10 Mainframe Development Books That Separate Experts from Amateurs

Drawing from his extensive experience as an author and educator in both artificial intelligence and mainframe systems, Tom Taulli offers you an insightful guide to bridging classic mainframe technologies with contemporary digital methods. You'll explore foundational components like COBOL, JCL, and Db2, while also grasping how to integrate cloud services, AI, and microservices within mainframe environments. This book is particularly suited for developers and IT professionals looking to modernize legacy systems without losing the robustness of traditional architectures. By focusing on practical examples, such as mainframe DevOps strategies and data migration to AWS, it equips you with the skills to navigate both worlds effectively.

When Mike Murach first reconsidered traditional COBOL instruction, he focused on clarifying practical programming for IBM mainframes rather than abstract theory. You learn how to write and test simple COBOL programs that generate reports, then advance into structured programming techniques, table handling, and managing sequential and indexed files. The book also demystifies compiling programs on mainframes and working with environments like VSAM, CICS, and DB2 databases. If you're engaged in mainframe COBOL programming or maintaining legacy systems, this book offers clear, hands-on guidance without unnecessary complexity.

This personalized book provides a tailored approach to mastering core mainframe development concepts and skills, addressing the specific backgrounds and goals of individual learners. It focuses on key areas such as COBOL programming, IMS and DB2 integration, JCL scripting, and mainframe system architecture, offering targeted guidance that fits your unique development context. By cutting through generic advice, this tailored framework emphasizes practical implementation strategies including workload management, security essentials, and specialty processor optimization, ensuring relevance to your current projects and expertise level.

What started as a need to bridge foundational knowledge gaps became a structured introduction to mainframe technology by Mike Ebbers and his co-authors. This book walks you through the essential facilities of z/OS, the heart of IBM mainframe systems, offering clarity on complex topics like data management and operating systems. You’ll gain practical understanding of mainframe architecture and operations, supported by a logical progression suitable for those with some programming and system background. While not exhaustive, it effectively prepares you for deeper study or professional entry into large systems computing, making it ideal if you want a solid, methodical grounding in mainframe basics.

Drawing from his deep experience in mainframe environments, Robert Wingate offers a pragmatic introduction to COBOL application development on IBM's z/OS platform. This book guides you through essential COBOL programming concepts integrated with VSAM, IMS, DB2, and CICS, emphasizing practical skills that align with actual development team demands. You’ll find clear examples and sample programs designed to accelerate your learning curve and prepare you for real-world tasks. While it’s especially suited for newcomers aiming to join mainframe projects, even those with some exposure will appreciate its focused approach to mastering core technologies.

Drawing from four decades as a database expert, Craig S. Mullins offers clarity on the often-misunderstood topic of IBM z Series specialty processors. You’ll gain insight into how zIIPs function within the mainframe environment, including key concepts like control blocks, SRBs, and TCBs that underpin their operation. The book also demystifies the complex world of mainframe licensing and pricing, helping you understand cost-saving opportunities tied to specialty processor usage. If you manage or develop applications on IBM Z systems, this guide equips you to optimize workloads and reduce software expenses, with thoughtful commentary on the future of specialty processors.

This personalized book offers a tailored approach to accelerating mainframe coding skills through a clear, day-by-day plan spanning 30 days. It provides targeted strategies for mastering core mainframe programming concepts, with a focus on practical application and skill building. The book organizes content into progressive modules that fit your specific experience level and goals, cutting through generic advice to deliver relevant coding techniques, debugging practices, and performance optimization methods. It also addresses integration with key mainframe components and modern development tools, providing a structured pathway to measurable improvement in mainframe programming proficiency.

When Robert Wingate first realized the demand for clear, practical IMS application development training, he drew on his extensive 30-year career working with IBM mainframes to write this book. You gain focused instruction on using IMS with COBOL and PLI in z/OS environments, supported by examples and sample programs that make the learning curve manageable. The book emphasizes real job skills crucial for effective IMS programming team members, offering a well-organized path to competence rather than abstract theory. If you’re aiming to quickly become productive in IMS application development, this book lays a solid foundation, though it’s tailored specifically for those working within IBM mainframe ecosystems.

Robert Wingate's decades of IBM mainframe and distributed programming expertise clearly informs this detailed guide to developing applications on IBM mainframes running z/OS. You learn foundational skills including JCL, MVS utilities, COBOL, VSAM, IMS, DB2, and CICS, with practical examples and sample programs that accelerate your ability to contribute on IBM application teams. The book’s organization and clarity make complex legacy technologies accessible, focusing on core competencies that matter in real job environments. If you’re aiming to enter or grow within mainframe development, this book offers a focused, skill-oriented pathway without unnecessary complexity or jargon.

When Ori Pomerantz first recognized the gap between traditional IT security skills and mainframe security, he set out to bridge that divide. This book teaches you how to navigate the IBM System z mainframe environment confidently, covering essentials like running z/OS commands, managing RACF profiles, and integrating mainframe security into broader IT infrastructures. You'll gain hands-on familiarity with mainframe-specific tools such as ISPF and auditing utilities, with practical examples including data set protection and limited-authority administration. If you’re a security professional expanding into mainframes, this focused guide offers clear, experience-based knowledge without overwhelming jargon.

Unlike most technical manuals that emphasize fragmented details, this book offers a cohesive overview of IBM's Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS) operating system, making it a singular resource for understanding the system's architecture and capabilities. Drawing from extensive experience with IBM mainframes, the author unpacks complex components such as MVS/XA and MVS/ESA versions, storage management including DASD, and task supervision under MVS Supervisor. You gain a solid grasp of job entry subsystems and storage hierarchies, crucial for programmers and systems analysts working directly with IBM mainframe environments. While deeply technical, the book suits those who want a structured understanding rather than scattered reference points, making it less ideal for complete beginners but indispensable for practitioners aiming to deepen their operational knowledge.

Drawing from extensive hands-on experience with IBM mainframe systems, V. Mitra Gopaul compiled this desk reference to meet the practical needs of programmers working in complex mainframe environments. You gain immediate access to key commands, codes, and language usages essential for navigating MVS, VM, and VSE systems, with clear examples that clarify syntax and application. This book suits developers who require a rapid memory jog or a reliable quick-reference tool when handling various mainframe utilities and programming languages. If you work directly with IBM mainframe software or maintain legacy systems, this volume provides a concise, well-organized aid to streamline your workflow and reduce time spent searching for essential information.