MVS Community Edition Sysgen

NETSOL

To use this version of MVS you can download the current release and run bash start_mvs.sh.

Requirements:

Linux
hercules SDL >= 4.5 (see below how to build SDL Hercules)
python3
git
tar

The following is also recommended:

c3270/x3270
ncat

Running

Go to https://github.com/MVS-sysgen/sysgen/releases and download the latest release. Tagged versions are official releases, latest is automatically built after every commit. The latest version has all the recent changes and might be unstable.

Docker

If you have docker you can run MVS/CE in a docker container.

From the command line run:

docker run -d \
  --name=mvsce \
  -e HUSER=docker \
  -e HPASS=docker \
  -p 2121:21 \
  -p 2323:23 \
  -p 3270:3270 \
  -p 3505:3505 \
  -p 3506:3506 \
  -p 8888:8888 \
  -v /opt/docker/mvsce:/config \
  -v /opt/docker/mvsce/printers:/printers \
  -v /opt/docker/mvsce/punchcards:/punchcards \
  -v /opt/docker/mvsce/logs:/logs \
  -v /opt/docker/mvsce/dasd:/dasd \
  -v /opt/docker/mvsce/certs:/certs \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  mainframed767/mvsce:latest

Make sure the directories are correct for your docker volumes and hit enter, this will download the latest MVS/CE release and deploy it. You can then connect with you 3270 client on port 3270 (or port 2323 for encrypted communication).

More details are available here: https://hub.docker.com/r/mainframed767/mvsce

If you wish to build this docker container yourself you can see the Dockerfile here: https://github.com/MVS-sysgen/docker-mvsce

Screenshots

Wally ISPF with MVS/CE theme

ISPF

ISPOPT5

MVP

MVP

Building and Installing Hercules

Please use https://github.com/wrljet/hercules-helper to build hercules

Sysgen

Currently only Debian/Ubuntu based systems are supported. If your system requires a password for sudo commands you may get prompted for your password to install needed software.

:warning: DO NOT run this script as root, there is a bug in hercules which will cause it to eat up all your machine resources :warning:

depending on your system this could take upward of two hours. If you want to follow along you can use tail -F sysgen.log.

Running MVS/CE sysgen will:

Build a modified Jay Moseley sysgen MVS 3.8J
Install BREXX
Install RAKF
Install RFE
Install Wally ISPF
Create the folder MVSCE and store the completed sysgen there

To build MVS/CE use sysgen.py. This python script can take many arguments:

--version This sets the version number displayed at logon and in SYS1.PARMLIB(RELEASE)
--users By default sysgen will use the users in the file users.conf, you can supply your own with this argument
--profiles By default sysgen will use the RAKF profiles in the file profiles.conf, you can supply your own with this argument
--username/--password These arguments add an admin user with the username/password supplied
--timeout Sometimes hercules will end up in a state which can deadlock sysgen, to prevent it from running forever a timeout has been set. The defaul it thirty minutes. Use this argument to change it to something shorter/longer, in seconds.
--hercules Path to a specific hercules binary
--no-compress By default this script will compress DASD files, that is not needed on some file systems, this will disable compression
--keep-backup This script backups after every step then removes the backups when completed, if you'd like to keep the backup DASD images use this flag
--keep-temp This script generates multiple temp files during sysgen and removes the folder when completed, if you wish to keep the temp files pass this flag

Assuming you have all the prerequisites installed (git, tar, python3 and hercules) the recommended command used to build sysgen is:

until ./sysgen.py --CONTINUE; do echo "Failed, rerunning"; done

This until loop will run until sysgen is complete. This is due to multiple bugs in hercules which may cause it to fail and which is typically fixed by rerunning the failed step.

Automation control options

The arguments below are for more granular control of where to start sysgen from. These can be used if a step has failed of if you make changes to a step and start the install from that step instead of starting over. Some steps are atomic, some have multiple sub steps. With the arguments below you can continue/restart from either.

