Requirements¶
Before you install any IBM® z/OS® collection, you must configure a control node and managed node with a minimum set of requirements. The following sections detail the specific software requirements for the control and managed nodes.
Control node¶
A control node is any machine with Ansible® installed. From the control node, you can run commands and playbooks from a laptop, desktop, or server. However, Windows® is not a supported controller for Ansible collections managing a z/OS node.
All IBM z/OS collections are either Ansible Automation Platform Certified Content (AAP) or undergoing certification. Thus, the supported versions of Ansible align with the AAP Life Cycle. For support, the controller must use the supported version of Ansible and when applicable the collections dependencies.
The minimum software requirements for IBM z/OS collections are:
ansible-core: 2.15 (AAP 2.4) or later
IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Python: 3.11 or later
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Modules which can have Ansible tasks delegated to a localhost need not have OpenSSH enabled. Such modules often rely on a REST API for automation. Refer to the collections listed in the Managed node section to review which collections leverage a REST endpoint.
Each offering in the Red Hat® Ansible Certified Content for IBM Z offering can vary in terms of the requirements for the control node. When you install any of them, review the specific dependencies and required/supported software versions, if any.
Managed node¶
A managed node is often referred to as a target node, or host, and it is managed by Ansible. Ansible need not be installed on a managed node. Each offering in the IBM z/OS collections varies in terms of the requirements for the managed node. Select one of the following offerings to learn more about the specific dependencies and required/supported software versions.