z/OS Boot Camp
Get your new hires in the Zone with our fabulous Z Boot Camp. Our instructors will amaZe your staff with their
experience and knowledge, as they work through the curriculum and transform your employees into Z wiZards.

z/OS Boot Camp Roadmap
Introduction to IT
- Origins of processing information using digital technology
- How digital technology is implemented in modern day computers
- Major hardware components of a computer
- System software and applications
- Number systems
- Relationship between components such as:
- Processor
- Memory
- Input/output
- Operating system tasks
- Data storage fundamentals (including databases)
- Communications technologies
Introduction to Z Systems
- Concepts and facilities offered by Z Systems mainframes (hardware and software levels)
- Hardware components, concentrating on power and scalability offered on Z Systems
- z/OS operating system’s major functions
- The range of operating systems supported
- Compatibility with legacy systems
- z/OS operating system
- Subsystems that run on z/OS (JES, TSO/ISPF, DBMSs, ACFs, z/OS Communications Server, etc.)
- Online transaction processing (OLTP)
- Benefits of a 64-bit Operating System
- Virtualization
- Redundancy
- Availability (through technologies such as design of the hardware, z/VM, PR/SM and Parallel Sysplex)
z/OS Data Structures
- Data fields, records, and data sets
- Data types (Sequential, Partitioned, VSAM, and Databases)
- The UNIX file system
- z/OS methods used to store and find data (VTOCs, Catalogs, and z/OS subsystems)
- CAS, LPA, and VLF.
- System Managed Storage (DFSMS) concepts
z/OS Systems and Subsystems
- Details of each Subsystems (within z/OS) and relationships with each other
- z/OS Base Control Program (BCP)
- z/OS Communications Server (SNA and TCP/IP)
- Security Packages (RACF, ACF2, TopSecret)
- The system programmer, administrator and user development environment (TSO/ISPF)
- Online Transaction Processing (CICS)
- Data Base Management Systems (DB2 and IMS)
- Web services (WebSphere and MQ Series)
- Batch processing (JES2, JCL, Initiators)
- System initialization parameters
- Protection the operating system affords against malfunctioning software and hardware (ACR, ABEND, etc.)
- Documentation and interpretation of error messages and codes
- Initialization of a z/OS partition
TSO/ISPF
- ISPF Menu system
- Action bar
- Panel skip
- Window split
- Starting multiple windows
- Create and manipulate datasets
- Submit batch work
- Obtain information on system parameters, settings, and operation
- Run foreground applications
- Examine and manipulate system output
- Enter the Unix environment and issue TSO commands
- The ISPF Full Screen Editor
JCL and Utilities
- The three major JCL statements (JOB, EXEC and DD)
- The use, format, and syntax of each
- Creation of datasets of various kinds (sequential and PDS)
- The manipulation of those datasets within a multi-step job (moving, passing, cataloging, deleting, etc.)
- Catalogued and Instream procedures
- Building Generation Data Groups
- Creating and manipulating generation data sets as well as VSAM data sets
- Step restart and the use of conditional step execution
- Utilities involving listing data set, sorting data, and creating VSAM clusters and GDGs
- Use of IEFBR14
- System Managed Storage (DFSMS)
- SDSF
Intro to Structured Programming and REXX (Optional)
- Defining terms
- Language translator and Linkage Editor
- List 5 constructs of Structured Programming
- Subroutines
- Differences between REXX program and Stored program.
- Create REXX procedures- invoke TSO/E commands and programs
- Create REXX procedures- perform I/O against sequential and partitioned data sets
- Create ISREDIT macros- enhance the ISPF edit environment
- Create REXX procedures- interact with the MVS operator’s console
- Create REXX procedures- capture and tailor the output of TSO/E commands
Have questions about our z/OS Boot Camp? Reach out to us to learn more!