IBM zCX Foundation for Red Hat OpenShift
Modernize your IBM z/OS ecosystem with an agile and flexible deployment of Linux on Z applications in a self-contained Red Hat OpenShift cluster.
Person standing in front of stacked shipping containers
Extend and modernize your native z/OS ecosystem

Leveraging IBM® zCX Foundation for Red Hat® OpenShift® (zCX for OpenShift) allows for an agile and flexible deployment of Linux® on Z applications and software in a self-contained Red Hat OpenShift cluster into IBM z/OS®. Co-locate applications and workloads while simultaneously taking advantage of the many z/OS Qualities of Service (QoS).

Expand your ecosystem with the addition of IBM zCX Foundation for Red Hat OpenShift. Developers can integrate Linux on Z applications with z/OS to deliver enterprise-level container orchestration and management capabilities around containerized software.
Benefits Unlock the potential of z/OS

Enable existing or new z/OS applications to use services that were previously unavailable with zCX for OpenShift.

Design solutions with z/OS

Include z/OS in the design of new solutions that require a containerized Linux software deployment and orchestrate it with Red Hat OpenShift.

Expand your hybrid cloud strategy

Leverage Kubernetes orchestration on z/OS using zCX. Enable z/OS system programmers to integrate with zCX into Kubernates clusters managed by Red Hat OpenShift and expand your hybrid cloud strategy.

No specialized z/OS skills or expertise required

Develop and deploy containerized software in support of and inside z/OS using standard Red Hat OpenShift interfaces, processes, and tooling, with no special skills required.

Features Enterprise-ready Kubernetes

Leverage the enterprise-ready Kubernetes container platform available in Red Hat OpenShift to manage a hybrid cloud strategy, multicloud, and edge deployments.

Inherit disaster recovery

Benefit from z/OS Qualities of Service (QoS) and provide automatic, integrated restart capabilities for site failures (using z/OS DR/GDPS).

Operational management consistent with z/OS

Integrate seamlessly into your current z/OS environment through consistent operational management that is in line with z/OS.

Co-location (off platform)

Minimize network latency by co-locating certain applications, workloads and applications accessing z/OS data to be as close as possible.

Use cases

z/OS software ecosystem expansion Provide an integrated z/OS operational model with z/OS QoS (such as: performance and security), including co-located non-SQL databases, latest microservices and analytics framework.
Systems management Decrease the demand of operations and dependency management. Examples include a centralized database and user interface (UI) portals for management products.
DevSecOps Attract / exploit new talent, improve time to market and provide a cloud-native experience on z/OS. Examples include open-source applications and Linux based development tools.
z/OS Software Exploitation Provide integration with mission critical workloads (including: CICS, IMS, Db2, etc.). Examples include applications and workloads that benefit from accessibility and proximity to key resources.
Resources Content solutions page

Everything you need to get started with zCX for OpenShift quickly.

IBM Documentation

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Red Hat OpenShift

Gain a consistent and efficient cloud-like experience to move from development to production whether you work in the cloud, on-premise or at the edge with the leading Kubernetes platform.
Related products IBM z/OS operating system

A highly secure and scalable operating system for running mission-critical applications.

 The Red Hat Marketplace

Try, purchase, deploy and easily integrate certified software to any cloud.

 Red Hat Enterprise Linux on IBM Z and LinuxONE

Accelerate transformation with greater flexibility and agility through integrated tooling on a secure, resilient foundation for cloud-native development.
Next steps

For more information and deeper insights on how zCX for OpenShift helps modernize your existing z/OS ecosystem, contact an IBM representative today.

Get started with zCX for OpenShift The zCX community

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Legal

z/OS Container Extensions address spaces are zIIP -eligible. Most zCX processing (including Docker containers deployed within zCX) can be dispatched on available zIIP processors. Some zCX processing will be dispatched on standard processors. This will generally be a much smaller percentage of processor cycles compared to what can execute on zIIPs. Running the Acme Air benchmark on zCX, up to 98% of the zCX CPU consumption was measured to be zIIP eligible.1

A good first assumption is that the new work running in the zCX environment will be 95% zIIP-eligible. However, your zCX environment may be more or less zIIP eligible depending on characteristics of the workload. Capacity planning should be based on the measured zIIP eligibility of your specific zCX applications. zCX can be deployed exclusively on standard processors if no zIIP processors are available. See "Exploiting zIIP and general-purpose processors for zCX workloads" in the IBM z/OS Container Extensions Guide for more information.

1Results were extrapolated from internal IBM benchmarks performed in a controlled environment using a single z14 z/OS 2.4 LPAR with TCP/IP inbound workload queuing (IWQ) for inbound traffic and two zCX containers: one running Node.js and one running a MongoDB database. zIIP eligibility is based on the CPU consumption of the work running on the zCX address spaces and the associated work on the TCPIP and VTAM address spaces. Results may vary.

This product, IBM zCX Foundation for Red Hat OpenShift, is an IBM product. Therefore, primary service and support is offered through IBM. Purchase of zCX for OpenShift provides entitlement to Red Hat OpenShift. If you experience any issues with zCX for OpenShift, open a case here: http://www.ibm.com/mysupport