IBM® z/OS® Communications Server provides a set of communications protocols that support peer-to-peer connectivity functions for both local and wide-area networks, including the most popular wide-area network, the internet. It also provides performance enhancements that can benefit various TCP/IP applications.
IBM z/OS Communications Server, a high availability enterprise transaction and data server, provides common applications, such as file transfer protocol (FTP), Telnet and the remote execution of applications. Built for optimum productivity, it provides a secure platform for developing and sharing mainframe workloads.
IBM z/OS Encryption Readiness Technology (zERT) Network Analyzer, a new z/OSMF plug-in, is now available for you to easily query and analyze the cryptographic protection attributes of your z/OS TCP/IP and Enterprise Extender connections.
Updates and enhancements for z/OS 3.1 Communications Server
z/OS Communications Server performance summary reports
Supports high-bandwidth and high-speed networking technologies, including Shared Memory Communications (SMC), which provides significant performance improvements for Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) workloads.
Uses z/OS Parallel Sysplex® technology to enable high availability application support.
Protects sensitive data and the operation of the TCP/IP stack on z/OS.
Enables IPv6, the successor to aging IPv4 technology, to handle the demands of internet usage with 128-bit addressing.
Collects network topology, status and performance information.
Makes it faster and easier to configure policy-based networking functions by using Configuration Assistant.
z/OS Communications Server provides network communications and network-related services for IBM z/OS Container Platform (zOSCP).
z/OS 2.5 and 3.1 Communications Server, with APAR PH39613, provides network support for zOSCP workloads by introducing a new type of VIPARANGE dynamic VIPA (DVIPA) called ZCONTainer. A ZCONTainer DVIPA provides network access for a pod or a container when a container image is started on z/OS. It also enhances support for several new Language Environment (LE) and UNIX System Services (USS) Callable Services APIs, System Resolver APIs and the Netstat application. With this Communications Server support, containerized z/OS applications can now coexist with native z/OS applications.
z/OS Communications Server also introduces a set of Container Network Interface for IBM z/OS (z/OS CNI) plug-ins. These plug-ins provide a network fabric for the containers to communicate with each other across the sysplex and for external communications.
zERT is an intelligent network security discovery and monitoring feature of the z/OS Communications Server. It is a core capability of IBM Z® pervasive encryption.
IBM zERT Network Analyzer is a web-based interface on z/OSMF. It helps you determine which z/OS TCP and Enterprise Extender traffic is or isn’t protected according to specific query criteria.
With z/OS V2R5, zERT Policy-based Enforcement allows policy-based rules that describe different levels of cryptographic protection along with optional actions to take when TCP connections match those rules. With z/OS 3.1, IBM zERT Network Analyzer provides enhancements for database connection authentication, improved upgrade support and a user interface refresh.
Application Transparent-Transport Layer Security (AT-TLS) provides TLS encryption and decryption of TCP/IP connections based on policies created with the IBM Network Configuration Assistant. The z/OS sockets application sends and receives clear text (unencrypted) data as usual while AT-TLS applies TLS protection to the data at the TCP transport layer. With z/OS 3.1, AT-TLS supports several new System SSL features.
Get enhanced network security and compliance for more secure data transfer and higher productivity:
- z/OS UNIX syslogd support for secure logging over TCP
- FTP Server JES access control
- SMF 1154 records for compliance evidence
Get enhanced application modernization and simplified operating system management for optimized business operation:
- Communications Server exploitation of the IBM Function Registry for z/OS
- Support for 64-bit Java
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.
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 communication peers to reside within the same IP subnet.
In z/OS V2R5 Communications Server, SMC-Rv2 and IBM z15® with RoCE Express2 support “routable RoCE” connectivity over multiple IP subnets for communications across IBM Z® systems.
z/OS V3R1 Communications Server is enhanced to support:
- OSA-Express Enhanced Inbound Blocking (EIB), a QDIO performance enhancement that might benefit OSA interfaces with a high volume of inbound network bulk or streaming traffic.
- Shared Memory Communications over Remote Direct Memory Access (SMC-R) function to support the next generation IBM RoCE Express3 feature. The IBM RoCE Express3 feature allows TCP/IP stacks on different LPARs within the same central processor complex (CPC) to use the power of these state-of-the-art adapters to optimize network connectivity for mission-critical workloads by using Shared Memory Communications technology.
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.
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
Training
Easily and quickly share verified proof of your achievements by taking free courses on Credly issued by IBM.
This badge earner has foundational understanding of networking on z/OS including networking principles, TCP/IP and SNA communication protocols and the logical and physical components associated with them.
This badge earner has foundational understanding of z/OS network security, including network security overview and general knowledge of IPSec, zERT, AT-TLS and IDS.
This badge earner has foundational understanding of z/OS TCP/IP configuration provided with the IBM Configuration Assistant for z/OS Communications Server.
This badge earner has a general knowledge and understanding of TCP/IP on z/OS.
This badge earner has the knowledge and foundational understanding of configuring zERT Policy Enforcement using the IBM Configuration Assistant for z/OS Communications Server.
TCP/IP Implementation
Browse the IBM Redbooks® to install and support the z/OS Communications Server. The four volumes cover IBM z/OS V2R2 Communications Server TCP/IP Implementation.
Get introduced to z/OS Communications Server TCP/IP. This Redbook describes the system resolver and shows the implementation of global and local settings for single and multi-stack environments.
Get useful implementation scenarios and configuration recommendations for many of the TCP/IP standard applications that z/OS Communications Server supports.
This Redbook discusses virtual IP addressing (VIPA) for high-availability, with and without a dynamic routing protocol.
This Redbook explains how to set up security for your z/OS networking environment.
Information on z/OS Communications Server new function APARs available for z/OS 3.1.
Information on z/OS Communications Server new function APARs available for z/OS V2R5.
Information on z/OS Communications Server new function APARs available for z/OS V2R4.
The latest iteration of IBM Z® mainframes with on-chip AI inferencing and industry-first quantum-safe technologies.
A feature of IBM z/OS that helps to boost server communications with clustering technology.
A feature of IBM z/OS that allows communicating with and managing various aspects of a z/OS system through a web browser interface.