Version 3.0.0 (October 2024)

Welcome to the Version 3.0.0 release of Zowe!

Version 3.0 introduced breaking changes and a number of new features.

• See Important updates for a full list of changes to the functionality.
• See Conformance and release compatibility for V3 Conformance Criteria updates and compatibility with V2.

Download v3.0.0 build: Want to try new features as soon as possible? You can download the v3.0.0 build from Zowe.org.

V3 office hours videos A series of Zowe V3 LTS office hours are available which detail all changes introduced in Zowe V3. For more information about these office hours and the new features in Zowe V3, see Zowe V3 Office Hours.

Important updates

Zowe installation and packaging

Breaking changes in Zowe installation and packaging

• The original V2 configuration management, zowe.useConfigmgr=false has been dropped in Zowe V3. The Configuration Manager remains as the only supported method for configuring Zowe.

New features and enhancements in Zowe installation and packaging

• Introducing Zowe Server Install Wizard, a wizard to simplify installation and configuration of Zowe server side components via a UI.
• Added explanation to possible error message when checking z/OSMF setting. (#3956)

Zowe Application Framework

Breaking changes in Zowe Application Framework

• Updated Angular to Version 18 from Version 12. Apps built upon Angular, excluding iframe apps, will need to be updated to be compatible with the V3 Desktop.

New features and enhancements in Zowe Application Framework

Zlux App Manager

• Updated the Desktop Angular version from 12 to 18. Angular apps written for V2 will need to be upgraded to work in V3. Iframe and React is unaffected. (#639)
• The V2 Desktop is included alongside the V3 Desktop as a temporary compatibility option for the duration of the V2 maintenance schedule. Any user can switch to the V2 Desktop via the ?use-v2-desktop=true parameter. (#639)

Zlux App Server

• Added new pluginDefinition property to allow plugins to simultaneously contain v2 and v3 web assets. This property, webContent.entryPoint, can contain a “3.0” element which states the location of the entry JS file that the Desktop would load. See the tn3270-ng2 app for an example of its usage. (#323) (#567)

Zowe Common C

• Added javascript zos.getStatvfs(path) function to obtain file system information. (#482)
• Added support for LE 64-bit in isgenq.c. (#422)
• Added more arguments to httpClientSessionInit to allow passing back rc. (#467)

ZSS

• If no zowe.logDirectory is defined in config, logging is disabled. (#726)
• Exposed new cross-memory server's functions in dynlink. (#684)

Bug fixes in Zowe Application Framework

Zowe Common C

• IARV64 results must be checked for 0x7FFFF000 (#474)
• SLH should not ABEND when MEMLIMIT is reached (additional NULL check)

ZSS

• Added Support for cross-memory server parameters longer than 128 characters. (#684)

Known Issues

Some apps and features of V2 Desktop have not yet been added to the V3 Desktop

• The Editor app is not present on the V3 Desktop, but you can access it in the V2 desktop by including ?use-v2-desktop=true at the end of your Desktop URL.
• Support for languages other than English is limited. You can set your language preference in the V2 desktop, but this menu is not yet present in the V3 desktop and some parts of the V3 desktop will not yet honor the language choice.

API Mediation Layer (API ML)

Breaking changes in API ML

Change in Zowe V3	Required action
Authentication endpoints no longer support the route /api/v1/gateway. Only /gateway/api/v1 is now supported.	If you use the endpoints directly, change the URLs to start with /gateway/api/v1. If you use ZAAS client to integrate with API Mediation Layer, no action is required as the change is handled in the ZAAS client code.
Spring Enabler has been updated to Spring Boot 3 and Spring 6. Spring Boot 2 and Spring 5 versions are no longer be supported	Upgrade extending services based on the Spring Enabler to Spring Boot 3 and Spring 6.
Datasets API has been archived	This service was disabled by default in Version 2. If you enable the service via components.data-sets.enabled: true and use the APIs documented in Data sets Swagger, it is necessary to move to the usage of the similar z/OSMF endpoints.
Jobs API will be archived	The service was disabled by default in Version 2. If you enable the service via components.jobs.enabled: true and use the APIs documented in Jobs Swagger, it is necessary to move to the usage of the similar z/OSMF endpoints.
Metrics service has been archived	The service was in Technical Preview. Currently there is no replacement. In V3, the Open Telemetry standard will be implemented, which will serve as a replacement.
IMS API has been archived	The service was not fully supported. If you were using the API, please reach out to the IBM team for follow-up steps.
Java 17 is required to run the API Mediation Layer	For V3, it is necessary to update z/OS to version 2.5 or later as this brings support of Java 17. It is necessary to install Java 17 and provide the path to Java 17 to Zowe Java configuration.
z/OSMF in version V2R5 with APAR PH12143 applied	If you are running a version of z/OS before 3.1, validate that the PH12143 APAR was applied to the z/OSMF installation used by Zowe. The Zowe YAML parameter components.gateway.apiml.security.auth.zosmf.jwtAutoconfiguration for the gateway component has changed. The value auto is no longer allowed. Choose either the default jwt or ltpa depending on if your z/OSMF is set up for JWT use as recommended. See example-zowe.yaml for new component values.
Configuration of keyrings now requires transformation from safkeyring://// to safkeyring://	If your Zowe configuration contains safkeyring:////, change this part to safkeyring://.
Support access to z/OSMF only through /ibmzosmf route. V3 will not support access through the /zosmf route	If you use z/OSMF via {apimlUrl}/zosmf/{zosmfEndpoint} you need to move to {apimlUrl}/ibmzosmf/{zosmfEndpoint}.

