Sampling Techdocs : September - November 2009

Here we are again with some new and interesting reading material from TechDocs.

• Presentation : I'm not a dummy, but ...
  Interesting presentation on Websphere on z/OS for near-dummies like me. "In this presentation, the speaker will provide you with some more knowledge of WebSphere on z/OS. Key concepts, terminology and configurations will be discussed."
  This is just one of the many presentation from the Share Summer 2009 conference. If you want to see more, take a look at the Proceedings page at share.org.
  
  
• Presentation : DS8000 Data Replication Best Practices
  Nice presentation on DS8000 Copy Services Best Practices, Key concepts of Data Replication technology, Planning for Data replication (configuration, data collection, Bandwidth studies ...) and some case studies. The audio file is also present.
  
  
• Presentation : IBM DS8000 Storage Allocation Overview Including Thin Provisioning
  This document talks about Storage Allocation concepts, storage allocation specific for DS8000 (incl. types of logical volumes, volume expansion, capacity utilization and planning ...) and of course also about Thin Provisioning.
  

• Presentation: z/OS System Management Facility (z/OSMF) & WSC User Experience
  As z/OSMF was introduced a couple of months ago, every one's anxious to find out whether it's really living up to its promises. Well, here's a presentation by Bette Brody giving a detailed overview, lots of installation, configuration and setup details and concluding with a WSC (Washington Systems Center) User Experience. Allthough the last one might have been a bit more extensive.
  

• FAQ : IBM System z: Oracle Product Availability and FAQ
  "This document describes in detail the levels of each Oracle solution that is available on IBM System z. The format is an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)." I know that some five years ago I really had to search about every where to find this kind of information. Now it's all nicely brought together in this one document.
  

• White Paper : IBM Encrypted Storage Overview and Customer Requirements
  "This document is intended to contain critical information that you will need to know in order to manage IBM encrypted storage and to comply with IBM requirements for using IBM encrypted storage." Look out : it's the word document you need, the .pdf is just a 'Notice regarding Storage Encryption'. Some Topics :Encryption Concepts, Security vs. Accessibility, Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager (TKLM), DS8000 Disk Encryption, IBM Tape Encryption, Best Practices for Encrypting Storage Environments …

Well that's it for now. As I always say : just check them out !

Sampling Techdocs : July - August 2009

Here we are again with some new and interesting reading material from TechDocs. I've mentioned the first two before, but hey, it was holiday season back then and they are really valuable documents.

• Presentation : z/OS System Initialization Logic (IPL)
  "This presentation describes general processing involved initializing z/OS System from the IPL process until the system is ready to start JES2 or JES3." The major steps described are : the hardware process of loading z/OS, the loading and initialization of the nucleus, the initialization of general system resources, Master Scheduler Initialization. All I can say about this one : veeeeerrrrrrryyyyyyy nice !
  
  
  
• Technical Document : OSA-ICC experiences. Usage guide for z/OS and z/VM
  This is a very nice document for any one who wants to install the OSA-Express Integrated Console Controller (OSA-ICC) support of the 1000BASE-T card. It really takes you by the hand through chapters like OSA-ICC definitions on HMC, OSA-ICC VTAM Definition on z/OS, Implementing an OSA-ICC connection for z/VM and Connect to TSO using PCOMM & OSA-ICC. If you're still a first time OSA-ICC installer, this is the document to start with.
  
  
• Technical Document : Restore Server Time Protocol configuration information across a Power on Reset
  One can now save an "STP configuration across PORs and power failures for a single server and a two server STP-only CTN". This 2-page document outlines "the prerequisites, set up required, and steps needed to enable this functionality".

• Flash : Withdrawal of z/OS Function Beginning with z/OS Release 5 Through Current z/OS Release
  "This flash lists those items IBM has announced intention for removal in a specific z/OS release. These items have already been announced in previous IBM z/OS announcement letters. This is a collection of those items being removed. Consideration should be given to this list when planning your migration to a z/OS release". The Flash has been updated for z/OS 1.11

• White Paper : IBM Encrypted Storage Overview and Customer Requirements
  "This document is intended to contain critical information that you will need to know in order to manage IBM encrypted storage and to comply with IBM requirements for using IBM encrypted storage". It's the Word document you need. It contains chapters on Encryption Concepts, TKLM (Tivoli Key Lifecycle Management), DS8000 Disk Encryption, Tape encryption, Best Practices for Encrypting Storage Environments, IBM Guidelines and Requirements for Encrypting Storage Installations and IBM Guidelines and Requirements for Key Server Management.
  

