Open Mainframe Project Returns to GS UK Forge
The Open Mainframe Project has a stream at GS UK Forge for the third year in a row. The conference runs November 2 to 5 at Whittlebury Hall in Northamptonshire and offers more than 200 hours of technical training from vendors and GS UK members.
There are keynotes and plenary sessions alongside different subject streams. Each stream covers one area of interest, and together they make the event a cornerstone for collaboration and the future of enterprise computing.
There are multiple Open Mainframe sessions on Monday and Tuesday. The talks cover open source tooling and the people who will keep the platform running. Here is what each one offers.
Monday, November 2
Youth Talent Program: Building the Next Generation of Mainframe Professionals
Meena Chand, SMT Data · 11:00 to 11:45 · Monaco
Many business-critical organisations continue to rely on mainframes, yet the industry faces a growing skills shortage as experienced professionals retire. This session explores why attracting and developing young talent is essential for the future of enterprise computing.
I will discuss how internships, graduate programmes, mentorship, industry initiatives, and communities such as IBM Z Xplore, Open Mainframe Project etc. help prepare the next generation of mainframe professionals. Attendees will gain insights into the challenges of recruiting new talent, the opportunities available to students and early-career professionals, and how organisations can strengthen the future mainframe workforce.
Zowe CLI in Action: Automating Mainframe Operations and Powering Self-Service Portals
Diego Rodríguez Bravo, Broadcom · 11:00 to 11:45 · Copse
⭐ Zowe CLI in Action: Automating Mainframe Operations and Powering Self-Service Portals
Open Mainframe Project Zowe CLI, combined with Python and web technologies, provides a powerful foundation for automation and self-service. This session will showcase how Zowe CLI scripts can simplify routine z/OS operations, reduce manual effort, and accelerate DevOps practices. We will walk through examples of APIs exposed through web portals, enabling access to mainframe capabilities from intuitive dashboards and menus. You will learn how mainframe automation can be both powerful and user-friendly.
The Latest in Mainframe Modernization from the OMP
Misty Decker, Accenture, and Ramana Sree, Vellore Institute of Technology Chennai · 12:00 to 12:45 · Copse
The Modernization Working Group at the Open Mainframe Project has been publishing white papers for the last few years. In this session, we’ll save you from having to read them all and instead give you the highlights.
Topics include:
- Role of mainframes in Digital sovereignty and resilience
- AI powered mainframe data modernization
- RAG to Riches: Understanding Actionable Insights from Mainframe Data & AI
- The Hybrid Cloud Mainframe
- Framework for Selecting Code Conversion Tools
OpenTelemetry on the Mainframe: Zero-Code Instrumentation, Semantic Conventions, and the Collector
Daniel Wiegand, IBM · 14:15 to 15:00 · Copse
2026 is a pivotal year for OpenTelemetry, which reached CNCF graduation. OpenTelemetry eBPF Instrumentation is close to a 1.0 release, and the Mainframe SIG is advancing the first z/OS semantic conventions while it evaluates how to deploy the Collector on z/OS.
Dan explains what these changes mean for mainframe practitioners. He shows how zero-code instrumentation, proven in Kubernetes, applies to the mainframe. He covers how federated semantic conventions can describe everything from hardware to transactions, and which architecture questions matter when the Collector lands on z/OS. The session ends with practical guidance for daily observability work. Dan leads product management for IBM Z AIOps and has 28 years at IBM.
Mainframe as a Democracy: Why Everyone Has a Role in Closing the Skills Gap
Idris Zubair, Mainframe Open Education · 15:30 to 16:15 · Monaco
Idris argues that every member of the mainframe community shares responsibility for the skills gap, whatever their experience level, job role or career stage. He draws on his work as an IBM Z Student Ambassador, Vice President of the University of Wolverhampton Mainframe Student Society, technical writer and public speaker.
He shares grassroots examples that include student events, workshops, industry experts visiting universities, learning content, and help for students joining IBM Z Xplore. He also shows how mentoring, volunteering, writing and open source contributions strengthen the ecosystem, and how the Mainframe Open Education project makes complex ideas easier to learn with interactive resources. Attendees leave with concrete actions. This is a community session built on real experience, with no product pitch.
Running Linux containers on z/OS: the latest zCX Enhancements!
Steve Warren, IBM · 15:30 to 16:15 · Copse
z/OS Container Extensions (zCX) runs Linux applications and containers on IBM Z right beside traditional z/OS workloads. That gives ultra-low latency for applications that span both, with the familiar z/OS operational model.
Steve updates the room on zCX Standard and zCX for OpenShift. Recent additions include SMC-D communications, Sysplex Distributor integration, support for multiple image registries and the removal of the 1 TB guest memory limit. He also shows AI and machine learning options for zCX, such as Red Hat AI Inference Server, Red Hat OpenShift AI, NVIDIA Triton Inference Server, and native PyTorch and TensorFlow model execution. Steve is a Principal Solution Architect with the IBM Worldwide System Center and invented the z/OS BCPii and Client Web Enablement Toolkit.