New features and enhancements in API ML

The current API Gateway contains the Authentication and Authorization Service. This service will be separated as a standalone service. The Authentication and Authorization Service is the only API ML service that directly requires z/OS.

ZSS

Breaking changes in ZSS

• ZSS now defaults to running in 64-bit mode, which requires extensions that include ZSS plugins to also have 64-bit editions. Although 64-bit is recommended to avoid 31-bit memory consumption, The YAML property components.zss.agent.64bit=false can be used to switch back to 31-bit if needed for extension that have not yet been updated for 64-bit. Note that only one version of ZSS can run at a time.

Explorer for Intellij IDEA

New features and enhancements in Explorer for Intellij IDEA

• Explorer for IntelliJ IDEA will be part of the Zowe Core
• Working with USS Files
• Working with Data Sets
• Working with JES Working Sets
• Interactive TSO Console

Explorer for Visual Studio Code

Breaking changes in Explorer for Visual Studio Code

Change in Zowe V3	Required action
V1 profile support removed.	Implement a team configuration or use Zowe Explorer's built-in V1 profile conversion functionality
Deprecated items removed.	Zowe Explorer extenders or users of the Zowe Explorer APIs need to review the breaking changes and adjust their code to account for removed/changed classes, functions, and constants. See changes listed in Issue 2238.
Extension settings stored in local storage.	Settings and history previously stored in the .vscode settings folder are no longer available. Users will have to adjust their Zowe Explorer settings after updating to V3.
No longer using a temporary directory for storing data sets and USS files. All settings related to the temporary downloads folder have been removed.	Refer to the FileSystemProvider documentation for information on how to build and access resource URIs. Extenders can detect changes to resources using the onResourceChanged function in the ZoweExplorerApiRegister class.
Data set templates moved out of data set history settings into new setting zowe.ds.templates.	Use the new zowe.ds.templates setting.

New features and enhancements in Explorer for Visual Studio Code

• Storing persistent settings in local storage.
• Use a right-click option to compare files in MVS view, USS view, and across the two views.
• Minimized activation function for Zowe Explorer to load only necessary items on activation. (#1985)
• Added UI migration steps on startup for users with V1 profiles to either convert existing V1 profiles to a team configuration file or create a new team configuration file. (#2284)
• Added support for logging in to multiple API ML instances per team configuration file. (#2264)
• Added remote lookup functionality for data sets and USS files, allowing Zowe Explorer to locate and resolve mainframe resources on demand. (#3040)
• Implemented change detection in the data sets and USS filesystems so that changes on the mainframe are reflected in opened editors for data sets and USS files. (#3040)
• Implemented a "Show as Table" option for profile nodes in the Jobs tree, displaying lists of jobs in a tabular view. Jobs can be filtered and sorted within this view, and users can select jobs to cancel, delete, or download. (#2258)
• Implemented the VS Code FileSystemProvider for the Data Sets, Jobs, and USS trees to handle all read/write actions as well as conflict resolution. See the FileSystemProvider wiki page for more information on the FileSystemProvider. (#2207)
• Added a new command called Issue UNIX Command that is available in the VS Code command palette or via right-click action in the USS tree view. (#1326)
• Added a prompt to create a new Zowe client configuration for an environment that does not have any Zowe client configurations. (#3148)
• Implemented support for saving as a Favorite a data set search query that contains member wildcards. (#1164)
• Changed default base profile naming scheme in newly generated configuration files to prevent name and property conflicts between Global and Project profiles. (#2682)
• Set up POEditor project for contributing translations. Cleaned up redundant localization strings. (#546)
• Added integration and end-to-end test framework to verify extension behavior and catch issues during Zowe Explorer development. (#2322)

