Scenarios: TCP/IP

Two scenarios illustrate how TCP/IP might be used as part of a business solution.

Expense submission

Scenario:

A company has an expense-submission system based on a central expense-processing application, which receives completed expense forms from end users. The users complete the forms by using a local application, which stores the form until it is completed. When it has been completed, the form is transferred to the central system where it is processed. Any further notifications are sent to the user by email.

How TCP/IP is used:

One client application exists for each end user, and one central application processes all the expense forms. Each client application connects to a TCP/IP server port on the server application and sends the expense form in a fixed-field-size structure similar to a COBOL structure. The flow of processing is:

  1. The user enters information into the form in the client expense application.
    Diagram showing a client expense application and an expense processing server.
  2. The user submits the completed form and the client application connects to the server.
    Diagram showing the connection between the client and server applications.
  3. The client application sends the data to the server and receives an acknowledgment.
    Diagram showing the transfer of data and receipt of an acknowledgement.
  4. The connection is closed by the client.
    Diagram showing the closed connection.

Price-change notification

Scenario:

A company has a central server, which stores the catalog price of everything that the company sells. This information is required by all Point of Sale (PoS) terminals in all the stores, and each PoS terminal must be notified when any price changes. The PoS terminals connect to the central server and wait for any process changes. The server sends any process changes to all connected client applications.

How TCP/IP is used:

  1. When the PoS application starts, it connects to the central server.
    Diagram showing the Point of Sale application connecting to the server.
  2. Whenever the server has a new price, it publishes it to all the connected clients.
    Diagram showing the data being sent to the clients.
  3. The PoS stays connected until it shuts down.

See Scenarios: IBM Integration Bus using TCP/IP for an example of how these scenarios can be modified to use IBM Integration Bus.