IBM z/OS Communications Server key features
z/OS Encryption Readiness Technology (zERT)
Starting from z/OS V2R3, Communications Server provides encryption-readiness technology for z/OS administrators to determine which TCP and Enterprise Extender traffic patterns to and from their z/OS systems meet approved encryption criteria and which do not. In December 2018, IBM zERT Network Analyzer, a new web-based interface, is made available to help you determine which z/OS TCP and Enterprise Extender traffic is or isn’t protected according to specific query criteria.
AT-TLS support for TLS v1.3
z/OS V2R4 Communications Server adds support for TLS Version 1.3 for Application Transparent Transport Layer Security (AT-TLS).
Network support for z/OS Container Extensions
z/OS V2R4 Communications Server has added network support for z/OS Container Extensions which provides native z/OS support for Linux Docker based application workloads.
Shared Memory Communications multiple IP subnet support (SMCv2)
In z/OS V2R5 Communications Server, SMCv2 enables Shared Memory Communications over multiple IP subnets, extending the benefits of SMC to additional Z workloads.
Shared Memory Communications - Direct multiple IP subnet support (SMC-Dv2)
z/OS V2R4 Communications Server, with TCP/IP APAR PH22695 and SNA APAR OA59152, is enhanced to support SMC-Dv2. Unlike the original Shared Memory Communication - Direct Memory Access (SMC-D) protocol, SMC-Dv2 does not require that the communication peers reside within the same IP subnet.
Shared Memory Communication - Remote multiple IP subnet support (SMC-Rv2)
In z/OS V2R5 Communications Server, SMC-Rv2 and IBM z15 with RoCE Express2 will support “routable RoCE” connectivity over multiple IP subnets for communications across IBM Z systems.
Supports OSA-Express7S and IBM 25 GbE RoCE Express2
z/OS V2R4 Communications Server is enhanced to support OSA-Express7S features with 25 GbE bandwidth and IBM 25 GbE RoCE Express2 features.
Network Mgmt. for IBM Cloud Provisioning and Mgmt. for z/OS
IBM Configuration Assistant for z/OS Communications Server plays a key role for the network administrator as part of the IBM Cloud Provisioning and Management for z/OS solution.
New TCP/IP usability enhancements in z/OS V2R5
z/OS V2R5 Communications Server provides the following TCP/IP usability enhancements to enable improved efficiency in system automation, the reduction of unwanted delays in system initialization, and improved certificate-related problem determination for AT-TLS and IPSec.
- Notification of availability of TCP/IP extended services
- AT-TLS and IPSec certificate diagnostics
- IPSec certificate reporting enhancements
Technical details
Software requirements
Software requirements and specifications can be found in the following link.
Hardware requirements
Hardware requirements and specifications can be found in the following link.
Performance
z/OS Communications Server performance related publications can be found in the following link.