We have just released V3.0.59 of IBM z/OS Connect.

In this release we have made enhancements to support

• Cloud deployment of z/OS Connect on Intel architecture (OpenAPI 3 only).
• Workload distribution of requests across IPIC connections to CICS regions.
• Improvement to the handling of the last field in an IMS large data structure or IMS message segment input (OpenAPI 2 only).

Cloud deployment of z/OS Connect on Intel architecture (OpenAPI 3 only)

For users of OpenAPI 3, z/OS Connect now supports cloud deployment on Intel architecture. This expands the opportunities for providing access to data on Z systems and can allow you to manage all your APIs on the same platform. z/OS Connect can be deployed into your existing cloud environment, to make use of your existing investment and manage the product in familiar ways.

Workload distribution of requests across IPIC connections to CICS regions

z/OS Connect is enhanced to support workload distribution of requests across a group of CICS® regions, using a single connection reference. Workload distribution is configured with a new zosconnect_cicsConnectionGroup element. Groups can include other groups and the distribution of requests can be weighted. 

For example, the following server.xml configuration demonstrates a weighted (3 to 2 ratio) workload distribution across two LPARs combined with a round robin distribution across a set of 3 CICS regions on each LPAR. 

<zosconnect_cicsConnectionGroup id="cicsConn" connectionRefs="lparA, lparB" connectionRatios="3,2"/>

<zosconnect_cicsConnectionGroup id="lparA" connectionRefs="cicsConnA, cicsConnB, cicsConnC"/>
<zosconnect_cicsConnectionGroup id="lparB" connectionRefs="cicsConnD, cicsConnE, cicsConnF"/>

<zosconnect_cicsIpicConnection id="cicsConnA" host="9.1.2.123" port="1110"/>
<zosconnect_cicsIpicConnection id="cicsConnB" host="9.1.2.123" port="1111"/>
<zosconnect_cicsIpicConnection id="cicsConnC" host="9.1.2.123" port="1112"/>
<zosconnect_cicsIpicConnection id="cicsConnD" host="9.1.2.156" port="2120"/>
<zosconnect_cicsIpicConnection id="cicsConnE" host="9.1.2.156" port="2121"/>
<zosconnect_cicsIpicConnection id="cicsConnF" host="9.1.2.156" port="2122"/>

Find out more about the OpenAPI 3 support in the z/OS Connect documentation.
Find out more about the OpenAPI 2 support in the z/OS Connect documentation.

Improvement to handling of the last field in an IMS large data structure or IMS message segment input (OpenAPI 2 only)

For users of OpenAPI 2, z/OS Connect is enhanced with the capability to truncate the last field of the last data structure in an IMS large data structure or IMS message segment input.

Find out more about the OpenAPI 2 support in the z/OS Connect documentation.

WebSphere Liberty Profile V22.0.0.3

The version of WebSphere Liberty Profile that is embedded in z/OS Connect V3.0.59 is V22.0.0.3.

Find out more from the Liberty documentation.

Angel V17

The version of the angel shipped with WebSphere Liberty Profile V22.0.0.3 is version 17.

If you choose not to update to this level of the Liberty Angel, then the following warning message will appear in your messages.log file:

CWWKB0127W: The current angel version is earlier than the version that the server expects. Update the angel version to the latest available version.

Find out more.

API toolkit versions (for OpenAPI 2 support)

The latest version of the z/OS Connect API toolkit plug-in to design and create your services and APIs is V3.0.9.8 for Aqua 3.1 users, and V3.2.9.8 for Aqua 3.2 users. You should obtain the latest version of the API toolkit from the Aqua download site for your version of Aqua as it includes all the latest features and fixes.

The z/OS Connect API toolkit has been enhanced to present the Liberty API Explorer web interface for users to examine and test deployed APIs without concern for CORS restrictions. You will need to use this version of the API toolkit (or later) if you wish to use this API Discovery feature.

If unzipping the API toolkit zip file on Windows, due to the long filenames of some of the file members, you should use a tool such as 7-Zip or the “jar -x” command. Do not use winzip, winrar, or the Windows own zip extraction tool, as warnings/errors will occur during the unzip and the API toolkit will be unusable.

Find out more.

Get started today

Use the links below to find out more, and to get started with V3.0.59 now!