Local z/OS-Style Environment Installation
This local environment provides a classic mainframe-style workflow using Hercules and TK4- MVS 3.8j. It delivers a practical TSO/ISPF-like experience for learning, testing, and development on a Linux workstation.
The installation script builds a complete local mainframe-style lab. It installs dependencies, builds Hercules from source, downloads the TK4- package, and wires everything together into a runnable environment.
- Local Hercules emulator build
- TK4- MVS 3.8j runtime extraction
- Startup and shutdown helper scripts
- 3270 terminal launcher
- Optional user-level systemd service
- Desktop launchers for convenience
The environment is composed of several major parts:
- Hercules: the open-source mainframe emulator
- TK4-: turnkey MVS 3.8j package
- x3270 / c3270: terminal emulators for local connection
- Helper scripts: start-mvs, stop-mvs, and open-3270
This is not licensed IBM z/OS, but it offers a strong local environment for classic mainframe practice.
The script performs the following major steps:
- Detects the Linux distribution and package manager
- Installs development tools and 3270 clients
- Clones and builds Hercules locally
- Downloads and extracts the TK4- package
- Creates wrapper scripts for runtime management
- Optionally registers a systemd user service
- Creates desktop shortcuts for easy startup
After installation, the environment provides these commands:
${HOME}/mvs38/bin/start-mvs
${HOME}/mvs38/bin/stop-mvs
${HOME}/mvs38/bin/open-3270 127.0.0.1 3270These allow the user to start the emulator, stop it cleanly, and open a 3270 session against the local host.
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