If I have MQSeries for OS/390, do I still need HostBridge?
If you want to do what HostBridge does, absolutely! Let’s first clarify what each product does. HostBridge is a patented software product that XML-enables CICS BMS transactions. MQSeries does NOT provide this capability. MQSeries is a transport mechanism. And to HostBridge, there is no difference between HTTP and MQSeries, or any other transport mechanism. They are just that – transport. MQSeries for OS/390 does include a capability that allows a non-CICS program to request the invocation of a CICS 3270 or BMS transaction. This capability is provided as part of the MQ CICS Bridge, discussed further below. While it may appear on the surface that this is like HostBridge, it isn’t! To use this facility, the non-CICS program must express its request using proprietary and complex data structures. The output from the CICS transaction is also returned using proprietary, and even more complex, data structures. The question then becomes: Is it really desirable to embed logic in a non-CICS appli
