US 12,432,210 B2
Enhanced security and extended functionality for workstation integration with mainframe operating systems
Ryan Appel, Little Elm, TX (US); and David Feher, Plano, TX (US)
Assigned to Bank of America Corporation, Charlotte, NC (US)
Filed by Bank of America Corporation, Charlotte, NC (US)
Filed on Jan. 9, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/094,700.
Prior Publication US 2024/0236097 A1, Jul. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. H04L 9/40 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 63/101 (2013.01) [H04L 63/0485 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An on-demand host-connection process between a mainframe and workstation comprising the steps of:
(a) executing, on the workstation, a client application;
(b) executing, on the mainframe, a server component in a logical partition (LPAR), with the server component including a Java application running in a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) executed on System z Application Assist Processors (zAAP) and a general application executed by general processors in a central processing complex, said mainframe protected by Resource Access Control Facility (RACF) security;
(c) authenticating, by the workstation, a Time Sharing Option (TSO) session;
(d) transmitting, by the server component to the client application, a connect-back port instruction identifying a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) port on which secure communications should take place and an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the LPAR;
(e) receiving, by the client application, the connect-back port instruction, the port, and the IP address;
(f) validating, by the client application, that the IP address is in a permitted list for mainframe connections;
(g) connecting, by the client application responsive to the connect-back port instruction, the workstation to the mainframe on the port at the IP address of the LPAR;
(h) validating, by the server component, the client application on the port;
(i) opening, by the server component, a secure connection between the mainframe and the workstation at an open time;
(j) transmitting, by the server component to the client application, a command to be executed;
(k) receiving, by the client application from the server component, the command to be executed;
(l) executing, by the client application, the command;
(m) transmitting, from the client application to the server component, output generated in response to execution of the command; and
(n) closing, by the server component, the secure connection after generation and transmission of the output at a close time.