EZSource Modernization Guide
EZSource is a infrastructure and computing assets product by IBM. Explore technical details, modernization strategies, and migration paths below.
Product Overview
EZSource is a tool designed to analyze source code and provide insights into application structure, code quality, and dependencies.
It supports languages like COBOL, PL/1, Natural, and Assembler, and integrates with source managers like CA Librarian and CA Endevor.
Modernization Strategies
Rehost
- Timeline:
- 6-12 months
Lift-and-shift to cloud infrastructure with minimal code changes. Fast migration with lower risk.
Refactor (Recommended)
- Timeline:
- 18-24 months
Optimize application architecture for cloud while preserving business logic. Best ROI long-term.
Replatform
- Timeline:
- 3-5 years
Complete rewrite to cloud-native architecture with microservices and modern tech stack.
Frequently Asked Questions
General
What does EZSource do?
EZSource is a tool designed to analyze source code, determine application structure, and assess code quality. It provides insights into application dependencies, code complexity, and adherence to coding standards. It also offers reporting and dashboard features for monitoring key metrics.
Is this a system, application, or tool?
EZSource is a tool set that includes components for analysis, reporting, and dashboard visualization. It helps organizations understand and manage their application portfolios by providing detailed insights into source code and application structure.
What types of organizations use this?
Organizations that develop and maintain applications, particularly those with mainframe systems, can benefit from EZSource. This includes enterprises in industries such as banking, finance, insurance, and government, where legacy systems and complex application landscapes are common.
When should we consider EZSource?
A company should consider using EZSource when they need to understand the structure and dependencies of their applications, assess code quality, or ensure adherence to coding standards. It is particularly useful during application modernization efforts, code refactoring projects, or when onboarding new development teams.
What are the alternatives to EZSource?
Alternatives to EZSource include tools like Rocket INFO/X Enterprise, Rocket Enterprise Analyzer, and RefWiz. These tools also provide source code analysis and application understanding capabilities, but may differ in terms of platform support, features, or integration options.
Technical
What infrastructure is required?
EZSource requires a Microsoft Windows or Eclipse environment for the client components. The Enterprise Server component can connect to remote servers, including z/OS, z/VSE, IBM System i (AS/400), and UNIX systems, to discover and acquire source code. It supports various source managers like CA Librarian, CA Panvalet, and CA Endevor.
For mainframe products: Does this run in an LPAR?
For mainframe environments, EZSource can analyze applications running in LPARs. It supports z/OS and z/VSE platforms. It can analyze various mainframe subsystems and data sources, including CICS, IMS, VSAM, DB2, ADABAS, CA IDMS, and CA Datacom/DB.
What programming languages and data sources does EZSource support?
EZSource analyzes source code written in languages such as COBOL, PL/1, Natural, CA ADS, and Assembler. It can process JCL, JCL Procs, and integrate with job scheduling products like Tivoli Workload Scheduler, Control-M, and CA 7.
Does EZSource integrate with other development tools?
EZSource integrates with Rational Team Concert and Rational Developer for System z, enabling developers to manage and analyze code within their existing development environments. This integration streamlines the development process and improves collaboration.
Business Value
How does EZSource reduce risk?
EZSource helps organizations reduce the risk associated with application changes by providing a clear understanding of application dependencies and potential impact areas. This enables more informed decision-making and reduces the likelihood of unexpected outages or errors.
How does EZSource improve application maintainability?
By identifying areas of code complexity and potential quality issues, EZSource helps organizations improve the maintainability and performance of their applications. This can lead to reduced maintenance costs, faster development cycles, and improved application stability.
How does EZSource help optimize application performance?
EZSource provides insights into application resource consumption and performance metrics, which can be used to optimize application performance and reduce infrastructure costs. It can correlate with SMF performance statistics to provide a comprehensive view of application performance.
Security
What authentication methods are supported?
While specific authentication methods are not detailed, EZSource likely leverages standard authentication mechanisms provided by the underlying platforms and systems it integrates with, such as z/OS security protocols or Windows authentication.
What access control model is used?
EZSource likely employs an access control model to restrict access to sensitive data and functionality. The specific model (RBAC, ABAC, ACL, etc.) is not specified, but it would typically involve assigning roles or permissions to users or groups to control their access privileges.
What encryption is used and where?
Details on specific encryption methods are not provided. However, EZSource would likely use encryption to protect sensitive data during transmission and storage, particularly when communicating with remote servers or storing analysis results.
What audit/logging capabilities exist?
EZSource provides audit and logging capabilities to track user activity and system events. These logs can be used to monitor security-related events, detect potential security breaches, and ensure compliance with security policies.
Operations
What level of technical expertise is required to implement it?
Implementing EZSource requires technical expertise in source code analysis, application architecture, and the target platforms being analyzed (e.g., z/OS, Windows). Ongoing operational requirements include monitoring analysis jobs, managing user access, and maintaining the EZSource environment.
What are common implementation challenges?
Common implementation challenges include configuring EZSource to connect to remote servers, acquiring source code from various source managers, and customizing reports and dashboards to meet specific organizational needs. Ensuring data security and compliance with security policies is also crucial.
What administrative interfaces are available?
EZSource provides administrative interfaces for managing users, configuring analysis parameters, and monitoring system status. The specific interfaces (CLI, GUI, web console) are not detailed, but they would typically provide the necessary tools for managing the EZSource environment.
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