z/Journal's latest issues

I've been reading the two latest issues of z/Journal (June-July and August-September), but I'm not going to bother you too much with its contents.

However z/Journal is launching some new initiatives like e.g. the Mainframe Jobs Board. I don't think this will mean a lot for EMEA companies as it's US centered. The second initiative seems more interesting to me. z/Journal starts with a Mainframe Community Forum. It's a forum where you can discuss all kinds of mainframe related topics and where you can also interact with the authors of the articles. There's a 'Sound-Off' button under each article or column directing you to a related topic at the forum. It sounds good. Still, I'm a bit afraid that this forum might not attract that many people. There's also the Destination z initiative from IBM and there are already the various existing Listserv lists. Next initiative will be a Mainframe Buyers Guide : this should become "the most exhaustive resource available for mainframe professionals seeking software solutions, hardware solutions and consultant services". It's not yet online but if you try http://buyersguide.zjournal.com, you can already have an idea what it's going to look like ;-).

Something, or rather, someone else also drew my attention : it's the 'IT Sense' column by Jon William Toigo. His comments on SOA ('SOA : So What') and on the recent Green initiatives ('Green Rust') are quite fresh and even a bit provocative. I know I'm only stirring things up when quoting some fragments of it : "(...) When it comes right down to it, SOA is just another word for what we should have always been doing in IT (...) SOA is common sense, pure and simple (...)". Another one : "Now, while I'd like to believe the technology vendors and large data centers have suddenly developed an eco-conscience, I'm having a hard time buying that this trend is really all about the green (carbon footprint reduction) and not just about the green (money)". And if you want to know how "Greener People" look like, then you should really read the entire columns.

And if I have to pick out just one article, then it's the one that might prove to be gold in the hands of people starting with z/VM and zLunix. It's "The Z/VM and Linux Virtualization Cookbooks", if only for drawing attention to these cookbooks that detail every step of the way for implementing z/VM and zLinux. Most of these cookbooks (per Linux distribution) are found at the LinuxVM site.

Project Big Green

Yesterday, I mentioned that IBM definitely had more up its sleeve concerning 'energy efficiency' in the data center.
So here's the press release from IBM now officially announcing their 'Project Big Green' : 'IBM Unveils Plan to Combat Data Center Energy Crisis; Allocates $1 Billion to Advance "Green" Technology and Services"; This has of course a larger scope than just the mainframe. The summary :

IBM is using its expertise and energy-smart technology innovations to outline a five-step approach for clients that is designed to dramatically improve energy efficiency:

• DIAGNOSE: Evaluate existing facilities -- energy assessment, virtual 3-D power management and thermal analytics
• BUILD: Plan, build or update to an energy efficient data center
• VIRTUALIZE: Virtualize IT infrastructures and special purpose processors
• MANAGE: Seize control with power management software
• COOL: Exploit liquid cooling solutions -- inside and out of the data center

More details on the different components in the press release itself, also including some 'cool' pictures.

Life in the Data Center

How I came across these ?
There's another youtube movie on IBM and the green data center :



I guess there will be more to come in the next days because IBM really wants to position the mainframe as the greenest, quietest, least power consuming and coolest place in the data center.

As you see in the first movies, there's this reference to a new blog called The Raised Floor. What will be their focus ? "The Raised Floor is a group-authored blog that tracks changes in corporate data centers as they become greener, more efficient and more indispensable to business". Their first topic : The Data Center Energy Crisis.