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Zowe CLI quick start

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Get started with Zowe CLI quickly and easily.

Note: This section assumes some prerequisite knowledge of command-line tools and writing scripts. If you prefer more detailed instructions, see Installing Zowe CLI.

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Installing#

Before you install Zowe CLI, download and install Node.js and npm.

Installing Zowe CLI core#

npm config set @brightside:registry https://api.bintray.com/npm/ca/brightside
npm install @brightside/core@lts-incremental -g

Installing CLI plug-ins#

zowe plugins install @brightside/cics@lts-incremental

The command installs the IBM CICS plug-in, but the IBM Db2 plug-in requires additional configuration to install.

For a list of available plug-ins, see Extending Zowe CLI.

Issuing your first commands#

Issue zowe --help to display full command help. Append --help (alias -h) to any command to see available command actions and options.

To interact with the mainframe, type zowe followed by a command group, action, and object. Use options to specify your connection details such as password and system name.

Listing all data sets under a high-level qualifier (HLQ)#

zowe zos-files list data-set "MY.DATASET.*" --host my.company.com --port 123 --user myusername123 --pass mypassword123

Downloading a partitioned data-set (PDS) member to local file#

zowe zos-files download data-set "MY.DATA.SET(member)" -f "mylocalfile.txt" --host my.company.com --port 123 --user myusername123 --pass mypassword123

See Command Groups for a list of available functionality.

Using profiles#

Zowe profiles let you store configuration details such as username, password, host, and port for a mainframe system. Switch between profiles to quickly target different subsystems and avoid typing connection details on every command.

Profile types#

Most command groups require a zosmf-profile, but some plug-ins add their own profile types. For example, the CICS plug-in has a cics-profile. The profile type that a command requires is defined in the PROFILE OPTIONS section of the help response.

Tip: The first zosmf profile that you create becomes your default profile. If you don't specify any options on a command, the default profile is used. Issue zowe profiles -h to learn about listing profiles and setting defaults.

Creating a zosmf profile#

zowe profiles create zosmf-profile myprofile123 --host my.company.com --port 123 --user myusername123 --password mypassword123

Note: The port defaults to 443 if you omit the --port option. Specify a different port if your host system does not use port 443.

Using a zosmf profile#

zowe zos-files download data-set "MY.DATA.SET(member)" -f "mylocalfile.txt" --zosmf-profile myprofile123

For detailed information about issuing commands, using profiles, and storing variables as environment variables, see Defining Zowe CLI connection details.

Writing scripts#

You can write Zowe CLI scripts to streamline your daily development processes or conduct mainframe actions from an off-platform automation tool such as Jenkins or TravisCI.

Example:#

You want to delete a list of temporary datasets. Use Zowe CLI to download the list, loop through the list, and delete each data set using the zowe zos-files delete command.

#!/bin/bash
set -e
# Obtain the list of temporary project data sets
dslist=$(zowe zos-files list dataset "my.project.ds*")
# Delete each data set in the list
IFS=$'\n'
for ds in $dslist
do
echo "Deleting Temporary Project Dataset: $ds"
zowe files delete ds "$ds" -f
done

For more information, see Writing scripts to automate mainframe actions.

Next Steps#

You successfully installed Zowe CLI, issued your first commands, and wrote a simple script! Next, you might want to:

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