Tessia
Tessia is an open-source automation framework (infrastructure automation) under the Open Mainframe Project that manages and provisions Linux distributions and other operating systems on IBM Z and LinuxONE hardware platforms.
- Automation of installation and provisioning workflows for IBM Z and LinuxONE systems (infrastructure automation).
- Central management of system definitions, network settings, storage mappings, and installation profiles (infrastructure configuration management).
- Support for automated deployment of Linux distributions on mainframe hardware using predefined templates and rules (OS deployment).
- Web-based and API-driven control of installation tasks and environment metadata (operations orchestration).
- Integration with Open Mainframe Project ecosystem for standardized mainframe automation practices (mainframe systems management).
More About Tessia
Tessia is an open-source automation framework (infrastructure automation) hosted by the Open Mainframe Project and designed to manage installation and provisioning workflows on IBM Z and LinuxONE platforms. It focuses on automating the deployment of Linux distributions and other supported operating systems on mainframe hardware, replacing manual installation steps with repeatable, centrally controlled procedures.
The project addresses the problem space of provisioning complexity on mainframe environments, where administrators must coordinate hardware configuration, networking, storage, and Operating System (OS) installation. Tessia introduces a model in which these parameters are captured as data in a central system, and installation processes are executed as automated jobs. This structure aligns it with Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) practices (infrastructure automation) applied to mainframe systems.
Core capabilities include the definition and management of systems, network interfaces, storage devices, and installation profiles (infrastructure configuration management). Tessia maintains metadata describing logical partitions (LPARs), virtual machines, network topology, and disk assignments. Using this data, it orchestrates automated OS installations, such as Linux on IBM Z, through preconfigured templates and rules (OS deployment). Administrators can initiate installations, track job execution, and verify completion from a centralized interface.
The framework provides both a web-based user interface and programmatic endpoints (operations orchestration), enabling integration into enterprise workflows and CI/CD-style pipelines where automated provisioning of mainframe environments is required. The web UI offers views for system inventory, configuration objects, and installation activities, while the automation engine translates these models into concrete actions executed on the underlying IBM Z or LinuxONE infrastructure.
In enterprise and institutional environments, Tessia is used by platform engineering and mainframe operations teams to standardize the way new test, development, or production partitions and virtual servers are created and installed. By encapsulating host profiles, network definitions, and storage layouts, it supports reproducible deployments and reduces manual variation between environments (environment standardization). This can be relevant for data centers that operate hybrid landscapes where distributed and mainframe platforms follow similar automation principles.
From a directory and taxonomy perspective, Tessia is categorized as an infrastructure automation and configuration management tool specifically focused on mainframe provisioning (mainframe systems management). It operates at the intersection of OS deployment, network and storage configuration, and operations orchestration for IBM Z and LinuxONE. As a project under the Open Mainframe Project, it participates in a broader ecosystem aimed at facilitating modern tooling and open-source practices on enterprise mainframe platforms.