Sampling Techdocs : April/May 2011

You know by now I retrieve lots of information from Techdocs. And I have the impression that my harvest for the latest two months is really quite impressive. Just take a look below.

• White paper : z/OS: Planning Considerations for HiperDispatch Mode
  This paper describes planning considerations for z/OS environments using hiperdispatch. It has been updated to contain information on the benefits of hiperdispatch for the z10 and z196 processors. It also talks about the influence of hiperdispatch on WLM policies, zIIPs and zAAPs ...
  
  
• White paper : IBM HyperSwap Technology
  The document title mentions 'April 2010' but it has been recently updated. I've described the various HyperSwap options in a previous System z newsletter but here's the more elaborate version describing the 4 different HyperSwap options: z/OS Basic HyperSwap, TPC-R HyperSwap, GDPS/PPRC HyperSwap Manager and the full function GDPS/PPRC HyperSwap solution ànd giving you some advice which one might best suit your specific needs. You can also find a presentation summarizing the document over here.
  
  
• Presentation : Websphere advanced skills youtube videos
  Don't let the 'advanced' scare you off : this is a presentation with lots of links to youtube videos presenting a series of videos introducing the viewer to WebSphere Application Server and WAS on z/OS in particular but also giving an overview of the WebSphere Optimized Local Adapters (WOLA) function and an overview of IBM Modern Batch solutions, including WebSphere Compute Grid and integration with Tivoli Workload Scheduler.

• Presentation : IBM DS8800 Data Migration Scenarios
  Here's an interesting presentation when you want to do (complex) migrations towards DS8000. It outlines the various data migration options with the DS8000 data replication technology like TDMF, Global Copy, z/OS Global Mirror (aka XRC), HyperSwap, useful disk subsystem capabilities like NOCOPY and it also builds some sample scenarios.

• White paper : Best Practices Upgrading a Coupling Facility
  "Planning for an upgrade of a parallel sysplex to z196 or an upgrade which requires a POR? Need to install maintenance which requires a coupling facility to be reactivated? This paper documents the best practices for installing a new CF, doing a POR of a CEC with a coupling facility image on it and reactivating a coupling facility image".
  

• Referral page : WebSphere Application Server z/OS V8
  This page claims to provide "a location for documentation and presentations on WebSphere Application Server for z/OS Version 8. Bookmark this Techdoc and come back for updates and new material as it is produced and made available here". For the moment it provides a technical presentation introducing WAS z/OS V8 (with a reference to some more companion videos on Youtube) and a general PowerPoint introduction to WAS z/OS V8.
  

• White paper : Query Where No Query Has Gone Before
  An intriguing title for every Trekkie of course, this one. It's actually about the IBM Smart Analytics Optimizer, but what's interesting is that it describes the various steps for implementing this solution. The paper describes the following steps the team followed : identifying the data warehouses to accelerate, creating an accelerator project, defining the data marts, validating, deploying, and loading the data mart, determining if the query is eligible for acceleration, comparing query execution and refreshing the data mart.
  

• And to conclude I found quite some Oracle Documents this time :
  Running Oracle Database 11gR2 on Linux® on IBM System z™ Servers (FAQ),
  IBM Supported Platforms for Oracle Database,
  IBM Supported Platforms for Oracle E-Business Suite and
  Hints & Tips for Installing Oracle 11g Release 2 on Linux on IBM System z.
  It's no coincidence that you find a lot of information on Oracle on z right now since the Oracle support for Oracle Database 11g Release 2 running on IBM System z became available on 1Q 2011.
  

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

Sampling Techdocs : February 2010 - April 2010

Here we are with some new documents from TechDocs I recently came across or found while browsing through the latest publications.

• White paper : Planning Considerations for Running zAAP Work on zIIPs
  This 6-page white paper gives you a brief but quite complete introduction to the zAAP on zIIP functionality : "This document will review the functions, features and restrictions involved with successfully using this support, (...) called ZAAPZIIP support". It also explains the implementation differences for various z/OS releases.
  
