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Table of Contents

Latest Announcements Coming changes to the functionality Changes to the Conformance Criteria Office Hours Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions - User focused API ML for Users Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions - Extender focused Zowe API Mediation Layer Office Hours Zowe Explorers for VSCode Office Hours Zowe App Framework, ZSS Office Hours Zowe System Installation and Configuration Office Hours

Latest Announcements

Zowe V3 Release will be delayed from March 28. The Zowe V2 release schedule will be adjusted to accommodate this change. We expect to have a new V3 release date and further information on V2 by the end of March and will notify you at that time. We are sorry for the inconvenience. During the due diligence phase in preparing for the V3 release, we discovered the dependent package support policies and subsequent requirements changed, therefore we need to perform further evaluation prior to releasing.

Coming changes to the functionality

API Mediation Layer
**Breaking changes** - The authentication endpoints wont support the route /api/v1/gateway and instead will support only /gateway/api/v1 - Spring Enabler will be updated to Spring Boot 3 and Spring 6 and the Spring Boot 2 and Spring 5 versions won't be supported anymore - Datasets API is archived - Jobs API is archived - Metrics service is archived - IMS API is archived - Java 17 is required for API Mediation Layer to run - z/OSMF in version V2R5 with APAR PH12143 applied - Statically onboarded services needs to do it via modifying the zowe.yaml and adding a directory outside of the zowe to read the files from - Keyrings need to change configuration from safkeyring://// to safkeyring:// - Support access to the zosmf only via /ibmzosmf route. Supporting both created issues for CLI setup **Important updates** - Authentication and Authorization Service is separate service, only one that needs z/OS directly
Application Framework
**Breaking changes** - Update Angular to Version 16 from Version 12 - Remove core-js dependency - Update Webpack to version 5 - Update Typescript to 4.9
CLI
**Breaking changes** - Introduce new format for error messages to improve clarity - Remove V1 profile support - Remove deprecated items - [CLI](https://github.com/zowe/zowe-cli/issues/1694) and [Imperative](https://github.com/zowe/imperative/issues/970) **Pre-release availability** - V3 pre-release versions are available via [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@zowe/cli) under the 'next' tag.
Explorer for Intellij
**Important Updates** - The Explorer for Intellij is part of the Core. - Work with USS Files - Work with Data Sets - Work with JES Working Sets - Interactive TSO Console
Explorer for Visual Studio Code
**Breaking changes** - Remove V1 profile support - Remove deprecated items - [Explorer for VSCode](https://github.com/zowe/zowe-explorer-vscode/issues/2238) - Change profile creation menus - Store extension settings in the local storage **Important updates** - Store persistent settings in local storage - Compare files in MVS view, the USS view and across the two views **Pre-release availability** - V3 pre-release versions are available via [GitHub releases](https://github.com/zowe/zowe-explorer-vscode/releases) or via the [Open VSX Registry](https://open-vsx.org/extension/Zowe/vscode-extension-for-zowe).
Installation and Packaging
**Breaking changes** - Drop the original V2 configuration management, `zowe.useConfigmgr=false`. (Configuration Manager remains as the only supported method of configuring Zowe) **Important updates** - Remove dependency on Node.js for configuration - Introduce ZEN to simplify configuration via UI
ZSS
**Breaking changes** - Run by default in 64 bit mode, `components.zss.agent.64bit=true`. 31-bit plugins cannot run in 64-bit ZSS, so you need to compile your plugins for the version of ZSS to be used. Only 1 version of ZSS can run at a time.

Changes to the Conformance Criteria (For Extenders)

The final version of V2 Conformance Criteria is published here. Each of the section links to th PDF for the specific criteria.

Zowe API Mediation Layer
The API Mediation Layer related conformance Criteria are [here](https://ibm.box.com/s/qin12i90slsxzv2zdpiq4we6o6157gh5)
Zowe CLI
The CLI related conformance Criteria are [here](https://ibm.box.com/s/d8dgrx37k42wi2o92bk6vglfdazmkte9)
Zowe Explorer
The Explorer related conformance Criteria are [here](https://ibm.box.com/s/xmiwe01li8n0mgx4wpj68dqpsw2ybati)
Zowe Application Framework
The Application Framework related conformance Criteria are [here](https://ibm.box.com/s/krk4cckl7mo1wgmjkghv1s82q8cu5rx1)
Support Providers
The Support providers related conformance Criteria are [here](https://ibm.box.com/s/ok85oj6eflnpxsxvp1rntrebjbhebuk1)

Office Hours

Check out the OMP Calendar for specific time of the V2 office hours.

