Complete z/OS Course, Mainframe, from 0

Install and configure 3270 emulators to connect to z/OS, create sessions, and log in to the mainframe, then explore ISPF and session management.

Discover how started tasks and subsystems in z/OS coordinate services from JES2 to DB2. Learn how VTAM, TCPIP, WLM, RACF, SMS, MQ, and CICS enable secure, efficient mainframe operations.

Explore how batch jobs in ZOS schedule large, repeatable tasks to run during off hours, coordinating dependencies with a scheduler like ControlM, TWS, or CA7 while balancing online processing.

Explore z/OS user types, especially TSO users, and how SDSF, ISPF, RACF, and DSOLU reveal permissions, profiles, and dataset prefixes.

Explore how mainframes share resources across LPARs within a SysPlex, combining production, development, and test environments with coupling facilities and XCF for parallel access, with STP synchronization.

Learn that TSO, or Time sharing option, and TSO extensions provide a multi-user environment to access datasets, run programs, and execute commands via ISPF on top of TSO.

Explore z/OS data management with TSO commands, mastering listcat and listds to inspect datasets, catalogs, and members, and learn renaming, deleting, and viewing dataset attributes.

Explore ISPF on TSO with hierarchical menus, learn panel navigation via option lines and the action bar, and master settings, messages, and dataset prefixes.

Learn to use pf keys on z/os, customize their display with pfshow on or off, and navigate panels with pf2 split screens, pf9 swap, and pf3 exit.

Learn to split z/OS screens, navigate with PF2 and PF9, and manage multiple screens using swap, swap list, and swap bar on, plus split line settings and log off options.

Master viewing and editing datasets in ISPF using view and edit panels for libraries, members, and flat datasets. Navigate qualifiers, prefixes, and TSO commands, and review activity with ISPF log.

Learn the z/OS dataset naming rules, including the high level qualifier and up to 22 qualifiers separated by periods. Follow length and character constraints and RACF protections for your HLQ.

Explore physical sequential datasets (PS) in z/OS, learn how to allocate, configure space, record format FB, and understand primary and secondary extents for efficient access.

Explore PDS and PDSE libraries, learn how partitioned datasets store members, and compare regular PDS with extended PDSE, including automatic space management and ISPF panel workflows.

Explore GDGs, Generation Data Groups, as flat sequential datasets with a GDG base and versioned generations that auto-delete the oldest when the limit is reached.

Explore VSAM's key-sequenced KSDS datasets, enabling direct keyed access to records, with creation via JCL or ISPF and handling of unique or duplicate keys for databases.

Learn to manage z/OS libraries and members in ISPF, including qualifiers and prefixes, and perform print, browse, edit, and delete operations with view and color-enabled modes.

Learn to allocate, rename, delete, and catalog or uncatalog zOS datasets, manage high-level qualifiers and SMS managed volumes, and distinguish cataloged versus non-c cataloged datasets.

Learn to move and copy datasets and members using z/OS ISPF panels, allocate targets, handle SMS parameters, manage record length and truncation, and decide between append or overwrite strategies.

Master the dataset list utility to browse, edit, and manage datasets and libraries using masking and qualifiers; view volume details with VTOC and VTOG for vSAN and GDG datasets.

Explore primary commands on dslist to filter and manage datasets. Use append, reset, refresh, find, locate, sort, and exclude to locate and organize data efficiently.

Navigate dslist line commands on the mainframe panel to edit, view, or browse datasets and members, using slash to reveal actions and pf keys for quick operations.

Explore how to reset and delete statistics in a z/OS library, including changing the last updated user ID, selecting members, and reclaiming space by deleting or compressing.

Learn to use SuperC and SuperCE to compare datasets and libraries, view differences, and understand inserts, deletes, listing types, and batch comparisons using JCL.

Explore panel 3, 14 and 15 to search strings in z/OS datasets and libraries, using wildcards, case sensitivity, and multi-word queries with quotes, prefixes, and suffixes.

Master scrolling datasets and members in ISPF panels using the scroll field and PF keys. Learn to use cursor, page, half, data, and max for one-time commands and reliable navigation.

Master save and cancel in z/OS datasets, manage edits with autosave, and exit safely using PF3. Understand view mode to inspect data without saving.

