Modernize mainframe output management on AWS by using Rocket Enterprise Server and LRS PageCenterX

Created by Shubham Roy (AWS), Abraham Rondon (Micro Focus), and Guy Tucker (Levi, Ray and Shoup Inc)

Environment: PoC or pilot	Source: IBM mainframe	Target: AWS
R Type: Replatform	Workload: IBM	Technologies: Mainframe; Migration; Modernization
AWS services: AWS Managed Microsoft AD; Amazon EC2; Amazon FSx for Windows File Server; Amazon RDS; AWS Mainframe Modernization

Summary

By modernizing your mainframe output management, you can achieve cost savings, mitigate the technical debt of maintaining legacy systems, and improve resiliency and agility through DevOps and Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud-native technologies. This pattern shows you how to modernize your business-critical mainframe output-management workloads on the AWS Cloud. The pattern uses Rocket Enterprise Server as a runtime for a modernized mainframe application, with Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc. (LRS) VPSX/MFI (Micro Focus Interface) as a print server and LRS PageCenterX as an archive server. LRS PageCenterX provides output-management solutions for viewing, indexing, searching, archiving, and securing access to business outputs.

The pattern is based on the replatform mainframe modernization approach. Mainframe applications are migrated by AWS Mainframe Modernization on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). Mainframe output-management workloads are migrated to Amazon EC2, and a mainframe database, such as IBM Db2 for z/OS, is migrated to Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS). The LRS Directory Integration Server (LRS/DIS) works with AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory for output-management workflow authentication and authorization.

Prerequisites and limitations

Prerequisites

• An active AWS account.

• A mainframe output-management workload.

• Basic knowledge of how to rebuild and deliver a mainframe application that runs on Rocket Enterprise Server. For more information, see the Rocket Enterprise Server data sheet in the Rocket Software documentation.

• Basic knowledge of LRS cloud printing solutions and concepts. For more information, see Output Modernization in the LRS documentation.

• Rocket Enterprise Server software and license. For more information, contact Rocket Software.

• LRS VPSX/MFI, LRS PageCenterX, LRS/Queue, and LRS/DIS software and licenses. For more information, contact LRS. You must provide the hostnames of the EC2 instances where the LRS products will be installed.

Note: For more information about configuration considerations for mainframe output-management workloads, see Considerations in the Additional information section of this pattern.

Product versions

• Rocket Enterprise Server 10.0

• LRS VPSX/MFI

• LRS PageCenterX V1R3 or later

Architecture

Source technology stack

• Operating system – IBM z/OS

• Programming language – Common business-oriented language (COBOL), job control language (JCL), and Customer Information Control System (CICS)

• Database – IBM Db2 for z/OS, IBM Information Management System (IMS) database, and Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM)

• Security – Resource Access Control Facility (RACF), CA Top Secret for z/OS, and Access Control Facility 2 (ACF2)

• Print and archive solutions – IBM mainframe z/OS output and printing products (IBM Infoprint Server for z/OS, LRS, and CA Deliver) and archiving solutions (CA Deliver, ASG Mobius, or CA Bundle)

Source architecture

The following diagram shows a typical current state architecture for a mainframe output-management workload.

The diagram shows the following workflow:

1. Users perform business transactions on a system of engagement (SoE) that’s built on an IBM CICS application written in COBOL.

2. The SoE invokes the mainframe service, which records the business transaction data in a system-of-records (SoR) database such as IBM Db2 for z/OS.

3. The SoR persists the business data from the SoE.

4. The batch job scheduler initiates a batch job to generate print output.

5. The batch job extracts data from the database. It formats the data according to business requirements, and then it generates business output such as billing statements, ID cards, or loan statements. Finally, the batch job routes the output to output management for format, publish, and storage of the output based on the business requirements.

6. Output management receives output from the batch job. Output management indexes, arranges, and publishes the output to a specified destination in the output-management system, such as LRS PageCenterX solutions (as demonstrated in this pattern) or CA View.

