The Complete Mainframe Professional Course - 4 Courses in 1

We need three things to work on a Mainframe Computer. We need a Mainframe Computer Hardware. Then we need an Operating System to install on it and then we need a Terminal to connect to the Mainframe. The Mainframe Hardware can be emulated using the Hercules Emulator. Hercules Emulator is a Software that behaves like a Mainframe. Then we can use the OS/VS2 operating system which is a FREE operating system for Mainframes. For a Terminal we can use a 3270 Terminal Emulator.

In this lecture the full procedure to download the softwares required to work on a Mainframe is explained. The software MVS Turnkey 3.8j system is also explained. All the material required to take this course is explained as well.

The full process to install the softwares to work on a Mainframe is explained in this lecture. The procedure is extremely simple. The cryptoTerm can be easily installed by just launching the installer. The MVS Turnkey system just needs to be extracted and the console mode should be switched on.

Since the softwares are now installed we can boot the MVS up and use it. The act of booting up MVS is called Initial Program Load (IPL) on Mainframes. The full process of IPL is explained in detail in this lecture.

After the IPL is over we will connect to it using CryptoTerm Terminal emulator. Once the login screen arrives we will logon to the TSO environment. TSO stands for Time sharing Option. The username for MVS is HERC01 and password is cul8tr.

Sometimes the Login screeen does not appear. You will see the turnkey symbol without the login option. In that case you can just click on anywhere on the screen and press the enter key. Then enter the username HERC01. It will then ask you for a password. Enter CUL8TR and press enter key again. You will then be logged on to the MVS. This procedure is also explained in this lecture.

Once the work we need to do on a Mainframe is complete we can logoff from the system. We can use the logoff command to accomplish this. The logoff command is entered on the READY prompt.

To shutdown the system we have to enter shutdown on the READY prompt and then press enter. This will submit the shutdown job which will shutdown the system. After submitting this job we should ideally logoff from the system using the logoff command. The shutdown process will start and it will automatically close the MVS command prompt once it is over.

The previous lectures demonstrated how you can run a Mainframe on your own personal computer. When you work for a company then you will be provided with an IP address and a port number to connect to a Mainframe. You will also be given a username and a password to logon after connecting to it.

In that case you just need a Terminal Emulator to connect to a Mainframe. You have to enter the IP address and port number to connect to the mainframe. Once you are connected you can enter the username and password to logon to the TSO environment.

This article explain in detail the entire process to connect to a Company's Mainframe.

In this lecture, I will show you how you can Install and use MVS Turnkey system on Ubuntu. MVS Turnkey system can be just extracted and run on Ubuntu. We can then connect to it using c3270 emulator. This lecture explains the whole procedure in detail.

In this lecture i will show you, how you can connect to a Mainframe using c3270. In Ubuntu you can install c3270 using the command "sudo apt-get install c3270". For connecting to your Mainframe give command "c3270 ip address : port number". You will then be connected to your Mainframe.

IBM Z Xplore (formerly Master the Mainframe) is an annual contest organized by IBM. You will get prizes from IBM if you complete this contest. This article explains the IBM Z Xplore contest in detail.

IBM Badges are helpful in getting employment. To apply for jobs just click on the badges and it will show the skills learned through that badge. You can then click on that skill and it will list all the jobs that are currently available for that skill. You can then apply for that job. In this lecture, I will show you this procedure in detail.

You can display your IBM badge on LinkedIn. It will be shown in your Certifications section. In this video, I will show you how you can display your badge on LinkedIn and share it on your Social Media profiles such as Facebook, Twitter and your own website.

A Mainframe is a large, highly secure computer. It is built to run continuously and process large workloads. Large organizations use it to run their mission critical applications such as airline ticket booking and ATM transactions. This lecture describes Mainframe computers in detail.

The industries which use Mainframe Computers are explained. Mainframes are extensively used in industries like Banks, Retail, Aviation and Railway. The New Jersey government use Mainframe for Unemployment benefit program.

The lecture starts with at scene from IRON MAN.

IBM and the seven dwarfs are explained in detail in this lecture. The seven dwarfs refer to the seven companies which gave competition to IBM in the Mainframe business. IBM was bigger than the seven dwarfs combined and is still the world leader in Mainframes.

