Overview

IBM® Explorer for z/OS® Aqua (z/OS Explorer) is an Eclipse-based integration platform for z/OS users. It enables the integration of a variety of offerings from IBM and other vendors, and in-house development plug-ins. z/OS Explorer is extendable via the IBM repository of compatible products to fulfill each user's roles and responsibilities. For example, z/OS Explorer can provide a single Eclipse environment with the ability to administer an IBM CICS® TS environment in conjunction with development and problem analysis tools.

CICS Explorer®, CICS Tools, Application Delivery Foundation for z Systems (including the previous PD tools and RDz), z/OS Connect, Rational Team Concert™ and MQ Explorer are built on the z/OS Explorer platform. They are built and tested using the IBM common continuous build and test infrastructure, which ensures these products are fully compatible and tested together. With this infrastructure, z/OS Explorer delivers much improved consumability of IBM offerings and a greater level of integration among participating products.

To improve the experience of maintaining IBM Eclipse-based offerings built on z/OS Explorer, it includes push-to-client technology to simplify the task. Using this technology, a system administrator is able to set up a policy to enable all connecting workbenches to be updated upon connection to the server.

In addition to being an integration platform, z/OS Explorer is the strategic Eclipse platform for connectivity to key z/OS functions that are required by all z/OS application developers and system programmers. With z/OS Explorer, user interaction with z/OS systems is improved by a:

Reliable and secure connection based on Remote System Explorer (RSE) technology.
Smart JCL editor with syntax highlighting and checking, and auto-completion support.
TSO command console that enables users to issue TSO commands.

The z/OS Explorer capabilities are available for use by all customers with a license for supported releases of z/OS. Third-party software vendors and customers can now integrate their plug-ins with z/OS Explorer with no IBM product dependency, other than z/OS.