7. Users can view, search, and retrieve the output.

Target technology stack

• Operating system – Windows Server running on Amazon EC2

• Compute – Amazon EC2

• Storage – Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) and Amazon FSx for Windows File Server

• Programming language – COBOL, JCL, and CICS

• Database – Amazon RDS

• Security – AWS Managed Microsoft AD

• Printing and archiving – LRS printing (VPSX) and archiving (PageCenterX) solution on AWS

• Mainframe runtime environment – Rocket Enterprise Server

Target architecture

The following diagram shows an architecture for a mainframe output-management workload that’s deployed in the AWS Cloud.

The diagram shows the following workflow:

1. The batch job scheduler initiates a batch job to create output, such as billing statements, ID cards, or loan statements.

2. The mainframe batch job (replatformed to Amazon EC2) uses the Rocket Enterprise Server runtime to extract data from the application database, apply business logic to the data, and format the data. It then sends the data to an output destination by using the Rocket Software printer exit module (OpenText Micro Focus documentation).

3. The application database (an SoR that runs on Amazon RDS) persists data for print output.

4. The LRS VPSX/MFI printing solution is deployed on Amazon EC2, and its operational data is stored in Amazon EBS. LRS VPSX/MFI uses the TCP/IP-based LRS/Queue transmission agent to collect output data through the Rocket Software JES Print Exit API.

   LRS VPSX/MFI does data preprocessing, such as EBCDIC to ASCII translation. It also does more complex tasks, including converting mainframe-exclusive data streams such as IBM Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) and Xerox Line Conditioned Data Stream (LCDS) into more common viewing and printing data streams such as Printer Command Language (PCL) and PDF.

   During the maintenance window of LRS PageCenterX, LRS VPSX/MFI persists the output queue and serves as backup for the output queue. LRS VPSX/MFI connects and sends output to LRS PageCenterX by using the LRS/Queue protocol. LRS/Queue performs an exchange of both readiness and completion for the jobs to help ensure that the data transfer occurs.

   Notes:

   For more information on print data passed from Rocket Software Print Exit to LRS/Queue and LRS VPSX/MFI supported mainframe batch mechanisms, see Print data capture in the Additional information section.

   LRS VPSX/MFI can perform health checks at the printer-fleet level. For more information, see Printer-fleet health checks in the Additional information section of this pattern.

5. The LRS PageCenterX output-management solution is deployed on Amazon EC2, and its operational data is stored in Amazon FSx for Windows File Server. LRS PageCenterX provides a central report management system of all files imported into LRS PageCenterX along with all users able to access the files. Users can view specific file content or perform searches across multiple files for matching criteria.

   The LRS/NetX component is a multi-threaded web application server that provides a common runtime environment for the LRS PageCenterX application and other LRS applications. The LRS/Web Connect component is installed on your web server and provides a connector from the web server to the LRS/NetX web application server.

6. LRS PageCenterX provides storage for file system objects. The operational data of LRS PageCenterX is stored in Amazon FSx for Windows File Server.

7. Output-management authentication and authorization are performed by AWS Managed Microsoft AD with LRS/DIS.

Note: The target solution typically doesn’t require application changes to accommodate mainframe formatting languages, such as IBM AFP or Xerox LCDS.

AWS infrastructure architecture

The following diagram shows a highly available and secure AWS infrastructure architecture for a mainframe output-management workload.

The diagram shows the following workflow:

1. The batch scheduler initiates the batch process and is deployed on Amazon EC2 across multiple Availability Zones for high availability (HA).

   Note: This pattern doesn’t cover the implementation of the batch scheduler. For more information about implementation, see the software vendor documentation for your scheduler.

2. The mainframe batch job (written in a programming language such as JCL or COBOL) uses core business logic to process and generate print output, such as billing statements, ID cards, and loan statements. The batch job is deployed on Amazon EC2 across two Availability Zones for HA. It uses the Rocket Software Print Exit API to route print output to LRS VPSX/MFI for data preprocessing.

3. The LRS VPSX/MFI print server is deployed on Amazon EC2 across two Availability Zones for HA (active-standby redundant pair). It uses Amazon EBS as an operational data store. The Network Load Balancer performs a health check on the LRS VPSX/MFI EC2 instances. If an active instance is in an unhealthy state, the load balancer routes traffic to hot standby instances in the other Availability Zone. The print requests are persisted in the LRS Job Queue locally in each of the EC2 instances. In the event of a failure, a failed instance must be restarted before the LRS services can resume processing the print request.