-l or --list This will list all available steps and substeps.
--step Restart sysgen from this step. The install will continue from here.
--substep Restart sysgen from a steps substep.
-C or --CONTINUE If sysgen fails for any reason a file (.step) is created prior to exit, this argument reads that file and continues building MVS/CE from where it left off. This superscedes the --step and --substep arguments.

:warning: By default sysgen will remove the temp and backup folders. If you're doing development work you can use the --keep-backup and --keep-temp arguments to keep those folders after systen completes allowing you to restart sysgen at any point.

Usernames/Passwords

RAKF/TSO

Username	Password
IBMUSER	SYS1
MVSCE01	CUL8TR
MVSCE02	PASS4U

:warning: IBMUSER and MVSCE01 are RAKF and TSO admins.

You can add a admin user using the --username flag. To add more users edit the users.conf file.

Changes From Jay Moseley Sysgen

Added multiple usermods
Added RAKF, BREXX, RFE, and ISPF
Installed usermod DYNPROC which allows for dynamic proclibs
Seperated out usermods to their own JCL for better automation control
Added S NET and changed JES2 startup parms in sys1.parmlib(COMMND00)
Automated startup using HAO hercules
Adds version to NETSOL
Added SYS1.PARMLIB(RELEASE) which contains release information

And many more. See the branch original which tracked changes to the original sysgen and the git log to see the hundred of other changes since the initial release.

Info

This repo is heavily based on Jay Moseley sysgen. His writeup is a wonderful resource and you should read the site here: http://www.jaymoseley.com/hercules/installMVS/iMVSintroV7.htm

A lot of the information contained on this repo is directly from his sysgen walkthrough.

There are lots of files and folders. Each folder has a readme explaining from a high level what each file does.

System Setup Information:

From: http://www.jaymoseley.com/hercules/installMVS/iCUSTv7.htm

Much of the operation of MVS is controlled by JES2 and the parameters that affect JES2 are contained in the member JES2PM00 in SYS1.PARMLIB. The three main functions are job entry (readers), job execution (job classes), and output (printers and punches).

Card Readers

There is one Hercules emulated card reader that is controlled by JES2 - the 2540R at address x'00c'. There are other card readers generated into the system and one of those is also defined in the Hercules configuration file - the 2540R at address x'01c'.

Printers

There are two emulated printers controlled by JES2 - the 1403 at address x'00e' and the 3211 at address x'00f'. The 1403 printer defined at address x'015' is a special case as it defined as, and dedicated to the hardcopy log; it is not controlled by JES2. There are other printers generated into the system, but they are not defined in the configuration file; they are simply 'extra' printers.

Card Punch

There is one emulated card punch that is controlled by JES2 - the 2540P at address x'00d'. There are other card punches generated into the system and one of those is also definied in the Hercules configuration file - the 2540P at address x'01d'.

CLASS

The CLASS= parameter on the JOB card determines the class that the job is intended to be run in.

There are six initiators defined to JES2, three are not active when MVS is IPLed, but three of them are automatically started. The initiators select a job for execution when the CLASS= parameter on the JOB card matches one of the CLASSES the initiator is set to process. Currently the initiators are set to process these classes (listed in order by highest priority first):

Initiator 1	Initiator 2	Initiator 3	Initiator 4 (not started)	Initiator 5 (not started)	Initiator 6 (not started)
A	B,A	S	D,C,B,A	E,C,B,A	F,E,C,B,A

Class S is intended for use for System Programming tasks, so some of the control has been loosened on that class, which is why you don't have to 'approve' embedded console commands. It is not a good idea to simply use S for all of your jobs, however, as there are good reasons for those controls being in place.

The two printers controlled by JES2 are set to select non-held printer output in class A (the 1403 at x'00e') and class M (the 3211 at x'00f').

The card punch controlled by JES2 is set to select non-held punch output in class B.

Some of the parameters for JES2 may be changed from the MVS console and the changes will only remain in effect until the next IPL. Some of the parameters must be changed by altering the JES2PM00 member in SYS1.PARMLIB, then stopping and restarting JES2.

MVS-sysgen / sysgen

readme