Deploying components to the z/OS platform

Use the toolkit to deploy to the IBM® z/OS® platform.

Deploying components to the IBM z/OS platform is similar to deploying to other platforms. Create an application, components, environments, and resources. Import versions of artifacts to the components, and then create an application process that deploys the components to a target environment.

When you create a component for z/OS artifacts, select z/OS as the component type.

Versions can be imported to a z/OS component by using the z/OS File source configuration plug-in or by using the buztool command line from an z/OS agent.

Two or more z/OS component versions can also be merged from a snapshot into one to simplify the deployment to the next environment. Refer to Merging z/OS component versions.

In your application process with the components to deploy, configure the Deploy Data Set process step as either a FULL, INVENTORY, or RUNTIME deployment for z/OS data sets and HFS files.z/OS Data Set Deployment Types

A FULL deployment type replaces all artifacts with artifacts in the current component version.

An INVENTORY deployment type, or delta deployment, reduces deployment time significantly by deploying only the changes between artifacts.

A RUNTIME deployment type is a delta deployment that uses checksum logic to compare artifacts to be deployed with the same artifacts in the target environment. This check is done for every artifact. Only artifacts with checksums that don't match are considered as changed and used for deployment.

Note: Two artifacts are considered the same when at least one attribute can be used for comparison and all attributes that are used for comparison match exactly.

For each artifact in a delta deployment, the following attributes are compared to the latest inventory version of the same artifact.

Parameter Where Used Description
Last Modified Timestamp INTENTORYRUNTIME IBM UrbanCode® Deploy reads the Last Modified Timestamp value when the version is packaged. All load modules that are build by RTC have Last Modified Timestamp values stored in SSI. If SSI has no Last Modified Timestamp values, ZLM4DATE, ZLMTIME and ZLMSEC statistical values are read from ISPF. Note that the JCL-built or third-party tool load modules have a Last Modified Timestamp value of NO.
Custom properties starting with SYS.id (aka identification properties) INVENTORYRUNTIME These properties provide an open framework for the customer or provider to add additional attributes to indicate whether two artifacts are the same. For example, with these properties you can add hash or binder information in the future. Two artifacts are considered the same when all attributes that are used for comparison match exactly.
checksum RUNTIME The checksum value is determined when the version is packaged. During a RUNTIME deployment, the checksum is calculated for the artifact in the target environment and compared with the checksum calculated during the version creation.
  1. Install the z/OS agent. See Installing the z/OS agent.
  2. Create a ship list file.
    See Ship list files.
  3. Create a deployable component version.
    See Creating z/OS component versions.
  4. Create component processes and application processes as you would for any other deployment, by using the z/OS Utility plug-in for process steps that retrieve and deploy z/OS artifacts.
    For example, use Download Artifacts for z/OS process steps to retrieve z/OS artifacts. Configure the Deploy Data Set process step for either a FULL, INVENTORY or RUNTIME deployment of the z/OS data sets and HFS files.
    The z/OS Utility plug-in also includes process steps for rolling back data sets, for running commands from the time sharing option (TSO) command line, and for running ISPF commands. For best results, create components by using the MVSCOMPONENT template which has built-in deploy processes.

To learn more about the z/OS Utility plug-in, see the UrbanCode plug-in site.