   Note: LRS VPSX/MFI can also perform health checks at the printer-fleet level. For more information, see Printer-fleet health checks in the Additional information section of this pattern.

4. LRS PageCenterX output management is deployed on Amazon EC2 across two Availability Zones for HA (active-standby redundant pair). It uses Amazon FSx for Windows File Server as an operational data store. If an active instance is in an unhealthy state, the load balancer performs a health check on the LRS PageCenterX EC2 instances and routes traffic to standby instances in the other Availability Zone.

5. A Network Load Balancer provides a DNS name to integrate the LRS VPSX/MFI Server with LRS PageCenterX.

   Note: LRS PageCenterX supports a Layer 4 load balancer.

6. LRS PageCenterX uses Amazon FSx for Windows File Server as an operational data store deployed across two Availability Zones for HA. LRS PageCenterX understands only files that are in the file share, not in an external database.

7. AWS Managed Microsoft AD is used with LRS/DIS to perform output-management workflow authentication and authorization. For more information, see Print output authentication and authorization in the Additional information section.

Tools

AWS services

• AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory enables your directory-aware workloads and AWS resources to use Microsoft Active Directory in the AWS Cloud.

• Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) provides block-level storage volumes for use with Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances.

• Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) provides scalable computing capacity in the AWS Cloud. You can launch as many virtual servers as you need and quickly scale them up or down.

• Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) distributes incoming application or network traffic across multiple targets. For example, you can distribute traffic across Amazon EC2 instances, containers, and IP addresses in one or more Availability Zones. This pattern uses a Network Load Balancer.

• Amazon FSx provides file systems that support industry-standard connectivity protocols and offer high availability and replication across AWS Regions. This pattern uses Amazon FSx for Windows File Server.

• Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) helps you set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the AWS Cloud.

Other tools

• LRS PageCenterX software provides a scalable document and report content management solution that helps users obtain maximum value from information through automated indexing, encryption, and advanced search features.

• LRS VPSX/MFI (Micro Focus Interface), codeveloped by LRS and Rocket Software, captures output from a Rocket Software JES spool and reliably delivers it to a specified print destination.

• LRS/Queue is a transmission agent that’s TCP/IP based. LRS VPSX/MFI uses LRS/Queue to collect or capture print data through the Rocket Software JES Print Exit programming interface.

• LRS Directory Integration Server (LRS/DIS) is used for authentication and authorization during the print workflow.

• Rocket Enterprise Server is an application deployment environment for mainframe applications. It provides the runtime environment for mainframe applications that are migrated or created by using any version of Rocket Enterprise Developer.

Epics

Set up the Rocket runtime and deploy a mainframe batch application

Task	Description	Skills required
Set up the runtime and deploy a demo application.	To set up Rocket Enterprise Server on Amazon EC2 and deploy the Rocket Software BankDemo demonstration application, follow the instructions in AWS Mainframe Modernization user-guide. The BankDemo application is a mainframe batch application that creates and then initiates print output.	Cloud architect

