capable of supporting thousands of concurrent users, plus

Dimensions of these systems: 79.3 in. (H), 30.9 in. (W) and 62.8 in. (D)

Capable of supporting thousands of concurrent users, plus thousands of back-ground tasks

All of the hardware is duplexed, which includes spare CPUs and memory

Internal battery backup to supply power to system during power outage, 3-9 minutes

The “Z” stands for “zero down time”, most hardware replacement can be done without taking the system down

Each Logical Channel SubSystem can support up to sub-channel sets

Each sub-channel set can support for up to 65,536 external devices

The Logical Partition (LPAR) feature can divide physical system into multiple logical systems, i.e. test and production environments on same central electronic complex (CEC)

CPUs can be shared between LPARs, but each must have dedicated memory

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Dimensions of z13 and z14 systems: 79.3 in. (H), 61.7 in. (W) or 72.7 in. with top exit cabling and 73.6 in. (D)

Dimensions of z15 system with all 4 frames: 79.3 in. (H), 96.6 in. (W) and 42.4 in. (D)

Capable of supporting tens thousands of concurrent users, plus tens thousands of back-ground tasks




Each Logical Channel SubSystem can support up to sub-channelset




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Dimensions of these systems: 79.3 in. (H), 30.9 in. (W) and 62.8 in. (D)

Capable of supporting thousands of concurrent users, plus thousands of back-ground tasks




Each Logical Channel SubSystem can support up to sub-channelset




CPUs can be configured as Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL) to run one of the major Linux distributions native on an LPAR

CPUs can also be general purpose CPs to allow for z/VM and the ability to run thousands of Linux guests virtualized

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From a customer point of view, the processor units can not only be characterized as “general purpose” but also the following:

zIIP or zSeries Integrated Information Processor – support processing of Java programs, XMLparsing, plus SQL request from distributed systems or native SQL stored procedures

IFL or Integrated Facility for Linux – support of major Linux operating systemsICF or Integrated Coupling Facility – support for Parallel Sysplex environmentICSF or Integrated Cryptographic Service Facility – support for data encryption and decryptionCPAF or Co-Processor Assist Facility – is a co-processor provided with each core to assist

with data encryption

Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) – allows for concurrent execution of two instruction threads on each core

The hardware decimal floating point (DECFLOAT) feature allow for storage of decimal numbers in a format compatible with other platforms

Virtual Flash Memory (VFM) are optional cards which can be added to the system in support of paging operations or DB2 buffer pools (up to 1.5TB)

Virtualization through PR/SM (Processor Resource/Systems Manager) to allow LPAR support and different operating system environments on the same CEC

Pervasive encryption feature on the z14 and later systems, to support data encryption within memory of the system

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Secure Service Container (SSC) feature on the z14 or later systems, provides the ability to support Linux containers managed by the IBM Cloud Private environment to execute on the mainframe

Server Time Protocol (STP) and Network Time Protocol (NTP) provides the ability to synchronize the hardware clocks between LPARs of a Sysplex (STP) or to use a network time source (NTP) to set the time for the STP

With today’s mainframe all of the disk storage is contained in a Storage Architecture Network (SAN) system, which is connected to the mainframe via fibre optical cabling with speeds up to 16GB per second

The zHyperlink feature provides better performance with the SAN system by having a low latency time factor

The HiperSockets feature allows for memory-to-memory transfer of data between LPARs on the same CEC for network connections

The “shared memory” feature allows for common memory usage between two or more LPARs on the same CEC, no TCPIP overhead involved

The mainframe can have up to 85 LPARs and/or systems involved in a Parallel Sysplex, which presents a single system image to the users

The Sysplex can be utilized for high availability or to allow for taking down LPARs or systems to perform hardware or software maintenance

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One of the key components of z/OS is the Communications Server, which provides both IBM proprietary networking and TCPIP standard networking protocols

z/OS includes as one of its components the Apache HTTP server, allowing for HTTP protocol applications to communicate directly with the system

The z/OS operating software has been developed over many decades with builtin reliability, availability and serviceability features

The UNIX System Services component is the standard UNIX operating system just compiled with the mainframe C compiler, which allows the mainframe to support UNIX based applications

The UNIX file system is a hierarchical tree structure, but z/OS has also provided its own form known as zSeries File System (zFS) which offers better performance and reliability

HSCI is the software component which supports the HiperSockets hardware feature

Included with z/OS are the 31-bit and 64-bit versions of Java V7 and V8, allowing for construction and/or execution of Java applications under z/OS

