Infrastructure
Along with porting the application code itself to the zSeries platform, you need to consider on-going support of zSeries servers which we have called infrastructure. QA and testing, as well as benchmarking, are recurring tasks performed as new versions of your application are released. Long-term support of the zSeries platform should be determined including investment in training and education for your staff, as well as procuring hardware and software resources. We recommend as a first step that you register at the
PartnerWorld
Web site. This site contains a wealth of information for IBM Business Partners and developers. Registration is fast and free.
Click here for the registration page
Hardware and Software Resources
In order to port your application to the zSeries platform and also to
continue to develop, test, and support your application on a zSeries server, you
will need hardware resources. Several options are available:
- PartnerWorld leasing program - It is possible to lease a zSeries server through the PartnerWorld for
Developers lease program (registration required).
- PartnerWorld discount program - Discounts are also available for partners.
- IBM IBM Innovation Centers for Business Partners - Located worldwide, the SPCs are facilities equipped with the latest
IBM hardware and software, and offer either on-site or remote access. This
is an ideal place to do benchmarking on a range of zSeries platforms, without
incurring the cost of purchasing or leasing a set of servers. The SPCs
are also staffed by expert technical consultants who can provide assistance
in either your porting or testing efforts.
Additionally, zSeries servers are capable of doing logical partitioning
which allows you to run several OS versions at a time on a single server,
each in its own partition. For QA and testing purposes, this can be extremely
useful, allowing you to have one server to test many different versions
of your software, on different operating system versions. Supported operating
systems include both OS/390 and z/OS, as well as Linux.
Along with hardware resources, software will be required in order to do
your port, as well as for on-going support of the zSeries platform. For software resources, we recommend the following:
- Developing for IBM Mainframe Servers
- IBM zSeries Software
- z/OS UNIX System Service Tools and Toys - The Tools and Toys page is a collection of free software which extends the base operating
system capabilities.
- IBM's z/OS and OS/390 C/C++ compiler - An ansi compliant C/C++ compiler as of z/OS release 1.2
- Java for OS/390 and z/OS - Includes links for obtaining the latest developer kits. Both SMPe orderable and non-SMPe downloads are available. It also has some links for those interested in the zSeries Linux implementations of Java and the JDK.
- DB2 for z/OS and OS/390
- Getting started with the Eclipse platform
- Eclipse main Web site
Training and Education
In order to provide the best support of your application on a zSeries server, it is useful to provide training and education for relevant staff on z/OS and the zSeries platform. The links below show different course offerings from IBM. Professional certification is also described within these web pages. Additionally, the IBM Innovation Centers for Business Partners offer workshops and seminars on many topics, including WebSphere, DB2, and Tivoli, which are relevant to the zSeries platform. Click here for a list of current SPC workshops and seminars.
QA, Testing, and Benchmarking
The QA and testing phase of the software development cycle is an integral
and critical part of any port. Furthermore, at each new release of an application,
you will need to conduct QA and testing, as well as benchmarking on the
zSeries platform. We recommend that you give it some thought as how to
best integrate this effort into your normal build and development cycle.
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