Set up an LRS print server on Amazon EC2

Task	Description	Skills required
Create an Amazon EC2 Windows instance.	To launch an Amazon EC2 Windows instance, follow the instructions in Launch an Amazon EC2 instance in the Amazon EC2 documentation. Use the same hostname that you used for your LRS product license. Your instance must meet the following hardware and software requirements for LRS VPSX/MFI: CPU – Dual Core RAM – 16 GB Drive – 500 GB Minimum EC2 instance – m5.xlarge OS – Windows Software – Internet Information Services (IIS) or Apache Note: The preceding hardware and software requirements are intended for a small printer fleet (around 500-1000). To get the full requirements, consult with your LRS and AWS contacts. When you create your Windows instance, confirm that the EC2 hostname is the same hostname used for the LRS product license. Connect to your EC2 instance by following the instructions from Step 2: Connect to your instance in the Amazon EC2 documentation. On the Windows Start menu, find and open Server Manager. In Server Manager, choose Dashboard, Quick Start, Add roles and features, and then choose Server roles. In Server roles, choose WebServer (IIS), and then choose Application Development. In Application Development, select the CGI check box. To install CGI, follow the instructions in the Windows Server Manger Add roles and features wizard. Open port 5500 in the Windows firewall of the EC2 instance for LRS/Queue communication.	Cloud architect
Install LRS VPSX/MFI on the EC2 instance.	Connect to your EC2 instance. Open the link to the product download page from the LRS email message that you should have received. Note: LRS products are distributed by electronic file transfer (EFT). Download LRS VPSX/MFI, and unzip the file (default folder: c:\LRS). To install LRS VPSX/MFI, launch the LRS Product Installer from the unzipped folder. On the Select Features menu, select VPSX® Server, and then choose Next to start the installation process. You will receive a success message when installation is complete.	Cloud architect
Install LRS/Queue.	Connect to your Rocket Enterprise Server EC2 instance. Open the link to the LRS product download page from the LRS email message that you should have received, download LRS/Queue, and then unzip the file. Navigate to the location where you downloaded the files, and then launch the LRS Product Installer to install LRS/Queue. Follow the instructions in the LRS Product Installer to complete the installation process.	Cloud architect
Install LRS/DIS.	The LRS/DIS product often is included in LRS VPSX installation. However, if LRS/DIS wasn't installed along with LRS VPSX, use the following steps to install it: Connect to your LRS VPSX/MFI EC2 instance. Open the link to the LRS product download page from the LRS email message that you should have received, download LRS/DIS, and then unzip the file. Navigate to the location where you downloaded the files, and then launch the LRS Product Installer. In the LRS Product Installer, expand LRS Misc Tools, select LRS DIS, and then choose Next. Follow the rest of the instructions in the LRS Product Installer to complete the installation process.	Cloud architect
Create a target group.	Create a target group by following the instructions in Create a target group for your Network Load Balancer. When you create the target group, register the LRS VPSX/MFI EC2 instance as the target: On the Specify group details page, for Choose a Target Type, choose Instances. For Protocol, choose TCP. For Port, choose 5500. On the Register targets page, in the Available instances section, select the LRS VPSX/MFI EC2 instance.	Cloud architect
Create a Network Load Balancer.	To create the Network Load Balancer, follow the instructions in the Elastic Load Balancing documentation. Your Network Load Balancer routes traffic from Rocket Enterprise Server to the LRS VPSX/MFI EC2 instance. When you create the Network Load Balancer, choose the following values on the Listeners and Routing page: For Protocol, choose TCP. For Port, choose 5500. For Default action, choose Forward to for the target group that you created earlier.	Cloud architect

Integrate Rocket Enterprise Server with LRS/Queue and LRS VPSX/MFI

Task	Description	Skills required
Configure Rocket Enterprise Server for LRS/Queue integration.	Connect to your Rocket Enterprise Server EC2 instance by following the instructions in the Amazon EC2 documentation. On the Windows Start menu, open the Rocket Enterprise Server Administration UI. In the menu bar, choose NATIVE. In the navigation pane, choose Directory Server, and then choose BANKDEMO for your Enterprise Server region. From General in the left navigation pane, scroll down to the Additional section to configure the environment variables (LRSQ_ADDRESS, LRSQ_PORT, LRSQ_COMMAND) to point to LRSQ. For LRSQ_ADDRESS, enter the IP address or DNS name of the Network Load Balancer that you created earlier. For LRSQ_PORT, enter VPSX LRSQ Listener Port (5500). For LRSQ_COMMAND, enter the path location of the LRSQ executable. Note: LRS currently supports a maximum character limit of 50 for DNS names. If your DNS name is longer than 50 characters, you can use the IP address of the Network Load Balancer as an alternative.	Cloud architect
Configure Rocket Enterprise Server for LRS VPSX/MFI integration.	Copy the VPSX_MFI_R2 folder from the LRS VPSX/MFI installer to the Rocket Enterprise Server location at C\BANKDEMO\print. Connect to your Rocket Enterprise Server EC2 instance by following the instructions in the Amazon EC2 documentation. On the Windows Start menu, open the Rocket Enterprise Server Administration UI. On the menu bar, choose NATIVE. In the navigation pane, choose Directory Server, and then choose BANKDEMO. Under BANKDEMO, choose JES. Under JES Program Path, add the DLL(VPSX_MFI_R2) path from C\BANKDEMO\print.	Cloud architect

