Connecting to a parked z/OS Debugger debug session on a z/OS host

You can use the launch type of configuration to connect the Z Open Debug user interface to a parked debug session.

  1. Open the launch.json file by using Command Palette > Debug: Open launch.json.
  2. Create a Connect to parked IBM Z® Open Debug session launch configuration entry, if none exists:
        {
            "type": "zOpenDebug",
            "request": "launch",
            "name": "Connect to parked IBM Z Open Debug session",
            "useConnectionDetailsFromSettings": true,
            "password": "${command:AskForPassword}"  
            "secure": true,
            "ignoreCertificateErrors": true,
            "sessionId": "sessionId",    
            "terminateAndAbend": true, 
            "trace": true
        },
    Notes:
    • When you connect to Remote Debug Service that is configured in secure mode with invalid, expired, or self-signed certificates, specify "ignoreCertificateErrors": true in conjunction with "secure": true.
    • When more than one parked debug session is available, use "sessionId" to select a specific program to debug instead of the first available one. For example, specify "sessionId": "31" to debug 31 instead of 30 when both parked debug sessions are available:
      30 Parked USER123 TBND009 
      31 Parked USER123 TSCODEL.RDBG.NHK.SRC(TQND01)
  3. In the Run view, launch the entry by using one of the following methods:
    • Select Command Palette > Debug: Select and Start Debugging > Connect to parked IBM Z Open Debug session.
    • In the Run view top bar, select Connect to parked IBM Z Open Debug session from the drop-down list and click the Start Debugging icon. Alternatively, press F5.
Once connected, the Z Open Debug user interface allows for interactive debugging of the application.

By default, the launch configuration obtains the connection details about the remote z/OS® host from the IDE Settings > IBM Z Open Debug.

This configuration type supports the following attributes:
useConnectionDetailsFromSettings
Obtain the connection details about the remote z/OS host from the IDE Settings > IBM Z Open Debug. The default is true. This attribute cannot be specified together with host.
host
Specify the z/OS hostname directly, rather than obtaining it from Settings. This attribute cannot be specified together with useConnectionDetailsFromSettings.
port
Specify the port for Remote Debug Service, rather than obtaining it from Settings.
secure
Specify that secure connections should be used, rather than obtaining the security mode from Settings.
ignoreCertificateErrors
Ignore problems with the TLS certificates used by Remote Debug Service, such as self-signed or expired certificates.
Warning: Using this attribute might cause the client to ignore all certificate errors from all servers.
user
Specify the user ID to be used for authentication when you connect to the parked debug session. The user ID must match the one that owns the debug session on the z/OS host.
password
Specify the password to be used for authentication when you connect to the parked debug session. By default, a password prompt is displayed for each invocation of the launch configuration.
sessionId
Connect to a specific "parked" debug session ID. The default is "*", which connects to the first available parked debug session.
terminateAndAbend
Specify that an ABEND should be issued when the debug session is terminated from the UI. When "terminateAndAbend": true is specified, the program abends when the terminate button is pressed, and the operating system treats the program as though it crashed, which might cause the system to roll back transactions or database calls.
trace
Enable diagnostic tracing. Specifying "trace": true produces a trace of debug communications between the IDE and Remote Debug Service.