This is my first blog on Wazi Deploy since I started managing this product. Over the last few months, we have released two versions (3.0.3 and 3.0.4) of this offering, and I wanted to share what enhancements we have delivered to satisfy our customer requirements.

Let me first start by defining the purpose of Wazi Deploy. It is an open source based scripted tool for deploying z/OS applications into test and production environments. It is serverless and utilizes Ansible or Python based scripting via a simple Command Line Interface (CLI) to integrate into a CI/CD pipeline.

Below is the Wazi Deploy Workflow diagram that showcases how a static deployment takes place via the Python and Ansible streams.

There is a lot to talk about in terms of what capabilities have been added to this product lately. First, we have enhanced the Conditional Deployment capability (previously released in 3.0.3) by adding a rescue option that has the ability to catch an error during execution and progress with the deployment based on the indicated location.

A new http_request (for z/OS Connect REST API) building block has been added following on from the include_vars building block that was made available in 3.0.3

In the most recent release, we have focused on currency by enhancing support for the latest versions of Z Open Automation Utilities (ZOAU) v1.3.4.x and Ansible z/OS Core v1.12.x. This is covered in the Installation Requirements section of our documentation.

Other new capabilities, enhancements and important notices include:

·      Simplification of the installation process by including all necessary pre-requisites.

·      Ability to create packages locally using the Wazi Deploy packager command.

·      Ability to filter artifacts to include/exclude them in the deployment phase.

·      Enhancement to the evidence file structure.

·      Availability of the Wazi Deploy API for both Python and Ansible.

Our goal is to continue delivering new features in a Continuous Delivery Release (CDR) cycle and we have some exciting things planned for the future.

Stay tuned for more updates on Wazi Deploy as the year progresses. Please reach out to me at shabbirm@ca.ibm.com for any questions.

I like ending my blogs with links to some valuable resources. For more on Wazi Deploy and DevOps on IBM Z, please see the following:

·      Official Wazi Deploy documentation

·      Static Deployment with Wazi Deploy demo video

·      Wazi Deploy “What’s New” documentation

·      Managing Wazi Deploy Evidence files blog

·      Rosalind Radcliffe Wazi Deploy and IBM CIO talk on Techstrong TV

·      IBM Z DevOps Solution Website - a prescriptive guide to applying DevOps to IBM Z

·      “Day in the life” of a developer animated video series

Shabbir Moledina - Product Manager (DBB, Wazi Deploy, IDz on VS Code)