Open Mainframe Project

Community Day at TechXchange (Orlando, Florida)
2025-10-06
The Open Mainframe Project will again be featured as part of IBM TechXchange’s Community Day, which will be held on October 6, the first day of the event. Last year, Open Mainframe had record-breaking attendance and a packed agenda highlighting open source and projects including Zowe, Galassa, Mentorship, Mainframe Open Education, COBOL Programming Course, Feilong, Software Discovery Tool, zopen Community and more.
Community Day (Monday, October 6) Schedule

Transforming z/OS Software Management with an Open-First Approach Using Ansible and Zowe
1:30-2:15pm | Room 1 | Jan Prihoda and Rose Sakach (Broadcom)
How to Contribute to Linux on the Mainframe
1:30-2:15pm | Room 2 | Sarah Julia Kriesch (Kyndryl) and Elizabeth Joseph (IBM)
CBT Tape – The Treasure Trove of Mainframe Utilities
2:15-3:00pm | Room 1 | Joe Winchester (IBM) and Reg Harbeck (Mainframe Analytics)
Galasa – Scaling Integration Testing for the Enterprise
2:15-2:35pm | Room 2 | Louisa Denly (IBM)
Skill Up! Mainframe Learning for All
2:40-3:00pm | Room 2 | Kathleen Nordstrom (Broadcom)
Unlock the Full Potential of Zowe Explorer – Essential Tips and Tricks AND What Mainframe Connection Protocols (FTP, SSH, or z/OSMF) Can I use for Zowe Clients?
3:30-4:00pm | Room 1 | Dan Kelosky (Broadcom)
Mastering Mainframe Architectures – Transaction Processing on z/OS AND OpenTelemetry on Mainframe SIG: Progress Updates
3:30-4:00pm | Room 2 | Rudiger Schulze (IBM)
Take your mainframe career to a new level by contributing to Zowe
4:15-5:00pm | Room 1 | Dan Kelosky (Broadcom) and Rose Sakach (Broadcom)
Zelma – z/VM and Linux Modern Administration
4:15-5:00pm | Room 2 | Mike MacIsaac (Sine Nomine Associates)
From Punch Cards to VS Code
4:15-5:00pm | Room 1 | Wolfram Greis (European Mainframe Academy)
A not-to-technical deep dive into Feilong
5:15-6:00pm | Room 2 | Aazam Thakur (Open Mainframe Project Ambassador) and Mike Friessenger (SUSE)

Additional Details
To learn more about these presentations or to add these to your schedule in the Session Catalog – click here.
There will be other Open Mainframe Project sessions and activities at TechXchange. For more details, click here.
Register for Community Day for free using the Open Mainframe code here. (This only registers you for Community Day on Monday, October 6. It does not give you access to the rest of the IBM TechXchange conference.)
Register with the Open Mainframe Project code and link for a 30% discount on the TechXchange conference here.
Open Mainframe Project is planning the content for October 6 as it pertains to the Community Day or Pre-Conference Day. The Linux Foundation and Open Mainframe Project are not managing TechXchange. The main TechXchange event is planned and managed by IBM. Learn more about TechXchange here. If you have questions, please email techxchange@openmainframeproject.org.

IBM TechXchange 2025 (Orlando, FL)
2025-10-06 - 2025-10-09
IBM TechXchange, taking place October 6-9 at the Orange County Convention Center and Hilton Orlando, is the ultimate learning hub for developers, technologists, and techies looking to grow their skills. With 400+ learning courses and labs, 150+ available certifications, 1k+ technical events per year and a growing community of over 400k members, IBM TechXchange is on a mission to creating a better future with technology.
Open Mainframe Project will be on-site again at Community Day on Monday, October 6. Check out more details here. Additionally, Open Mainframe will also have several other sessions presented by ambassadors and project leads including:
Monday, October 6:
5:45 – 6:05 PM: The Linux Distributions Working Group as Part of the Open Mainframe Project – Sara Julia Kriesch (Kyndryl)
4:00 – 5:00 PM: Dispelling the Myths Around Open Source on the Mainframe – Len Santalucia and Ken LoCascio (Pellera Tchnologies), Elizabeth Joseph (IBM), Steven Perva (Ensono) and Louisa Denly (IBM)
Wednesday, October 8:
11:00 – 11:20 AM: Credit Agricole: How to use modern tools to facilitate IBM z/OS operations and data access – Francois Delombe (CA-GIP)
11:30 – 11:50 AM: Beyond DevOps: Unlocking New Possibilities with Zowe – Jan Prihoda (Broadcom)
1:30 – 1:50 PM: Achieving Greater Business Agility with VS Code and Hybrid Toolchains – Vaughn Marshall (Broadcom)
2:00 – 3:00 PM: ISPF and/or VS Code Zowe Explorer. how to become a power user in BOTH mainframe file editors – Jim Horne (Lowe’s Companies) and Joe Winchester (IBM)
2:00 – 3:30 PM: Using OpenTelemetry to integrate the mainframe into enterprise-wide observability solutions – Chris Walker, Rudiger Schulze, Ash Mahay (IBM)
Open Mainframe Project will also be in the Open Source Zone in the event expo. Stop by the booth and get your 10th anniversary swag!
Register with the Open Mainframe Project code and link for a 30% discount on the TechXchange conference here.

