IBM Z Development and Test Environment details

z/OS development and test on x86 hardware on-prem and cloud

IBM Z® Development and Test Environment provides an isolated and controllable IBM Z environment running on a x86-compatible on-premise system or cloud. Build mainframe applications, implement and test code and environment changes like new transactions and resource definitions before implementing them on your IBM Z hardware. Although you may not use the environment for production workloads, you can use it for development, testing, employee education or demonstration of z/OS®-based applications.

Web based interface for self-service build and deployment

Use web-based interface to build and automate deployment of additional z/OS development and test environments on x86 hardware on-prem and cloud. Empower systems programmers to create z/OS application images more quickly, with the security and control they demand. Developers and testers can auto-deploy these official images for development and test purposes with just a few clicks, giving them the autonomy and access that they need using hardware that can easily be virtualized, cloned and reset.

Docker Provisioning (New in V13)

Added support for provisioning an emulated z/OS environment, running on ZD&T, in a Docker environment. Configure your Docker daemon to support HTTPS using the TLS cryptographic protocol and the ZD&T Enterprise Edition offering can push a container image to it and allow you to run up to a maximum of 5 containers each providing an emulated z/OS environment and has a maximum of 100 ports available for services running on that z/OS. This provides an easy way to provision an isolated emulated z/OS environment in a container that utilizes features of Docker technology.

Improved User Interface (New in V13)

New UI aligned to Carbon 10 (IBM Design System) for improved user experience: ZD&T Enterprise Edition provides a completely redesigned web user interface, using the latest Carbon release - IBM’s open source design system for digital products and experiences. In addition to supporting Docker provisioning, the new UI provides the same capabilities as the previous versions but is redesigned to improve the user experience and be more scalable for supporting more artifacts within the tooling and future endeavours.

Current levels of the IBM z/OS middleware

Comes with as-is, unsupported z/OS software distribution that includes IBM z/OS, IBM CICS®, IBM IMS™, IBM Db2®, IBM WebSphere®, IBM z/OS Connect, COBOL, PL/I, C++, Java® and high-level assembler (HLASM). It also includes z/OS components of multiple DevOps for Enterprise Systems tools, including IBM Developer for z Systems, Rational® Team Concert, and IBM UrbanCode™ Deploy.

IBM Z education environment

Eliminate the need for an IBM Z mainframe for employee education activities. Experiment without fear of destroying anything because the environment can be easily reset. Support multiple users with their own system for quicker, more flexible learning.

Cloud integration with OpenStack

Cloud integration is being leveraged to drive down provision time and allow for a more dynamic environment. z/OS organizations can eliminate testing bottlenecks by provisioning a testing environment in under 30 minutes.

RESTful API for DevOps pipeline integration

Powered by RESTful APIs, automation can be enabled in the process of creation and deployment of z/OS environments. With RESTful APIs, you can integrate our functionality into your DevOps pipeline.

Technical details

Software requirements

Software requirements for IBM Z Development and Test Environment can be found here.

Hardware requirements

Hardware requirements for IBM Z Development and Test Environment can be found here:

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