Set up the print queue and the print users

Task	Description	Skills required
Associate the Rocket Software Print Exit module with the Rocket Enterprise Server batch printer Server Execution Process.	Connect to your Rocket Enterprise Server EC2 instance by following the instructions in the Amazon EC2 documentation. On the Windows Start menu, open the Rocket Focus Enterprise Server Administration UI. On the menu bar, choose NATIVE. In the navigation pane, choose Directory Server, and then choose BANKDEMO. Under BANKDEMO, choose JES, and scroll down to Printers. In Printers, associate the Rocket Software Print Exit module (LRSPRTE6 for Batch) to the Rocket Enterprise Server batch printer Server Execution Process (SEP). This enables print output routing to LRS VPSX/MFI. For more information about configuration, see Using the Exit in the OpenText Micro Focus documentation.	Cloud architect
Create a print output queue in LRS VPSX/MFI and integrate it with LRS PageCenterX.	Connect to your LRS VPSX/MFI EC2 instance. On the Windows Start menu, open VPSX Web Interface. In the navigation pane, choose Printers. Choose Add, and then choose Add Printer. On the Printer Configuration page, for Printer Name, enter Local. For VPSX ID, enter VPS1. For CommType, select TCPIP/LRSQ. For Host/IP Address, enter the IP address of the Network Load Balancer fronting the LRS PageCenterX EC2 instances. For Remote port, enter 5800. For Remote queue, enter the name of the LRS PageCenterX document folder where output will be stored. Choose Add.	Cloud architect
Create a print user in LRS VPSX/MFI.	Connect to your LRS VPSX/MFI EC2 instance. On the Windows Start menu, open VPSX Web Interface. In the navigation pane, choose Security, and then choose Users. In the User Name column, choose admin, and then choose Copy. In the User Profile Maintenance window, for User Name, enter a username (for example, PrintUser). For Description, enter a brief description (for example, User for test print). Choose Update. This creates a print user (for example, PrintUser). In the navigation pane, under User, choose the new user that you created. On the Command menu, choose Security. On the Security Rules page, choose all the applicable printer security and job security options, and then choose Save. To add your new print user to the Administrator group, on the navigation pane, choose Security, and then choose Configure. In the Security configuration window, add your new print user to the Administrator column.	Cloud architect

Set up an LRS PageCenterX server on Amazon EC2

Task	Description	Skills required
Create an Amazon EC2 Windows instance.	Launch an Amazon EC2 Windows instance by following the instructions from Step 1: Launch an instance in the Amazon EC2 documentation. Use the same hostname that you used for your LRS product license. Your instance must meet the following hardware and software requirements for LRS PageCenterX: CPU – Dual Core RAM – 16 GB Drive – 500 GB Minimum EC2 instance – m5.xlarge OS – Windows Software –IIS or Apache Note: The preceding hardware and software requirements are intended for a small printer fleet (around 500–1000). To get the full requirements, consult with your LRS and AWS contacts. When you create your Windows instance, confirm that the EC2 hostname is the same hostname used for the LRS product license. Connect to your EC2 instance by following the instructions in the Amazon EC2 documentation. On the Windows Start menu, find and open Server Manager. In Server Manager, choose Dashboard, Quick Start, Add roles and features, then choose Server roles. In Server roles, choose WebServer (IIS), and then choose Application Development. In Application Development, select the CGI check box. To install CGI, follow the instructions in the Windows Server Manger Add roles and features wizard. Open port 5800 for inbound TCP/IP traffic in the Windows firewall of the EC2 instance. LRS VPSX uses the TCPIP/LRSQ protocol on 5800 port to communicate to LRS PageCenterX.	Cloud architect
Install LRS PageCenterX on the EC2 instance.	Connect to your EC2 instance. Open the link to the product download page from the LRS email message that you should have received. Note: LRS products are distributed by electronic file transfer (EFT). Download LRS PageCenterX, and unzip the file (default folder: c:\LRS). To install LRS PageCenterX, launch the LRS Product Installer from the unzipped folder. On the Select Features menu, select PageCenterX, and then choose Next to start the installation process. You will receive a success message when installation is complete.	Cloud architect
Install LRS/DIS.	The LRS/DIS product often is included in LRS VPSX installation. However, if LRS/DIS wasn't installed along with LRS VPSX, use the following steps to install it: Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance. Open the link to the LRS product download page from the LRS email that you should have received, download LRS/DIS, and then unzip the file. Navigate to the location where you downloaded the files, and then launch the LRS Product Installer. In the LRS Product Installer, expand LRS Misc Tools, select LRS DIS, and then choose Next. Follow the rest of the instructions in the LRS Product Installer to complete the installation process.	Cloud architect
Create a target group.	Create a target group by following the instructions in Create a target group for your Network Load Balancer. When you create the target group, register the LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance as the target: On the Specify group details page, for Choose a Target Type, choose Instances. For Protocol, choose TCP. For Port, choose 5800. On the Register targets page, in the Available instances section, select the LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance.	Cloud architect
Create a Network Load Balancer.	To create the Network Load Balancer, follow the instructions in the Elastic Load Balancing documentation. Your Network Load Balancer routes traffic from LRS VPSX/MFI to the LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance. When you create the Network Load Balancer, choose the following values on the Listeners and Routing page: For Protocol, choose TCP. For Port, choose 5800. For Default action, choose Forward to for the target group that you created earlier.	Cloud architect