Well that's it for now. As I always say : just check them out !

Announcement : Encryption Facility for z/VSE

As I already mentioned in my previous post, there's another z/VSE announcement : 'IBM Encryption Facility for z/VSE, V1.1.0 helps secure data'.
The Encryption Facility for z/VSE V1.1 is packaged as an optional, priced feature of VSE Central Functions V8.1 (5686-CF8) and runs on z990, z890, z9 EC and z9 BC.
A description : "The Encryption Facility for z/VSE complements the tape encryption solution provided by IBM's System Storage™ TS1120 tape drives. The TS1120 tape drive, with encryption enabled, is designed to provide a data protection solution that has the ability to off-load the encryption processing from the server to the tape drive. It is designed to provide a cost-effective encryption solution for the large volumes of data involved in data archive and backup activities (...) The Encryption Facility for z/VSE is designed to be compatible with the Encryption Facility System z format provided as part of the Encryption Services feature in Encryption Facility for z/OS ".
That way encrypted data from z/OS or z/VSE can be distributed to numerous platforms that are running a Java based client called the 'Encryption Facility for z/OS Client' which can be used to decrypt those encrypted data.
Planned availability date : November 30, 2007.

Preview : z/VSE Version 4 Release 2

Today there's the preview of z/VSE 4.2 : 'z/VSE Version 4 Release 2 enables growth'.
What's the core message ?
z/VSE V4.2 is designed to support :

• More than 255 VSE tasks to help clients grow their CICS workloads and to ease migration from CICS/VSE to CICS Transaction Server for VSE/ESA
  IBM has from VSE/ESA 2.4 onwards delivered CICS/TS together with CICS/VSE at no extra cost. Now, there's a statement of direction that " z/VSE V4.2 is planned to be the last release to offer CICS/VSE".
• Up to 32 GB of processor storage
  z/VSE V4.2 operates in z/Architecture mode only.
  
• Sub-Capacity Reporting Tool (SCRT) running 'natively'
  The SCRT report will be able to run natively (also in z/VSE 4.1). Until now VSE clients had to send their collected data to IBM. Now, they will be able to do their own reporting. Though no availability date has been given for z/VSE 4.2, all details for downloading and using the tool will be available on the SCRT homepage as off October 11, 2007.
  
• Encryption Facility for z/VSE as an optional priced feature
  This is subject to a separate announcement I'm talking about in another post : 'IBM Encryption Facility for z/VSE, V1.1.0 helps secure data'.
  
• IBM System Storage TS3400 Tape Library (via the TS1120 Controller)
• IBM System Storage TS7740 Virtualization Engine Release 1.3
  The support indicated on the last two lines will be available on z/VSE 3.1.2 and later.
  

z/VSE V4.2 is designed to allow Fast Service Upgrade (FSU) from z/VSE V4.1 or z/VSE V3.1 using equivalent disks.

No availability date has been given yet.

CCR2 Newsletter - september issue

You might've noticed I've not been posting as regularly as before. I think it really has to do with the holiday period : less announcements, less events, less interesting publications (on Techdocs e.g.) ... and I'm not really eager on posting when there's nothing much to tell. Cucumber season ?

It's been 5 months since I mentioned IBM's CCR2 Newsletter. All details on this newsletter, its content and how to subscribe are in my previous post.
I guess that CCR2 is the first one to pick up the pace again, because there are some really nice articles in it. My selection ?

• The CCR2 Interview: This way to innovative mainframe security
  This interview gives a short introduction to the Tivoli zSecure Suite which are in fact the Consul products. It gives a brief but comprehensive description of the six components : IBM Tivoli zSecure Admin, IBM Tivoli zSecure Audit, IBM Tivoli zSecure Alert, IBM Tivoli zSecure Command Verifier, IBM Tivoli zSecure Visual, and IBM Tivoli zSecure CICS Toolkit.

• "Did you say mainframe?!" podcasts
  In fact these are mainly about mainframe and SOA. There's e.g. "CICS Transaction Server V3.2 –- Continuing to put the S in SOA" talking about "CICS application connectivity, CICS application reuse and CICS application service management".

• Defending Business Data: IBM's System z as the Encryption Hub of the Enterprise
  The title speaks for itself. What's covered ? The mainframe as the central security hub, IPSec (zIIP), Managing Encryption Keys (CryptoExpress2), Encryption with Tape Solutions (TS3500 tape library, TS1120 tape drive, TS3400 tape library and TS7700 Virtualzation Engine).