Bringing Mainframe into the Future: OpenTelemetry for Db2 for z/OS
Project and Program:
Application Development,
Databases
Tags:
Proceedings,
2026,
SHARE Pittsburgh 2026
As organizations move toward unified observability across hybrid environments, mainframe systems are becoming essential contributors to modern tracing strategies. With new OpenTelemetry (OTel) support in z/OS and Db2 for z/OS, enterprises can now extend end to end distributed tracing into IBM Z workloads with minimal application changes. This session explains how Db2 for z/OS fits into the OTel ecosystem, including how context propagation enables visibility across CICS, IMS, MQ, and Db2. We will explore zero code, annotation based, and manual instrumentation options along with key considerations such as Db2’s unit of work span model and how OTel complements traditional Db2 monitoring. Attendees will gain practical guidance for enabling OTel on Db2 for z/OS and integrating mainframe systems into a modern observability pipeline. By attending this session, participants will be able to: • Understand how OpenTelemetry integrates with Db2 for z/OS and why it matters for hybrid cloud observability. • Explain how context propagation works across z/OS subsystems such as CICS, IMS, MQ, and Db2. • Compare instrumentation approaches (zero code, annotation based, manual) and identify which fits their application needs. • Recognize key considerations and limitations of Db2’s unit of work tracing model and how OTel complements existing Db2 monitoring.
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