VSEn
New Name, Full Compatibility
VSEn 6.4 key features and future direction reflect 21CS’s investment in the VSE ecosystem
Investing in the Future of VSEn
Our first version of the VSE operating system entered the market under the name VSEn 6.3 and is designed to offer non-disruptive compatibility with previous versions of IBM z/VSE.
Newly released VSEn6.4 builds upon the source code license agreement 21CS completed with IBM on June 1, 2021. The updated VSEn6.4 features:
✔️ IBM z17 Support
✔️ Fast System Upgrades
✔️ Smarter License Management
✔️ REST APIs for Batch
✔️ Cloud-Native Connectors
✔️ Modern Crypto Ciphers
Why VSEn is Different
Elevate and Enhance Your VSE Experience
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Complete Support
21CS VSEn is the only VSE OS supported on the latest models of the IBM Z hardware: IBM z16 A02/AGZ and IBM z17.
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Rapid System Upgrade
Our Fast System Upgrade is fast and easy. The OS takes just minutes to upgrade - with your entire environment, including testing, complete in days and weeks, not months or years.
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Slash Monthly Costs
Upgrading to VSEn means avoiding the monthly IBM z/VSE license fee, where no support is provided, and the high cost of a service extension.
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Strengthening the Ecosystem
We are also working with active VSE vendors interested in investing in key areas like security, storage, resiliency, observability, and connectivity.
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Commitment to VSEn
We have been invested in recruiting a new wave of developers who work alongside seasoned VSE experts to improve VSEn for years to come.
VSEn Technical Specifications
| 21CS Product Name | Current GA Release | IBM Product Name |
|---|---|---|
| VSEn | 6.3, 6.4 | z/VSE |
| OLTP for VSEn | 2.3 | CICS TS |
| VCDD for VSEn | 4.3 | ACF/VTAM |
| HLASM for VSEn | 1.6 | |
| IDRP for VSEn | 3.6 | EREP |
| ICKDSG for VSEn | 1.18 | |
| 21CS IPv6/VSE | 1.4, 1.5 | |
| 21CS TCP/IP GPS for VSEn | 2.3, 2.4 | |
| HDB for VSEn | 1.13 | DL/I |
| Encryption Facility for VSEn | 1.3 | |
| Newly Released Products: Q4 / 2022 | ||
| SMDMU for VSEn | 1.4 | DITTO |
| SMCART for VSEn | 3.5 | DFSORT |
| COBOL for VSEn | 1.2 | |
| PLI for VSEn | 1.2 | |
| Debug tool for VSEn | 1.2 | |
| SDB Server for VSEn | 7.6 | DB2 Server |
| SDB Client for VSEn | 7.6 | DB2 Client |
| HLASM Toolkit for VSEn | 1.6 | |
| AUDT for VSEn | 1.3 | ACLR |
| RPG II for VSEn | 1.4 | |
| Newly Released Products: Q1 / 2023 | ||
| SCRDEF for VSEn | 1.13 | SDF II |
| C for VSEn | 1.2 | |
| Newly Released Products: Q2 / 2023 | ||
| GPSP for VSEn | 3.3 | GDDM |
| GPSP-IVU for VSEn | 1.2 | GDDM-IVU |
| GPSP-IMD for VSEn | 2.2 | GDDM-IMD |
| GPSP-PGF for VSEn | 2.2 | GDDM-PGF |
| Newly Released Products: Q3 / 2023 | ||
| MQ for VSEn | 3.1 | WebSphere MQ |
| Newly Released Products: Q4 / 2024 | ||
| PPF for VSEn | 2.3 | PSF |
| PDCF for VSEn | 1.2 | PPFA |
| EFM for VSEn | 1.2 | OGL |
| AFP Font Collection for VSEn | 2.2 | |
| AFP DBCS Japanese Fonts for VSEn | 2.2 | |
| AFP DBCS Korean Fonts for VSEn | 2.2 | |
| AFP DBCS Simplified Chinese Fonts for VSEn | 2.2 | |
| AFP DBCS Traditional Chinese for VSEn | 2.2 | |
Supported Hardware
21CS VSEn 6.3 is supported on IBM z114/z196 and newer, including:
zEnterprise 114, zEnterprise 196, zEnterprise BC12, zEnterprise EC12, z13s, z13, z14 ZR, z14, IBM z15 T02, IBM z15 T01, IBM z16 A02/AGZ, IBM z16 A01, and IBM z17.
21CS VSEn 6.4 is supported on IBM z14 and newer, including:
z14 ZR, z14, IBM z15 T02, IBM z15 T01, IBM z16 A02/AGZ, IBM z16 A01, and IBM z17.
Disk and Tape Storage Support
21CS VSEn 6.3, 6.4supports disk and tape (including Virtual Disk and Tape) storage from known mainframe storage providers like Dell/EMC, Hitachi, IBM (including IBM DS8910F), Optica, Luminex and Visara, as long as the disk and tape storage vendor supported IBM z/VSE 6.2 or 21CS VSEn 6.3 & 6.4. Where the disk storage server supports it, 21CS VSEn supports attachments of type ECKD and SCSI (FCP) and specific features like Parallel Access Volume (PAV), High Performance FICON (zHPF) and Safeguarded Copy features.
Software
Middleware stack names have also changed, but executables (commands, jobs, APIs) have not been renamed to maintain compatibility for customers coming from IBM z/VSE. Please see the new names for the components we are delivering across the stack in the accompanying table.
See How Your VSE Experience Can Improve with 21CS VSEn
Let's discuss how VSEn can provide unique support to your organization, simplify your architecture, and reduce monthly costs.