IBM Z® Program Development Tool for Independent Software Vendors (ISV zPDT)

The ISV zPDT emulates an IBM Z mainframe environment on x86 architecture, providing ISVs with a low-cost platform to develop and test their IBM Z applications.
ISV zPDT can only be used for development and testing purposes; use of ISV zPDT for production workloads is strictly prohibited by license agreements.

This offering is only available to qualifying Independent Software Vendors enrolled in the IBM Z On-premises Development (zOPD) Program.
Interested ISVs can learn more about the zOPD Program and apply to join at https://zopd.dfw.ibm.com
IBM's OEM Information Technology Online (ITC) handles fulfillment of ISV zPDT orders subject to approval from the zOPD Program.

ISV zPDT Technical Documentation


Application Developer Controlled Distribution (ADCD) Software Stacks for ISV zPDT

The ADCD software stacks provide z/OS, z/VM, and associated middleware products formatted for use with ISV zPDT.

Important Notes:

  • There is an annual subscription fee of US $900 per ISV zPDT serial number.
    • This annual fee is in addition to the ISV zPDT license fee payable to ITC.
    • The fee includes access to both z/OS and z/VM distributions.
    • All ADCD software is provided via download; DVDs are not available.
  • There are no license fees for software included in the ADCD software stacks.
  • The z/OS ADCD software stack is refreshed twice per year, typically coinciding with the release of new z/OS versions.
  • The z/VM downloads are updated periodically as needed to apply maintenance or new z/VM product releases.
  • The ADCD z/VSE® has been withdrawn from marketing effective 09/05/2022.
    Service has been discontinued as of 09/30/2023.

Information about the current ADCD release levels, including download access for subscribed ISVs can be found at the links below:

z/OS® ADCD z/OS 3.1 December 2023 z/VM® ADCD z/VM 7.3 January 2024 Edition

The software products and other content provided in ADCD downloads are owned by IBM or an IBM supplier and are copyrighted and licensed, not sold.

Use is subject to the terms and conditions of the zOPD Program as outlined in the Attachment for Developer Discount - IBM Z and Addendum to the Attachment for Developer Discount for IBM Z, the Application Developers Controlled Distribution (ADCD) License Agreements, and the individual product licenses for the bundled products.

Software and content are licensed to the specific ISV zPDT system by machine type/model and serial number and cannot be transferred to any other machine.

Use of the ADCD software on any other system or software emulator is strictly prohibited and in violation of the terms and conditions of the aforementioned agreements.

Announcements, Changes and Updates for ISV zPDT Systems

Version 1 Release 11, known as GA11, is the current release level for the ISV zPDT emulation software.

Release 10.1 or later is required to install the latest ADCD downloads.

Current ISV zPDT users with an active zOPD Program contract can contact ITC at sales@itconline.com to obtain ISV zPDT software updates.

Characteristic Version 1 Release 11 Date Released August 2022 Initial ISV zPDT driver level z1090-1-11.57.06 IBM zSystems architecture level z16 Linux levels that were used to build and test the ISV zPDT release.
(The official levels)
RHEL 8.6, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3, and Ubuntu 20.04
Informally tested Linux levels
(Earlier levels are not recommended)
CentOS Stream 8.6 and 9.0, Fedora 35 and 36, and Open SUSE 15.3
Tested z/OS levels 2.4 and 2.5 z/VM that were used during development 7.2 (not all functions) Tested Linux for IBM zSystems level RHEL 8, with other testing in progress Machines that were used for testing A wide range of servers and laptops Virtual environments that were used during testing KVM

Contact Us

For technical questions about ISV zPDT and ADCD, please contact zTech@us.ibm.com

For questions about zOPD Program requirements and the ISV zPDT licensing process, please contact zOPD@ibm.com