IBM MTCS
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software |
| Founded | Late 1960s |
| Founder | IBM |
| Products | Transaction processing software |
| Owner | IBM |
MTCS (an acronym for Minimum Teleprocessing Communications System) was a transaction processing software that operated on IBM mainframe platforms running OS/VS1 and DOS/VS.[1]
Developed by IBM, MTCS was designed to support fast, low to moderate volume online processing through fully interactive, screen-based interfaces using 3270 display terminals.
The official MTCS implementation was a single-threaded environment and served as an early forerunner to CICS. At the same time, an unofficial multi-threaded version was created by Littlewoods Pools, based in the UK, along with a multi-threaded "MTCS bridge" middleware that allowed MTCS transactions to run within CICS. This customized version was subsequently licensed to other organizations such as Granada Productions.
Transactions
In MTCS, transactions consist of sequences of operations aimed at accomplishing particular tasks, commonly straightforward functions such as updating account balances. Programs were developed in IBM's Basic Assembly Language and communicated directly with 3270 terminals.
Transactions were triggered by unique transaction codes, with output screens delivered as native 3270 data streams.
History
MTCS was introduced prior to the initial launch of CICS in the late 1960s. Its antecedent was "FASTER," a higher-level product based on BTAM that managed IBM 2260 display terminals.
Further reading
The IBM System/360 and System/370 Bibliography (September 1974) lists detailed documentation on MTCS:
- GB21-0061, MINIMUM TELEPROCESSING COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (DOS) - FDP AVAILABILITY NOTICE, PROGRAM NO. 5798-AAY
- SB21-0062, MINIMUM TELEPROCESSING COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM MANUAL, PROGRAM NUMBER 5798-AAY
- LB21-0063, MINIMUM TELEPROCESSING COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM: FDP SYSTEMS GUIDE, PROGRAM NO. 5798-AAY, FEATURE NO. 8021
See also
References
- ↑ IBM's Minimum Teleprocessing Communications System software package, which manages remote operations, was transferred to the 360/40 from the 370/125 without changes.