DEVOPSdigest

Serena Software announced the availability of a major new version of ChangeMan ZMF, a software change, configuration, and release management solution for mainframes running z/OS.

Version 8.1.1 of ChangeMan ZMF includes significant new capabilities to enable fast, modern development on the mainframe, the business platform used by over 90% of the Fortune 500.

“ChangeMan ZMF’s change package architecture is unique, enabling mainframe application development teams to easily support agile methodologies”, said Al Slovacek, VP of Mainframe Products at Serena Software. “In fact, in our last user group survey, over half of the respondents were using ChangeMan ZMF to support agile development for mainframe applications. With ZMF’s robust concurrent and parallel development capabilities, relevant stakeholders have full visibility allowing complete awareness of development activities impacting their changes”

ChangeMan ZMF v8 enables fast and easy software change and configuration management (SCCM) practices for both modern and legacy applications running on z/OS. For example, ChangeMan ZMF v8 can optionally support a self-service model for development where developers can develop, deploy, test, and release software changes to the mainframe all from within their desktop Eclipse IDE.

New Serena ChangeMan ZMF v8 capabilities enable mainframe application teams to deliver more features faster and at lower cost without compromising the enterprise scalability, security, and integration expectations of the mainframe platform. This makes ChangeMan ZMF v8 the ideal solution for mainframe teams that are under pressure to deliver high-quality, valuable software in an efficient, fast, and reliable manner.

According to Al Slovacek, “ChangeMan ZMF v8.1.1 includes over 75 new features that exploit the advanced capabilities of the z/OS platform. Unlike other solutions, we like to leverage core z/OS capabilities to ensure our customers receive the value of the most advanced platform in the world.”

New Serena ChangeMan ZMF Capabilities Include:

- IBM Automatic Restart Manager Support: Ability to recover automatically in the event of an address space, or LPAR failure. Utilizing ARM, the ZMF server task can be restarted on the same LPAR (local restart), or on any z/OS image within the Sysplex (cross-system restart) according to predefined policies, and without operator intervention.

- Additional XML services and HLLX exits: ZMF makes extensive use of XML and Web services for extensibility. HLLX exits allow customizations to business and presentation logic to be encapsulated in a layer that sits on top of the ZMF task. This allows all clients (ISPF, Eclipse, RD/z, Windows) to have the same experience and outcome while eliminating the need for ISPF panel customizations. Upgrading from release to release is much easier as the HLLX logic has already been defined and is simply coupled to the next release without the laborious retooling of ISPF components. Unlike Assembler exits, HLLX exits can be written in Rexx or any LE-enabled language such as COBOL, PL/I or C.

- TLS encryption and IPv6 Support: The connection between the ZMF server which runs on z/OS and Client Pack components such as the Eclipse or RD/z plugin is capable of employing Transport Layer Security (TLS) enabling the highest level of encryption, authentication, and data integrity. In addition to TLS, many data centers, including government agencies, have mandated IPv6 in order to achieve compliance and ZMF 8.1.1 delivers this capability.

In building upon ZMF’s already-capable management and support for DB2, ZMF 8.1.1 provides facilities to support SQL-PL (aka Native-SQL) stored procedures as generated by IBM’s Data Studio IDE. This will include support for DB2 SQL-PL versioning as well as a mechanism for reconciling what is stored in the ZMF baseline against what is currently in the production DB2 catalog.

The ability to rapidly duplicate and prototype applications is introduced in ZMF 8.1.1, this facility is also useful for copying application information from one subsystem to another.

Serena ChangeMan ZMF v8.1.1 is available today.