Set up output-management features in LRS PageCenterX

Task	Description	Skills required
Enable the Import function in LRS PageCenterX.	You can use the LRS PageCenterX Import function to recognize the outputs landing on LRS PageCenterX by criteria such as Job name or Form ID. You can then route the outputs to specific folders in LRS PageCenterX. To enable the Import function, do the following: Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance by following the instructions in the Amazon EC2 documentation. On the Windows Start menu, open PCX Web Interface. In Folder Explorer, choose Admin. On the Configuration page, choose Advanced, Import parameter. In the Import parameter section, select the Advanced Import check box. To commit the changes, choose Update.	Cloud architect
Configure the document retention policy.	LRS PageCenterX uses a document retention policy to decide how long to keep a document in LRS PageCenterX. To configure the document retention policy, do the following: Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance. On the Windows Start menu, open PCX Web Interface. In Folder Explorer, choose Admin. On the Admin page, choose Archive Group List/General admin, and then choose Retention policy. In the Retention policy section, choose Add to create a retention policy. On the Retention Policy Information page, enter a Retention policy name, Description, and Document retention period. To save your changes and create the policy, choose Ok.	Cloud architect
Create a rule to route the output document to a specific folder in LRS PageCenterX.	In LRS PageCenterX, Destination determines the folder path where output will be sent when this destination is invoked by Report Definition. For this example, create a folder based on the Form ID folder in the report definition, and save the output to that folder. Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance. On the Windows Start menu, open PCX Web Interface. In Folder Explorer, choose Admin, Advance Import, Destination. In the Destination section, choose Add to open the Destination Maintenance form. On the Destination Maintenance form, enter the following values: Destination name – Form Description – Description of the destination, such as Form-based folder structure Destination type – Folder Folder Parameters – Import folder path (the folder path that will be created in PageCenterX when the document arrives; for example, the path /Test/&FORM/&IMPORTDATE/&IMPORTTIME will create a base Test folder, a subfolder based on Form-Id named STD, a subfolder based on Import date, and then a subfolder based on Import time) Document name – Dynamic name assigned to a document when it's stored in the folder. In the dropdown list, choose a retention policy. For example, choose Year1 to retain the document for 1 year. To save the changes, choose Ok.	Cloud architect
Create a report definition.	Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance. On the Windows Start menu, open PCX Web Interface. In Folder Explorer, choose Admin, Advance Import, Report Definition, and then choose Add. On the Report definition maintenance page, on the General tab, enter the Report Definition name. On the General tab, under Fields, you can specify selection criteria such as Job Name, Form, Class, and Author. For example, you could enter a Job Name of MFIDEMO. The Job Name value will be the name of the batch job that will generate print output. On the Destination tab, under Available Destination, choose the previously created destination (Form). Choose Add to add the Form destination as Assigned destination. Note: This example includes a report definition where an output generated by the MFIDEMO and routed to LRS PageCenterX is saved in the folder structure defined in the destination definition.	Cloud architect

