Git for Mainframe in Practice: GitHub Demonstration
The case for Git-based version control for mainframe apps is well-established. A couple of examples…
— Analyst perspective (IDC Infobrief): Git and Mainframe Development: Considerations for Enterprises
— General introduction (DevOps.com article): Git for Mainframe: Back to the Future
— Mainframe perspective (SHARE blogsite): Why Git for Mainframe?
Robust automation and a rewarding Developer Experience (DevX) are vital for recruiting which is a particularly acute need in the mainframe space. Career mainframers are retiring and the legacy interfaces do not have the same career appeal for next-gens as modern ones like Git. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the end-to-end Git experience for mainframe developers, in this case using GitHub’s tooling and Broadcom’s enablers: Bridge for Git, Team Build and Code4z.
Per Stack Overflow’s annual developer survey, there are four primary Git servers: GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket and Azure Repos. Adoption will vary somewhat depending on the platform/tools used, but the general themes introduced in the demo are applicable to all four.
Like Endevor decades earlier, these platforms have evolved into much more than simple Git servers so this GitHub demonstration includes two complementary tools that highlight the end-to-end experience, GitHub Actions and GitHub Codespaces.
GitHub Actions is a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) platform that allows you to automate your build, test, and deployment pipeline.
GitHub Codespaces is a cloud-hosted, containerized, and customizable Visual Studio Code environment that can be accessed from a browser or lightweight VS Code client. To learn more about GitHub Codespaces, see GitHub Codespaces for Mainframe Development.
Bringing a modern experience to the mainframe demonstrates that mainframe appdev can be as state-of-the-art as any other platform.
To fully grasp the demo, viewers should be familiar with the key enabling technologies:
Bridge for Git
Endevor Bridge for Git enables the Git experience without disrupting mainframe veterans whose workflows are optimized using Endevor. Both groups work side-by-side, even on the same code, using their preferred interface, Endevor or Git. The Bridge for Git white paper provides more details about this ‘Hybrid Git’ option.
Team Build
To empower developers with self-service build capabilities, Team Build is the solution. It enables them to build using personal working directories and the in-flight work they contain.
Team Build is also used to support the Git-native model. Factors to consider when moving individual applications (i.e., repos) from Endevor to Git, a potentially disruptive undertaking, include:
— Team member expertise in Git
— Frequency and scope of updates
— Application business risk
Code4z
GitHub Codespaces is enabled through the use of Code4z extensions, which are available at no cost on the VS Code marketplace. These extensions support a range of languages spanning the full code-build-test cycle and comprehensive support for Code4z is available via the Brightside offering. Learn more about Code4z: All-in-one VS Code Experience for Mainframe Developers.
Zowe CLI
Part of the Zowe open source framework, Zowe CLI lets you interact with the mainframe remotely and use common tools such as IDEs, shell commands, bash scripts, and build tools for mainframe development. It provides a set of utilities and services to help developers become more efficient in supporting and building z/OS applications. The CLI provides a core set of commands for working with data sets, USS, JES, as well as issuing TSO and console commands. See Zowe CLI — Getting Started, Made Easy!
Demonstration
The GitHub for mainframe demonstration is presented by Broadcom’s Vaughn Marshall and GitHub’s Phil Holleran.
And here is the GH repo mentioned: https://github.com/BroadcomMFD/broadcom-product-scripts
The set-up information in the video will likely be helpful but if you want to skip directly to the demonstration, it begins @ 16:00.
Next Steps
Adopting Git is an important modernization initiative but it is one of many possible ones. To evaluate how Git adoption might fit into an overall mainframe modernization roadmap, use this new toolkit that highlights 15 modernization use cases and key enablers: [Interactive Site] [Comprehensive Ebook]. Broadcom is ready to partner with you every step of the way!
And if you’re ready to start your Git adoption journey, share this handy Git for Mainframe Cheat Sheet with your team.
Check out other articles on the Git / Endevor tab on the Modern Mainframe blogsite.
Learn more about Zowe by visiting the Zowe blogsite.