(Webinar) Culture Speaks: How Internal Communication Shapes What We Believe and How We Behave
2025-10-22 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This experiential session on Wednesday, October 22 at 9-10 am PST explores how internal communication becomes the heartbeat of organizational culture. More than just words, the way we lead, listen, and message—formally and informally—shapes what people believe is possible, safe, and true within an organization. But this won’t be your typical corporate communication workshop. In this session, we listen with our whole selves. We’ll use music and expressive arts to tune into the rhythms of how we speak, lead, and listen. From soundscapes to storytelling, participants will surface the unspoken energy of their organizational culture—and learn to shift it with intention.
Participants will engage in soundscapes, storytelling, and creative exercises that invite reflection on how trust, intentional leadership and transparent communication (these were participants’ insights from the last panel) foster a culture of psychological safety and belonging. Come ready to listen deeply, create boldly, and leave with new strategies to communicate with purpose and intention.
Register for the webinar here.
Making Our Strong Community, Stronger is a collaborative initiative sponsored by BMC, Broadcom Mainframe Software, IBM, Open Mainframe Project, Rocket Software and TechChannel. With a goal of accelerating diversity by sharing different voices, perspectives and corporate cultures, we hope to inspire meaningful conversations and most importantly, approachable actions that elevate inclusivity with lasting impact. Join our LinkedIn Group here.

GS UK In-Person Conference 2025 (Whittlebury, Northamptonshire)
2025-11-03 - 2025-11-06
The GSE UK Region Conference, an annual event which takes place on November 3-6, in Whittlebury, Northamptonshire, hosts more than 200 hours of technical training from vendors and GSE members. There are several keynote and plenary sessions and a large number of subject streams, each of which covers a specific area of interest, with serves as a cornerstone for collaboration, learning and advancing the future of enterprise computing. For the second year in a row, Open Mainframe Project will have a stream at the conference.
Monday, November 3

11:00 – 11:45: The Power of the Mainframe Open Education for New Mainframers – Yetunde Obakeye, Linux Foundation/OMP

12:00 – 12:45: Harmonizing Mainframe Ecosystems with a Collaboration Among Linux Distributions – Sarah Julia Kriesch, Kyndryl

13:30 – 14:15: Zowe DevOps as a Curriculum – Richelle Anne Craw, Beta Systems Software AG

14:30 – 15:15: Productive mainframe delivery using open source – a practical demonstration – Bronwyn Davies and Stephen Morgan, PopUp Mainframe Ltd.

15:45 – 16:30: Our Galasa rollout – Joe Sexton, Macro 4 Limited

Tuesday, November 4

10:15 – 11:00: Effective strategies for Git and source control on z/OS – Igor Todorovski and Harithamma D, IBM

11:30 – 12:15: Testing Across Boundaries: z/OS to Cloud with Galasa – Louisa Denly, IBM

12:30 – 13:15: Installing and Configuring Zowe – from Zowe to Enterprise deployment – Jakub Balhar, Broadcom Mainframe Software and Joe Winchester, IBM

14:30 – 15:15: Zowe CLI in Action: Enabling Mainframe Automation and Self-Service Portals – Diego Rodriguez, Broadcom Mainframe Software

15:30 – 16:15: Hidden treasures, advanced features, and administrative tips for Zowe API Mediation Layer – Elliot Jalley, Broadcom Mainframe Software

16:45 – 17:30: Automating Mainframe Operations with REST APIs & Zowe CLI Plug-ins – Joshua Powell and Miroslav Strnad, Broadcom Mainframe Software

Wednesday, November 5

10:00 – 10:45: Build Your First REST API App to Manage Started Tasks – we’ll show you how! – Jan Prihoda and Sergei Krunevich, Broadcom Mainframe Software

11:15 – 12:00: Driving Operational Visibility for Mainframe Infrastructure APIs with Open Telemetry and the Zowe AP – Elliot Jalley, Broadcom Mainframe Software

12:15 – 13:00: From complainer to committer: How I got involved in open source and you can too – Joshua Waters, Next Retail Ltd. and Dave Nice, IBM

14:15 – 15:00: CBT Tape, a treasure trove of powerups no mainframer should be without – Marcus Davage at BMC Software Ltd and Joe Winchester, IBM

15:15 – 16:00: Updating Legacy Code the Open Source Way: Stories from a Maintainer – Oleksandr Hubanov and Germanas Samrickis, Rocket Software UK Ltd

16:30 – 17:15: Instrumenting the Mainframe: An introduction to Modern Observability and OpenTelemetry – Ruediger Schulze and Chris Walker, IBM

Thursday, November 6

10:00 – 10:45: Feilong: Empowering z/VM Adoption – Rajat Sharma, IBM

11:15 – 12:00: The Power Trio: Visualizing Db2 for z/OS with REST, OpenTelemetry, and Grafana – Sujit Neb, BMC Software Ltd

12:15 – 13:00: Zopen: ‘Apt’ly bringing package management to the Mainframe – Russell Wilson, IBM UK LTD.

