z/OS Upgrade Workflows

z/OS 3.1 Upgrade Workflow

Description

The z/OS 3.1 Upgrade Workflow provides the steps for upgrading to z/OS 3.1 from your currently supported z/OS system.

The z/OS 3.1 Upgrade Workflow uses the latest functions in z/OSMF to provide a smooth upgrade experience. In the workflow, discovery functions run automatically to further streamline your upgrade experience. Only the upgrade actions that apply to your particular system are identified in the z/OSMF user interface (UI).

The z/OS 3.1 Upgrade Workflow is available in a choice of two z/OSMF workflows, depending on whether you are upgrading a system from z/OS 2.5 or z/OS 2.4:

• zOS3.1_From_zOS2.5_Upgrade_Workflow.xml
• zOS3.1_From_zOS2.4_Upgrade_Workflow.xml

Select the workflow that applies to your upgrade path and download it to your z/OS system. Then, create the workflow, as described in z/OS Upgrade Workflow.

IBM® provides the upgrade workflows as part of the z/OS product. Updates and fixes for the upgrade workflows are delivered through the standard z/OS service process. To obtain the latest PTFs for the z/OS 3.1 Upgrade Workflow, run the SMP/E REPORT MISSINGFIX command on your z/OS systems and specify a FIXCAT value of "IBM.Coexistence.z/OS.3.1".

The z/OS 3.1 Upgrade Workflow can be run on z/OS releases V2R4, V2R5, and 3.1.

Functional enhancements:

The z/OS 3.1 Upgrade Workflow includes the following functional enhancements:

• Runs the SMP/E MISSINGFIX report to determine whether any applicable fix category (FIXCAT) APARs should be installed.
• Discovers which upgrade-related APARs are installed, then automatically skip steps for which no actions are required if a given APAR is installed.

New workflow structure

Upgrade actions are now sequenced in the order in which you must perform them, rather than grouped by z/OS element. This enhancement makes it easier for you to track your progress at each stage of the upgrade, as follows:

Phase 1: Actions to perform before installing z/OS 3.1

Upgrade actions that you can perform on your existing (old) system so that you have fewer actions to perform after you install the new release of z/OS. You do not need the z/OS 3.1 level of code to make these changes, and the changes do not require the z/OS 3.1 level of code to run after they are completed.

Phase 2: Actions to perform before the first IPL of z/OS 3.1

Upgrade actions that you can perform after you have installed z/OS 3.1, but before the first time you IPL. These actions require the z/OS 3.1 level of code to be installed, but do not require it to be active on your system.

Phase 3: Actions to perform after the first IPL of z/OS 3.1

Upgrade actions that you can perform only after you have IPLed z/OS 3.1. You need a running z/OS 3.1 system to perform these actions.

In previous versions of the z/OS Upgrade Workflow, actions were organized by the z/OS element. The new structure helps to simplify the upgrade process by consolidating the steps for each phase of the upgrade.

Usage tips

• Use the enhanced discovery functions. Follow the instructions in the first step "Discover z/OS features in use" to allow z/OSMF to skip as many inapplicable steps as possible, thus reducing the number of steps for you to perform. The additional discovery includes the option to skip steps that are empty (which have actions that are shown as "None"). In addition, discovery is enhanced to skip over the hardware server levels that you have already upgraded to.
• Some upgrade actions have associated health checks. For those steps, the health check is invoked to determine whether the upgrade action is applicable for your system. Read the instructions carefully on the Perform tab before running the health check for important information about each check.
• For the individual upgrade actions and for the entire upgrade effort, you can optionally provide your feedback to IBM. Follow the instructions that are shown in the workflow. You do not need to provide feedback to complete each step of the workflow.

Upgrading a workflow that is already in progress

What happens if you receive an upgraded workflow (through a PTF) when you still have one in progress? You do not have to start over. You can use the option "Create New Based on Existing" in the z/OSMF Workflows task to import the new workflow steps into your in-progress workflow, without losing your work from the previous level.

When change was introduced:

• z/OS 3.1 (with APAR OA67445)
• z/OS V2R5 (with APAR OA67445)
• z/OS V2R4 (with APAR OA67445)

Reference information:

• z/OS Upgrade Workflow

IBM z17 Upgrade Workflow

The IBM Z platform is recognized for its long-standing commitment to delivering best-in-industry security, resiliency, performance, and scalability. IBM Z is relied on for mission-critical workloads and as an essential element of hybrid cloud infrastructures. The newest member of the IBM Z family, IBM z17, continues that commitment and adds value with innovative technologies that can help accelerate the digital transformation journey.

IBM z17 makes more possible, enabling AI where it matters most to drive efficiency, innovation, and better business outcomes. It was fully engineered from the chip through the software stack for AI to optimize mission-critical transaction processing and data-intensive workloads. With this full stack optimization, enhanced AI acceleration capabilities, along with improved I/O density and efficient processor power management, IBM z17 delivers scalable AI inferencing that runs in an energy-efficient compute environment.

The IBM z17 uses a 19-inch form factor and industry-standardized power and networking hardware, which easily aligns with the modern cloud data center.

For more information, see IBM z17 Announcement Letter.

The IBM z17 Upgrade Workflow contains the upgrade steps for the IBM z17 server. The workflow includes considerations, restrictions, and actions to take before and after you receive your server, and a checklist of items that are planned to be discontinued on future servers.

In the workflow, references to "z17" pertain to all processor configurations of the IBM z17, unless otherwise noted.

After the PTFs are installed, you can create the workflow on your z/OS system, as described in z/OS Upgrade Workflow.

The z17 Upgrade Workflow can run on z/OS release 2.4 and later.

When change was introduced:

• z/OS 3.1 (with APAR OA66926)
• z/OS 2.5 (with APAR OA66926)
• z/OS 2.4 (with APAR OA66926)

Reference information:

See z/OS Upgrade Workflow, which also contains information about other workflows, such as the IBM z16 Upgrade Workflow and the z/OS 2.5 Upgrade Workflow.