PropelZ connects the mainframe directly to the storage environments the rest of the enterprise already runs on — reading from and writing to Windows file shares, network-attached storage, and SAN fabrics using the protocol those systems were built around. One connector handles both directions. No translation layer, no extra client software, no middle ground.
Most of the enterprise doesn’t store its files the way the mainframe does. Windows servers, network-attached storage, and SAN fabrics speak a protocol of their own — and historically, bridging that gap meant intermediate steps, custom processes, or accepting that mainframe data and the rest of the organization’s storage simply lived in different worlds.
The PropelZ SMB connector removes that separation. It is a single connector that gives the mainframe a direct, native path to SMB-accessible storage, in both directions.
A Protocol the Enterprise Already Speaks
SMB stands for Server Message Block. It is the file-sharing protocol that powers Windows networking — when one Windows computer connects to a network share on another, SMB is the protocol carrying the data between them. It fills the same role in the Microsoft world that NFS fills elsewhere: transparent, network-attached file access.
Our PropelZ SMB connector gives the mainframe the ability to read from and write to an SMB share directly. You point PropelZ at the name of a share and a file within it, and PropelZ reads or writes according to the permissions you have been granted. From the mainframe’s perspective, the remote storage behaves exactly the way an NFS target would.
One Connector, Both Directions
There is no separate input product and output product to license, configure, or keep track of. The PropelZ SMB connector is a single connector that works as both an input and an output. Data can flow from an SMB share into PropelZ, through any transformation the pipeline supports, and on to any target — or it can flow the other way, with the mainframe writing objects directly into a Windows share or network-attached device.
This is what makes the connector more than a one-way bridge. The same connector lets an SMB share become the source that feeds a cloud database or analytics platform, or the destination that receives processed mainframe data. The same integration patterns work from either end, connected by the transformation pipeline in between.
Built for Windows-Centered and Cloud Environments
This PropelZ connector is a natural fit anywhere SMB is the storage standard. That includes on-premises Windows file servers, network-attached storage, and SAN fabrics, as well as Windows Server environments running in the cloud. When the goal is moving mainframe data into or out of a Windows-based system — whether it sits in the data center or in the cloud — the SMB connector provides a direct path.
One point often causes confusion, so it is worth being clear: the storage on the other end does not have to be a Windows machine. SMB is implemented by many different platforms, including SAN and network-attached storage devices. A mainframe connected to a SAN can use this connector just as readily as one reaching a Windows share.
Simple to Install
One of the SMB connector’s strengths is what it does not require. Everything needed to speak SMB is contained within the PropelZ software itself. There is no separate SMB client to install on z/OS, no additional middleware, and no extra components to configure on the mainframe side. That self-contained design keeps installation straightforward and removes a common source of setup friction.
Full Support for Microsoft Authentication
Microsoft supports many different ways of authenticating users and securing shares, and the SMB connector supports all of them. Whether the connection is to a simple desktop share or to a Windows Server backed by enterprise directory services and access controls, the underlying authentication differences are handled transparently. You provide the share and file you want to reach: your existing permissions determine what you can do, and no special handling is required on your part.
Files, Not Databases
The SMB connector moves files. There is no SQL layer and no database structure involved — data flows as files in both directions. That makes it the right tool when the objective is moving file-based data between the mainframe and SMB-accessible storage, and it keeps the connector’s behavior predictable and easy to reason about.
Performance You Can Count On
In testing across both on-premises Windows and cloud-based Windows environments, the SMB connector performed solidly and consistently. It is fast, though as is typical of SMB across virtually any platform, not quite as fast as a comparable NFS implementation. For Windows-centered environments where SMB is the established standard, that tradeoff is well worth the native compatibility and simplicity it delivers.
Where It Fits
The SMB connector is one of a family of PropelZ connectors that let the mainframe exchange data wherever it needs to. As a single connector serving both directions, it is the right choice when:
- Your environment is Windows-centered and SMB is your storage standard
- You want to read from or write to a Windows Server environment, on-premises or in the cloud
- Your storage target is a SAN or network-attached device that speaks SMB
- You need a self-contained, easy-to-install path between the mainframe and SMB storage, with no extra client software
With the SMB connector, the mainframe stops being an island. Data on z/OS can move directly into — and out of — the Windows and SAN environments where the rest of the enterprise already works, using the protocol those systems were built around.
Next Steps
- Schedule a PropelZ briefing.
- Watch a demo of PropelZ.
- Try PropelZ.
Learn More
- Visit our Customer Briefing Center.
- Review all VirtualZ Use Cases, Thought Leadership papers, and Solution Briefs.
- Explore our YouTube channel, podcasts, and blog.
- Still have questions? Contact us.
