickStart Customisation Assistance Quality Assurance Audits Technology Transfer	Switch-Over Assistance JCL Translation Program Conversion Inventory Validation Custom Software Development

Project Assessment

The Project Assessment service consists in analysing the batch and on-line applications to identify conversion requirements and potential issues that may affect their conversion to z/OS.

After the customer has supplied a copy of the VSE applications (as specified here), GSF Software processes the inventory using Prism-CS and other analytical tools. The results of the analysis are reviewed to identify conversion requirements and possible issues which are presented to the customer in a written Conversion Specifications Document (CSD).

Note: The Project Assessment service is available to all customers, whether they later on acquire a Prism-CS license or not. For those customers who chose Prism-CS to convert the applications, we offer the option of producing a smaller CSD which omits all the specifications already handled by the product; the resulting CSD only presents the remaining issues that must be handled through customisation.

KickStart

The KickStart service helps Prism-CS Licensees get their application conversion project off the ground faster by eliminating much of the trial-and-error often associated with learning a new, complex product.

Prism-CS Licensees who selects the KickStart service must send a copy of their application inventory (source code, JCL, etc) to the Prism-CS Support Center which analyses it and sets up a custom procedure tailored to run a complete conversion process. The custom procedure is then sent to the Prism-CS Licensee, along with a list of conversion issues that have been identified during the KickStart analysis process. As an option, the KickStart service includes an on-site turn-over session to enhance the information transfer process.

Customisation Assistance

Customisation Assistance relieves the Prism-CS Licensee from having to dedicate internal resources to perform most customisation tasks. For those customers with special needs or limited staff resources, GSF Software offers its vast experience in designing and developing plug-in modules and LCPs that process complex syntax elements and interact efficiently with various components of the Prism-CS software.

Quality Assurance Audits

QA Audits help Prism-CS Licensees assess the status of their application conversion project and the quality of the converted materials. At key points in the project, GSF Software analyses the converted materials (programs, JCL, etc) for errors, omissions, and other flaws, then suggests appropriate corrective action to prevent failures during application testing.

Technology Transfer

The Technology Transfer service is available to customers who wish to use their own staff to implement the Prism-CS software and the mass-conversion method efficiently. Technology Transfer includes on-site training as well as on-going assistance from VSE/MVS migration experts throughout the conversion project.

The Technology Transfer offering covers the following topics:

Mass-conversion Method Basic principles: automated, in mass, iterative Comparison with other methods Benefits Problem resolution Planning		Prism-CS Software Components, Structure Running mass-processes Customisation Auditing Tools Problem reporting

Switch-Over Assistance

On-site or off-site assistance from VSE/MVS migration experts is available during and after the Switch-Over to help react to problems with speed and accuracy. The Switch-Over is the most critical event in a VSE/MVS conversion project, when applications are converted for the last time, production data is transferred for the last time, and production goes live in the target environment, generally during a week-end. The switch-over week-end itself and the days that follow are a time of intense activity and nervousness, during which assistance from migration experts can prove a valuable asset.

JCL Translation

JCL Translation is a service available to small VSE shops which do not wish to install Prism-CS or learn how to use it. Instead, the customer supplies its programs, VSE JCL, VSE catalog listings and documentation for MVS production standards to GSF Software. We then tailor and customise Prism-CS until it generates good-quality MVS JCL streams, and ship them electronically to the customer. The process is repeated as many times as necessary until the customer is satisfied with the result. Conversion of programs and generation of data transfer procedures are optional.

Program Conversion

Program Conversion is a service available to VSE shops which have difficulties to convert certain programs to MVS, programs which are generally assembler, PL/I or CICS. The customer supplies the source code, COPY books and Macros to GSF Software which takes care of tailoring and customising Prism-CS, and running it to convert the programs from VSE to MVS, as well as compile and link-edit them. A customised version of the Prism-CS product and program libraries is then shipped electronically to the customer.

Besides program conversion from VSE to MVS, we also can provide optional services to translate programs from one language to another, as listed here.

Inventory Validation

The Inventory Validation service helps companies considering a conversion from VSE to MVS put their application inventory in order before the application conversion project actually starts. The Inventory Validation service consists of the following:

• Initial supply of the entire VSE application inventory (JCL, programs, etc) to GSF Software four times on 3490 tape, CD-ROM or via the Internet.
• Build an automated procedure to transfer the VSE application inventory to MVS and load various objects into partitioned data sets.
• Set up and run the application inventory component of the Prism-CS to cross-reference all the elements and produce lists of missing and unreferenced elements
• Up to four additional supplies of the VSE application inventory for processing. Each additional supply includes the corrections applied in VSE to the application inventory, such as providing missing programs, removing obsolete or duplicate elements, etc
• Identify most of the critical conversion issues that will have to be resolved during the actual conversion project

Note: The Inventory Validation service is available to all customers, whether they later on acquire a Prism-CS license or not.

Custom Software Development

Development of conversion-related software, such as utility programs or sub-routines. Languages available are Assembler, COBOL, PL/I or REXX.

For more information on the service offerings listed above, or to obtain a list of customer references, please contact us.