Product-
Components
FLAM IS THE CENTRAL DATA PLATFORM FOR COMPANIES
We provide our customers with an enterprise service bus for persistent data sets on mainframes (hosts) and on all common server platforms (Windows, Unix, Linux). We store these data sets in a central archive in a neutral form, compressed, encrypted, and signed, and can make them available externally in any form (XML, JSON, CSV, FB/VB).
This means that you still have full access (insert, update, delete, search). Only a few segments are unpacked for such access, which maintains performance and security and keeps costs to a minimum.
At the same time Flam supports all common open standards, so that the data can be provided in a specific format (XML, CSV, JSON, FB/VB) and for various platforms, i.e.:
- Unix (0x0A as delimiter and UTF-8)
- Windows (0x0D0A as delimiter and CP1252)
- z/OS (records in EBCDIC)
Provision is possible as:
- clear file
- GZIP/BZIP2/XZ/ZSTD file
- a PGP file
- ZIP-archive
This enables us to provide extremely efficient (98% compression) and secure (encryption and signing) entral data storage (primarily on the host), which can be used by various applications on different platforms against the same central database.
The range of applications extends from an old record-oriented Cobol program, which is integrated via our I/O subsystem, to modern cloud interfaces (O-Data), which can be used by apps.
Indexing enables searching in compressed and encrypted data. Here only the segments containing the data to be processed are accessed. Only the selected segments, which remain compressed, encrypted, and signed, are transferred, unpacked on site, processed, repacked, and written back.
This minimizes the number of accesses (especially in the cloud) and the amount of data to be transferred. The expensive decryption and decompression is only ever applied to a portion of the data.
Customers thus gain security, reduce data volumes and accesses as well as their costs. Data can be made available to all applications and platforms in the form in which it is needed there.
This makes FLAM on the host a secure and efficient data center for large companies.
The FLAM product family has a modular structure and offers a variety of specialized components for secure, efficient, and sustainable data processing. Below is an overview of the central components and their functions:
FLAM – Frankenstein Limes Access Method
The core component of FLAM. It offers:
- High-performance compression and encryption
- Full access to archives: Insert, Update, Delete, Search
- Access without complete decryption through segment-based access
- Various API interfaces (element, byte, record)
- Integration as a subsystem or file system driver
- Archive formats: Flat file, folder, cloud storage
INTEGRATION INTO YOUR SYSTEMS
SUBSYSTEM
- FLAM subsystem on z/OS
- Transparent for applications
- No code changes necessary
- VSAM-KSDS Full access
- Activation via JCL
Apis
- Element, record, byte interface
- Subprogram
- Available for: COBOL, Java, C, PL/1, C++, Assembler
- Platform-independent integration
- Implemented as file IO
FLUC – Universal Converter
The universal conversion component:
- Data migration and format conversion
- Character set conversion (ASCII, EBCDIC, Unicode)
- Compression: ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, and more
- Encryption: PGP, OpenSSL, AES
- Sequential access (load/unload)
- Ideal for ETL processes, data exchange, archive preparation
INTEGRATION INTO YOUR SYSTEMS
Apis
- Element, record, byte interface
- iconv interface (character set)
- FLUC subprogram
- All common platforms
- Multi-format support
SUBSYSTEM
- FLUC subsystem on z/OS
- FlucFS for Linux (FUSE)
- Transparent conversion
- Extend SAP/standard apps
- Modernize legacy applications
FLIES – Integrated Extended Security
The security component for archive management:
- Management of encrypted archives without plaintext access
- Search function in encrypted data (“Search without decryption”)
- Ideal for cloud, archive, and outsourcing scenarios
- Minimization of transmission and processing costs
NETWORK CAPABILITY FOR DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS:
END-TO-END SECURITY
- Separation: Encryption ↔ Storage
- No plain text access for the operator
- Central archives, decentralized control
- Secure cloud scenarios
- Minimal data transfer
CLIENT/SERVER
- FLIES server for archives
- FLAM client / FLUC client
- Remote access via network
- IPv4/IPv6 support
- Planned: SSL/TLS, MQ Series, SSH
FLCL – Command Line
Central command line for automation:
- Batch execution of all FLAM components
- Use in scripts and process automation
- Available for all platforms (including mainframes)
FLCC – Control Center
The graphical user interface for easy operation:
- Dialog-based use of FLAM, FLUC, and FLIES
- Automatically generates FLCL commands and executes them
- Ideal for users who want to work without a command line
CLE/P – Cross-Platform Executor/Processor
Open source command line for developers:
- Platform-independent processing of FLAM tasks
- Freely available under open source license
- Ideal for integration into individual applications
