Mainframe access through IBM Z Explore (2025-07-19)

Turns out one can experience a mainframe in 2025 via IBM Z Explore:

Client / Terminal Emulator

To download ws3270, the Windows scripting version of the x3270 IBM 3270 terminal emulator, visit the official x3270 project page:(GitHub)

  • x3270 Downloads – On that page, locate the latest version of ws3270 suitable for your system. If you prefer a portable version, you can download it from Chocolatey:(Chocolatey Software)
  • Chocolatey: ws3270 Portable – For scripting and automation purposes, ws3270 is designed to operate without a graphical interface, making it ideal for screen-scraping tasks.(SourceForge)

To download the wx3270 GUI terminal emulator for Windows:

  1. Visit the official download directory: wx3270 Downloads.
  2. Download the latest installer: wx3270-1.2ga9-setup.exe (released April 25, 2025).
  3. Run the installer and follow the prompts.

For detailed installation instructions, refer to the wx3270 Installer Guide.



Related

  • Hercules is an open source software implementation of the mainframe System/370 and ESA/390 architectures, in addition to the new 64-bit z/Architecture. Hercules runs under Linux, Windows (98, NT, 2000, and XP), Solaris, FreeBSD, and Mac OS X (10.3 and later).
  • Connection Settings: https://204.90.115.200:10443/zosmf/info
    • host=204.90.115.200