Tuesday, November 3
Having Fun with MCP: Building AI-Powered Mainframe Integrations
Germanas Šamrickis, Rocket Software · 10:00 to 10:45 · Chapel
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is rapidly becoming a standard way to connect AI assistants with enterprise systems and tools. But what does it actually take to build an MCP server, and how can it unlock the value of mainframe assets?
In this session, we’ll explore the fundamentals of MCP, how MCP servers are built, and the patterns used to expose enterprise capabilities to AI applications. Through practical demonstrations, we’ll show how MCP can integrate with IBM Z environments and services such as z/OSMF, SDSF, and other mainframe interfaces.
Attendees will learn how to create their own MCP server, expose mainframe operations as AI-consumable tools, and enable developers to interact with enterprise systems using natural language. We’ll also discuss lessons learned, common challenges, security considerations, and opportunities for innovation at the intersection of AI and the mainframe.
Modernising z/OS Test Automation: Integrating Galasa into CI/CD Pipelines
Sam Cummings, Macro 4 · 10:00 to 10:45 · Copse
Galasa is an Open Mainframe Project testing tool that can drive tests across platforms. Sam shows how Macro 4 uses Galasa to test the 3270 interfaces of its z/OS applications and how those tests fit into a wider DevOps strategy. Sam is a recent graduate at Macro 4 and brings an early-career view of enterprise computing.
Mainframe Evolution: Securing, Monitoring, and Scaling with Next-Gen Open Source
Jessielaine Punongbayan, Dynatrace · 11:15 to 12:00 · Copse
This session delivers a comprehensive look into the cutting-edge milestones transforming the enterprise ecosystem today. We will explore the launch of the new Mainframe Infrastructure – a landmark milestone that establishes a clear, governed path to infrastructure access for open source projects worldwide.
Attendees will discover how foundational initiatives like Zowe bridge modern DevOps tooling with traditional z/OS environments, and how Open Mainframe Project continues to cultivate the next generation of mainframers through its global mentorships, diversity initiatives, and projects like Mainframe Open Education, Feilong and the Mainframe Software Hub for Linux. Join us to learn how open source collaboration is ensuring long-term sustainability, accelerating delivery, and modernizing the enterprise mainframe for the decade ahead.
Modernising z/VM with Feilong
Walter Church, IBM · 12:15 to 13:00 · Copse
This session explores how Open Mainframe Project Feilong enables organizations to bridge traditional mainframe environments with modern cloud and container platforms.
We will dive into how Feilong automates the complete guest lifecycle on IBM Z, including provisioning, configuration, scaling, and decommissioning of Linux virtual machines. Attendees will learn how to efficiently manage Linux guests at scale, streamline operations, and reduce manual intervention through API-driven automation.
By the end of this session, participants will gain practical insights into modernizing mainframe infrastructure, automating VM lifecycle management, and building a hybrid cloud environment that seamlessly connects mainframe and cloud-native technologies.
Enterprise Package Management with RPM and DNF on z/OS
Joe Winchester, IBM · 14:15 to 15:00 · Copse
This session explores how organizations are leveraging RPM and DNF to simplify software lifecycle management through dependency resolution, repository-based distribution, package signing and verification, auditability, and version control. We’ll discuss how internally managed repositories enable secure and repeatable software distribution, how package metadata supports inventory and compliance initiatives, and how package management helps maintain consistent software levels across development, test, and production environments.
Whether you’re responsible for platform administration, software distribution, security, or open-source enablement, you’ll gain a practical understanding of how RPM and DNF help establish trusted software supply chains and bring modern, scalable software management practices to z/OS.
Mainframe Meets Modern: AI Linux OCI Containers on z/OS and Linux on Z
Steve Warren, IBM · 15:15 to 16:00 · Copse
Want to run a wide range of industry-standard, AI-enabled containerized workloads natively on Linux on IBM Z, LinuxONE, or z/OS? Discover how to bring modern, containerized AI software leveraging the to the mainframe leveraging the underlying AI acceleration on IBM Z for ultra-fast, highly secure execution and seamless integration with your existing enterprise applications.
Explore the growing ecosystem of curated AI software packages available for IBM Z, including Linux OCI containers running on Linux on Z or z/OS and native z/OS UNIX packages. Learn what’s available, how to get started, and how to take advantage of these capabilities for free. Join us to discover how you can bring the power of modern AI and open-source software to your mainframe environment!
CBT Tape, a treasure trove of powerups no mainframer should be without
Joe Winchester, IBM, and Henri Kuiper, GSE NL · 16:30 to 17:15 · Copse
Since the 1970s the CBT tape has been the place where mainframe sysprogs have collaborated to share apps, code, and powerups to the z/OS environment and is now a top level Open Mainframe Project.
This session will show how to get started with CBT tape, explore its library, install some of it’s amazing utilities, and use them for productivity powerups. It’ll also show how to get involved with the community for folks who want to improve what’s there and contribute back, or else provide their own in-house goodies for the benefit of the wide mainframe community.
Join Us at GS UK Forge
Two days of OMP sessions give you a close look at the open source projects that keep the mainframe moving forward. Many of them run in the Copse room, so drop in and say hello! 👋
Sessions require a registered delegate pass. Register for GS UK Forge and browse the full agenda.
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