Connect to z/OS Mainframe with SFTP

sftp zos ebcdic
Oliver picture Oliver · May 30, 2014 · Viewed 8k times · Source

We have a IBM Host System Z sitting in our cellar. Now the issue is that i have no clue about Mainframes!!! (It's not USS btw.)

The Problem: How can i transfer a file from the host system to a windows machine.

Usually on UNIX systems i would just install and ssh daemon and connect to it via. a program called winscp. After that transfer the file in binary so that it does not convert something (Ultraedit and other Editors can handle this).

With the host system it seems to be a bit difficult as the original format from IBM is EBCDIC and i have no idea if there is a state of the art SFTP server program for the host. Could anybody be so kind and enlighten me? From my current expirience with IT there must be a state of the art sftp connection to that system? I appreciate any help/hints/solutions.

Thank you, O.S

Answer

cschneid picture cschneid · May 30, 2014

If the mainframe "sitting in [your] cellar" is running z/OS then it has Unix System Services installed. You can't have z/OS without it.

There is an SFTP package available (for free) for z/OS.

You can test to see about Unix System Services by firing up a 3270 emulator going to ISPF option 3.17, putting a forward slash (/) in the Pathname field and pressing the mainframe Enter key. Another way would be to key OMVS at a TSO READY prompt, which will start up a 3270-based Unix shell.

It is possible that USS is simply not available to you; if you're running any supported release of z/OS then USS is present. There could be concerns about supporting something outside a particular group,

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