Bug fixes in Explorer for Visual Studio Code

• The "Zowe Resources" panel is now hidden by default until Zowe Explorer reveals it to display a table or other data. (#3113)
• Fixed behavior of logout action when token is defined in both a base profile and parent profile. (#3076)
• Fixed bug that displayed obsolete profiles in the Zowe Explorer tree views after the associated team configuration file was deleted. (#3124)
• Fixed issue with extender profiles not being included in configuration files created by Zowe Explorer. (#3122)
• Fixed issue where file extensions were removed from data sets, causing language detection to sometimes fail for Zowe Explorer extenders. (#3121)
• Fixed an issue where copying and pasting a file/folder in the USS tree would fail abruptly, displaying an error. (#3128)
• Removal of broken VSC command to Zowe Explorer: Refresh Zowe Explorer, use VS Code's Extensions: Refresh command instead. (#3100)
• Fixed issue where Zowe Explorer would reload the VS Code window during initialization when no configuration files are present. (#3147)
• Fixed issue where obsolete credentials persisted for PDS member nodes in Data Sets tree. (#3112)
• Fixed issue where Search operation did not prompt for credentials if profile contains expired token. (#2259)
• Fixed issue where inactive status was not displayed for profiles loaded from global configuration. (#3134)
• Fixed issue where switching from token-based authentication to user/password would cause an error for nested profiles. (#3142)
• Fix issue with outdated SSH credentials stored securely in the SSH profile causing errors. (#2901)
• Fixed vNext-only issue where users are not able to create data sets. (#2783)
• Omitted the following Zowe Explorer commands from the Command Palette that do not execute properly when run as a standalone command:
  • Zowe Explorer: Cancel job
  • Zowe Explorer: Filter jobs
  • Zowe Explorer: Filter PDS members
  • Zowe Explorer: Sort jobs
  • Zowe Explorer: Sort PDS members
  • Zowe Explorer: Start Polling
  • Zowe Explorer: Stop Polling
• Ported the following fixes from V2:
  • Moved schema warnings into the log file (rather than a UI message) to minimize end-user disruption. (#2860)
• Fix issue with base profile not being included in configuration files created by Zowe Explorer. (#2887)
• Fixed an issue where the onProfilesUpdate event did not fire after secure credentials were updated. (#2822)
• Fixed issue where saving changes to favorite PDS member fails when custom temp folder is set on Windows. (#2880)
• Fixed issue where multiple extensions that contribute profiles to a tree view using the Zowe Explorer API may fail to load. (#2888)
• Fixed regression where getProviderForNode returned the wrong tree provider after performing an action on a Zowe tree node, causing some commands to fail silently. (#2967)
• Fixed issue where creating a new team configuration file could cause Zowe Explorer to crash, resulting in all sessions disappearing from trees. (#2906)
• Addressed breaking changes from the Zowe Explorer API package. (#2952)
• Fixed data set not opening when the token has expired. (#3001)
• Fixed an issue where upgrading from Zowe Explorer V1 and selecting "Reload Extensions" causes Zowe Explorer V3 to fail during initialization. (#3051)
• Fixed an issue where remote lookup functionality caused the local side of a conflict to be overwritten with the remote contents. (#3085)
• Fixed an issue where the remote conflict icons showed when using the "Compare with Selected" feature. (#3085)
• Resolved an issue where extender event callbacks were not always fired when the team configuration file was created, updated, or deleted. (#3078)
• Fixed issue with UnixCommand prompting for credentials. (#2762)
• Fixed issue where listing data sets or USS files would cause a drastic increase in API calls, causing delays or a complete halt in Zowe Explorer. (#3093)
• Fixed issue where "Allocate Like" input box placeholder was showing a localization ID instead of the intended message ("Enter a name for the new data set"). (#2759)
• Fixed concerns regarding Unix command handling work. (#2866)
• Fixed default behavior of "Create a new Team Configuration File" to create a Project Config instead of Project User Config. (#2684)
• Adjusted order of "Manage Profile" and "Edit History" options in the Jobs tree's context menu to match the other trees. (#2670)
• Fixed issue where spools with duplicate DD names would overwrite each other causing less spools in job output view (#2315)
• Changed ZoweExplorerExtender.initForZowe profileTypeConfigurations: imperative.ICommandProfileTypeConfiguration[] to a required argument to address issues seen after registration of profile type when not passed. (#2575)
• Updated various dependencies for technical currency. (#3146, #3057, #2754)

Complete changelogs for Zowe Explorer for Visual Studio Code and Zowe Explorer plug-ins

For a complete list of enhancements and bug fixes, see the following changelogs:

• Zowe Explorer
• Zowe Explorer CICS Extension
• Zowe Explorer FTP Extension

Zowe CLI (Core)

