Base Control Program internal interface (BCPii)

Similar to the web services interface, the BCPii interface is also a request-and-response oriented programming interface by which z/OS® client applications obtain information about the system resources managed by zManager, and by which those applications can perform provisioning, configuration or control actions on those resources. This interface has also been influenced by the Representational State Transfer (REST) style of interface design, which uses the same URIs and methods as the web services interface.

Unlike the web services interface, the BCPii interface does not flow standard HTTP protocol over TCP/IP connections, instead it uses internal communications paths between the z/OS operating system and the hosting hardware. This means that the entry point for the BCPii interface is a specific hardware system, whereas the entry point for the web services interface is a Hardware Management Console. The scope of management for the web services interface is the target Hardware Management Console and the systems and resources being managed by it, while the scope for the BCPii interface is the hosting system and its resources and any other system and associated resources being managed by the Hardware Management Consoles that are managing the hosting system.

Not all services or operations are supported using the BCPii interface. Each service or operation that is supported using the BCPii interface will be documented in the specific section for that service or operation. See Base Control Program internal interface (BCPii) for a consolidated list of the currently supported services and operations.