Definition: TP monitor

(TeleProcessing monitor or Transaction Processing monitor) A control program that manages data transfer between local and remote terminals and the application programs that serve them. A TP monitor may include software that formats the screens and validates the data.

In a distributed client/server environment, a TP monitor ensures that transactions are not lost or damaged. It may run in a separate machine to balance the load between clients and various application and database servers. It is also used to switch a failed transaction to another machine. A TP monitor guarantees that all databases are updated from a single transaction (see two-phase commit).

Examples of popular TP monitors are CICS, a veteran TP monitor used on IBM mainframes and the Unix-based Tuxedo and Encina products. See CICS, BEA Tuxedo and Encina.