Node.js (server-side Java script) support has been added to z/OS

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With z/OS V2.4 and the z14 SSC feature it is now possible to have the mainframe participate in cloud architecture, with the management component running on a Linux server

Another of the z/OS components is an implementation of the Xerces XML parser and API, but IBM has also created the “System XML” parser which offers vastly improved performance over the Xercesparser

The security interface (Security Authorization Facility or SAF) has been updated to support not only digital certificated but the new token certificates. This support has been implemented in IBM’s security system, Resource Access Control Facility or RACF, along with other methods of MultiFactorAuthtentication or MFA capabilities

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Zowe is a new development tool offered with access to the z/OS system. It is open source but a support and subscription service (S&S) is offer to customer support.

This will allow people that have used tools like Eclipse in university to be able to become productive much earlier than learning TSO/ISPF.

Zowe provides the graphical environment the new people are use to having along with the traditional TN3270 interface.

Zowe also includes a command line interface (CLI) used with Node.js on the mainframe to provide a very powerful scripting capability for their use.

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Zowe also provides a RESTful client interface for use with products like z/OS Connect (described later) plus swagger document interface to provide information about your RESTful APIs and testing of them.

This REST interface could also be utilized to assist with administration of the APIs on z/OS.

The diagram at the bottom of the slide provides a high-level picture of the current Zowe components with more to be added in future releases

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Since new system programmers and administrators are necessary to support the mainframe environment, IBM has implemented zOSMF (z/OS Management Facility). It provides a browser based facility which can be used to perform software maintenance, configuration, or enable new features within the z/OS system and its component and sub-systems. New people will be more comfortable with the graphical environment being offered as well as the scripted panels (views) utilized to perform the changes.

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Also included within zOSMF are views and processes which provide basic resource monitors of the z/OS resources. This allows both operations and management to determine current utilization of system resources in a graphical format.

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Also include as part of zOSMF are views and processes which provide a capacity monitor display for LPARs participating in a parallel sysplex. Again, it provides operations and management with a graphical display of the current status for the systems involved in the sysplex.

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Another product which has been added to the z/OS environment is z/OS Connect Enterprise Edition. It provides a standardized method to implement RESTful APIs with the sub-systems like CICS, IMS and DB2 executing under z/OS. While all of these already have RESTful interfaces, their coding and usage requirements are quite different.

Also, z/OS Connect is capable of working with Java Script Object Notation or JSON. z/OS Connect performs all of the parsing and generation of JSON documents while passing the information to and from the sub-systems in a manor the applications have been using in the past. This is facilities like the CICS commarea or channels and containers or invocation of a DB2 stored procedure with parameters.

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WebSphere Application Server has been functional under z/OS for several years. However, WAS Liberty Profile (WAS LP) provides a simpler version to implement with better performance. This better performing applications server has been imbedded into other products like zOSMF, z/OS Connect and CICS to allow for this products to have a completed Java application server at their disposal.

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One of the other new features is the z/OS Provisioning Toolkit. This allows for the scripting and creation of a complete z/OS environment tailored to provide a special required testing environment. This is also currently extended to include bringing up a customized CICS region for testing of special or new features.

The Client Web Enablement Toolkit is the unique product which can be used to construct RESTful APIs for use with TSO/ISPF, batch or the HTTP server. It should be noted that this capability is also provided by z/OS Connect.

Some of the popular tools like Github, Python, Jenkins, and a few others have either been implemented under z/OS of interfaces to the resource (like Github) are provided. More of these new style development resources will be included in future releases of z/OS.

IBM has now provided their basic analytics engine (Open Data Analytics) for use as an SSC container. This capability requires implementation of the z14 system along with z/OS V2.4 or later products.

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WAS LP has been imbedded inside of the CICS region, requires some customization for use. This allows developers to construct Java based applications, servlets, of beans which execute within the CICS region. Since these applications are Java, they can be offloaded to zIIP engines.

Full support of MQ JMS applications is now included within the CICS region by inclusion of the JVM support and updated CICS/MQ interface.

CICS can now execute applications built for Node.js or PHP.

The z/OS provisioning Toolkit can be used to create and startup special CICS test regions.

Support for Maven build tool, Urban Code deploy tool and Security Access Markup Language (SAML) have been included into CICS for their use in working with applications.

