Mainframe Development Fundamentals
Published by O'Reilly Media, Inc.
From traditional approaches of ISPF and COBOL to modern systems like Zowe and VSCode 
Mainframes are some of the most powerful computer systems in the world, able to process up to 19 billion transactions a day for some of the world’s largest businesses—from airline reservations to insurance claims to credit card processing. They are also key for essential government services like unemployment insurance, Social Security payments, and even military functions. The mainframe industry has grown during the past few years, in part because of ongoing innovations in the technology. But large enterprises have also seen the urgent need for digital transformation and have begun to explore modernization strategies. This has spurred demand for developers who can seamlessly connect legacy mainframe systems with modern technologies like smartphones and web applications.
Join mainframe expert Tom Taulli to get a primer on this far-from-moribund industry. You’ll review traditional approaches to development with the use of tools like ISPF and the COBOL language, and take a look at modern systems like Zowe and VS Code. And you’ll leave with a good idea of what mainframe developers do and the opportunities that this dynamic field can offer.
What you’ll learn and how you can apply it
By the end of this live online course, you’ll understand:
- The advantages and growth drivers for mainframes
- The traditional tools like TSO and ISPF for developing on the mainframe
- The modern approaches and software platforms for development on the mainframe
- The role of a mainframe developer
- The skills you’ll need to be a successful mainframe developer
And you’ll be able to:
- Evaluate the tools for developing on the mainframe
- Identify some of the key ways to work with a mainframe
This live event is for you because...
- You’re an experienced developer who is looking to expand your career opportunities.
- You work with corporate IT systems and want to understand the basics of mainframe development.
- You want to become a mainframe developer, such as by working with languages like COBOL.
Prerequisites
- A computer with OpenCOBOLIDE installed
- A basic understanding of computer programming
Recommended preparation:
- Read chapters 2–4 in Modern Mainframe Development (book)
Recommended follow-up:
- Finish Modern Mainframe Development (book)
Schedule
The time frames are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing.
Introduction (5 minutes)
- Presentation: Drivers for growth in the mainframe industry
- Group discussion: Your experience level with mainframes and COBOL; why you are interested in a career in mainframe development
What are mainframes, anyway? (25 minutes)
- Presentation and demo: History of the mainframe; mainframe structure—virtualization and transaction processing; using a live mainframe to log in; types of software—databases and customer information control system (CICS); the mainframe today
- Hands-on exercise: Complete handout
- Q&A
Traditional development approaches (30 minutes)
- Presentation and demo: On-mainframe tools—ISPF, TSO, z/OS, 3270 emulation; how ISPF works; COBOL and other mainframe languages
- Hands-on exercise: Explore OpenCOBOLIDE
- Q&A
- Break
Modern mainframe systems (20 minutes)
- Presentation: Innovation and open source strategies; Zowe; the role of a mainframe developer; hyperscalers (Google, Microsoft, and Amazon) and their move into the mainframe world
- Hands-on exercise: Explore Zowe; download Zowe and try out an example
Wrap-up and Q&A (10 minutes)
Your Instructor
Tom Taulli
Tom Taulli (@ttaulli) has authored several books, such as AI-Assisted Programming: Better Planning, Coding, Testing, and Deployment. He works as an IT consultant and has taught courses at UCLA, PluralSight, and O'Reilly Media. His teachings focus on a range of topics like AI, data analytics, and robotic process automation).