Consumer Focused Office Hours

Date Topic Link to the meeting Link to the recording Links to the materials
01/05/2024 8AM - 9AM ET API Mediation Layer https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/95815909111?password=57c97886-d2b6-4430-9c05-1eedfa1e0fa7 Zoom recording Presentation
01/12/2024 8AM - 9AM ET CLI https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/95815909111?password=57c97886-d2b6-4430-9c05-1eedfa1e0fa7 Zoom recording Presentation
01/12/2024 8AM - 9AM ET Node Client SDK https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/95815909111?password=57c97886-d2b6-4430-9c05-1eedfa1e0fa7 Zoom recording Presentation
01/19/2024 8AM - 9AM ET Explorer (VSCode) https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/95815909111?password=57c97886-d2b6-4430-9c05-1eedfa1e0fa7 Zoom recording Presentation
01/26/2024 8AM - 9AM ET Explorer (Intellij) https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/95815909111?password=57c97886-d2b6-4430-9c05-1eedfa1e0fa7 Zoom recording Presentation
02/02/2024 8AM - 9AM ET Web UI https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/95815909111?password=57c97886-d2b6-4430-9c05-1eedfa1e0fa7 Zoom recording Presentation
02/09/2024 8AM - 9AM ET Systems Install & Packaging https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/95815909111?password=57c97886-d2b6-4430-9c05-1eedfa1e0fa7 Zoom recording Presentation
02/16/2024 8AM - 9AM ET Open Office Hours https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/95815909111?password=57c97886-d2b6-4430-9c05-1eedfa1e0fa7

Extender Focused Office Hours

Date Topic Link to the meeting Link to the recording Links to the materials
11/10/2023 8AM - 9AM ET Other SYSTEMS Installation & Packaging & z/OS https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/93849373934?password=15f05b8e-88c9-4bf5-be2b-2a48f3120129 Zoom recording Presentation
11/03/2023 8AM - 9AM ET Web UI https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/93849373934?password=15f05b8e-88c9-4bf5-be2b-2a48f3120129 Zoom recording Presentation
10/20/2023 8AM - 9AM ET Explorer (VS Code) https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/93849373934?password=15f05b8e-88c9-4bf5-be2b-2a48f3120129 Zoom recording Presentation
10/13/2023 8AM - 9AM ET CLI https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/93849373934?password=15f05b8e-88c9-4bf5-be2b-2a48f3120129 Zoom recording Presentation
10/06/2023 8AM - 9AM ET API Mediation Layer https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meeting/93849373934?password=15f05b8e-88c9-4bf5-be2b-2a48f3120129 Zoom recording Presentation

Frequently Asked Questions

The current plan is to have Zowe V3 for all projects available as preview by the December 2023

Frequently Asked Questions - Extenders Focused

No, we don't intend to remove the support, but it would be good to figure out some plan to move of them as setting up of passticket configuration shifts the burden to the user's side who need to properly configure the passtickets on their system for every service using them.
We intend to move the configuration for V3 to the currently used gateway configuration space e.g. zowe.components.gateway therefore the configuration that was Zuul specific will be removed and the one that is Spring Cloud Gateway will be added to this space.
The northbound authentication works by accepting the client certificates. The API Mediation Layer then transforms the client certificate to another method of authentication such as JWT token or SAF IDT or passtickets and these needs to be accepted by the southbound services. We currently don't authenticate with client certificate towards the z/OSMF but it's a possibility for future.
The plan is to do so, we just don't know yet how exactly will we do that.
The bypass scheme remains and you still can claim conformance for services that provides only public endpoints that doesn't require authentication.
Yes
Yes, unlike the support for the V1 profiles.
Yes, unless they are among the dropped ones in these lists [CLI](https://github.com/zowe/zowe-cli/issues/1694) and [Imperative](https://github.com/zowe/imperative/issues/970)
No, it's not possible right now. It's possible to run just one type of plugins as there is the possibility to run only one ZSS.
Angular 16 is most up-to-date. Webpack 5 is most up to date.
It's possible for the Desktop extensions to bring in different versions of React as the desktop is compatible with React but not built on top of React.
ZEN is running on laptop/desktop and connects to z/OS via standard methods.
Yes
You will be guided through the different set of pages that relates to the SMP/E installation
It's different topic and it's not linked other than by sharing the zwe commands.
No, it's focused on the server side extensions.
Zowe provides the SBOMs with V3 in updated SPDX Formats.

Frequently Asked Questions - Users Focused

The API ML in version 3 supports clients with onboarding enablers from version 2. It also works the other way around the onboarding enablers from version 3 will continue working with Zowe v2
Plain Java Enabler in v2 will work in v3 - you can keep this for 1 - 2 years Using Spring Boot, Java 17 requirement comes from SPRING, recommendation is to MOVE if you are using something from SPRING
Goal is to have 1, spring-cloud gateway. The spring-cloud-gateway configuration should move under the component.gateway namespace. We expect to have one cluster od spring cloud gateway ahead of multiple sysplexes and then one cluster on every sysplex. Most of the configuration that was used should remain, new one from Spring Cloud Gateway remains.
It is gone in V3, but nothing should change from the point of view of the user… if we discover that is not true we will plan to deliver a configuration utility to help with this transition
Since one service can have multiple instances, living on different LPARS or different Environments how can clients identify a specific service on a specific system? TODAY - Clients can use the header instance ID to route to a specific instance / get information from specific services via an API on discovery service, but this part is going to be improved in 2Q 2024
It isn't now, but we will work on this functionality in 2Q 2024
It will remain available. The recommendation is through the V3 to move the directory away from Zowe workspace, if it isn't away by now. The zowe.yaml contains parameter specifying where the static definitions directories live components.discovery.alternativeStaticApiDefinitionsDirectories

Older Versions

Are you looking for page with details for the V2 version of Zowe? The page is available here.