Installing and configuring the host components

Developer for z/OS® is built on a client-server architecture:
  • The client component is an Eclipse-based workspace that communicates with the remote system.
  • The host components operate on a z/OS system.
For information about which versions of the client and server are compatible, see IBM® Developer for z/OS client-server compatibility. To verify that you meet all installation prerequisites and compatibility requirements, go to the Software Product Compatibility Reports.

The IBM Developer for z/OS host components are typically installed by a site's system programmer and are transparent to the application programmers. To install the server, do these steps. These instructions point you to the starting places for installing the Developer for z/OS server. The installation and customization of the server is a complex process. These instructions refer to other documents in this IBM Documentation for completing the process.

Tip: You can use IBM Host Configuration Assistant for Z Development to generate customized checklists for the host components, and then refer to the configuration guides in this section for more details. IBM Host Configuration Assistant for Z Development is an interactive wizard that is designed to simplify planning and configuring of Z development products. Besides these components, you can also find the configuration information for other host components like z/OS Explorer. Only the latest product releases are supported.

About this task

Developer for z/OS is available in two editions. This table shows the host components that are included with each edition.

Table 1. Developer for z/OS host components
Host Components Developer for z/OS Developer for z/OS Enterprise Edition Importance Documentation
IBM Explorer for z/OS ✔ ✔ Required
IBM z/OS Explorer Extensions ✔ ✔ Required
IBM z/OS Source Code Analysis ✔ ✔ Optional: For code coverage and code review in batch mode
IBM z/OS Debugger

Requires IBM Application Delivery Foundation for z/OS Common Components

 ✔ ✔ Optional: For debugging applications
IBM Remote System Explorer API ✔ ✔ Optional: For z/OS interaction using REST APIs
IBM z/OS Dynamic Test Runner ✔ ✔ Optional: For z/OS Unit Testing Framework (ZUnit)
IBM Dependency Based Build

Includes Rocket Git for z/OS

   ✔ Optional: For build in CI/CD pipelines
IBM Z Open Automation Utilities   ✔ Optional: For MVS/JES interactions from z/OS UNIX System Services, such as during deploy steps in CI/CD pipelines
IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Python   ✔ Optional: For running Python scripts
IBM Wazi Deploy   ✔ Optional: For deploy steps in CI/CD pipelines

Downloading and installing Developer for z/OS

Procedure

  1. Open a browser on the Mainframe DEV Downloads page.
  2. In the IBM Explorer for z/OS Aqua box, click Host Components.
  3. On the Install Host Components page, click the IBM Developer for z/OS tab.
  4. To download and install the server components:
    1. Click the download icon for the product version you want to install.
    2. Read the License Information page, and click I agree.
    The IDz_Host_SMPE-*.zip file is downloaded to your computer.
  5. Extract the file contents.
    The file contains
    • All of the host components of IBM Developer for z/OS
    • A Documentation folder with all of the documentation you need for the installation. To read the host installation and customization guides in this IBM Documentation, see the links in the related information.
    • A Developer for z/OS - Host Installation Guide.htm file with instructions for installing the IBM Developer for z/OS server. This file refers to all of the other documentation as necessary.
  6. To begin the installation, open the Developer for z/OS - Host Installation Guide.htm file in a browser and follow the instructions in it.

What to do next

Use the Host Configuration Assistant, the provided documentation, or the online documentation to configure the host components. The Host Configuration Assistant is available at https://zdev-hca.ibm.com.

Downloading and installing Developer for z/OS Enterprise Edition

Procedure

You can order Developer for z/OS Enterprise Edition in Shopz. Follow the instructions in the Shopz site for ordering, downloading, and installing the product.

What to do next

Use the Host Configuration Assistant or the online documentation to configure the host components. The Host Configuration Assistant is available at https://zdev-hca.ibm.com.