Learn to use the find command to locate strings in datasets, with word, prefix, suffix, and case options, including column constraints and picture clause wildcards.

Explore the locate command in z/OS to jump to a specific line, by number or by label, and manage labels such as zcsr, zfirst, and zlast for efficient editing.

Keep commands on the line with ampersand and reuse with parameters. Chain commands with semicolon to exclude all and find strings, and expand long commands with g expand.

Master the change command (c) to replace strings, verify with pf5/pf6, and use all, last, and picture clause options across labels and datasets, with zexpand for long commands.

Explore exclude, reset, and flip to filter and toggle records in the dataset list, using x, pf5, wildcards, and semicolon chaining—unchanged from find and change.

Explore profile commands to customize dataset editing with recovery, undo, numbering, caps control, hex view, autosave, and highlight options. Lock or unlock profiles to remember changes and manage statistics.

Use the columns feature and sort commands to arrange data by specific columns or label ranges, with default ascending order and optional descending order, and reset labels when needed.

Learn how to use create and replace to manage datasets and members on z/OS, including line selection, labels, and copy or move operations.

Copy records from another member or dataset into the current member, or move them so origin records disappear. Place records after or before using labels or A/B.

Master cut and paste on z/OS mainframe, configure defaults with edset, and manage clipboards with append, replace, keep, and delete, while pasting before or after records.

Submit jcl jobs with the submit command, or the short sub form, and manage start via labels. Verify the job id and return code 0 in sdsf.

Learn how to use the del command to delete non-excluded lines, excluded lines, or lines between two labels, with examples of del all excluded, x all, and find BPM.

Explore z/OS line commands for inserting and deleting records, including I to insert, D to delete, block and all-nines deletions, and related SDSF/ISPF editor usage.

Explore copy and move commands in z/OS mainframe, including overlay, block operations, and keep options, to copy or move records within and across datasets and members.

Master the z/OS repeat command to duplicate records and blocks, using R and the block command, and control repeats with explicit numbers.

Learn to convert records with UC to uppercase, LC to lowercase, and HX to hexadecimal, using block commands like UCC, LCC, and HXX, and toggle HEXOFF to hide output.

Explore excluding and showing records with z/OS line commands. Use X to exclude, XX to close blocks, and S, F, L, red, or flip to reveal or hide records.

Learn to display and constrain text with columns and boundaries in z/os mainframe, using the columns line, boundary commands, and find and change.

Shift columns and data in the z/OS mainframe using parentheses and the shift data command, default two columns, and the block command for shifting records without data loss.

Leverage tabs and dash placeholders to position fields when inserting new records, avoiding leftward shifts. Then build a mask from an existing record to streamline data entry across multiple records.

Learn how to split text, flow text, and make data lines using TextSplit, TextFlow, and md for managing jcl records.

Navigate the SDSF system display and search facility, explore panels, RMF and JES data, and track job flow from input queue to output queue with spool reports.

Configure SDSF in ISPF with screen options, color schemes, and action bar; manage logs, cursor behavior, and confirmations, and run system commands via slash and query out.

Review the input queue panel to see waiting and running jobs, initiators, and columns; learn to arrange columns, monitor statuses, and apply scheduling environment and service class for job management.

Explore the display active users panel in SDSF to monitor active memory spaces used by jobs, started tasks, and users across LPARs, with filters for TSU, job, and kies controls.

Explore the status panel (st) to monitor jobs, started tasks, and users, view and arrange columns, and understand spool usage, return codes, and print destinations.

Explore the z/OS output queue panel to view jobs, started tasks, and users. Adjust forms, destinations, and printers, and purge or arrange reports with column filters and class selections.

Navigate the held output queue in SDSF, apply filters with H and all, and move reports back to the output queue using O, while reviewing key fields.

Discover how the multi axis spool enables L parts in the same mass to share the spool and cisplex resources, and learn to manage execution and checkpoints in Gest 2.

Scheduling environments control job execution by activating lpars only when required resources are in the correct state, and by managing on, off, and reset with world loan manager resources.

Explore how job classes and init panels govern z/OS initiators, comparing GES-2 and Workload Manager behavior, and learn to configure limits, dispositions, and monitoring.