Connecting to a z/OS Connect server

Create a host connection to the z/OS Connect server to view, deploy, start, or stop a service or an API.

Before you begin

zosConnect-2.0 Applies to zosConnect-2.0.

Switch to the z/OS Connect Enterprise Edition perspective.

About this task

In the Host Connections view, you can add connections to z/OS Connect server and credentials to store your user IDs and passwords.
Tip: If you don't see the Host Connections view, from the menu bar, click Window > Manage Connections to open the Host Connections view.

When the z/OS Connect host connection successfully establishes a connection to the z/OS Connect server, it attempts to retrieve the Open API documentation for the z/OS Connect RESTful administration interface (zosConnect/api-docs) to determine which operations are supported by the z/OS Connect server. It then uses the RESTful administration interface to obtain a list of deployed APIs and services, and their status. An entry for the server, including a list of deployed APIs and services, is displayed in the z/OS Connect Servers view.

Note: If the authorization interceptor is configured in the z/OS Connect server, then the user ID specified on the z/OS Connect host connection must be authorized to list all APIs and services and get details of individual APIs and services. For more information about the required authorization for these actions, see Using the RESTful administration interface and Administering services with the administration interface.

Procedure

  1. In the Host Connections view, click Add and select z/OS Connect Enterprise Edition.
  2. Specify the following information:
    Table 1. Adding a server connection
    Field Description
    Name A descriptive name for the server connection.
    Host name The name or the IP address of the server.
    Port number The port number.

    Select the Secure connection (TLS/SSL) checkbox for secure connections.
    Connection timeout The amount of time in milliseconds the API toolkit waits for a successful connection to be established with the z/OS Connect server. The default is 30 seconds unless specified otherwise in the z/OS Connect preferences window. A value of 0 indicates to wait forever.
    Read timeout The amount of time in milliseconds that the API editor reads response data from the z/OS Connect server. The default is 30 seconds unless specified otherwise in the z/OS Connect preferences window. A value of 0 indicates to wait forever.
    Tip: You can change the default connection timeout and read timeout values. From the main menu bar, click Window > Preference > , and specify your default timeout values.
  3. Click Save and Connect to save the definition and connect to the server.
    You are prompted to either specify an existing credential to use, or create a new credential. To add a credential, click Add in the Credentials section. For more information, see A launch icon to indicate a link opens a new tab or window. Defining connection credentials in IBM Explorer for z/OS documentation.
    Note: If client authentication is enabled on the server, this user credential is used for authorization. A trusted client certificate must be configured for user authentication. For more information, see Configuring client certificates for server connections.
  4. After you select an existing credential or create a new one, click OK to use the credential to connect.

Results

The defined host connection shows up in the z/OS Connect Servers view. Deployed API archive files are listed under the APIs folder.