Before you use Zowe Explorer, ensure that you meet the following prerequisites:

Client side requirements

Operating systems

• macOS: Only Mac operating system versions supported by Apple

• Unix-like:

  • CentOS 8+
  • RHEL 8+
  • Ubuntu 20.04+

• Windows: Only Windows operating system versions supported by Microsoft

Integrated development environments

• Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces

  Note: Secure credentials are not supported in Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces as the keyring is not unlocked by default. However, you can use the Kubernetes Secrets plug-in for Zowe CLI or Zowe® Explorer for Kubernetes® Secrets as an alternative, or you can create your own Custom Credential Managers in Zowe Explorer and Zowe CLI.

• VS Code 1.90.0+

  Note: Only VS Code versions that bundle actively maintained versions of Node.js are supported.

Server side requirements

• IBM z/OSMF is configured and running.

  • See z/OSMF REST services for Zowe clients for a list of services that need configuration.

• If using IBM CICS or IBM z/OS FTP: Applicable plug-in services are configured and running on the mainframe.

  • Plug-ins communicate with various mainframe services. The services must be configured and running on the mainframe before issuing plug-in commands. - See Zowe® Explorer for IBM® CICS® Transaction Server system requirements. - See Zowe® Explorer for IBM® z/OS® FTP system requirements.

Use various services to communicate with system resources and extract system data on the mainframe:

• z/OSMF

  • See z/OSMF documentation for more information.

• FTP

  • This connection is available with the Zowe Explorer FTP Extension.
  • See FTP documentation for more information.

• There are multiple extensions that offer additional protocols and functionality. See the Explorer for Visual Studio Code Zowe V3 section in the Zowe V2 and V3 Conformant Landscape for a complete list of conformant extensions.

Customizing extension settings

• Configure Zowe Explorer by changing the extension settings. For more information, see Configuring Zowe Explorer.

Confirming your team configuration

Team configuration stores connection information to access the mainframe. Check that you have your team configuration in place.

• Your team configuration is in place when:

  • Selecting the + icon in the headers of the DATA SETS, UNIX SYSTEM SERVICES, or JOBS tree views presents options in the Quick Pick to edit your configuration file or, if available, use an existing profile.

• You do not have team configuration when:

  • A pop-up message displays advising that client configurations were not found.
  • A Search icon does not display in the headers of the DATA SETS, UNIX SYSTEM SERVICES, or JOBS tree views. Select the + icon to create team configuration.

If you are missing your team configuration files, zowe.config.json and zowe.schema.json, work with your administrator to confirm the connection information needed to finalize the configuration.

Creating a team configuration file

A team configuration file stores connection information to mainframe services in profiles, making team configuration easy to maintain and share with others in your organization.

Team configuration should be created by an administrator or team lead who understands what connection information is needed and can efficiently manage it. A user can also set up their team configuration when they understand their team's requirements for use and the options available to ensure these are met.

If you do not have a team configuration file, create a new one in Visual Studio Code:

1. Open Zowe Explorer.
2. In the pop-up message that prompts you to create a new configuration file, click Create New.
3. In the Quick Pick, select the type of configuration file to create, a global or project file.
4. In the Editor tab, fill in the required connection information.

Refer to Zowe Docs for documentation on understanding and implementing team configuration:

• Team configuration overview
• Creating Zowe Explorer profiles

Note: Team configuration can apply across three core components of the Zowe project: Zowe Explorer for VS Code, Zowe Explorer for IntelliJ IDEA, and Zowe CLI.

Using profiles for the first time

The first time a team configuration profile is used, you are prompted for a user name and password for the profile's connection.

The term password is used loosely to represent all supported authentication secrets, such as passphrases, passtickets, Multifactor Authentication (MFA) tokens, etc.

Updating securely stored credentials

Secure fields in the team configuration file are handled by the Zowe Imperative dependency.

To update securely stored user names and passwords in Zowe Explorer:

1. Right click the applicable profile and select Manage Profile.

2. Select Update Credentials from the Quick Pick.

   You are prompted for the new credentials and these are saved to the secure credentials vault.

Other authentication methods

Zowe Explorer for VS Code supports multiple authentication methods including basic authentication, multi-factor authentication, tokens, and certificates. See Zowe Docs for more information about these other authentication methods.

1. Expand a tree view in the Side Bar.

2. Click on the Search icon next to a profile to search for the resources that you want to view.

   Search results display under the profile in the Side Bar.

3. Click on the resource to display it in an Editor.

4. If the file is able to be edited, edit the document in the Editor.

5. Press the Ctrl+s or Command+s keys to save the changes.

   The changes are saved and the edited resource is uploaded to the mainframe.

Downloading file content

1. Expand a tree view in the Side Bar.

2. Click on the Search icon next to a profile and enter search criteria.

   Search results display under the profile in the Side Bar.

3. Right-click on the desired file and select a download option.

   The selected files are saved.

You can add new functionalities to Zowe Explorer by creating your own extension. For more information, see Extensions for Zowe Explorer.

Tip: View an example of a Zowe Explorer extension in the Zowe Explorer FTP extension documentation.

Bidirectional languages

Files written in languages primarily read from right to left (Arabic, Hebrew, many Asian languages) can include portions of text that are written and read left to right, such as numbers.

These bidirectional (BiDi) languages are not currently supported in Visual Studio Code. (See [Issue #86667](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/86667) for more information.)

As a result, VS Code extensions like Zowe Explorer, Zowe Explorer CICS Extension, and Zowe Explorer FTP Extension are not able to support BiDi languages in files.