  
• White paper : How to Generate WTO Messages from RMF Performance Exceptions
  RMF allows the definition of performance-based exception thresholds, and displaying these thresholds on the Monitor III Workflow/Exceptions Report in an ISPF session. This paper describes how to surface those exceptions as Write-to-Operator (WTO) messages. This is done by customizing JCL to run the RMF Monitor III session as a started task or batch job.
  
  
• Technical document : Overview of Supported Disk and Tape Storage for Linux on IBM System z10
  Nice summary, reference with not only IBM equipment mentioned.
  

• White Paper: IBM HyperSwap Technology April 2010
  Presentation: IBM HyperSwap Options April 2010
  I've been writing about this in the RealDolmen System z newsletter before. But here's another and very good overview of the various HyperSwap possibilities. The white paper follows the same content as the presentation but with more details.
  

• Presentation : Effective Capacity for IBM TotalStorage DS8700 R5.1
  Technical document : DS8x00 Host Port Locations Quick Reference
  This is for the storage techies : two technical documents, a presentation on capacity sizing for the DS8700 (SSD included) and a spreadsheet with the DS8000 host port locations.
  

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

Sampling Techdocs : June - September 2008

Hello, here we go again for another round of interesting material from TechDocs.

• Tool : Slot Calculator for TS3100, TS3200, TS3310, TS3400 and TS3500(3584)
  I've mentioned the Slot Calculator a couple of times before but now it also includes some other libraries. It already includes the Gen3 cartridges and the new HD tape frames (s24 and s54) too.
  
  
• White Paper : z/OS: Planning Considerations for HiperDispatch Mode
  One of the new functionalities introduced with the z10 EC : with HiperDispatch mode, the intention is to manage work across fewer logical processors. It's important to have some notice of this functionality because all LSPR benchmarks are performed with HiperDispatch mode on. This document describes the functionality, some processing benefits and WLM Policy considerations.
  
  
• Technical Document : Capacity Planning for zAAP and zIIP Specialty Engines
  zIIPs seem to be the talk of the town for the moment. I've just read some nice comments on the DB2-List and the IBM-Main List about zIIP eligibility, on which I hope to come back later. If you want to find out whether the zIIP is something for you, take a look at this and do check if all requirements for getting results are fulfilled at your site.
  
  
• FAQ : Migration from an old version of COBOL to Enterprise COBOL on Z/OS
  I've programmed in COBOL for about 8 years and I can honestly say I still fluently 'speak' COBOL. So when a document like this one shows up, it definitely catches my attention. The question here is : "What is involved in COBOL Migration from an old version of COBOL to Enterprise COBOL on Z/OS?".
  
  
• Flash : Withdrawal of z/OS Function
• Technical Document : z/OS Positioning Software for the z10 EC Server
• Presentation : Open Systems Adapter (OSA) Feature Code History
  Three reference documents that contain lots of useful information. Everyone should check out the first two once in a while and certainly when you upgrade your operating system or your hardware model.
  
  
• Technical Document : IBM HyperSwap Technology - z/OS Systems
  I've mentioned other documents about this subject and discussed it in the (then) Dolmen System z Newsletter. This paper gives you an overview of the three variations : GDPS with HyperSwap (the full function), GDPS HyperSwap Manager and z/OS Basic HyperSwap. It describes their distinct functionalities, the prerequisites and it helps you decide which flavour is fit for your environment.
  
  
• Presentation : Monitoring and Managing z/VM and Linux for System z
  How to monitor the architecture, monitor the virtual Linux Performance, performance scenarios and possible solutions, Automated operations requirements, Automated operations scenarios . . .
  

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

Sampling Techdocs : April - May 2008

Here we go again for our bi-monthly selection of TechDocs documents :

• Presentation : Implementing TPC for Replication on z/OS and Basic HyperSwap
  We've already talked a few times about Basic HyperSwap. Well, here's an additional, interesting presentation on Basic HyperSwap with the emphasis on TPC-R and how to install and implement it. There's also a Trifold on 'Basic HyperSwap Availability Options'.
  


