The countdown to a final IBM JES3 sunset began in February of 2019 when IBM released a Statement of Direction announcing that the release following z/OS 2.4 would be the last to offer JES3.  z/OS 2.5, the current release of the operating system, is indeed the last to include JES3. 

Phoenix Software’s Spooler Offering exists because of collective community interest.  The JES3 faithful found the prospect of a conversion to JES2 displeasing for many reasons, including the possibility that mainframe-averse management might see this as an opportunity to move away from the platform.  They believe, despite JES2’s efforts to provide equivalent function, JES3 technology remains superior in many areas.

JES3^plus is a derivative work based on z/OS® JES3, and offers a path forward for organizations wishing to remain on JES3 technology.   JES3^plus provides existing JES3 customers a common-sense alternative to a JES2 conversion. Customer implementation involves a trivial migration to a fully supported product, with a road map for enhancements prioritized by the community, with no planned end of life.

A large Swiss financial institution reported, “we went live and replaced JES3 with JES3^plus in all sysplexes at the same time. We migrated without an issue (almost scary isn't it). All our OEM products support JES3^plus.”

Thanks to Phoenix’s JES3^plus Customer Advisory Council, organizations that migrate to JES3^plus can reap the benefits of new features that are ranked in terms of providing true business value to their fellow customers.

Switching to JES3^plus is the obvious choice for existing IBM JES3 customers and we have reinforced that point by improving performance with empirical results so dramatic they speak for themselves. And, because our roadmap for enhancements is 100% customer driven, we believe a migration to JES3^plus is not only the easiest and least risky choice, it’s the one that just makes sense.

Learn more about JES3^plus:  https://www.phoenixsoftware.com/jes3plus.htm

Phoenix Software International, Inc., is a systems software development company providing advanced software applications to enterprises around the globe. The company offers a wide range of solutions to modern business challenges.