Chapter 36 Further Reading: DevOps for the Mainframe

IBM Resources

  • IBM Wazi Deploy Documentation. IBM's deployment automation tool for z/OS, integrating with the CI/CD pipeline for automated library promotion, DB2 bind, and CICS NEWCOPY operations. ibm.com/docs/en/wazi-deploy

  • IBM Dependency Based Build (DBB) Documentation. Comprehensive guide to configuring and using DBB for COBOL build automation, including dependency analysis, incremental builds, and integration with Jenkins. ibm.com/docs/en/dbb

  • IBM Developer: Zowe CLI Documentation. The open-source CLI for interacting with z/OS from any platform. Covers file operations, job submission, TSO commands, and console operations. zowe.org/docs

  • IBM Redbooks: DevOps for IBM Z — A Practical Guide. SG24-8519. Step-by-step guide to implementing DevOps practices on z/OS, including Git integration, Jenkins pipelines, and automated testing.

  • IBM Redbooks: Testing on z/OS. SG24-8547. Comprehensive guide to testing strategies for z/OS applications, including unit testing with IBM zUnit, integration testing, and performance testing.

Zowe and Open Source

  • Zowe Project. The Linux Foundation's open-source project for z/OS modernization. Includes Zowe CLI, Zowe API Mediation Layer, Zowe Desktop, and Zowe Explorer for VS Code. zowe.org

  • Open Mainframe Project. The Linux Foundation umbrella project for open-source mainframe software. Includes Zowe, COBOL Programming Course, and other mainframe modernization resources. openmainframeproject.org

  • Rocket Git for z/OS. Rocket Software's Git implementation that runs natively on z/OS, enabling Git operations directly from USS without requiring a distributed Git server.

Jenkins and CI/CD

  • Jenkins Documentation: Pipeline Syntax. Official documentation for Jenkinsfile declarative and scripted pipelines. Essential reference for writing z/OS build pipelines. jenkins.io/doc/book/pipeline

  • Jenkins z/OS Connector Plugin. The Jenkins plugin that enables direct communication with z/OS for job submission, dataset operations, and TSO commands from Jenkins pipelines.

  • "CI/CD for Mainframe: A Jenkins Cookbook." Community-maintained collection of Jenkins pipeline patterns specific to z/OS COBOL builds, testing, and deployment.

Testing Frameworks

  • IBM zUnit (COBOL Unit Test Framework). IBM's unit testing framework for COBOL on z/OS, enabling paragraph-level testing with automated test case execution and JUnit-compatible result reporting.

  • Broadcom Topaz for Total Test. Broadcom's testing tool for mainframe applications, supporting unit testing, virtualized service testing, and integration testing with test data management.

  • Micro Focus Enterprise Test Server. Micro Focus's COBOL testing platform supporting unit testing and integration testing for both z/OS and distributed COBOL environments.

Books

  • Forsgren, N., Humble, J., and Kim, G. Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps. IT Revolution Press, 2018. The foundational research behind the DORA metrics, demonstrating the relationship between DevOps practices and organizational performance. Essential reading for building the business case for mainframe DevOps.

  • Kim, G., Humble, J., Debois, P., and Willis, J. The DevOps Handbook. 2nd edition, IT Revolution Press, 2021. Practical guide to implementing DevOps practices, with principles applicable to any platform including mainframe.

  • Humble, J. and Farley, D. Continuous Delivery: Reliable Software Releases through Build, Test, and Deployment Automation. Addison-Wesley, 2010. The definitive text on CI/CD pipeline design, covering principles that apply directly to mainframe build and deployment automation.

  • Kotter, J. Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012. The classic text on organizational change management, directly applicable to the cultural transformation required for mainframe DevOps adoption.

Industry Reports

  • Gartner: "DevOps for Mainframe: Market Guide." 2025. Market analysis of tools and platforms for mainframe DevOps, including vendor comparisons and adoption guidance.

  • Forrester: "The Total Economic Impact of Mainframe DevOps." 2025. Financial analysis of mainframe DevOps adoption, including ROI data from multiple organizations.

  • DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment): "State of DevOps Report." Annual. The authoritative annual survey on DevOps practices and performance. While primarily focused on distributed systems, the 2024 and 2025 reports include mainframe-specific data for the first time.

  • Compuware/BMC: "State of the Mainframe Survey." Annual. Annual survey of mainframe professionals covering tool adoption, DevOps practices, and workforce trends.

Conference Presentations and Webinars

  • SHARE Conference Proceedings. The mainframe user group SHARE holds regular sessions on DevOps for z/OS, including experience reports from organizations that have implemented Git, Jenkins, and CI/CD on the mainframe.

  • IBM TechXchange (formerly IBM Think). IBM's annual technology conference includes sessions on z/OS DevOps, Zowe, DBB, and AI-assisted development.

  • DevOps Enterprise Summit. Annual conference featuring experience reports from large enterprises implementing DevOps. Increasingly includes mainframe-specific content from financial services and government organizations.

Community and Forums

  • Zowe Community Slack. Active community of Zowe users and contributors discussing CLI usage, API development, and z/OS integration. Real-world problem solving from practitioners.

  • IBM Z and LinuxONE Community. IBM's community forum for z/OS professionals, including dedicated sections for DevOps, Zowe, and modernization.

  • r/mainframe (Reddit). Community discussion including regular threads on DevOps tools, Git migration experiences, and CI/CD implementation stories.

  • Stack Overflow: [zos] and [cobol] tags. Growing body of Q&A on z/OS DevOps topics, Zowe CLI usage, and COBOL build automation.

  • Chapter 27: Monitoring and Performance. The monitoring practices and metrics from this chapter become the observability layer in the DevOps feedback loop. Post-deployment monitoring uses the same SMF-based metrics and alerting.

  • Chapter 32: Modernization Strategy. DevOps is not a modernization strategy — it's the enabling infrastructure that makes any strategy executable. This chapter provides the strategic framework within which DevOps operates.

  • Chapter 33: COBOL and APIs. API development integrates with the CI/CD pipeline for automated testing of COBOL-backed APIs, including contract testing between COBOL services and distributed consumers.

  • Chapter 35: AI-Assisted COBOL. AI-generated documentation and test cases become inputs to the DevOps pipeline. The CI/CD infrastructure provides the automated build and test environment that makes AI-assisted development practical at scale.