Set up authentication and authorization for output management

Task	Description	Skills required
Create an AWS Managed Microsoft AD domain with users and groups.	To create a directory on AWS Managed Microsoft AD, follow the instructions in Create your AWS Managed Microsoft AD directory. To deploy an EC2 instance (Active Directory manager) and install Active Directory tools to manage your AWS Managed Microsoft AD, follow the instructions in Step 3: Deploy an EC2 instance to manage your AWS Managed Microsoft AD. To connect to your EC2 instance, follow the instructions in the Amazon EC2 documentation. Note: When you connect to the EC2 instance, in the Windows Security window, enter the administrator credentials for the directory that you created in step 1. On the Windows Start menu, under Windows Administrative Tools, choose Active Directory Users and Computers. To create a print user in the Active Directory domain, follow the instructions in Create a user.	Cloud architect
Join the EC2 instances to an AWS Managed Microsoft AD domain.	Join the LRS VPSX/MFI and LRS PageCenterX EC2 instances to your AWS Managed Microsoft AD domain automatically (AWS Knowledge Center documentation) or manually (AWS Directory Service documentation).	Cloud architect
Configure and integrate LRS/DIS with AWS Managed Microsoft AD for the LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance.	Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance. On the Windows Start menu, open PCX Web Interface. In Folder Explorer, choose Admin. On the Configuration page, in the Security Parameters section, for Security Type, select LRS/DIS. Enter your preferences for the rest of the options in the Security Parameters section. On the Windows Start menu, open the PageCenterX folder, choose Server Start, and then choose Server Stop. Log in to LRS PageCenterX with your Active Directory username and password.	Cloud architect
Configure an Import group to import output from LRS VPSX to LRS PageCenterX.	Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance. On the Windows Start menu, open PCX Web Interface. In Folder Explorer, choose Admin, Security admin, Groups. In the Groups section, choose Add to open the Group preference form. In the Group preference form, enter values for Group name and Description. Expand General options, and then select the Import check box. To save the changes, choose Ok.	Cloud architect
Add a security rule to the Import group.	Open the context (right-click) menu for Import group. Choose Advance, and then choose Security. In the Security section, choose Import, and select the Subfolder check box. To save the changes, choose Apply.	Cloud architect
Create a user in LRS PageCenterX to perform output import from LRS VPSX/MFI.	When you create a user in LRS PageCenterX to perform output import, the username should be the same as the VPSX ID of the print output queue in LRS VPSX/MFI. In this example, the VPSX ID is VPS1. Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance. On the Windows Start menu, open PCX Web Interface. In Folder Explorer, choose Admin, Security admin, User. Choose Add to open the User profile maintenance form. In User profile maintenance, for User name, enter VPS1.	Cloud architect
Add the LRS PageCenterX Import user to the Import only group.	To provide necessary permission for document import from LRS VPSX to LRS PageCenterX, do the following: Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance. On the Windows Start menu, open PCX Web Interface. In Folder Explorer, choose Admin, Security admin, Groups. In the Groups section, open the context (right-click) menu for the Import only group, and then choose Advance, Security. On the Folder Security Records (ImportOnly) page, choose the User tab. On the User tab, under Name, select user VPS1 from the dropdown list, and choose Apply.	Cloud architect
Configure LRS/DIS with AWS Managed Microsoft AD for the LRS VPSX/MFI EC2 instance.	Connect to your LRS VPSX/MFI EC2 instance. On the Windows Start menu, open VPSX Web Interface. In the navigation pane, choose Security, and then choose Configure. On the Security Configuration page, in the Security Parameters section, for Security Type, select LRS/DIS (External). Enter your preferences for the rest of the options in the Security Parameters section. On the Windows Start menu, open the LRS Output Management folder, choose Server Start, and then choose Server Stop. Log in to LRS VPSX/MFI with your Active Directory username and password.	Cloud architect

Configure Amazon FSx for Windows File Server as the operational data store for LRS PageCenterX