The full schedule can be found here.
Register for the event here.

Mainframe Open Education Student User Group
2025-11-05 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Knowledge management involves consciously organizing, retaining, and sharing an organization’s knowledge and experience. The primary aim is to connect those seeking information with those who possess it, enhancing operational efficiency and expertise within the organization. This is exactly what Mainframe Open Education does. it is the wikipedia of mainframe knowledge and experience.

Join the core team every first Wednesday of the month for a live discussion about Mainframe Open Education. We’ll hear from contributors and students who have engaged with the project to learn about how to get involved, best practices, badges and more!
Speakers include:

Devonte Hawkins, IBM zStack Technical Specialist at IBM
Taylor Hrupek, Mainframe Business Specialist at Broadcom
Nanxi Meng, Instructional Designer at Broadcom
J.J. Lovett, Head of Education and Customer Engagement at Broadcom Mainframe Software
Tiiso Senosha, contributor to Mainframe Open Education and past Open Mainframe Project Mentor

Register here.

IBM Z Day
2025-11-12 08:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | https://ibmzday2025-vconf.bemyapp.com/#/register
IBM Z Day is a free 1-day enterprise computing virtual conference for anyone and everyone! Hear the latest about IBM Z and LinuxONE, and join our lineup of global thought leaders who will highlight industry trends and innovation spanning AI, Hybrid Cloud, Quantum-Safe Security, and more!

CLI Meets AI: Introducing ZCrafter (Webinar)
2025-12-05 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
ZCrafter is a CLI tool that helps you work with COBOL, JCL, and mainframe systems using AI. You ask questions, analyze code for bugs, troubleshoot errors and get instant answers about mainframe development. Based on Open Mainframe Project’s Zowe, ZCrafter was created by NIU students in the IBM Z Student Ambassador Program.
Join us on Friday, December 5 at 9 am PT/12 pm ET for a presentation that will include an overview and live demo of ZCrafter. The creators will also be sharing their journey into mainframes, their experience with open source, trends in AI and technology and the future of mainframe. Register for the event here.
Speakers: NIU Students Victor Taiwo, Sang Pham, Oyewale Adeoye, and Paris Richards

SHARE Orlando 2026
2026-02-22 - 2026-02-26 | Rosen Centre Hotel, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL, 32819, United States
SHARE Orlando, happening on February 22-26 at the Rosen Centre Hotel, provides attendees with access to the latest enterprise IT news, key focus areas, prominent industry leaders and product highlights on emerging technologies all in one space.
Open Mainframe Project will be on-site at the conference again this year with several sessions including:
Monday, February 23 10:30 am – 11:30 am EST
From Journeys to Roadmaps: AI-Curated Learning for New Mainframers
Kelsey Colberg and Nanxi Meng, Broadcom
Monday, February 23 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm EST
Ask Me Anything: Open Source + Mainframes
Joe Winchester, IBM
Monday, February 23 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm EST
Automating Mainframe Operations and Powering Self-Service Portals with Zowe CLI & Python
Diego Rodriguez and Rose Sakach, Broadcom
Monday, February 23 3:45 pm – 4:45 pm EST
Making the Mainframe Great Again With the Zowe Command Line Interface (CLI)
Joe Winchester, IBM
Tuesday, February 24 9:15 am – 10:15 am EST
Zero-Cost, High-Impact: Modernizing RMF Reporting with ZOWE ZEBRA and Grafana
Joe Carlisle, Hitachi Vantara
Tuesday, February 24 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm EST
BYOD Lab: Your IDE in a Container – Hands on Lab
Sandeep Sirivolu and Thomas McQuitty, Broadcom
Wednesday, February 25 10:30 am – 10:50am EST
Hello Mainframe, How Are You Today? Using Zowe in an AI World With MCP AI Agents
Joe Winchester, IBM, Andrew Toews, Gestell
Wednesday, February 25 3:45 pm – 4:45pm EST
Zowe API Mediation Layer Made Easier: Faster Install, Smarter Admin Training
Elliot Jalley and Dan Kelosky, Broadcom
Thursday, February 26 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm EST
CBT Tape: A Treasure Trove of Mainframe Utilities
Karla Houser, Caterpillar Inc., Joe Winchester, IBM, Reg Harbeck, Independent Consultant
Thursday, February 26 2:30pm – 3:30pm EST
Building Open Source and Proprietary Software on a Zowe Base
Joe Winchester, IBM
