Overview
IBM Z® Development and Test Environment (ZD&T) runs a z/OS® distribution on a personal computer or workstation Linux® environment. It creates an environment for mainframe application demonstration, development, testing, and employee education without Z mainframe hardware. It enables z/OS, middleware, and other z/OS software to run on Intel and other compatible computers, and emulates z/Architecture® with virtual I/O and devices.
Important: ZD&T cannot be used for
production workloads of any kind, nor robust development workloads, production module builds,
preproduction testing, stress testing, or performance testing.
ZD&T is
offered in four different editions:
- ZD&T for Learners Edition
- ZD&T for Learners Edition is for personal, individual learning use only. It is not for the test and development of commercial products. It enables a qualified learner to run an IBM® Z distribution on a personal computer. For more information about ZD&T for Learners Edition, see Learners Edition.
- ZD&T Personal Edition
- ZD&T Personal Edition enables a single user to run an IBM Z distribution on a personal computer. For more information about ZD&T Personal Edition, see Personal Edition.
- ZD&T Enterprise Edition
- ZD&T Enterprise Edition enables enterprises to host an IBM Z distribution on low-cost Intel-based x86 machines. Enterprise Edition provides a web-based interface. You can create, and manage images from an existing Z or ADCD packages. Then, you can provision a z/OS instance that is running on an emulated IBM Z hardware from a created image to your target environment. Also, you are entitled to use Wazi Sandbox for cloud native development by provisioning and maintaining z/OS instances on Red Hat® OpenShift®. For more information about ZD&T Enterprise Edition, see Enterprise Edition.
- ZD&T Parallel Sysplex®
- ZD&T Parallel Sysplex can be used to enable a Sysplex environment that is running within z/VM®. For more information about ZD&T Parallel Sysplex, see Parallel Sysplex.
The following table lists the differences of four ZD&T editions.
| Feature | Learners Edition | Personal Edition | Enterprise Edition | Parallel Sysplex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| License type | USB | USB |
|
|
| Single user | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple users | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Scalable2 | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud/VM support3 | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| REST API | No | No | Yes | No |
| Web UI | No | No | Yes | No |
| Native Linux interface | Yes | Yes | Yes for advanced Linux users | Yes |
| Dataset transfer support | No | No | Yes | No |
| Volume transfer support | No | No | Yes | No |
| Integration with IBM AD | No | No | Yes | No |
| OpenStack Cloud support | No | No | Yes | No |
| Docker container support | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Red Hat OpenShift support | No | No | Yes | No |
Note:
- The USB licensing for ZD&T Enterprise Edition and Parallel Sysplex is end of market. If you did not purchase the USB license for Enterprise Edition and Parallel Sysplex, you cannot purchase this type of license now. If you purchased a USB license, you can continue to use the license until it is end of support.
- You need to have enough Resource Value Units (RVUs) or Central Processors (CPs) that are available to scale your ZD&T environment. Also, your Linux hardware needs to support it.
- ZD&T Enterprise Edition and Parallel Sysplex can work on cloud and VMs. You need to make sure that the underlying hardware is not changed by your cloud service provider. CPU or hard drive needs to be a static entity to ensure that all ZD&T editions work.