Task	Description	Skills required
Create a file system for LRS PageCenterX.	To use Amazon FSx for Windows File Server as an operational data store for LRS PageCenterX in a Multi-AZ environment, follow the instructions in Step 1: Create your file system.	Cloud architect
Map the file share to the LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance.	To map the file share created in previous step to the LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance, follow the instructions in Step 2: Map your file share to an EC2 instance running Windows Server.	Cloud architect
Map LRS PageCenterX Control Directory and Master Folder Directory to the Amazon FSx network share drive.	Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance by following the instructions in the Amazon EC2 documentation. On the Windows Start menu, open PCX Web Interface. In Folder Explorer, choose Admin, Configuration. On the Configuration page, choose Directories, and then choose Control Directory. In Control Directories, enter \\FSx file share DNS name\share\cntl. In Master Folder Directory, enter \\FSx file share DNS name\share\mstr.	Cloud architect

Test an output-management workflow

Task	Description	Skills required
Initiate a batch print request from the Rocket Software BankDemo app.	Open the 3270-terminal emulator in your Rocket Enterprise Server EC2 instance. Connect to the BankDemo app by running the command connect 127.0.0.1:9278. On the BankDemo command line interface, for User id, enter B0001. For Password, enter a non-blank key. For the Request printed statement(s) option, enter X on the blank line. In the Send statement by section, for Mail, enter Y, and then press F10.	Test engineer
Check the print output in LRS PageCenterX.	Connect to your LRS PageCenterX EC2 instance by following the instructions in the Amazon EC2 documentation. On the Windows Start menu, open PCX Web Interface. In the navigation pane, open the Test folder, open the STD folder, and then open the folder with the job run date, such as 08-03-2023 (MM-DD-YYYY). Note: This is the same folder structure as defined in the story Create a rule to route the output document to a specific folder in LRS PageCenterX. Open the formtest-STD.txt file. You can now see the print output of an account statement with columns for Account No., Description, Date, Amount, and Balance. For an example, see the batch_print_output attachment for this pattern.	Test engineer

Related resources

• LRS

• Advanced Function Presentation data stream (IBM documentation)

• Line Conditioned Data Stream (LCDS) (Compart documentation)

• Empowering Enterprise Mainframe Workloads on AWS with Micro Focus (blog post)

• Modernize your mainframe online printing workloads on AWS (AWS Prescriptive Guidance)

• Modernize your mainframe batch printing workloads on AWS (AWS Prescriptive Guidance)

Additional information

Considerations

During your modernization journey, you might consider a wide variety of configurations for mainframe batch and online processes and the output they generate. The mainframe platform has been customized by every customer and vendor that uses it with particular requirements that directly affect print. For example, your current platform might incorporate the IBM AFP data stream or Xerox LCDS into the current workflow. Additionally, mainframe carriage control characters and channel command words can affect the look of the printed page and might need special handling. As part of the modernization planning process, we recommend that you assess and understand the configurations in your specific print environment.  

Print data capture

Rocket Software Print Exit passes the necessary information for LRS VPSX/MFI to effectively process the spool file. The information consists of fields passed in the relevant control blocks, such as the following:

• JOBNAME

• OWNER (USERID)

• DESTINATION

• FORM

• FILENAME

• WRITER

LRS VPSX/MFI supports the following mainframe batch mechanisms for capturing data from Rocket Enterprise Server:

• BATCH COBOL print/spool processing using standard z/OS JCL SYSOUT DD/OUTPUT statements.

• BATCH COBOL print/spool processing using standard z/OS JCL CA-SPOOL SUBSYS DD statements.

• IMS/COBOL print/spool processing using the CBLTDLI interface. For a full list of supported methods and programming examples, see the LRS documentation that’s included with your product license.

Printer-fleet health checks

LRS VPSX/MFI (LRS LoadX) can perform deep dive health checks, including device management and operational optimization. Device management can detect failure in a printer device and route the print request to a healthy printer. For more information about deep-dive health checks for printer fleets, see the LRS documentation that’s included with your product license.

Print authentication and authorization

LRS/DIS enables LRS applications to authenticate user IDs and passwords by using Microsoft Active Directory or a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server. In addition to basic print authorization, LRS/DIS can also apply granular-level print security controls in the following use cases:

• Manage who can browse the printer job.

• Manage the browsing level of other user's jobs.

• Manage operational tasks—for example, command-level security such as hold or release, purge, modify, copy, and reroute. Security can be set up by either the user-ID or the group, similar to an Active Directory security group or an LDAP group.

Attachments

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