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6. BEA TUXEDO Workstation for OS/2

What This Chapter Is About

This chapter describes the BEA TUXEDO Workstation under the OS/2 operating system.

This instantiation offers significant benefits to application developers:

The major sections in this chapter cover:

Definitions of Terms, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

BEA TUXEDO system terms are defined in the BEA TUXEDO Glossary, but we have extracted terms specific to this feature.

Dynamic Link Libraries (DLL)
A DLL is a collection of functions grouped into a load module that is dynamically linked with an executable program at run time. It is similar to a shared object under the UNIX operating system. The IBM OS/2 operating environment makes extensive use of this feature. Most software products for OS/2 provide a DLL interface.

Ordinal Export Numbers
An ordinal export number is a number assigned in a module definition file, by which a function in a DLL may be referenced. Some software packages reference DLL functions by name, while others (for example, SQLWindows) reference DLL function entry points by numbers.

Import Libraries
An import library is a collection of stub function names associated with a DLL. To link edit an application object calling a DLL routine, the linker needs a stub that defines where the subroutine exists.

OS/2 Character Mode
OS/2 Character mode is the character-based non-graphical user interface under OS/2.

Module Definition File
This file defines the characteristics of an executable and is used at link time. For a DLL this file details the exported functions that can be called from the DLL and other imported functions which the DLL will call.

Windows Emulation Mode

It is possible for OS/2 version 2.0 to execute Windows applications, which in turn could call the BEA TUXEDO system's Windows DLL. LAN WorkPlace for OS/2 permits BEA TUXEDO system's Windows DLL to execute in this environment.

Prerequisites

This section lists the hardware and software prerequisites.

Hardware

The BEA TUXEDO Workstation DLL for OS/2 runs on Intel 80386 and above processors.

The machine on which the DLL is installed runs as a remote machine to a BEA TUXEDO system machine.

Software

The OS/2 DLL runs under the IBM OS/2 2.0 operating system for OS/2 character mode applications.

The BEA TUXEDO Workstation provides a 32-bit DLL for OS/2 that supports the OS/2 2.x version of the operating system. The networking software for this version is IBM TCP/IP. For developing applications a 32-bit compiler can be used. The DLL was compiled using the IBM Cset 2 C++ compiler, which is also the reference compiler.

The BEA TUXEDO system server machine must have the BEA TUXEDO system Release 4.2 (or higher) and the BEA TUXEDO Workstation installed.

Programming Considerations with OS/2 Clients

This section covers items specific to writing and building BEA TUXEDO client programs to run under OS/2. This material is intended to supplement the material presented in the BEA TUXEDO Programmer's Guide.

Writing Client Programs

The ATMI and FML calls used in OS/2 client programs are much the same as described in the BEA TUXEDO Programmer's Guide. They must, however, be incorporated into OS/2 modules. The following things work slightly differently than they do in the UNIX environment.

Global Variables
The error global variables are not available in the way they normally are; they are defined as macros in the .h files. To make them available in client programs.

for tperrno or tpurcode - #include "atmi.h"
for Ferror - #include "fml.h"
for Uunixerr - #include "Uunix.h"
for proc_name - #include "userlog.h"

OS/2 Character Mode

There is very little difference between writing C code for BEA TUXEDO client programs in this environment and writing them in the UNIX environment. For information on the ATMI calls, please refer to the BEA TUXEDO Programmer's Guide.

The special aspect of both MS-DOS and OS/2 character mode client programs is that you probably have to provide an application-specific form and menu handler. You might find it useful to look through the first two-thirds of the sample program, BANKAPP.C, provided with the BEA TUXEDO system. This program serves as the client program for both environments (the .MAK files copy BANKAPP.C to BANKAPPO.C for OS/2, and it is built with a -O flag and different libraries). This part of the sample program is an MS-DOS/OS/2 form and menu handler. If you don't already have similar (or more sophisticated) interfaces at your installation, you may want to adapt this for your application.

The final third of BANKAPP.C (beginning at line 805) is the bankapp application client.

Building Client Programs

For the 32 bit platform the IBM Cset 2 C++ compiler is supported.

When compiling BEA TUXEDO client programs, use the C preprocessor flag 

-D_TM_OS2

When link editing your client programs, use buildclt(1) with the -O flag for OS/2 character mode clients.

The buildclt(1) utility also supports the Microsoft C and the IBM compiler. Use the -c option to specify the compiler type: "m" for microsoft and "i" for IBM.

If you want to use the C compiler instead of buildclt(1) then use the C preprocessor flag 

-D_TM_OS2

and while linking specify OTUXWS.LIB as an input library for OS/2.

Runtime

When you run client programs, your PATH and LIBPATH must include $TUXDIR/bin.

Limitations

The following is a list of limitations that apply to the present release of the BEA TUXEDO system OS/2 DLL.


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