Organizations are transforming their development processes and achieving better business outcomes by incorporating DevOps best practices like test automation and shift-left test.

Test automation is a fundamental component of the continuous integration (CI)/continuous delivery (CD) pipeline for code build, test and deployment. Test automation uses tools that include powerful test frameworks to programmatically execute test cases as soon as code is delivered including verifying and recording results. This drives continuous testing from unit test to application integration and performance test, ensuring greater code coverage and fewer defects.

Shift-left test is a best practice in which application integration test occurs early in the CI/CD pipeline, before formal code build, so more complex problems are discovered sooner.

IBM has the expertise and solutions to help your organization develop a strategy to transform testing for your z/OS-powered hybrid applications.

IBM provides a set of tools to help clients test their z/OS applications and address their challenges and incorporate DevOps best practices for automated, shift-left testing in their CI/CD pipeline.

The z/OS Automated Unit Test Framework (ZUnit) provides the tools to automate the unit testing of z/OS programs written in the COBOL and PL/I programming languages. It is based upon the open, xunit.net framework. With ZUnit create, record, and run testcases for COBOL and PL/I programs, and provides the following benefits:

• Gain efficiencies by developing a set of repeatable test cases. Write once and automate.
• Improve code quality using a programmatic and data-driven approach to gain broader code coverage.
• Reduce complexity by removing requirements to test with a full middleware stack, by intercepting calls to CICS®, Db2®, and IMS.

Develop automated test cases for COBOL and PL/I applications including batch and CICS applications.

ZUnit is a component of IBM Developer for z/OS and z/OS Explorer.

1. Learn how to install IBM Developer for z/OS.
2. Understand the components of ZUnit, setup, and begin developing test cases.

IBM Z Virtual Test Platform (zVTP) provides a solution to shift left and perform application integration testing for z/OS applications earlier in the development cycle, and provides the following benefits:

• Reduce the cost of finding complex bugs late in the cycle by shifting left the application integration testing prior to formal code build
• Reduce complexity by removing requirements to test with a full middleware stack, by intercepting calls to CICS, DB2, and IMS
• Improve code quality using record and playback to thoroughly drive code paths, enabling automation.

Test batch, CICS, and IMS applications written in COBOL, PL/I and assembler.

Begin using IBM Z Virtual Test Platform.

The IBM distribution for Galasa is an open, test automation framework for the end-end, integration testing of z/OS applications that are components of larger hybrid applications. It provides the following benefits:

• Automate the testing of hybrid applications where z/OS is a component
• Scale complex, cross-platform application integration scenarios

SimBank, distributed with Galasa, simulates a mainframe application.

Access the Galasa Community and explore the SimBank use case or download the IBM distribution for Galasa.

Begin using the IBM distribution for Galasa.

1. Download, install, set up, and begin developing test cases.

IBM Development and Test environment (ZD&T) provides a z/OS sandbox on x86 hardware, deployed on a personal computer or virtual machine, or as a container on Red Hat OpenShift. and provides the following benefits:

• Accelerate product deliveries by removing barriers to accessing IBM Z® hardware for complex test scenarios
• Improve product quality by shifting left application integration testing with a full middleware stack.

ZD&T has the following offerings to support a variety of usage requirements: Personal Edition, Enterprise Edition, and Parallel Sysplex Edition.

1. Sign up for a trial, to begin experiencing IBM Z Development and Test Environment.
2. Install, set up, and begin development and test, to begin using IBM Z Development and Test Platform.

IBM Virtual Dev and Test For z/OS (ZVDT) is the industry’s first and only virtual environment that runs current, genuine z/OS software and middleware on-premises Linux on IBM zSystems. It has been developed in lock step with IBM zSystems hardware, offering unmatched performance, application portability and compatibility.

ZVDT was designed to be used for development and early test of new application functions, as well as maintenance changes. Additionally, ZVDT can also be used for:

• Unit tests, early integration, and functional tests
• Investigation and verification of new middleware levels (version-to-version upgrades)
• Prototyping new application architectures
• Demonstration of application function
• Internal employee education and training.

• Drive new software faster, with higher quality, to production:
  • Shift-left testing
  • Work in isolation or parallel.
• Employee education on an economical and easy-to-build environment.
• Easily test new z/OS and middleware versions or patches without compromising the real environment.
• Enable continuous integration and agile development methodologies for z/OS to adapt to changing business requirements easier.

Technical documentation

Technical blog

Solution brief

Accelerate cloud native development and testing of z/OS applications with z/OS Virtual Server in IBM Cloud® Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). It’s your own protected space in the IBM Cloud with the security of a private cloud and the agility of a public cloud. Highlights include the following.

Personal z/OS Dev and Test system in your Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

• On-Demand z/OS Dev and Test system
• Stock image with pre-installed and customized software
• Near IBM zSystems Performance
• Infrastructure as a Service with flexible consumption model

Wazi Image Builder

• Create Custom images from your on-premises LPAR
• Automation to deploy in IBM Cloud

Strategic roadmap

• Cloud native developer experience with Wazi Code, analyze, pipeline and testing capabilities

Wazi as a service allows for early development and testing, education, innovation and infrastructure testing.

Quick onboarding guide

Wazi Developer Self Paced Learning Course

Develop and test z/OS application components in a personal, virtual, containerized OpenShift z/OS environment. Wazi Sandbox is a component of the Z and Cloud Modernization Stack.

Wazi Sandbox creates an environment for mainframe application demonstration, development, testing, and education without Z Mainframe hardware, enables z/OS middleware and other z/OS software to run on Intel and other compatible computers, and emulates z/Architecture® with virtual I/O and devices.

Create (self-service) a developer workspace on OpenShift with services needs.

Early development and test in a developer-controlled workspace using their IDE of choice.

Wazi Developer Self Paced Learning Course