Getting Started with PopUp

Getting Started Guide

Before starting with your PopUp journey, see the PopUp Delivery Manual, for best practice in setting up your PopUp and getting the most out of it.

  1. Understand the system requirements for PopUp Mainframe.
  2. Spin up the license server and enable the PopUp license.
  3. Spin up the PopUp Mainframe server on-prem or in the cloud, and start up z/OS (IPL).
  4. Configure the PopUp - Add storage (DASD volumes) to PopUp based on specific storage requirements.
  5. Transfer your application and data to the PopUp. Find more details on the data transfer process and options here and see this video: How to make your PopUp look like your physical mainframe.
  6. You can also import resources from source control into the PopUp. See this video for step-by-step instructions.


Once you have your PopUp setup, it can be used however you need. We recommend using FastTrack during the setup activities so you can easily rollback to the previous step if necessary. FastTrack also enables you to easily spin up additional PopUp instances by sending a FastTrack snapshot to a remote PopUp.


Using the PopUp

Automating PopUp

Automation of z/OS tasks is available with Ansible, and pre-built playbooks are provided with all PopUps to get you up and running quickly.


Starting PopUp z/OS

Ensure the PopUp virtual machine is running. To start z/OS, login to the PopUp VM using ibmsys1 user, navigate to the home directory, and execute the script ./ipl

For a full reference guide please go the IBM RedBook.


Stopping PopUp z/OS

To shutdown z/OS, as user ibmsys1 navigate to the home directory and execute the script ./shutdown

For a full reference guide please go the IBM RedBook.


Maintaining PopUp

General Maintenance Guidelines

This list provides basic recommendations and suggestions to ensure that PopUp environments run smoothly without downtime. Please note that this is not an all-inclusive list and it does not cover every issue that might occur on a PopUp. This only covers the major considerations, and this list may evolve.

PopUps should be treated just like any other LPAR, and maintained as such. For example, employing the same maintenance and housekeeping activities on the PopUp as on other LPARs.

Refer to the Release Notes for the list of software on the PopUp image you are using.

Recommendations

  • Strongly Recommended: As part of backup/recovery strategy, take a daily snapshot of the PopUp VM and retain 7 days worth of snapshots. The frequency of snapshots can be tweaked based on your specific needs.
  • Strongly Recommended: Always clean up the SPOOL by purging unwanted jobs. Typically, SYSLOGs in the Output OR the HELD Queue occupy large storage. Purging them will reclaim significant storage. Always monitor the spool utilization %. (Go To S; SP). Ensure its less than 75% utilization. If it exceeds 75%, immediately purge unwanted jobs as much as possible.
  • Strongly Recommended: Always maintain a healthy “available free space %” at the Linux VM disk level as well as at the z/OS DASD volume level. In z/OS, Go to S; SMSG to check on the % utilization of SGDB2 and SGBASE group of volumes. Ensure its less than 75% utilized. If it exceeds 75%, create additional DASD volumes, using the create_volumes script.
  • Strongly Recommended: Always use a graceful shutdown to shutdown the PopUp. If the PopUp environment is not gracefully shutdown, there is a high chance of Db2 log files getting corrupted, and it may be challenge to do the recovery.
  • Before handling new Db2 data and file data, check and (if required) add additional storage disks.
  • It’s recommended that the PopUp maintenance tasks are handled by the Mainframe SYS Admin and DBA team. Standard LPAR maintenance activities can be implemented on the PopUp.
  • Be aware that there is a limit on the number of concurrent TSO user sessions. If the limit is exceeded, users may not be able to login to the PopUp mainframe.


Upgrading PopUp

Upgrade possibilities with PopUp Mainframe are shown below.

PopUp Upgrades Yes / No
Linux Upgrade Yes
ZD&T Upgrade Yes
ADCD Upgrade No
z/OS Operating System Version Upgrade Not recommended
z/OS Software Install / Upgrade Yes

Linux OS Version Upgrade

You can run PopUp on various releases of RedHat Linux or Ubuntu.

For major OS version upgrades, the PopUp volumes (which run on a separate data disk or mount point if running under Delphix) can be moved between different instances running different versions of Linux.

Minor OS versions upgrades can be performed using vendor upgrade utilities.

ZD&T (Emulator) Version

ZD&T (Emulator) can be upgraded, for example 13.x.x to 14.x.x.

IBM Z Development and Test Environment_14.x.x product lifecycle dates

ADCD

ZD&T comes with the Application Developer Controlled Distribution (ADCD) software stack, which provides z/OS and associated middleware products formatted for use with ZD&T. You cannot change the ADCD version of your PopUp. Instead, the recommendation is to take a different version of the PopUp and (re-)apply your application changes to the new PopUp instance.

z/OS Operating System Version Upgrade

You could follow the IBM upgrade procedures using SMP/E and upgrade the z/OS versions on your PopUp however this would be a major project, requiring a lot of time and expertise, and is not recommended by IBM. The recommendation is to take a PopUp with a later z/OS release and (re-) apply your application changes to the new PopUp.

z/OS Software Version Upgrade/Install

You are able to upgrade or apply maintenance to the software products on PopUp as required; CICS, MQ etc; as the SMP/E libraries are included on the PopUp. Additional software can be installed on the PopUp subject to licensing restrictions which differ from vendor to vendor. Check your licensing agreement for details.


Securing PopUp

Security is completely configurable based on user requirements. PopUp comes with various RACF user and administrator accounts. Additional RACF users can be created in minutes using pre-built Ansible automation scripts to create and delete users.

ACF2 can be used in place of RACF if desired.


Taking a snapshot of PopUp z/OS

FastTrack gives you the ability to take a snapshot of your PopUp at any point-in-time, and switch back to it on-demand.


Cloning the entire PopUp z/OS

FastTrack 'send' gives you the ability to clone your entire PopUp Mainframe environment, and send it to a remote PopUp.


Viewing the ZD&T Master Console

For debugging the mainframe we have created a 3270 connection to master console using text based 3270 client and added it to a screen session

  • to connect to master console from user ibmsys1 execute con1

Note: do not quit this session directly

  • to disconnect from the session use ctrl + a, d

For a full reference guide please go the IBM RedBook.


Viewing console logs

Login into the PopUp using ibmsys1 user. Go into folder /home/ibmsys1/z1090/logs. All the ZD&T logs are stored here. The file starting with log_console_ is the zd&t console log.

Use Log_Viewer to view live logs on the web: open your favourite web browser and navigate to the http://<popup-vm-ip>:9001 you will see the log as below. This utility shows you the latest log, like the tail -f command.

For a full reference guide please go the IBM RedBook.


Troubleshooting Errors on PopUp

PopUp Mainframe runs on ZD&T, which provides full hardware emulation of a physical mainframe. All the errors you can get on z/OS 3.1, 2.5 and 2.4 on a physical mainframe can also occur on ZD&T, and the same manuals apply to error abends. See Troubleshooting for more details on errors you might see on a PopUp.


Integrations with other software

PopUp provides out-of-the-box integrations with:

Page last revised on: 2026-01-26