PigIron is a Java class library for carrying out IBM  z/VM  V5R3.0 Systems Management Application Programming transactions over TCP/IP sockets (hereinafter referred to as VSMAPI).

There are servers on the z/VM host that answer a funky message body protocol and let you do thusly various tasks on the z/Server. IBM provides this facility to support its own tool suites but has published the spec. I'm not positive, but PigIron may be the only open source implementation for a Java platform to perform these remote tasks via VSMAPI.

I started coding two weeks ago. While I haven't yet used the SourceForge release mechanism to post a release, the code already checked into CVS implements the complete communication and parameter marshalling/demarshalling. I've coded and tested four or five of the safer VSMAPI Functions (all Queries). Coding a function and its param types is now about 1/2 hr work. There are about one hundred left to code in z/VM 5.3 :)

After the class lib and the functions are complete, I hope to have the time next to code visual widgets to use VSMAPI functions in Swing applications.

Does PigIron need help? Yes. PigIron could use a graphic emblem. I want a FLYING PIG caressing a z10 !

To get PigIron latest source from CVS:

1. cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@pigiron.cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/pigiron login
2. cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@pigiron.cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/pigiron co -r BLOGGED_20080815 -P pigiron

To download a preliminary, sub-alpha release with lite docs, visit the PigIron page and choose "Download PigIron".