The lecture starts with a scene from AVENGERS where Tony Stark is talking about Mainframe.

IBM is the world leader in Mainframe Manufacturing. IBM system 360 was released in 1964 which is the predecessor to the modern z14 mainframe. The journey from the sytem 360 to the modern mainframes is explained in detail in this lecture. 

The lecture starts with a scene from the movie RESIDENT EVIL RETRIBUTION which has reference to Mainframe.

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In 1964 IBM released the System/360 Mainframe. The development of this Mainframe was the second biggest project in the world in 1960s, only after the Apollo space program. The IBM system 360 turned out to be a huge success. The IBM system 360 is explained in detail in this lecture. 

The lecture starts with a scene of the TV series MAD MEN, which has references to the system 360.

Mainframes are considered legacy by many, but still they are extensively used all over the world today. Writers even said that mainframe will die in late 90s but still they are being used and are being developed by IBM. The reasons for widespread use of Mainframe and the features of a Mainframe is explained in detail in this lecture.

The lecture starts with a scene from TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES which has reference to Mainframe.

The lecture gives an overview of the operating systems used on mainframes. At the end of the lecture you will be able to identify the meaning behind the names of these operating systems.

Introduction to the programming languages used on the mainframes. Also you will be able to identify the front end and back-end technologies used on the mainframes.

This lecture describes the ways in which you can process the data on the mainframes. At the end of this lecture you will be able to distinguish between the Batch and Online Transaction processing on mainframes.

Batch processing explained using Whiteboard animation

Quiz around the main concepts of a mainframe system

TSO - Time sharing option is introduced in this lecture. 

In this lecture we logon to a mainframe and run commands on the TSO command prompt. At the end of this lecture you will be able to do operations on a mainframe such as allocating, renaming and listing datasets on mainframes. 

You can interact with TSO using different modes.

1. Directly

2. Batch mode

Either you interact with it directly or you can interact with it using batch mode. The batch mode will use JCL to execute TSO commands. To interact with TSO directly you can use either

1. Line by line mode

2. Full-screen mode

In line by line mode, you will enter a command and TSO will return the result back to you.

In full-screen mode, you will enter a command such as ISPF and OMVS that will start a fullscreen application. You will then use these apps to interact with TSO.

This lecture is a white screen animation video that will explain to you in detail all these modes along with examples.

TSO commands can be executed using various ways.

1. READY prompt

2. ISPF command line

3. ISPF command shell

You can use any of the above to execute a TSO command. You can also use JCL to execute a TSO command. IKJEFT01 program is used to execute such a command. This lecture explains in detail, all the ways that can be used to execute a TSO command.

Some commands such as EDIT have subcommands as well. For example, if we enter into EDIT mode then we can use subcommands such as SAVE which will save the dataset after editing. The TSO subcommands are explained in detail in this lecture.

We can see all the available commands in the TSO region by using the TSO HELP command. TSO HELP gives you a list of all the available commands in the TSO region. This lecture explains the TSO HELP command in detail.

ISPF is not available on MVS Turnkey system. MVS Turnkey system does not have z/OS on it. To work on ISPF you will need access to a Mainframe running z/OS.

The ISPF panel is explained in detail in this lecture. At the end of this lecture you will be able to browse through an ISPF panel on your own.

The PF(Program Function) keys are explained in this lecture. At the end of this lecture you will be able to customize the ISPF panel according to your need as well as assign different function to the Fn keys on your keyboard.

Data set on a z/OS is record-oriented. Whereas, the files on Windows, Mac and Unix are byte-oriented. Hence, saying that a Data set is just a file on a mainframe is completely wrong. Byte-oriented files are unstructured stream of bytes whereas z/OS data sets are organized and structured. The End-of-Line characters such as CR and LF are explained in detail in this lecture. Records and fields in a data set are also explained. The summary of the lecture is attached as the PDF in the resources tab.

There are some rules while naming a data set, that have to be kept in mind while allocating the data set.

• The maximum length of the data set name is 44 characters.

• A data set can only contain alphabets, numbers, hyphen and special characters(#,@,$).

• A data set name is divided into qualifiers of maximum 8 characters each.

• The first qualifier is called the High level qualifier and the last qualifier is called the Low level qualifier.

These are just some of the rules. All the rules are explained in detail along with live examples. The summary of the lectures is attached as a PDF in the resources tab.

