How do I check if certain z/OS390 has the pre-requisites for Java 8?

C/C++ and Java for MVS & zOS.
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demecarv
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How do I check if certain z/OS390 has the pre-requisites for Java 8?

Post by demecarv »

I have developed two applications based on Spring 4 and Java 8 (one is Spring Batch with no web involved and other is Spring Boot with Tomcat embedded). My local machine is Windows but I need to install both in z/OS390. If I understood correctly, there are two options to get Java 8 for z/OS: one throw Shopz downloading SMP/E format but it requires a contract and other is by downloading non-SMP/E format and both provide same file at the end. Since I will install firstly in Test Mainframe, I understand that non-SMP/E is fine.
As an analogy to Windows/Linux world, I want to un-compress the Java file to certain folder and use it to run via /java myApp.jar. I am reading SDK8_64bit_readme.txt and I found the follow three pre-requisites:
1 - zOS V1R13 or later
2 - z/OS MEMLIMIT parameter should be set to 400MB or greater.
3 - To restore the files with the proper permission bits, you must have the
following authority:
- UID(0) or access to BPX.SUPERUSER.FACILITY class
- Access to BPX.FILEATTR.APF
- Access to BPX.FILEATTR.PROGCTL
- Access to BPX.FILEATTR.SHARELIB

Since I am very dummy in Unix and it will be my first time installing Java on it, my straight question is: how can I check if all the previous requirement are available? I guess that the first two are likely to be there but the third I am wondering if, supposing I don't have such authority, as an analogy to Windows, supposing I will not add "system property", I can start the java application by typing the entire path to java (e.g. /mydir/java/J8.0_64/bin/java myApp.jar).
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Robert Sample
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Re: How do I check if certain z/OS390 has the pre-requisites for Java 8?

Post by Robert Sample »

The preferred and standard way is to ask your site support group. They know your site. In fact if you do not ask them you may not be able to find out.

If you have console access you can issue the console command D IPLINFO which provides the z/OS level as part of the output. MEMLIMIT is tougher since it is set in SYS1.PARMLIB but a User exit may override that value. As far as the RACF goes you need to talk with your site RACF person. It is often considered a very serious violation just to attempt to look at the access you userid has to those facilities.
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demecarv
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Re: How do I check if certain z/OS390 has the pre-requisites for Java 8?

Post by demecarv »

Sorry for the poor analogogy but it will help me to ask my question: in Windows, even though I don't have admin privilege, I can just copy the entire Java folder to any folder and then I can start my application by going to Command Line, browse to the Java directory just copied bedore and ...\bin\java myApp.jar. In this case I don't need admin privileges neither to set up a single system variable (e.g Java_Home). Would something similiar works on z/OS? Suppose I download SDK8_64bit_SR2_FP10.PAX.Z (250238247), uncompress it to certain Unix directory (pax -ppx -rvzf SDK8_64bit_SR2_FP10.PAX.Z), go to this directoy ...\bin.java myApp.jar would it work similiar to my Windows analogy?
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Re: How do I check if certain z/OS390 has the pre-requisites for Java 8?

Post by Robert Sample »

First and foremost, you need to understand that z/OS is not Windows. z/OS was not designed for a single-user system, it is derived from operating systems that have been around for more than 50 years, and it is designed -- from the core -- to be robust and usable by many people at the same time. So things that work for your Windows PC have little chance of working on z/OS.

Java on z/OS is usually installed into the /usr/lpp/Java/J?.? directory where the ?.? varies by version. Many z/OS systems expect Java to be there -- and it is entirely possible that your site support group has already installed Java there, in which case if you try to install your own version anywhere else at best you won't be able to run Java as the versions will get mixed up, and at worst you could bring down some or all of your system. RACF can recognize Java, and if your user id is not set up for Java access you may find -- even if you install it into your own directory -- that you cannot get it running due to security issues.

I will repeat -- for the last time -- you absolutely, categorically MUST work with your site support group to do what you want to do. Going off on your own is not recommended, and may have serious consequences. You may not like working with your site support group, but they generally have the necessary knowledge to install and support z/OS and all of its components (including Java).
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