Clerity Releases Assembler-to-COBOL Migration Tool
Thorough analysis precedes automated migration at impressive speeds.
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Clerity, a mainframe migration, modernization, and optimization solutions provider, has released an automated Assembler conversion tool and announced services to help companies efficiently translate Assembler application components into “readable, maintainable COBOL code.”
Migrating low-level Assembler code to COBOL “reduces annual software maintenance fees, improves application portability and flexibility, and helps businesses respond quickly to market changes,” according to the company.
Clerity, with many years of Assembler-to-COBOL projects under its belt, says the target for many conversions is often isCOBOL Evolve and vCOBOL Enterprise, both from Veryant. “These platforms blend the optimized, business-oriented nature of COBOL with the openness, portability, and power of the Java platform. This enhances productivity and eases integration between legacy and new application environments,” the company said in a release. Clerity can also move applications to mainframe COBOL or Micro Focus COBOL.
The converter first analyzes the Assembler application code to determine how the program is doing what it has to do in terms of used Assembler instructions and macro calls. In some cases (such as file I/O), the code can be converted to COBOL subroutines which the company has already written.
The company admits that it may not be able to convert 100 percent of the code; some macros, for example, may cause problems. However, by analyzing and automating the process, Clerity officials we spoke to say its tools are clearly more efficient than hand-coding the conversion.
Speed of conversion varies, Gerardo Massi, senior technical account manager at Clerity, told Enterprise Strategies. “It all depends on what the code is doing. Supervisor code takes longer than business logic, for example.” Massi estimates that it’s possible to convert up to 10,000 lines of code per day. That’s not to mention the benefits of automated conversions, including a reduced risk of code typos.
More information about the new solution is available at http://www.clerity.com.