It is always advised to use a meaningful name for your data sets. A data set should contain 3 or more meaningful qualifiers. All the major concepts in the Data set naming conventions are explained in detail in this lecture. High level qualifier and low level qualifiers are also explained. The summary of the lecture is attached as a PDF in the resources tab.

This lecture describes the types of datasets that are used on mainframes. At the end of this lecture you will understand what a dataset is and its equivalent on the Personal computer.

Detailed description of allocating a PS and PDS on a mainframe. At the end of this lecture you will be able to allocate PS and PDS datasets on your own. You will also understand the various parameters of a dataset on a mainframe.

A file on a mainframe is called a dataset. In this lecture, the full procedure to create a dataset is explained. Also, the parameters which are required to create a dataset such as Record length, Primary space, Secondary space are also explained.

After completing this lecture you will be able to create PDS datasets on the MVS Turnkey system. You will be able to create a member inside these PDS datasets. And after creating these members you will be able to insert data inside your datasets.

This quiz will test your knowledge about data sets. So let's begin.

Copy data from one dataset to another is explained in detail. At the end of this lecture you will be able to copy through an ISPF panel on a mainframe.

Moving data from one dataset to another is explained. The difference between COPY and MOVE is also described.

You will be able to understand the need and the different option available on the ISPF to compare datasets.

This lecture describes how to list different datasets on the mainframe based on the qualifiers. At the end of this lecture you will be able to search for a particular dataset as well as find a specific information about a string inside a dataset.

This lecture describes the renaming and deleting of datasets through the TSO and ISPF.

This lecture describes the Edit, View and browse operation on the mainframe. At the end of this lecture you will be able to differentiate between EDIT, VIEW and BROWSE commands.

Description of the Commands you can run on the ISPF command line. At the end of this lecture you will be able to do operations like FIND, CHANGE, CUT etc through the ISPF.

This lecture describes how you can navigate to a particular line inside a dataset. At the end of this lecture you will be able to use different commands and function keys to reach to any column or row in a dataset.

DSLIST is used to view a list of all the datasets that we are working on. There are multiple views available in DSLIST. There are views such as

1. VOLUME view

2. ATTRIBUTE view

3. SPACE view

4. TOTAL view

Each view shows different information about the datasets. This lecture explains in detail all these views.

i command can be used to insert a single line. To insert multiple lines you can use a command like i8 which will insert 8 lines. Similarly i9 will insert 9 lines. In this lecture the insert command is explained in detail.

You can delete a single line by giving d on that particular line. To delete multiple lines you can give a command like d4 which will delete 4 lines. You can also use block delete command. This lecture explains the delete command in detail.

We can repeat a single line or a block of lines by using the repeat command. For that just use r command. Enter r over the 6 digit number in the line command field and press the enter key. The line will be repeated. This lecture explains this procedure in detail.

To copy a line to another position you can use the command 'c'. To move a single line you can use the command 'm'. To copy or move multiple you can give the command followed by a number, for eg c8 and m4. Block command can also be used. Also we can use after, before and overwrite with these commands. In this lecture these commands are explained in detail.

Exclude command can be used to hide certain lines while editing the dataset. You can exclude a single line or you can exclude a group of lines using block command. This lecture explains the exclude command in detail.

Once the lines are hidden, then they can be made visible again by using the show command. The s command can be used to show a single line or a group of lines. The show command is explained in detail in this lecture.

Uppercase command is used to change a line to uppercase. JCL code is required to be written in uppercase in order to execute. The uppercase command 'uc' can be used to convert the lines in a JCL dataset to uppercase. Similarly, you can use lowercase to change them back to lowercase again. This lecture explains both of these commands in detail.

You can use first and last command to show excluded lines in a dataset. First command will show the first excluded line. Last command will show the last command. This lecture explains both of these commands in detail.

A line in a dataset can be split into a second line by giving the text split command. You can put the cursor on a particular column and then give the ts command. Then press the enter key, the data from the cursor and afterward will be split into the second line. This lecture explains the text split command in detail.

To get the hexadecimal value of a line, you can give hx in front of that line. This lectures explains the hexadecimal command in detail.

The COLS command can be used to see the column numbers in a dataset. It can be given in multiple lines as well. The COLS command is explained in detail in this lecture.

