The Open Mainframe Project Stream Continues at GS UK Forge
The Open Mainframe Project (OMP) stream at GS UK Forge carries on Wednesday and Thursday with nine sessions in the Copse room. The conference runs November 2 to 5 at Whittlebury Hall in Northamptonshire.
Wednesday brings six sessions that put Zowe and AI to work on the mainframe. Thursday closes the conference with three sessions on community contribution and Zowe deployment. Here is what each one covers.
Wednesday, November 4
The Clock is Ticking: Migrating to Zowe V3 Before the V2 End of Support
Elliot Jalley and Jan Prihoda, Broadcom · 10:00 to 10:45 · Copse
Zowe Version 2 reaches end of support on March 30, 2027, so the move to Version 3 starts now. This session is a tactical playbook for migrating the API Mediation Layer from V2 to V3 without disrupting daily operations. Zowe experts share real-world tips and migration recommendations so organizations are ready and secure ahead of the deadline.
Elliot is a Product Manager at the Broadcom Mainframe R&D Centre in Prague with over 25 years in product management. The team chairs the Zowe Technical Steering Committee and leads the API Mediation Layer squad.
Scaling Open Source Engineering on z/OS with AI-Assisted Workflows
Joe Winchester, IBM · 12:15 to 13:00 · Copse
Maintaining a large open source ecosystem takes serious engineering effort. As the zopen ecosystem grows, AI helps developers automate repetitive tasks and focus on higher-value problems. Joe shows how AI-assisted workflows now run across the zopen development lifecycle, including automated porting, static analysis and CodeQL issue triage, AI-assisted code reviews, and guidance for upstream contributions.
He also presents a vision for a closed-loop workflow where AI learns from build results, code reviews, community discussions and upstream feedback. MCP servers and AI agents orchestrate these workflows while developers keep control of engineering decisions. Joe works on Zowe and is an Open Mainframe Project ambassador.
Building AI Experiences on Top of Zowe Foundations: Introducing Zowe MCP Server
Jan Prihoda and Elliot Jalley, Broadcom · 14:15 to 15:00 · Copse
This session introduces the Open Mainframe Project Zowe MCP Server, an adapter that brings mainframe resources into the AI ecosystem through the Model Context Protocol. It lets AI agents securely reach Zowe-mediated data and services, which makes the mainframe a first-class participant in generative AI workflows. A live demo shows an AI assistant working directly with z/OS through Zowe foundations.
Hello Mainframe! Using Zowe in an AI World with MCP Agents to talk to z/OS
Joe Winchester, IBM · 15:15 to 16:00 · Copse
Zowe CLI runs raw z/OS commands well, but those commands carry no context for mainframe development. Users need to know TSO syntax, data sets, JCL, error codes and codepages. Joe shows the Zowe MCP server, which works with Zowe CLIs and SDK APIs so people can submit jobs and navigate and edit files through a text interface.
He also shows how to run TSO commands with guardrails, syntax help and command completion. The AI agent runs live in the Zowe project, and Joe demonstrates how to contribute and teach it new answers during the session. He closes with integrations into Claude, IBM Bob, ChatGPT and other MCP aggregators.
The Mainframe Escape Room: Solving DevOps Challenges with Zowe
Richelle Anne Craw, Beta Systems Software · 16:30 to 17:15 · Copse
You are locked in, and the only way out is through a series of DevOps puzzles. The premise is playful and the challenges are real, from provisioning environments to getting CI/CD working on mainframe systems. Each locked door opens with a tool from the Zowe ecosystem or other open source tooling.
Richelle draws on her hands-on Zowe DevOps workshops to show how a little gamification makes complex ideas stick. Expect a fun session with practical takeaways for your own team. Richelle is an Open Mainframe Project Ambassador and a Software Engineer at Beta Systems with over 15 years of mainframe experience.
Thursday, November 5
ISPF and Zowe Explorer II: More Strange New Worlds
Jim Horne, Lowe’s Companies, with Joe Winchester, IBM · 10:00 to 10:45 · Monza
Jim Horne returns with the follow-up to last year’s session and a simple question. Why choose between ISPF and Zowe when you can use both? He shows more tasks done in each environment so you can see where each one fits best.
The session suits diehard ISPF users and open systems fans alike. Audience participation is encouraged, so bring your own habits and questions.
NatWest and IBM CICS and Galasa Test Structures
Srinivasa Reddy Bommareddy, NatWest · 10:00 to 10:45 · Hungaroring
Galasa lets teams run deep integration tests across CICS and z/OS without mocking. Tests drive real 3270 terminals, batch jobs, Db2 and REST services. Srinivasa explains how NatWest and IBM structure those tests at scale.
He covers Galasa managers and shows how to make tests portable and able to run in parallel. The session also looks at how Galasa fits with CICS Liberty and Java automation.
Open Source: More than just Code 🤝
Niall Ashley, Vertali · 10:00 to 10:45 · Copse
Open source means working alongside a wide-reaching community and contributing to an inclusive ecosystem that everyone can use. Niall covers ways to take part that stay close to the z/OS platform you already know.
The options range from writing documentation for a GitBook to presenting your journey at a Student User Group, teaching a programming course and supporting diversity in tech. All of them are open to people with limited technical experience, and every contribution teaches something new.
New products, features and functionalities for Compilers and Programming Languages on z/OS
Joe Winchester, IBM · 11:15 – 12:00 · Becketts
This session explores the latest programming language offerings on IBM Z and how they can be used to modernize your business critical applications. It covers latest advancements in COBOL, PL/I, C/C++, Python, Node.js, Go, and IBM Open Enterprise Foundation on z/OS along with practical use cases., and how these technologies can be used to modernize and enhance the capabilities of your existing applications.
Shift the “How,” Elevate the “What”: How AI Redefine Workload Management and next-gen mentorship
Nanxi Meng, Broadcom, and panel · 11:15 to 12:00 · Copse
The mainframe ecosystem faces a steep learning curve for new talent and a pressing need to scale veteran expertise. This panel explores how generative AI helps bridge that generational gap.
Real-world case studies, such as generating Python scripts for Workload Manager (WLM) policies, show AI handling the syntax while people focus on architecture and design. Offloading technical details to AI frees senior experts sooner to mentor the next generation on business logic and strategic decisions. That speeds up talent development and preserves institutional knowledge. Nanxi is a Learning Experience Researcher at Broadcom and a key contributor to the Mainframe Open Education project.
Leveraging Configuration as Code to deploy Zowe Servers
Jan Prihoda and Marketa Muzikova, Broadcom · 12:15 to 13:00 · Copse
Deploying and configuring multiple Zowe servers across LPARs gets complex fast. Configuration as Code offers an approach that is easy to understand and adopt. This session covers the basics of Ansible and its automation capabilities, with a focus on Zowe server configuration.
Attendees learn how to use Ansible to streamline Zowe server setups and reduce manual errors. Jan is a Product Owner at Broadcom who works on making product configuration smoother.
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. If you are looking for Monday and Tuesday sessions, check this blog. 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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