On Feb 5, 2019, IBM announced the end of service dates (revised announcement for COBOL 4 here and revised announcement for COBOL 5 here) for Enterprise COBOL 4.2, Enterprise COBOL 5.1, Enterprise COBOL 5.2 and ABO 1.2.
Products withdrawn from service on April 30, 2020:
| Product name |
Product version |
Product number |
| IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS |
5.1.x |
5655-W32 |
| IBM Enterprise COBOL Developer Trial for z/OS |
5.1.x |
5655-TRY |
| IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS |
5.2.0 |
5655-W32 |
| IBM Enterprise COBOL Developer Trial for z/OS |
5.2.0 |
5655-TRY |
| IBM Enterprise COBOL Value Unit Edition for z/OS |
5.2.0 |
5697-ECV |
| IBM Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS |
1.2.0 |
5697-AB1 |
Product to be withdrawn from service on April 30, 2022:
| Product name |
Product version |
Product number |
| IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS |
4.2.0 |
5655-S71 |
Are extensions available?
For an additional fee extended support will be available after the end of support (EOS) dates for these products.
What do the COBOL EOS dates mean?
Withdrawing service for Enterprise COBOL 4.2, 5.1 and 5.2 means customers can no longer open cases or get APAR fixes for the COBOL compiler after the end of service dates become effective. Code compiled with these compilers will continue to run. In addition, the COBOL runtime, which is part of the z/OS Language Environment, will continue to be supported.
Customers who are currently still on COBOL 4.2 are encouraged to plan and start their migration to COBOL 6 as soon as possible. Plan your migration by attending a no-charge COBOL Migration and Performance webinar - register here. In addition, you can find all the COBOL migration-related information in the COBOL Migration Portal.
How can I enhance migration to COBOL 6?
Customers can also enhance migration to COBOL 6 by using IBM Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS (ABO) to improve the performance of older compiled code. Use COBOL 6 for new development, maintenance and modernization, and use ABO to improve the performance of the COBOL modules without a recompilation plan. ABO optimizes existing compiled binaries for the latest IBM Z hardware.
Customers who are currently on COBOL 5.1 or 5.2 can easily upgrade to COBOL 6.3 since COBOL 6 uses the same technology base as COBOL 5. MLC customers can continue to use COBOL 4.2 without support as long as the monthly charge is paid. Customers using COBOL 5 Value Unit Edition (VUE) with S&S coverage can upgrade to COBOL 6 VUE at no cost.
What do the ABO EOS dates mean?
Customers who are currently using Automatic Binary Optimizer (ABO) 1.2 with S&S can upgrade to Automatic Binary Optimizer 2.1. Customers who have stayed current can upgrade at no cost. Withdrawing service for ABO 1.2 means customers can no longer open cases or get APAR fixes for the ABO 1.2 optimizer after the end of service date becomes effective. Modules optimized with ABO 1.2 will continue to run. The ABO runtime, which is part of the z/OS Language Environment, will continue to be supported.
If you have any questions, please contact Roland Koo (rkoo@ca.ibm.com).