SMP/E V3R1 can receive input from a network server, in addition to tape and DASD. This enables the delivery of SMP/E-installable products and service over the internet or an intranet. By installing software directly from a network source, SMP/E enables a more seamless integration of electronic software delivery and installation. This reduces the tasks and time required to install software delivered electronically.

SMP/E also provides the GIMZIP and GIMUNZIP service routines to construct, and then later unwrap, network transportable packages of software. This allows you to create your own packages of SMP/E installable software, and then distribute them within your own enterprise, or to other enterprises. Specifically, the GIMZIP service routine will accept partitioned or sequential data sets as input and will create a network transportable package as output. For more information about the GIMZIP and GIMUNZIP service routines, see SMP/E for z/OS Reference.

Once a package is made accessible on an FTP server, you can use the SMP/E RECEIVE command to transfer the package through a TCP/IP network directly into an SMP/E environment. The RECEIVE command has been extended with new DELETEPKG, FROMNETWORK, and FROMNTS operands to process these network transportable packages. For more information about the RECEIVE command changes, see SMP/E for z/OS Commands.

New CLIENT and SERVER data sets and SMPDIR and SMPNTS directories have been created to support this new processing. For more information about CLIENT, SERVER, SMPDIR, and SMPNTS, see SMP/E for z/OS Reference.