IBM z/OS Container Platform (zOSCP) 1.1 enhancements, which includes open-source upgrades, improved cluster upgrade management, expanded networking support for multiple Dynamic Virtual IP Address (DVIPA) ranges, and support for the Kubernetes dashboard, are now available via PTFs.

IBM z/OS Container Platform, zOSCP, utilizes industry-standard open-source technologies to build, deploy, run and manage containerized z/OS UNIX applications natively on z/OS. The product delivers a container runtime, Kubernetes orchestration, and High Availability and load balancing capabilities to manage the availability and scalability demands of a Kubernetes cluster.

With this delivery, IBM is further enhancing the capability to support a production ready environment for running z/OS containers.

This IBM z/OS Container Platform 1.1 update is shipped with PTFs for the following APARs: OA67787, OA67964, OA67965, OA67966, OA67967, OA67968, OA67969, OA67970, OA67971, OA67972, OA67973, OA67974, OA67975, OA67976

Enhancements

• Simplify the zCPA upgrade process with a new automated workflow that can be started with just one command

• Streamline Kubernetes cluster management with a user-friendly web interface, reducing the need to use command-line tools

• Networking support for multiple IP address ranges for ZCONTainer Dynamic Virtual IP Addresses (DVIPAs) now supports both cri-o and podman users

• Specific version details are now included as part of the health check providing zOSCP Kubernetes open-source component upgrade recommendations

• Open-source component upgrades:

• IBM z/OS for runC is upgraded to runC version 1.2.6

• IBM z/OS for Skopeo is upgraded to Skopeo version 1.18.0

• IBM z/OS Control Plane Appliance (zCPA) is upgraded to 1.32.5

• Kubelet for IBM z/OS is upgraded to version 1.32.5

The new automated upgrade workflow makes it easier to upgrade your zCPA.  With a single command you can upgrade the zCPA, which includes starting and stopping the zCPA and rejoining the control plane node to the cluster.  This new workflow is a simpler alternative to the existing zOSMF workflow and is now the recommended way to upgrade your zCPA. For more information refer to Upgrading IBM z/OS Container Platform in the zOSCP product documentation.

The Kubernetes Dashboard provides a user-friendly web interface that facilitates the management and monitoring of Kubernetes clusters, streamlining tasks such as application deployment, workload scaling, and issue troubleshooting, while delivering real-time insights into cluster performance and resource utilization.   For more information refer to Using the Kubernetes Dashboard in the zOSCP product documentation.

The multi-range DIVIPA networking support, which uses multiple VIPARANGE statement definitions to provide the ability to create a group of non-contiguous IP addresses, define different IP address groupings for different classes of users, as well as define different IP address groupings between users, has been extended to enable cri-o users to also obtain an IP address from a unique address pool using their user ID. For more information refer to Requirements for IBM z/OS Container Platform IP addresses in the zOSCP product documentation.

The KUBERNETES_VERSION health check alerts users when it is time to upgrade by comparing your currently running Kubernetes components to the latest available versions. The check now also provides detailed information on the current versions of cri-o, kubelet, and zCPA in the notification.

For more information, see the health check setup step in the zOSCP product documentation under the “Running the z/OSMF workflow to perform the prerequisite steps required to join a z/OS system to a cluster as a worker node” section.

Further details of APARs

Further details of APAR OA67787 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67787

Further details of APAR OA67964 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67964

Further details of APAR OA67965 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67965

Further details of APAR OA67966 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67966

Further details of APAR OA67967 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67967

Further details of APAR OA67968 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67968

Further details of APAR OA67969 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67969

Further details of APAR OA67970 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67970

Further details of APAR OA67971 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67971

Further details of APAR OA67972 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67972

Further details of APAR OA67973 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67973

Further details of APAR OA67974 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67974

Further details of APAR OA67975 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67975

Further details of APAR OA67976 for IBM z/OS Container Platform are available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apar/OA67976

Unlock the Power of Containerization for Your z/OS UNIX Apps

Leverage the available z/OS container images to run your z/OS UNIX applications natively on z/OS. These images are available on the IBM Container Registry (icr.io) and include:

• z/OS base

• IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Go

• IBM SDK for z/OS, Java Technology Edition, Version 8

• IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS, Version 17

• IBM Open Enterprise Foundation for z/OS

• IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Python

• IBM Open Enterprise SDK for node.js

• IBM z/OS Connect

• IBM CICS TS Resource Builder

Getting started

To learn more and get started with IBM z/OS Container Platform today, see

Product page

Content Solution

• 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.

• 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.

IBM Documentation