Rocket Mainframe DevOps

I've installed Rocket Open AppDev for Z (free solution), but Python doesn't seem to be working quite right. In particular, I'm getting different behavior based on whether I invoke Python via executing the script vs. invoking Python manually and passing it the script.  For example, with the following sample test.py: #!/z/rocket/tools/bin/python print("Hello world!") If I invoke Python explicitly and pass it the script, it works just fine: $ /z/rocket/tools/bin/python test.py Hello world! If I instead invoke the script directly, I get the following. $ ./test.py ./test.py: can't open file '/u/z123/SHELL=/z/rocket/tools/bin/bash': [Errno 129] EDC5129I No such file or directory. That looks like it's somehow interpreting the environment being passed to python ("SHELL=...") as the script name it's supposed to execute.  Indeed, if I then pass the script name as the first argument, it works: $ ./test.py test.py Hello world! Stranger still, I don't see this behavior with scripts that i

Status: New IdeaWhen we Recompile a src member in TSO, it allows us to use the "List Library containing component" option. This lists all the promotion libraries where the component resides and we can choose right there from where we want to recompile.  In the client pack it is not this simple. We have to do a component query first and see where the component is, so we can choose it for the recompile.  Making the Client pack work as it is in TSO would be very beneficial and easier. #Simplify#ZMF4ECL

Customers often query the ‘end of support’ date associated with the specific patch release of ChangeMan ZMF/ChangeMan ZMF Client Pack that they are running. This information can be found by expanding the major release entry on the ZMF Product Support Lifecycle page. For example, the ZMF 8.2 release currently looks like this: Please remember that all information listed on the product lifecycle page is closely related to the approach and processes documented in the ChangeMan ZMF Release Cadence KB article. Customers should ensure that they are familiar with the contents of this KB article, too.#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#ChangeManZMF#SupportTip

Status: Under ConsiderationYes, the approver reload command should include exit 9 processing.Currently the refresh approver command only reloads approvers from the application approval records.  It wipes and does not add back in approvers added via exit 9.  I suggest that this command should include the entire approver list flow.  #LocalandRemoteSystemInformation#Customizationoptions

Customers sometimes question why their ChangeMan ZMF unplanned package is created with the approvers defined for planned packages? As documented in the ZMF Administrator’s Guide, the 8.3 version of which can be found here, this is usually linked to the ‘Normal business hours’ defined in the global admin parameters (ZMF ISPF option A.G.1). The application Planned Approval list is always incorporated into any change package that is created within normal business hours. An unplanned package uses the Unplanned Approval list only if it is created outside of normal business hours.#ChangeManZMF#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#s/#s/SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#s/s/SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs

Very old releases of the ChangeMan ZMF product did not require unplanned change packages to be audited in any way. An additional option ('FORCE AUDIT OF UNPLANNED PACKAGES') was then introduced that allowed administrators to enforce the requirement to audit unplanned packages. However, this merely forced the audit job to be run and did NOT ensure that the product also honoured the specified application audit level requirements. This prompted the introduction of the ‘Unplanned package audit option’ that allows ZMF administrators to control their specific requirements around this functionality in the ZMF 8.1.1 release. This functionality persists to this day and is documented in the ZMF Administrator’s Guide, the 8.3 version of which can be found here. #SupportTip#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#ChangeManZMF

ALM Solutions Connector 6.3.1, which provides support for the ChangeMan ZMF 8.2 Patch 7 and 8.3 releases, was made Generally Available to customers on 30th June 2023. Customers who license the ALM Solutions Connector should upgrade that software prior to or alongside their move to either of these ZMF releases. Authorised users can download this version from the Software Licenses and Downloads section of the Support Portal.#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#SupportTip#ChangeManZMF

Getting next error when using GIT 2.41.0-4 java.nio.file.InvalidPathException: Malformed input or input contains unmappable characters: a���a���������a���a���aٖ����a�����a������a���a���������

Status: DeliveredIncluded in ZMF 8.3 patch 1Assembler is hard to find support for.  I would like to see this exit get moved/added to the HLLX environment.  #HLLX

