IBM z/OS Container Platform integrates industry-standard open-source technologies with z/OS to provide you with the ability to build and deploy z/OS UNIX applications as containers on z/OS.

You can use z/OS Container Platform to create a secure environment for development teams to experiment with new features, and deploy containerized z/OS UNIX applications in z/OS Container Platform.

Before you get started, you need to have the following:

• IBM z14 or later
• IBM z/OS v2.5 or higher
• Access to the IBM Container Registry Learn more
• An internal registry for your images.

zOSCP provides image management tools that are used to work with container images on z/OS. These consist of:

• Podman for IBM z/OS (Podman) for building and running container images.
• IBM z/OS for Skopeo (Skopeo) for working with container images in registries.
• Umoci for IBM z/OS (umoci) for modifying Open Container images.

zOSCP provides container runtime components that are used to create and run containers on z/OS. These consist of:

• IBM z/OS for runC (runC), an implementation of the open source container runtime with a command-line interface (CLI).
• A set of Container Network Interface for IBM z/OS plug-ins (IBM z/OS CNI).

zOSCP provides Kubernetes components that are used for orchestration. These consist of:

• IBM z/OS Control Plane Appliance (IBM zCPA) runs in a z/OS address space and enables z/OS systems to participate as control plane nodes in a Kubernetes cluster.
• Kubelet for IBM z/OS (kubelet) which which enables z/OS systems to participate as worker nodes in a Kubernetes cluster.
• IBM z/OS Appliance Manager for Kubernetes (kam) command line utility that manages the lifecycle of the zCPA.
• Kubectl for IBM z/OS (kubectl) for interacting with a Kubernetes cluster through a CLI.
• Kubeadm for IBM z/OS (kubeadmz) command line utility manages the lifecycle of control plane nodes and worker nodes.
• cri-o for IBM z/OS (cri-o), an implementation of the container runtime interface that is used to call runC.

Once you have completed your order through IBM Shopz, you can download z/OS Container Platform and install it using the SMP/E command line or the Portable Software Instance (recommended).

IBM z/OS Container Platform (zOSCP) uses z/OSMF workflows to guide you through the configuration process, in order to create a working environment to develop containerized applications.

The z/OSMF workflows perform the setup of IBM z/OS Container Platform on a specified z/OS system. This includes setting up the container runtime, the z/OS Control Plane Appliance (zCPA), and the z/OS UNIX command-line utilities to initialize a cluster with a Kubernetes control plane and worker node. The workflows ensure that you set up the appropriate user IDs, file systems, mount points, and networking to begin using zOSCP.

Getting started experience with Podman: Use Podman to build, run and manage containers. Explore containers technology or leverage it to create a development and test environment.

1. Configure the container runtime on your z/OS system by using a z/OSMF workflow.
2. Pull IBM-provided product images such as Java from the IBM Container Registry.
3. Build and run containerized applications with Podman.

Orchestration with Kubernetes: Use Kubernetes to deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications in production environments. Automate deployment, scaling, and management of multiple containers across Kubernetes clusters.

1. Initialize a Kubernetes cluster by starting the control plane node on the provisioned zCPA by using Kubeadm for IBM z/OS (kubeadmz).
2. Perform the pre-requisite steps required so you can join the system to a cluster as a worker node using a z/OSMF workflow.
3. Add the z/OS system as a worker node to the Kubernetes cluster by using kubeadmz.

A container is an executable unit of software in which application code is packaged along with its libraries and dependencies. With IBM z/OS Container Platform, you can containerize existing z/OS UNIX applications on z/OS to make them easier to manage, or create new applications on z/OS and containerize them.

System programmers can provide standardized images of z/OS software that enable developers to deploy containerized z/OS applications and services. This allows system programmers to maintain control and oversight without being involved in every deployment.

You can get started right away by using Podman to build, run and manage containers. Explore containers technology or leverage it to create a development and test environment.

IBM z/OS Container Platform provides an open-source container runtime. The runtime includes runC, which is also a low-level Command Line Interface (CLI) for running containers. Container management tools, such as Podman, call runC to start container processes.

Skopeo is an open-source tool for working with images. zOSCP includes a z/OS implementation of Skopeo called IBM z/OS for Skopeo. Skopeo enables you to inspect images remotely, without needing to download them, and verify signatures to ensure that an image comes from a trusted supplier, including IBM. Use Skopeo to securely download images from the IBM Container Registry to your system.

Podman is an open-source tool for managing the container lifecycle, and can be used for building and running images. zOSCP includes a z/OS implementation of Podman called Podman for IBM z/OS. Use Podman to build z/OS UNIX applications, using the respective base images you have downloaded from IBM. When you run Podman, it automatically pulls an image from a registry to the local cache and uses the container runtime to create and start a container.

You can use Skopeo to:

• Inspect images remotely.
• Sign images.
• Verify an image signature.
• Transfer images between registries.

You can use Podman to:

• Check your version and view help info.
• Pull and list your images.
• Run an IBM-supplied image to check your configuration.
• Stop and remove the running container.

A Kubernetes cluster contains everything that is needed to deploy and manage containerized applications at scale. It consists of control plane nodes which manage the cluster and worker nodes which run the applications. Key control plane functions include maintaining configuration and state information, scheduling based on worker node resources and managing communications through a REST API. The worker nodes manage the operation of the container (kubelet) and contain the container runtime (cri-o).

IBM z/OS Container Platform (zOSCP) provides the ability for Kubernetes to provide orchestration for the deployment, scaling, and management of applications running in containers on z/OS.

Kubernetes nodes are systems -- either virtual machines or physical computers -- that run containerized applications that are managed by Kubernetes. The components responsbile for cluster management and for providing the API that is used to configure and manage resources within the Kubernetes cluster that reside on control plane nodes. Every cluster has at least one control plane node. An IBM z/OS Control Plane Appliance (IBM zCPA) can serve as a control plane node. Applications and services are deployed as containers in a Kubernetes cluster on worker nodes. Every cluster has at least one worker node. A z/OS system can act as a worker node.

The Kubelet for IBM z/OS (kubelet) is an agent that runs on the worker node to manage the node and to communicate with the Kubernetes control plane, and with cri-o for IBM z/OS (cri-o).

zOSCP uses admission controllers to ensure that containerized applications can be reliably and securely deployed into z/OS worker nodes and protect the integrity of the control plane.

1. Create a YAML file for deployment.
2. Use kubectl to create the deployment in a Kubernetes namespace.
3. Check that the Kubernetes resources are running.
4. Create a YAML file for a service and deploy it using kubectl.
5. Access the application.
6. Check that the resources are running on a z/OS system.

zOSCP supports the Kubernetes dashboard, a web-based Kubernetes user interface.