Some complex customer z/OS application environments consist of AllFusion Gen and non-AllFusion Gen components which must interact with each other. Beginning with AllFusion Gen r7, z/OS runtimes were delivered as DLLs. This meant that AllFusion Gen applications, screens, procedure steps and action blocks had to be linked as DLLs. Because of COBOL’s linking conventions, DLL modules cannot call non-DLL load modules and non-DLL COBOL applications cannot call DLLs.

Since many customers cannot convert their non-Gen applications to call DLL modules, the Gen r7.6 release will include a Compatibility feature which will allow generated applications to call existing non-DLL style modules. A priority enhancement (delivered as a service pack or PTFs to AllFusion Gen r7.6) will follow the AllFusion Gen r7.6 release and will allow the modification, generation and building of these non-DLL modules using AllFusion Gen r7.6 tools.

The AllFusion Gen r7.5 - benefits of the new z/OS runtimes paper on SupportConnect lists the benefits associated with moving to a full LE environment. For a more detailed technical overview of the evolution of the z/OS runtimes, see the paper Evolution of AllFusion Gen z/OS Runtimes also on SupportConnect.

The following paper discusses both additions of AllFusion Gen capabilities; their proposed implementation, use and considerations in relation to future migrations.