Installing the IBM z/OS Connect build toolkit

Install the IBM® z/OS® Connect build toolkit to create service archive (.sar) files or artifacts for an API requester.

About this task

The build toolkit is available as a command-line tool or a Software Development Kit (SDK) for inclusion in other products. For more information, read the Javadoc included in the zconbt.zip file or the Build Toolkit SPI in the Reference section. You can also find examples in GitHub.

Procedure

  1. Copy the zconbt.zip file, in binary mode, from the product installation directory to a directory on your local workstation or to a UNIX System Services directory on z/OS.
  2. Extract the contents of the zconbt.zip file into the current working directory.
    Note: The Build toolkit requires a Java™ Runtime Environment (JRE). The JRE provides the jar command, which can be used to extract the contents of the zconbt.zip file to the current directory:
    jar -xf zconbt.zip
    Extracting the contents of the zconbt.zip file creates the following directories in the current directory:
    • bin contains utility scripts that are used to start the Build toolkit, zconbt.bat for Windows, zconbt.zos for z/OS and zconbt for Unix-like platforms.
    • doc contains the Javadoc files.
    • lib contains the Java classes.
    • plugins includes CICS®, IMS, IBM MQ, REST client, and WOLA as standard and is extensible to third parties.
  3. Ensure that your user ID has execute permission to the bin/zconbt.zos script on z/OS or the bin/zconbt script on UNIX-like platforms.
    For example,
    chmod +x bin/zconbt*
  4. Ensure that the plugin.properties file is in the same directory as the com.ibm.zosconnect.buildtoolkit.jar file.
  5. From the bin directory, enter one of the following commands:
    • On Windows, enter
      zconbt.bat --help
    • On z/OS, enter
      ./zconbt.zos --help
    • On Unix-like platforms, enter
      ./zconbt --help
    If the installation is successful, the command help prints to the command line.