Support for Extensible Markup Language (XML document) parsing and generation has been added to the CICS command level language.

Support for Java Script Object Notation (JSON document) parsing and generation has been added to the CICS command level language.

With CICS TS V2.4, support of a new graphical API (GraphOL) has been implemented within CICS. The intent is to support better system management of CICS resources.

CICS has long included support of HTTP and SOAP web service applications.

CICS Transaction Gateway (CTG) product has long provided a client-server connection capability to CICS based applications.

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The newer versions of DB2 for z/OS have offloaded distributed SQL requests and native SQL stored procedures to zIIP engines.

The z/OS Application Connectivity to DB2 product provided the initial support for JDBC applications connecting to DB2 and running SQL requests.

The DB2 Accessories Suite is a bundle of components which provides access of existing DB2 assets to mobile and cloud based applications.

DB2 itself has added support for RESTful APIs both native and via z/OS Connect.

zOSMF and Urban Code Deploy products include support for configuration and implementation of DB2 resources and features.

DB2 since Version 7 and 8 has provided internal support for Unicode. This can lessen the overhead of data conversion when communicating to distributed platform applications. It also reduces the potential errors of data conversion due to mismatched code pages.

The IBM InfoSphere Data Replication product provides for data replication of completed units of work to other relational database management systems on different platforms. This can be utilized for disaster recovery, duplication or data propagation reasons. It also can provide replication to non-relational data systems like VSAM or Datacom with the addition of the InfoSphere DataStageproduct.

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Support of RESTful APIs has been added to IBM MQ natively or via z/OS Connect.

zOSMF support for configuration management of IBM MQ resources and features has been implemented.

IBM MQ has long provided the complete implementation of Java Messaging Services (JMS) applications.

The Advanced Message Security feature provide the single signon capability to the messaging environment. This allows the security credentials to be propagated in MQ message headers along with the message data.

IBM has added the Managed File Transfer feature to provide better, more reliable file transfer capabilities than FTP.

IBM MQ has long suppliant many different client capabilities, along with MQ Telemetry Transport, to allow for client applications or “machine-to-machine” processes to participate in the message environment.

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The Rational Team Concert product has been implemented under z/OS. This allows for a complete repository of code, documentation and scripts in a single place for all platforms within the enterprise.

Implementation of Urban Code Deploy brings DevOps to the mainframe environment.

With the implementation of Node.js the mainframe has a very powerful scripting tool on the server side for use with application systems.

The z/OS Provisioning Toolkit provides for a scripting build of special z/OS environments which may be used for short term duration testing environment.

The Rational Build Agent and Toolkit feature allows Java developers to work with IDEs like RDz to construct, deploy and test their applications under z/OS

The Remote Systems Explorer or RSE development environment has been added to z/OS to support the use of IDEs like RDz, IDz or zOpenDev.

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The IBM Developer for Z product provides a complete, robust IDE for development and deployment of mainframe based applications. This tool provides a more familiar development environment to new people out of universities. It also supports all of the traditional application language development like COBOL, PL/I or Assembler.

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z Open Development (z OpenDev) provides a slightly less robust IDE than IDz for development of mainframe applications. It also includes tools and interfaces known to new developer like GitHub or Jenkins along with modern editors for COBOL, JCL and PL/I.

It also provides interfaces to modern source code management and modern debugging tools.

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Rational Developer for Z is the predecessor to Idz and is still support as a development IDE for construction of mainframe based applications including languages like COBOL and Java.

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The operating system z/VM is one which allows for running of multiple different and discrete operating systems like z/OS or Linux as “guests” under its control on the same physical hardware system.

It can also provide guest execution of thousands of other native Linux systems like RHEL, SLES or Ubuntu, which implements the “server farm” on the single, more reliable and better performing mainframe. This also allows for quicker deployment of new Linux servers since new discrete hardware does not have to be ordered and deployed.

IBM has also provided enhancements to the major Linux distributions to create what is known as Linux on System Z to execute natively on the mainframe hardware. This makes available all of the benefits the mainframe hardware has to offer to your native Linux environment.

IBM now has special versions of the single frame mainframe server known as either LinuxOne or Rock Hopper. Essentially it is the standard IBM z13 or z14 which can implement only IFLs to allow native execution of the major Linux distributions in LPARs.

The Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL) along with the special disk interface to the SAN box allows the major Linux distributions to be started in the LPARs from their native implementation on the NFS system.

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capable of supporting thousands of concurrent users, plus

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