Chapter 26 Further Reading

IBM Documentation

  • IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS: Programming Guide — Chapter on "Communicating with other programs" covers CALL conventions, parameter passing, and inter-language considerations specific to z/OS.
  • IBM z/OS Language Environment Programming Guide — Comprehensive coverage of the LE runtime that underlies COBOL, C, PL/I, and Fortran interoperability on z/OS.
  • IBM z/OS Language Environment Writing Interlanguage Communication Applications — The definitive IBM reference for calling between languages under LE.
  • IBM z/OS Connect EE Documentation — How to expose COBOL programs as RESTful web services through z/OS Connect.

Micro Focus Documentation

  • Micro Focus Visual COBOL: Inter-Language Communication — Covers calling C, Java, and .NET from Micro Focus COBOL on distributed platforms.
  • Micro Focus Enterprise Server: Web Service Support — Deploying COBOL programs as SOAP and REST services.

Books

  • Lowe, S., "COBOL and the Mainframe: A Comprehensive Guide" — Includes chapters on mixed-language programming and CICS web services.
  • Kernighan, B.W., Ritchie, D.M., "The C Programming Language" (2nd edition) — The classic C reference. Understanding C's type system and calling conventions is essential for COBOL-C interoperability.

Java and JNI

  • Oracle JNI Specification (https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/jni/) — The definitive reference for Java Native Interface programming.
  • Liang, S., "The Java Native Interface: Programmer's Guide and Specification" — Comprehensive book on JNI programming, applicable to the Java-C-COBOL bridge pattern.

Web Services and Modernization

  • IBM Redbook: "Exposing Mainframe Data and Business Logic through RESTful APIs" — Practical guide to z/OS Connect and CICS web service integration.
  • IBM Redbook: "Modernizing Applications with IBM CICS" — Covers CICS web services, JSON support, and API integration patterns.

Online Resources

  • GnuCOBOL FAQ: Interfacing with C — Practical guide to COBOL-C interoperability using the free GnuCOBOL compiler.
  • IBM Z Xplore (https://www.ibm.com/z/resources/zxplore) — Free cloud environment for experimenting with z/OS COBOL, C, and inter-language calls.
  • Chapter 25: Object-Oriented COBOL — An alternative modernization approach that stays within COBOL rather than bridging to other languages.
  • Chapter 27: Embedded SQL Fundamentals — Another inter-system interface, this time between COBOL and DB2.
  • Chapter 29–32: CICS Programming — Online transaction processing where inter-language communication meets real-time systems.
  • Chapter 37: Modernization Strategies — The broader context for choosing between inter-language communication, OO COBOL, and full language migration.