• Technical document : z/OS Positioning Software for the z10 EC Server
  This is such a useful document which is reworked for every new server generation. It describes software and operating system support for the z10. It provides information on the PSP buckets and how to use the Enhanced PSP Tool. Other topics : the change of Hardware memory granularity, new zArchitecture instructions, HiperDispatch, cryptography . . .
  


• Technical document : IMS Version 10 Installation and Migration Tips
  Well, just quoting the abstract gives you a good idea about its content : "This document contains planning information for installations migrating to IMS Version 10. It includes a list of prerequisite software and APARs. It describes considerations for compatibility with previous versions of IMS and for use with DB2 and CICS. Migration tasks are explained. Tips for migrating to IMS 10 from either IMS 9 or IMS 8 are provided. The document includes extensive references to other information on IMS Version 10".

• Flash : z/OS Availability: Blocked Workload Support
  Starting point of this item is a potential threat to application availability. The threat to availability occurs when an address space or enclave (of low importance) is CPU starved while holding a resource needed by other (high importance) transactions.
  The document highlights a new function on z/OS 1.9 called blocked workload support. It is intended to allow small amounts of CPU to be allocated to workloads which are CPU starved in order to prevent this availability problem. It will also be rolled back to z/OS 1.8 and z/OS 1.7.
  

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

Basic HyperSwap

Basic HyperSwap is another new availability feature that was announced on February 28, 2008. It was announced with the Preview of z/OS 1.10 but it will also be available on z/OS 1.9 (with APAR OA20658 - april 2008).

You may notice that HyperSwap isn't new and, of course, you are right. We already know the Full Function GDPS/PPRC with its HyperSwap functionalities. There's also a subset of this known as GDPS/PPRC/HyperSwap Manager. These HyperSwap functionalities basically automate the switch of all primary PPRC disk subsystems with the secondary PPRC disk subsystems in case of a planned or unplanned disk outage in one or more sites for z/OS, zVM and zLinux environments.

The "new Basic HyperSwap(TM) capability (to be enabled by TotalStorage(R) Productivity Center for Replication Basic Edition for System z), plans to provide a low-cost, single-site, high-availability disk solution which allows the configuration of disk-replication services using an intuitive GUI from z/OS. The intention is that with Basic HyperSwap function enabled, seamlessly swapping between primary and secondary disk volumes in the event of planned and unplanned outages such as hardware maintenance, testing, or device failure can be accomplished from z/OS". So unlike the earlier functions, Basic HyperSwap is a part of z/OS 1.9+, and it also has some limitations as opposed to the others :

• It is a single-site solution : source and target disk subsystems are on the same data center floor
• It only supports IBM storage (ESS 800, DS8000, DS6000).
• It only supports the z/OS environment

Basic HyperSwap in z/OS 1.9 will be managed by TPC-R (TotalStorage Productivity Center for Replication) software shipped with z/OS. TPC-R Basic Edition v3.4 will come as a no-cost feature of z/OS 1.9+.
How does it work ?
"IBM has done an analysis of all field storage subsystem failures and as a result has created a set of trigger events that are monitored by TPC-R. When one of these HyperSwap trigger events occurs, a ‘PPRC Data Freeze across all LSSs on all storage subsystems’ is invoked. All I/O to all devices is Queued (Extended Long Busy), thus maintaining full data integrity and cross volumes data consistency. z/OS then completes the HyperSwap operation of recovering the PPRC target devices and rebuilding all z/OS internal control blocks to point to the recovered PPRC target devices. When this has completed, all I/O is released and all applications continue to run against the recovered target devices, thus masking or replacing a complete disk subsystem outage, with a dynamic ‘busy’ and a redirection of all Host I/O".

If you want to find out more about Basic HyperSwap, its functionalities, prerequisites and the differences with GDPS/HyperSwap, there's a brand new z/OS Basic HyperSwap & GDPS HyperSwap Overview presentation on TechDocs. Be sure to read the presentor's notes as well as they contain a lot of additional information.