Hi, When I edit a program with copybook download they are nicely downloaded to the workstation. I noticed that SYSL00XM is correctly called, however for every copybook that the workbench wants to download I'm getting messages 'DATA SET ... NOT FOUND' in the STC : When a build is triggered, these messages do not appear. So my question is : - How does the retrieval works - If SYSL00XM is called and the SYSLIB is adapted, why is the STC still making references to datasets that were not in the adapted syslibThank you#ChangeManZMF

The ChangeMan ZMF plugin for zowe cli and the VSCode based ZMF Explorer both share the common zowe 2 'Teams' profile.  However, if you are a VSCode ZMF Explorer user, you do not have to have the zowe cli and the ZMF cli plugin installed.  It will mean however, that whoever administers the Teams profile does require the zowe cli plugin to be installed in order to generate the Teams profile that can then be distributed.The recommended format of the Teams profile is that you specify the userid and password as secure arguments. These should not be stored in the profile in clear text and that itself cannot happen without each user modifying the supplied Teams profile for his/her own individual credentials. That clearly goes against the intent of the Teams profile and security of credentials.   The Teams profile is essentially comprised of 2 separate elements - System profiles and the Base profile. The filename of the Teams profile is zowe.config.json and resides in the &

Hi,  I would like to know if there is there any experience or documentation on how to integrate ChangeMan ZMF with Jira project management tool. (If it's possible). Thanks Manuel#ChangeManZMF

Hi, Yesterday I ran in some kind of deadlock situation (at least I think) - the ZMF Explorer uses the old fashioned way of userid and password - ZOSMF has been implemented using MFA In VS Code they both use underneath the Credentials Manager of ZOWE When I logon to ZMF, zooms is not working and when I connect to zosmf the ZMF Explorer isn't working Is there a way to have both plugins working with different security credentials Thank you Best regards Johan #ZOSMF#ChangeManZMF#zowe#ZMFExplorer

Standard bind automation concentrates on the target environment (e.g. promotion or install target). With the dynamism of Db2 package location this is generally good enough. Db2 is very good at finding an appropriate package with which to execute your Db2 executable. There are situations where a Db2 component change in one environment invalidates the execution of that component in a different environment. For example, when making use of logical subsystems to separate different testing environments within the same physical Db2 subsystem, insertion of a change further up the lifecycle (e.g. a hotfix) can invalidate the search for a suitable package lower down the lifecycle. A new Db2 option facility is available at ZMF 8.3 to allow secondary binding to be automated, i.e. given that the target logical subsystem is ‘this’ then we will also require an automated bind (using relevant clause value templating) at ‘that’ logical subsystem. A single primary target logical subsystem

While both the package and ERO area audit reports are rich in structural detail it can sometimes be difficult to quickly reference the highlights. At ZMF 8.3 a new step is added to both audit jobs which produces a one-line per error summary. Note that these reports are based on existing facilities/data generated by the audit jobs. Which means you could generate your own audit ‘extracts’ should you so wish. The one-line summary package audit report is driven by the CSV extract which you can ask audit to produce (see details in Chapter 8 of the ZMF administrators guide). The one-line summary ERO area audit report is driven by the same Db2 tables as the full audit report (see the supplied cobol copybook library for details of the columns in each of these tables). #ChangeManZMF#NewRelease-Feature

Need information regarding ChangeMan ZMF (or ChangeMan SSM, Comparex, StarTool FDM, and StarTool IOO) compatibility with Db2 13 for z/OS? This can be found in KB article KM000008131. As always, if or when an upgrade is required to reach the minimum supported level, we recommend that the very latest version of the appropriate product is selected. At time of writing (4th July 2023) that is ZMF 8.2 Patch 7 (in the 8.2 maintenance stream) and 8.3 (new feature release). #ChangeManZMF#SupportTip#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs

Some customers have experienced problems attempting to run the zMobile application for ChangeMan ZMF in a virtual IP address (VIPA) mainframe environment. Please refer to KB article KM000015740 if you are experiencing similar issues. #SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#ChangeManZMF#SupportTip

We are sometimes asked why we discourage use of ZMF-related sessions (e.g. the ISPF UI, XMLSERV, etc.) in split screen mode? For example, why do users sometimes see the following messages? IKJ56246I FILE SERNQ NOT ALLOCATED, FILE IN USE **************************************************** * * * Using multiple concurrent ZMF/Sernet sessions * * in split screen mode is not recommended. * * * * Doing so is not supported by Micro Focus. * * Continue at your own risk! * * * **************************************************** Continue? (Y/N) Some background explanation can be found in longstanding KB article S101042. #s/KnowledgeDocs#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#s/KnowledgeDocss/KnowledgeDocs#ChangeManZMF#s/KnowledgeDocss/KnowledgeDocss/KnowledgeDocs

