All about SMP/E (System Modification Program/Extended)
— It’s SiMPlified!!!

SMP/E (System Modification Program/Extended) is the foundation of software maintenance and update management within the z/OS ecosystem. This session provides a practical introduction to core SMP/E concepts and terminology, helping attendees better understand how controlled software maintenance is managed on the mainframe. Topics will include PTFs, APARs, SYSMODs, USERMODs, CSI structure, and the overall PTF lifecycle.

Attendees will also gain an overview of the standard SMP/E workflow, including RECEIVE, APPLY, and ACCEPT processing, along with a discussion of SMP/E zone architecture (GLOBAL, TARGET, and DISTRIBUTION zones). The session will touch on dependency management concepts such as REQ, CO-REQ, and PRE-REQ relationships, as well as migration considerations following testing. Designed as an accessible introduction, this session aims to simplify SMP/E concepts while reinforcing their importance to maintaining stable and reliable z/OS environments.

Speaker: Pratik Ghatpande, Senior Software Engineer at BMC Software
Senior Software Engineer as Mainframe Quality Assurance Engineer/Developer having over 9 years of working experience in Mainframe Technology. Under this technology, have gained proficiency in various aspects like COBOL, JCL, CICS, VSAM, IBM IMS, IBM DB2, Mainframe Automation using REXX/CLIST. I am really passionate about the Mainframe technology as I strongly believe that it forms the base of all the major finance & banking industry and are heavily reliant on it. Just like a tree is as strong as its roots are, similarly in B&F roots are strong owing to Mainframe technology!!! I have had the opportunity to work for different banking giant customers, thus enriching my experience. I am also an enthusiast of the latest AI technologies like GenAI, Prompt Engineering, ML, NLP amongst many. With the mainframe modernization all around us now, combined with the AI capabilities I believe it will be the next big thing in near future! Basically, the best of both the worlds – Mainframe & AI!!!

Register Here!