TMF Application Programmer's Guide (G06.24+)

TMF Programming Environment
HP NonStop TMF Application Programmer’s Guide—522419-004
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Heterogeneous Transaction Processing
Heterogeneous Transaction Processing
In heterogeneous transaction processing, TMF can start a transaction and then
subcontract portions of the transaction (branches) to one or more foreign transaction
management systems operating on platforms other than the HP system. Alternatively,
a foreign transaction management system can begin a transaction and then
subcontract parts to TMF. After completing the transaction, TMF and the foreign
transaction manager participate in an agreement protocol to determine the outcome of
the transaction. This cooperation between different transaction management systems
running on different platforms relies on collections of routines called resource
managers.
Resource managers encode the transactional semantics of foreign transaction
management systems, or provide abstractions of foreign database management
systems on the HP platform. They run in a process environment called a gateway
process. A gateway process executes a resource manager routine to export a
transaction branch from TMF to a foreign transaction management system, import a
transaction branch from a foreign transaction management system to TMF, and
participate in the agreement protocol between the two transaction management
systems.
Note. Heterogeneous transaction processing, and the resource managers that support this
processing, are used in HP products such as NonStop TUXEDO. Although TMFCOM and the
TMFSERVE programmatic interface provide TMF commands for operating on resource
managers, people issuing these commands do so in the context of issues involving multiple
software subsystems and inter-platform considerations. Discussion of those commands and
the context in which they are used is beyond the scope of this manual.
Readers who want more information about heterogeneous transaction processing are directed
to the Open Group TRANSACTION PROCESSING Publications, available from X/Open
Publications, PO Box 96, Witney, Oxon. OX8 6PG, U.K. Phone:[phone]
Fax: [phone], or from the following Web location:
http://www.rdg.opengroup.org/public/pubs/catalog/tp.htm
These publications can also be ordered through many bookstores.