The best of both worlds

OpenExtensions for z/VM brings together the open world and the VM world. First, OpenExtensions for z/VM's services bring to VM users:

The latest industry standard for a C language application programming interface

The standard shell and utilities interface

Support for client/server applications in a multivendor network (the Distributed Computing Environment)

Application developers and interactive users using these interfaces have the underlying resources and power of z/VM available without needing to understand z/VM's own proprietary interfaces. On the other hand, these users can exploit the z/VM proprietary interface for capabilities not provided by standard interfaces.

The application developer can trade portability for capability by using VM extensions to C language functions.

The interactive user can login from CMS to access the shell. The user who logins in from CMS can quickly toggle from the OpenExtensions shell interface to the CMS interface to request services not available in the OpenExtensions interface, and then toggle back to the OpenExtensions shell.

OpenExtensions for z/VM provides CMS commands so that VM data sets can be copied to the file system for access by standards-conforming applications. Users (or programmed procedures) can copy VM data set to a byte file or vice versa.

On the other hand, users familiar with one world can minimize their use of the other world. Application developers can develop most of their applications at their workstations and then use standard interfaces to compile, test, and debug their programs at the VM system. Current VM applications run as usual. Current users continue to have all the services of VM available.

Both worlds can exist side by side independently (but sharing the same processing and storage resources). Or users can use both OpenExtensions and traditional VM, getting the best of each: a standard interface and portability through OpenExtensions services, and a large array of services through z/VM.