Wazi Deploy is an open-source based scripted DevOps tool that automates the deployment of z/OS applications into test and production environments. It is one of the core components of IBM Developer for z/OS Enterprise Edition (IDzEE) and is a serverless CLI based tool that can easily be integrated into a Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline. It utilizes Ansible or Python based scripting to deploy artifacts to a target z/OS environment.
As you look through the installation requirements, you will notice a few dependent tools listed there such as the z/OS IBM Python SDK, IBM Z Open Automation Utilities (ZOAU) and Ansible for IBM Z collections.
Over the last few weeks, I have received several inquiries from our customers on the lifecycle of these dependent/pre-req tools in relation to what Wazi Deploy officially supports. This is to ensure they are able to plan their upgrades to supported versions in a timely manner and maintain currency of their CI/CD pipeline-based solution.
This blog is in response to those requests, and my hope is that I will be able to provide this information along with appropriate links in one place.
z/OS IBM Python SDK
Let’s start with Python. The Wazi Deploy IBM Docs pages indicate that today we support z/OS IBM Python SDK 3.11 to 3.14.
Note that IBM Python and Z Open Automation Utilities (ZOAU) are also needed on the z/OS target environments for those customers who are using the Ansible translator for their deployments.
Here is what you need to know:
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Python 3.11 has already been out of support since April 30, 2025
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Python 3.12 will be out of support on April 30, 2026
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Python 3.13 was withdrawn from Marketing in March 2026 but is still a supported version (EOS is April 30, 2027)
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Python 3.14 is the latest version and is what is available for download from ShopZ today. The most recent fix pack of Wazi Deploy 3.0.7.2 now supports this version of Python.
Z Open Automation Utilities (ZOAU)
Next, let’s check on ZOAU. Today, according to the Wazi Deploy IBM Docs pages, we support ZOAU version 1.3.6.3 to 1.4.1.x on the z/OS target environment.
Here is what you need to know:
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ZOAU 1.3 End of Service (EOS) is April 30, 2027
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ZOAU 1.4.1 is the latest version and can be downloaded from either ShopZ or the IBM Mainframe Downloads page. The most recent fix pack of Wazi Deploy 3.0.7.2 now supports this version of ZOAU.
Ansible z/OS Core dependencies
Lastly, let’s look at the Ansible z/OS Core (documented as ibm_zos_core) collection. According to the Wazi Deploy IBM Docs pages, the supported versions today are 1.14.1 and later and 1.15.1 and later.
Here is what you need to know:
As we continue to add new feature/function to Wazi Deploy through our Continuous Delivery Release (CDR) cycle, we are also keeping a close watch on the lifecycles and versions of these dependent components and are striving to certify, test and support latest versions as soon as we can.
Let me end with some useful links and resources. I am grouping them by individual software/products for ease of consumption:
Wazi Deploy
Wazi Deploy What’s New page
Considerations when upgrading Wazi Deploy
Wazi Deploy Installation requirements
Wazi Deploy Getting Started Page
Wazi Deploy demo videos
ZOAU
ZOAU Release Updates
ZOAU What’s New page
ZOAU 1.3.x lifecycle
Ansible z/OS Core Collections
Ansible lifecycle page
z/OS Core collection lifecycle page
z/OS IBM Python SDK
Python 3.12 lifecycle page
Python 3.13 lifecycle page
Python 3.14 lifecycle page
As always, please reach out if you need any help with your Wazi Deploy adoption initiatives. As the product manager for Wazi Deploy I would be very happy to hear from you and help address any questions you may have.
Thank you!
Shabbir Moledina
IBM Z Software
Product Manager – Dependency Based Build (DBB), Wazi Deploy, IDz on VS Code
shabbirm@ca.ibm.com