System and method for mainframe application access to data stored in a non-mainframe environment

A computer configured to access a storage device, the computer comprising:

• a processor, and
• a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the computer to perform:
• receiving, at a storage client, an input/output (I/O) request from a mainframe application, the input/output (I/O) request being pursuant to a first protocol, the first protocol being a proprietary, mainframe protocol;
• wherein, the storage client includes a plurality of drivers, each driver being associated with a respective one of a plurality of data sources;
• identifying a first one of the plurality of data sources that is suitable for addressing the I/O request, the first one of the plurality of data sources being configured to communicate using a second protocol, the second protocol being a standards-based I/O protocol that is inconsistent with the first protocol;
• accessing configuration data associated with the respective driver of the identified data source;
• using the configuration data to convert the I/O request pursuant to the first protocol to a corresponding capability of the identified data source pursuant to the second protocol;
• enforcing, using the storage client, security and management policies associated with the mainframe application and security and management policies associated with the identified data source;
• executing the I/O request on the identified data source, using the corresponding capability pursuant to the second protocol;
• receiving data from the identified data source, in response to the I/O request;
• determining whether the data received from the identified data source requires transformation in order to be consistent with the first protocol;
• in response to determining that the data requires transformation, transforming the data received from the identified data source into a data format consistent with the first protocol;
• and
• communicating the transformed data to the mainframe application in response to the I/O request.

A computer program product comprising:

• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising:
• computer-readable program code configured to receive, at a storage client, an input/output (I/O) request from a mainframe application, the input/output (I/O) request being pursuant to a first protocol, the first protocol being a proprietary, mainframe protocol;
• wherein, the storage client includes a plurality of drivers, each driver being associated with a respective one of a plurality of data sources;
• computer-readable program code configured to identify a first one of the plurality of data sources that is suitable for addressing the I/O request, the first one of the plurality of data sources being configured to communicate using a second protocol, the second protocol being a standards-based I/O protocol that is inconsistent with the first protocol;
• computer-readable program code configured to access configuration data associated with the respective driver of the identified data source;
• computer-readable program code configured to use the configuration data to convert the I/O request pursuant to the first protocol to a corresponding capability of the identified data source pursuant to the second protocol;
• computer-readable program code configured to enforce, using the storage client, security and management policies associated with the mainframe application and security and management policies associated with the identified data source;
• computer-readable program code configured to execute the I/O request on the identified data source, using the corresponding capability pursuant to the second protocol;
• computer-readable program code configured to receive data from the identified data source, in response to the I/O request;
• computer-readable program code configured to determine whether the data received from the identified data source requires transformation in order to be consistent with the first protocol;
• computer-readable program code configured to, in response to determining that the data requires transformation, transform the data received from the identified data source into a data format consistent with the first protocol;
• and
• computer-readable program code configured to communicate the transformed data to the mainframe application in response to the I/O request.