Setting up watsonx Code Assistant service

IBM® watsonx Code Assistant™ is a service that is available at IBM Cloud® and on prem. You can buy a monthly subscription through the IBM Cloud Catalog directly or through your IBM account team. watsonx Code Assistant supports multiple use cases and has different plans, so you must pick the Z plan to get access to the correct service.

After you purchase a subscription, you can provision an instance of the service by using a guided walk through. For detailed steps on how to get started, see Set up watsonx Code Assistant for Z in IBM Cloud.

An admin who has ongoing responsibility for the service must perform the following steps.
  • Add developers to the watsonx Code Assistant service so they can request a key to access the AI.

  • Manage the subscription and token usage. The subscription entitles you to a specific number of tokens each month for using the AI to convert COBOL to Java™ or to generate explanations from a code selection. If developers exceed the limit that is included in the subscription, you are charged for any additional tokens used.

  • Report problems to IBM Support.

Note: Code Explanation does not support FIPS installation with on prem solution.

Prerequisites for use

IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z Code Explanation is available on VS Code and Eclipse platforms.

The prerequisites for each of these platforms are listed here.
  • For usage with VS Code:
    • watsonx Code Assistant for Z
    • IBM Z Open Editor extensions

    For instructions about setting up the development environment on VS Code, see Set up a development environment.

  • 2.3+ For usage with Eclipse:
    • Requires Eclipse version 4.31 or later
    • The Eclipse based products contain feature integrations with watsonx Code Assistant for Z (optional requirement): IBM Developer for z/OS® 17.0 and IBM Explorer for z/OS 3.4

    For instructions about setting up the development environment on Eclipse, see Setting up a development environment on Eclipse.

Known limitations

When used outside of IBM Developer for z/OS or IBM Explorer for z/OS, none of the following exists:
  • Integration with the Outline view
  • Validation that the code selection in the editor is complete (For example, a valid statement, paragraph, step, and so on)

Installing watsonx Code Assistant service on prem through Cloud Pak for Data

An admin who has ongoing responsibility for the on prem service must perform the following steps.
  • Create users. For more information on managing on prem users, see Managing Cloud Pak for Data users.
  • Assign users View access to a space. Multiple users may access the same space.

For more information on installation, see Installing watsonx Code Assistant for Z.