MS-Tools - Enhancement Package for MVS-MS and Cortex-MS

Overview

MS-Tools^TM is a set of software tools which improve the performance and extend the functional capabilities of the Cortex Migration System^TM (Cortex-MS^TM). MS-Tools is designed to help licensees of the Cortex-MS software significantly reduce the amount of resources needed to convert their VSE applications to MVS, OS/390 and z/OS. MS-Tools components run in the MVS environment only, except the XFERD3V data transfer utility which runs in VSE.

Typical productivity gains obtained with MS-Tools vary between 25% and 50%: an average-size Cortex-MS project which requires six consultants is likely to only need a staff of three or four when MS-Tools is also used.

MS-Tools components were designed and developed over a 20-year period during which their developer implemented Cortex-MS and MVS-MS in dozens of conversion projects, and designed numerous tools to enhance these two products and speed them up. Much of that experience eventually went into the design of the Prism Conversion System, an extremely powerful alternative to Cortex-MS which is, today, an antique product. Because most elements in MS-Tools are also components of Prism-CS, they are constantly used, enhanced and supported.

The MS-Tools package includes standard and optional components:

Standard Components (Performance Enhancements):
1. DMTSHELL speeds up jobset translation by Cortex-DMT by a factor of five
2. PDBSHELL speeds up JCL generation by Cortex-PDB by a factor of five
3. COMPILES speeds up module compilation and link-edit by a factor of ten
4. PDSUTIL, a PDS-oriented multi-function utility program, used as a high-speed replacement for IEBUPDTE and IEBCOPY. PDSUTIL provides the following functions: COMPRESS, COPY/MOVE, LISTDIR, LOAD, REBUILD, SCRATCH, RESET, and UNLOAD.
Optional Components (Functional Enhancements):
1. Documentation
  - 14 documents describe various VSE/MVS conversion issues, how to detect them, and how to solve them in the Cortex-MS context. These documents represent about 200 pages of text and are available in hard-copy format only
2. Inventory Processing and Validation
  - Input Formatters such as LIBRMVS, DTSUTIL, OLLX6100, PCSEVBR and VMFPLC2 restore the contents of back-up tapes created in VSE or VM/CMS into MVS partitioned data sets. A second set of Input Formatters loads the contents of PUNCH tapes created in VSE with LIBR, SSERV or CA-Librarian into MVS partitioned data sets.
  - JCLXPAND expands the VSE JCL by replacing EXEC PROC, SLI and INCLUDE commands with the contents of the corresponding library books. Supports homonyms, nesting and the substitution of symbolic parameters in procedures.
  - The Inventory Validation utility program analyses the JCL, source code and CICS tables to find the relationships between the different elements (job streams, PPT, programs, sub-programs, Maps, COPY books, Macros, Includes), and produces a set of reports and tables.
3. Program Conversion
  - Standard Prism-CS LCPs provide enhanced support for Assembler, COBOL II, Fortran, PL/I, RPG II and many non-IBM languages such as Easytrieve and Dylakor. LCPs convert program source statements and generate dummy modules (DDMYMOD) for Cortex-DMT.
  - CB2CONV converts DOS/VS COBOL programs (FCOBOL) to COBOL II.
  - Run-time routines, utilities, and macro-instructions, include replacement macros for SEGMENT, IPWSEGM, STXIT and many other VSE system or application facilities that are not supported by Cortex-ENV (such as CA-SRAM, VSE SORT, etc).
4. JCL Translation
  - JCLFILTR and standard Prism-CS plug-in modules pre-process jobsets to translate in-line application and utility programs which are not natively supported by Cortex-DMT, such as EasyTrieve, Dylakor, FTP, ARIDBS, DITTO, DrD, MAXBACK, FAVER, MTPBATCH, CA-DYNAM, EPIC, and many others.
  - DMTXREF prints the file cross-reference file built by Cortex-INT.
5. Data Transfer
  - OLDTAPES provides a user-transparent solution to read VSE tape files in MVS jobs without Cortex-Prep.
  - XFERD3 replaces certain Cortex-Switch functions and provides a fast and convenient way to transfer VSE application disk files to MVS.
  - DRDMVS, DUSPMVS and DYNUTIL restore application data files from back-up tapes created in VSE with DrD, MaxBack or DYNUTIL.
6. Miscellaneous
  - Amends, a special type of LCP to automate the application of manual changes to source programs and JCL streams.
  - PDSEDIT, a fast and convenient alternative to CZX2PSCR
  - SCANPDS, a powerful PDS search and cross-reference utility
  - Archiver, a utility to archive the contents of PDS and PDSE data sets, and recover deleted PDS members.
  - CBLPLLER allows user-written programs to use the Cortex PLLER routine to edit JCL, PCL, Assembler code, or utility control statements
  - CZX2PZSM, fast replacement for the same Cortex utility.

Installation

MS-Tools is installed by inserting a load-library in the local JOBLIB concatenation, and replacing/modifying a small number of Cortex-MS panels and skeletons in the USERLIB.

Pricing

Pricing for MS-Tools is la carte, depending on components selected by customers. Please contact GSF Software for details.

Customer References

From 1990 to 1999, Automated Migration Services used MS-Tools on 35 VSE/MVS conversion projects it performed for the following U.S. customers:

Alfa Insurance Companies, Alabama
American Savings Bank, Hawaii
Arkansas Farm Bureau
Automated Data Processing, New Jersey (13 projects)
Avon Products, New York
Batesville Casket Company, Indiana
C&S Wholesale Grocers, Vermont
County of Kern, California
Dataline Services, California
Fleming Companies, Oklahoma
Florida Farm Bureau
Giant Foods, Pennsylvania

HSI/Hook-SupeRx, Ohio
Mississippi Farm Bureau
Pope and Talbot, Oregon
South-Carolina Farm Bureau
Southern Farm Bureau, Mississippi
State of Michigan Employment
State of North Carolina Revenue
Texas Farm Bureau
The Forethought Company, Indiana
The Mutual Group USA, North Dakota
UGI Utilities, Pennsylvania

In 1999, Automated Migration Services abandoned Cortex-MS and MS-Tools in favor of the Prism Conversion System, which the company used until it ceased its activities in December 2001.

Credits