Status: DeclinedWe do not have plans to support any application servers other than Tomcat.   We do plan to move towards an embedded server model which will eliminate the need for any WebServer/AppServer setup. We are using zMobile and testing other REST services. We seem to be tied to running a Tomcat task, but it would be good if we could use Liberty webserver instead.#ZMF#REST-APIservices

Knowledgebase articles published on the Support Portal sometimes refer to hotfixes that have been created to address the associated issue. For example, they may reference a number (e.g. ZMF 8.3.004) or a zip file where the name contains similar data. To obtain these hotfixes customers MUST open a case on the Support Portal requesting Support to send them the appropriate file(s) and instructions. These fixes are NOT published or downloadable from anywhere else on the website.#s/KnowledgeDocss/KnowledgeDocs#s/KnowledgeDocs#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#ChangeManZMF#s/KnowledgeDocss/KnowledgeDocss/KnowledgeDocs

Change is Inevitable Did you know mainframes are used by 71% of Fortune 500 companies, and mainframes process 90% of credit card transactions (IBM)? The mainframe isn’t going anywhere— but there are going to be changes Software organizations must always look for new ways to adapt change to an ever-expanding software landscape. Challenges are often juxtaposed between software development practices such as Agile, waterfall, or hybrid, while they adopt modern software practices such as CIDC, DevOps or DevSecOps. What can’t be ignored are the governance and regulatory compliances companies need to implement and abide byin highly regulated industries such as finance, government, insurance, education, logistics and airlines. Compliance can’t be an afterthought—it needs to be folded into every software development organization. Many Vendors are Not Keeping up With Change In this modern world many vendors are not investing the time, effort, and capital needed to keep up with change. Is your ve

Customers often ask if there is a simple way to find a list of packages that match a certain set of criteria? Sometimes such queries can be easily executed in the ZMF ISPF user interface panels. For example, all packages created before or after a certain date can be found by completing the relevant fields in the Package List (option 5) panel CMNLIST0. In certain situations, however, the query may be a little more complex. For example, somebody may need a list of all packages that contain component scratch requests. Or a list of packages that have promoted components. In such cases customers should take a look at the PACKAGE.GENERAL.SEARCH XML Service. This service contains a number of search criteria fields, including those in the above examples, which just may satisfy the required criteria. If no exact field can be found, it may be necessary to write a routine to combine several XML Service calls. Nonetheless, it is certainly worth checking the PACKAGE.GENERAL.SEARCH service before go

A new hotfix build of ChangeMan ZMF for Eclipse (ZMF4ECL) 8.3, ZMF4ECL 8.3.0 Hotfix 004 (build 685), is now available for customer use. This build resolves the following issues: OCTCR46A307001 - ZMF4ECL: Unable to revert BAK packages on P-site OCTCR46A304001 - ZMF4ECL: ‘Promotion Overlays’ window is not displayed when option selected  The latest hotfix build is cumulative with earlier hotfix builds and therefore also includes the fixes already distributed in ZMF4ECL 8.3.0 Hotfix 002 (build 681), details of which can be found here: Again, we recommend customers either running or upgrading to ZMF4ECL 8.3 open a case with the Support team requesting a copy of the latest ZMF4ECL hotfix build.#SupportTip#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#ChangeManZMF

Hi When a build I triggered from within VS Code, a message is shown that the build was requested, that the job was submitted. I don't get a message back that the build was successful or that it failed. Is there a way that the user would get notified of the outcome of the build. Do I need to include an event step, if so, which one Thank you BRs Johan#Buildnotification#ChangeManZMF#ZMFExplorer#VSCode

Status: DeliveredThis was delivered.in ZMF 8.3.0 CR  258001 - Ideas - Auto demotion as per scheduled date.we are currently using  ChangeMan ZMF 8.2.6. Currently, we can have auto submit the promotions as per our desired shedule however there is no such process for Demotion. I was wondering if same process for demotion to be submitted as per our desired schedule .#applicationrelationships