System Requirements

PopUp X runs on ZFS based x86 hardware, for example servers running x86 processors and cloud environments.

Resource Minimum Requirements Notes
Storage AWS/Azure:
System Disk - Part of the image.
Data Disk - 500 GB.
KVM/OVA (VMware/Virtual Box):
System Disk - 160 GB
Data Disk - 500 GB		 Additional data disks can be added based on the
application data size.
CPUs/Cores 2 CPUs (minimum)
1 CPU for Linux O/S
1 or more for ZD&T		 Customers can allocate more CPUs for performance
improvements depending on their workloads.
Memory 16 GB Memory reservation is required
Host OS See Release Notes for list of
supported platforms

PopUp Z runs on mainframes which have IFL processors.

Resource Minimum Requirements Notes
Storage 120 GB (System Disk)
1 TB (Data Disk)		 A minimum of 1 TB of disk space is required for the image to install.
The image size is 63 GB with volumes. Depending on the size of
application data, the disk size can be increased.
IFLs 1 (dedicated or shared) 2+ for multiple guests or headroom
vCPUs 2 assigned to PopUp guest 4-6 depending on workloads
Memory 16 GB (host + guest) 32-64 GB preferred
Host OS Linux with KVM Support
Resource Minimum Requirements Notes
Storage 120 GB (System Disk)
500 GB (Data Disk)		 System disk partitioned as:
• /boot – 500 MB
• swap – 8 GB
• / – remainder (~111 GB, LVM recommended)
Data disk sized according to application/data requirements; 500 GB is the floor, not a cap.
vCPUs 2 assigned to PopUp guest 4–6 depending on workloads
Memory 16 GB (host + guest) 32–64 GB preferred
Host OS RHEL 9 Minimal install
User & Access User: ibmsys1
Passwordless sudo access		 Ensures administrative flexibility without repeated authentication

Reference: Partition Layout (Disk 1)

Mount Point Size Notes
/boot 500 MB Standalone boot partition
swap 8 GB ~half of RAM, per common practice
/ ~111 GB Remainder of system disk; LVM recommended for flexibility


Network Requirements

Below is the list of all mandatory and optional network ports required for PopUp Mainframe connectivity across supported versions.

Mandatory Ports

Port Description Direction z/OS Versions
21 FTP file transfers (control) Inbound/Outbound All
22 SSH access to Linux host Inbound All
23 Standard 3270 terminal Inbound 2.4–3.1
992 Secured z/OS 3270 terminal Inbound 3.2
3270 Master Console (3.2) /
Standard 3270 terminal (2.4–3.1)		 Inbound All
1947 License server Outbound All
9451 License server Outbound All
50000–50099 Passive FTP data transfer range Inbound/Outbound All

Optional Ports

Port Description Direction z/OS Versions
1414 IBM MQ Explorer connectivity Inbound All
3990 IBM Migration Utility Inbound All
3991 IBM Migration Utility Inbound All
4035 IBM IDz connection Inbound 2.4–3.1
5000 FastTrack dashboard (http://popup-ip:5000) Inbound All
5045 Db2 connectivity Inbound 2.4-3.1
7380 DBB Daemon Inbound 2.4-3.1
7395 RSE API Inbound 2.4-3.1
8101 Db2 connectivity Inbound 3.2
8137 IBM IDz connection Inbound 3.2
8180 DBB Daemon Inbound 3.2
8195 RSE API Inbount 3.2
9001 Web log viewer (http://popup-ip:9001) Inbound All
9080 z/OS Connect Inbound 2.4-3.1
9443 z/OS Connect Inbound All
10443 z/OSMF secure web UI & REST APIs Outbound All
16196 BMC HCI Inbound 2.4–3.1
23000 BMC Code Pipeline Inbound 2.4–3.1
23001 BMC Code Pipeline Inbound 2.4–3.1
48226 BMC CES web UI Inbound 2.4–3.1
NFS PopUp–Delphix connectivity via NFS Inbound/Outbound All
Misc Any other external application ports Inbound/Outbound All


The PopUp Mainframe licensee is not authorized to use the product for purposes of code refactoring or re-engineering with the intention to re-platform existing z/OS based applications, or for processing production workloads.


A PopUp License Server VM is required in addition to the PopUp Mainframe VM.

Important notes about the license server

  1. There is no Z hardware (IFL) image for a license server, it can only run on an x86 VM
  2. The license server cannot run on the same VM as a PopUp Mainframe instance, a separate VM is required
  3. Once the updated license file has been applied you cannot change the device for the license server or change the underlying storage as this will invalidate the license. If you need to do this please get in touch with the PopUp Support Team.
  4. If the license server is hosted on the Cloud and the requirement is to stop/start when required, then the Cloud dedicated host is needed. This prevents the CPU id from changing and invalidating the license.

License Server Requirements

Component License Server Requirements Notes
Storage 40 GB (System Disk)
CPUs/Cores 1 CPUs Virtual Box and Cloud are supported
Validation is carried out to ensure the
hardware has not changed
Memory 4 GB Memory reservation is required
Host OS Azure Marketplace, AWS Marketplace, KVM (for x86)
or VirtualBox OVA


Delphix Specific Requirements

When integrating PopUp Mainframe with Delphix for Data Masking and/or Data Virtualization, additional resources must be provisioned to align with Delphix deployment standards:

VM Allocation

  • The Delphix Continuous Compliance and Continuous Data engines cannot share a VM. Separate VMs are required.

Memory

To apply the updated memory configuration, modify the devmap and perform an IPL so the changes take effect.

vCPUs

  • Allocate at least 8 vCPUs for Delphix.
  • For PopUp, plan 1 vCPU per 2 TB of data; note that each vCPU consumes a PopUp license.
  • Reference: Delphix VMware Deployment Guide

To apply the updated CPU configuration, modify the devmap and perform an IPL so the changes take effect.

Network

  • Additional ports should be allocated if using Delphix. Check the Delphix Documentation for full details. Make sure to use the correct version of Delphix documentation.

Ingesting data into Delphix requires exclusive access to a PopUp Mainframe license. Once the data has been fully ingested you can shutdown the staging PopUp instance to free up the license. Whenever you replicate and provision a PopUp environment every concurrently running instance will require its own license. Branching does not require a license as it is a copy and does not change the underlying data.

For example, If you were to provision a PopUp instance into ‘Dev’ that was updating Db2 and another user wanted to read and write data, you would need to have another PopUp license available to provision and run a second copy.


Page last revised on: 2026-08-17