21st Century Software today announced its first version of the VSE operating system (OS)—which enters the market under the name: VSEn V6.3 with planned availability for May 17, 2022. VSEn is designed to offer non-disruptive compatibility with previous versions of IBM z/VSE (which serves as the basis for VSEn V6.3), leveraging the source code license agreement the company completed on June 1, 2021. VSEn V6.3 also addresses fixes and functionality that had been applied to IBM z/VSE 6.2 through March 2022, along with the newest releases of the TCP/IP stacks and installation enhancements.
“21st Century Software, through deep customer and market insight, gives CIOs and IT leaders greater control and the ability to derive increased value in their IBM Z infrastructure while aiming to reduce the dependence on specialized IBM Z skills,” said Rebecca Levesque, CEO and President, 21st Century Software. “We recognize that organizations using IBM z/VSE value the business-critical data in their systems. VSEn maintains the viability of the operating system’s role in the data center of the future.”
Middleware stack names have also changed as reflected in the company’s marketing materials, documentation, panels, and messages, but executables (commands, jobs, APIs) have not been renamed to maintain compatibility for customers coming from IBM z/VSE. Here’s a look at the new names 21st Century Software is delivering initially across the stack, with more to come:
| IBM Product Name | Corresponding 21st Century Software Offering |
| z/VSE | VSEn |
| CICS, CICS TS | OLTP for VSEn or OLTP |
| VTAM | VCDD for VSEn or VCDD |
| HLASM | HLASM for VSEn or HLASM |
| EREP | IDRP for VSEn or IDRP |
| IBM IPv6/VSE | 21CSW IPv6/VSE |
| IBM TCP/IP for z/VSE | 21CSW TCP/IP for VSEn |
| DL/I | HDB for VSEn or HDB |
The rest of the 21st Century VSEn stack will be provided in the coming months. VSEn has been designed to interoperate with current versions of those IBM z/VSE middleware stack products not yet included in the table above, as well as other ISV VSE products, so customers can move to VSEn and leverage their investments right away.
The 21st Century Software VSEn team, led by Gonzalo Muelas Serrano, VP Research and Development for VSEn, will continue to work closely with IBM to ensure alignment with current and future strategies. For example, 21st Century Software intends to provide:
- Support for new generations of IBM Z hardware
- Enablement for VSEn also as a public cloud offering, aligning with customer needs and IBM’s evolving hybrid cloud strategy
21st Century Software is also working with active VSE vendors interested in investing in and strengthening the VSE ecosystem in key areas like security, storage, resiliency, observability, and connectivity. These vendors include:
- Barnard Systems Inc.
- B.O.S. Software Service und Vertrieb GmbH
- Broadcom Mainframe Software
- CSI International
- Lattwein GmbH
- MacKinney Systems, Inc.
- Velocity Software, Inc.
- XPS Software GmbH
“Barnard Software, Inc. looks forward to working with 21st Century Software as they move VSEn into the future.”
“We are excited to see the investment and growth in the VSE ecosystem. Broadcom’s commitment to our customers is paramount and we will support 21st Century Software VSEn as we continue to invest in our solutions, including new ESM capabilities on the horizon.” Greg Lotko, senior vice president and general manager, Mainframe Software Division, Broadcom.
“CSI International is thrilled to partner with 21st Century Software and continue to strengthen the VSE ecosystem. We anticipate great things to come.” Barry Boyer, CEO, CSI International.
Continuous innovation also means investing in the right talent and expertise. 21st Century Software has developed a sustainable team of seasoned VSE experts who work closely with new, innovative developers. Together, the team is prepared to effectively maintain and improve upon the OS and middleware stack well into the future.
“21st Century Software is excited to continue helping loyal VSE customers worldwide, for whom this platform has been so critical,” said Gonzalo Muelas Serrano. “These customers have stayed with VSE because of the value that it brings, and we intend to continue investing in and raising that value.”
To learn more about why VSEn provides the business value you need, or if you are looking for career opportunities and want to join 21st Century Software’s team of VSEn experts, reach out to Gonzalo Muelas Serrano at gonzalom@21csw.com.
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