The job of a programmer is very technical and demanding. Good and competent technical skills are required to become a system programmer. One of the latest operating system is z/OS. If you have a good knowledge of z/OS operating system then this career is the right choice for you.
I am providing few important interview questions that are generally asked in an interview.
1. Can you define z/OS for us?
z/OS is IBM’s mainframe operating system. It is a 64 bit OS. It supports Java, UNIX, API’s, and TCP/IP. This is an extension to IBM’s zSeries eServers from OS/390. It is extremely scalable and shows high level of performance. It can boast of its high reliability and dealing with the mission critical applications. Its version 1 release runs on G5 and G6 parallel enterprise servers and multiple 3000 servers. It restricts to 31-bit addressing on G5 and G6. It is a lower priced version of z- series.
2. Define a data set?
z/OS uses data sets to manage its data. A data set is a file that contains one or more records. A record is treated as the smallest unit of information that is used by a running program of z/OS.
3. What is TSO/E?
TSO stands for Time Sharing Option/Extension. It helps in creating an interactive session with the z/OS system. The basic features are: single- user logon and a basic command prompt interface.
4. Tell about your knowledge in programming languages.
z/OS supports Java. If you are good at programming in Java then tell about it. Good logic and analytic thinking is what is essentially required to excel as a system programmer. Further knowledge of other languages like C/C++ or Visual Basic is an advantage.
5. Give some information about MVS.
MVS stands for Multiple Virtual Storage. It was an older OS used for IBM mainframes. It was introduced in 1974. It employs the concept of batch processing and hence is able to manage the large amount of memory and disk space.
6. Tell about your working experience for this field.
If you have worked earlier for the same profession then tell about the role you played there. Tell about your technical knowledge and qualifications. If you have done any good project then it will surely be advantageous to mention about it. Be precise and confident.
These are some of the important interview questions that are generally asked in an interview of z/OS system programmer. All the Best!