Breaking changes in Zowe CLI

Change in Zowe V3	Required action
New format for error messages to improve clarity.	Adjust Zowe CLI scripts that parse error messages to handle the new error format
V1 profile support removed.	Implement a team configuration or use Zowe CLI's built-in V1 profile conversion command: zowe config convert
Deprecated items removed.	Zowe CLI extenders or users of the Zowe Client Node.js SDK will need to review the breaking changes and adjust their code to account for removed/changed classes, functions, and constants. See changes listed in Zowe CLI Issue 1694 and Imperative Issue 1873.
Added informative messages identifying why a user is being prompted for connection property values during a CLI command.	N/A
Removed record format (recfm) validation when issuing zowe files create commands.	N/A
Added Zowe release version output for --version.	Update scripts that run the zowe --version command to handle the new format
Removed all profiles commands, since they only worked with now-obsolete V1 profiles.	N/A
Replaced the ZOWE_EDITOR environment variable with ZOWE_OPT_EDITOR and --editor option on commands.	Use ZOWE_OPT_EDITOR to set your default text editor
Removed the bright command from the product.	Replace bright with zowe in scripts

New features and enhancements in Zowe CLI

• The 'zowe config auto-init' command now generates two base profile types, 'global_base' or 'project_base', depending on whether a global or project configuration file is generated. (Zowe Explorer #2682).
• Use the zowe zos-files search data-sets command to search for a string in a data set or PDS member matching a pattern. (#2095)
• Zowe client log files are consolidated into the same directory. (#2116)
• Changed references in command output from 'Team Configuration' to 'Zowe client configuration' to align with Zowe terminology. (#2019)
• Prompt for user/password on SSH commands when a token is stored in the configuration file. (#2081)
• Replaced the term "Team configuration" with "Zowe client configuration" in the zowe config report-env command to align with Zowe terminology.
• Search spool files for a specified string or regular expression with the new zowe zos-jobs search job command.
• Use the new name-only alias to root on config list command. (#1797)
• Use the new --binary and --encoding options with the zosfiles edit command.
• Revised the help text for consistency and improved user experience. (#1756)

Bug fixes in Zowe CLI

• Updated documentation for the zos-files search ds command's --mainframe-search option to include a disclaimer about z/OSMF API limitations. (#2160)
• Fixed a bug where a data set search would not return a search term if it was at the beginning of a line. (#2147)
• Fixed an error in the zos-files list all-members command that could occur when members contain control characters in the name. (#2104)
• Removed stack trace for zosjobs errors. (#2078)
• Fixed default base profile missing in configuration generated by zowe config auto-init. (#2088)
• Eliminated a Node Version Manager (NVM) GUI popup dialog which NVM now displays during the zowe config report-env command by removing the NVM version number from our report.
• Properly construct workflow error messages to display properly with V3 error formatting.
• Fixed typo in command help for zowe zos-workflows create commands.
• Updated various dependencies for technical currency. (#2242, #2188, #2158, #2102, #2107, #2077, #2061, #2057)

Complete changelogs for Zowe CLI and Zowe CLI plug-ins

• Zowe CLI
• Zowe CLI Imperative
• IBM CICS Plug-in for Zowe CLI
• IBM Db2 Databse Plug-in Zowe CLI
• IBM z/OS FTP Plug-in Zowe CLI
• IBM MQ Plug-in Zowe CLI

Conformance and release compatibility

Backward compatibility

Zowe V2 conformant extensions/plug-ins are not guaranteed to be compatible with Zowe V3 and therefore may not be operable. In general, plug-ins/extensions which leverage V3 APIs that have known breaking changes are at high risk of incompatibility and unpredictable results.

Recommendation: All V2 extenders test with Zowe V3, identify any issues, and disclose results to consumers to clearly indicate backward compatibility status in the extension documentation. If unable to test, clearly document as such.

Forward compatibility

Zowe V3 conformant (planning to earn conformance) extensions/plug-ins are not guaranteed to be compatible with Zowe V2 LTS. In general, plug-ins/extensions with no known dependency on any newly introduced Zowe V2 functions are at minimum risk.

Recommendation: All V3 extenders test with Zowe V2 LTS, identify any issues, and disclose results to consumers to clearly indicate forward compatibility status in the extension documentation. If unable to test, clearly document as such.

Conformance compatibility

Zowe V2 conformant extensions/plug-ins are likely to require changes to meet Zowe V3 conformance criteria. All extensions (regardless of V2 conformance status) must apply for V3 conformance and satisfy all required V3 testing criteria. You can find the V3 Conformance Criteria here.

Recommendation: All extenders interested in earning V3 conformance review the V3 conformance criteria, determine if technical changes are necessary, make appropriate modifications and prepare to apply for V3 conformance.

Need help? For assistance with reviewing or completing the Zowe Conformance Zowe V3 application, reach out to members of the Zowe Onboarding Squad on Slack at https://slack.openmainframeproject.org in the #zowe-onboarding channel.