Columns in a dataset can be shifted in either direction. Column shift command can cause loss of data in a dataset. You can shift only a single line or you can shift multiple lines using this command. The Column shift command is explained in detail in this lecture.

Data shift command can be used to shift data in a line. In data shift there is no loss of data. You can shift data in either direction, left or right. This lecture explains the data shift command in detail.

Messages, Notes, and Columns in a dataset can be saved in a dataset by using the MD command. This data is removed from the dataset when reset command is used. If you want the message to become part of the dataset then you can use the MD command. This lecture explains the MD command in detail.

If you want certain data to be part of every single line then you can input that data using the MASK command. The data that you enter in the MASK line will be part of every single line that you will insert in the dataset. This lecture explains the MASK command in detail.

TABS command can be used to enter data into a dataset into a specific column. If you want to enter data into a dataset into a specific column into each line, then you can use the TABS command. This lecture explains the TABS command in detail.

MASK, TABS and COLS command can be used together to input data into a dataset. This lecture explains in detail how you can use these commands together.

This lecture summarizes the EDIT-Line commands. The commands such as edit, insert, copy, move etc are explained along with examples in this lecture.

REFRESH command is used to REFRESH the Data set list utility panel. Once we run a command such as delete a dataset, then after that we can run the REFRESH command. The deleted dataset still appears on the DSLIST. To remove such datasets and other such redundant information on the screen, we can use REFRESH command.

Once you form a DSLIST then after that you can also add more datasets to the DSLIST using the APPEND command. This way you can work on your set of datasets that you have created. This lecture explains in detail the APPEND command in DSLIST.

Once we have a DSLIST then we can use EXCLUDE command to hide the datasets that we do not want to see. This command is useful if our DSLIST has some datasets that we will not be working on, but still appear on the DSLIST. This lecture explains EXCLUDE command in detail.

DSLIST can be sorted by various attributes. It can be sorted by VOLUME, TRACKS, NAME of the dataset etc. This feature is useful when we want to work on our datasets in a particular manner. Such as working on the largest datasets first and then on the smallest datasets. This lecture explains SORT a DSLIST in detail.

MEMBER command is useful when we want to search for a member among multiple datasets. MEMBER command can be given in the ISPF command line. If we want to search for a member called "subjcl" in the datasets then we will give a command like MEMBER SUBJCL. Then in the DSLIST we will be able to see the datasets that have this particular member inside them. This lecture explains in detail the MEMBER command.

SAVE command can be used to save the list of members in a dataset. Once we give SAVE inside a PDS, then it will save the name of all the members inside this dataset along with their details. This lectures explains the SAVE command in detail.

CONFIRM command is used to show or hide the confirm delete panel. Once we give the d command in front of a dataset to delete it, then a new panel is opened. This panel asks us whether we really want to delete the dataset or not. This panel can be disabled or enabled using the CONFIRM command. This lecture explains the CONFIRM command in detail.

RESET command is used in a dataset to hide the extra details such as MSGS or COLS in a dataset. The RESET command will hide the PROFILE information as well. This lecture explains the RESET command in detail.

LC is the List Color Utility. Using this utility we can change the color of the ISPF interface. The 3270 interface support only few colors such as RED, CYAN, GREEN, TURQUOISE, etc. This lecture explains in detail the LC utility.

SRCHFOR command is used to find a string inside a dataset. We can use SRCHFOR if we want to find a particular string in a dataset or a group of datasets. SRCHFOR command is explained in detail in this lecture.

SRCHFOR can also be used to find hexadecimal values. Also, it can be used to find case sensitive strings. This lecture explains in detail the SRCHFOR command for such strings.

This lecture defines various PROFILE options. At the end of this lecture you will be able to run commands such as CAPS, HEX, AUTOSAVE through ISPF.

This lecture describes the three commands, similar to History on a PC, Retrieve Nretriev and Autotype. At the end of this lecture you will be get the list of the datasets and commands you last accessed on the mainframe.

At the end of this lecture you will understand why you need to compress a dataset. Also you will know the difference between a PDS and a PDSE.

If you are using Ubuntu, then you can connect to Mainframe using Terminal. In this lecture, I explain how you can connect to a Mainframe using SSH while you are on Ubuntu.