Holiday Reading : IBM Systems Magazine and Enterprise Tech Journal

You might think that we have a new magazine on the block. Well, not really z/Journal (previously Enterpise Systems Journal, previously Mainframe Journal) is now called Enterprise Tech Journal in order "to reflect the changing dynamic of today's hybrid data centers". So it will have a broader perspective on multi-platform technologies in the enterprise, but still remain mainframe-centric. The articles that drew my attention were mainly the technical ones like 'CICS Transaction Gateway V8.1 : What's new and why it matters' by Paul Crockett and a good overview of Temporal Tables in DB2 by Dan Luksetich.
You'll also find a very good introduction to z/VM Live Guest Relocation (LGR) by Mark Lorenc : "The LGR function (...) can be useful for a mainframe shop running Linux applications on z/VM that require non-stop availability". And there's a column by Marcel den Hartog on "How to put a smile on the CIO's face'. If that isn't worth a look . . .
You can download the digital version over here.

IBM Systems Magazine has amongst others some interesting articles on consolidation to the mainframe. Greg Lotko tells us about the IBM vision on consolidation in 'The Performance of Many, The Efficiency of One' (you just have to love this title, don't you). He also tells about some significant differences between a DIY environment and one with zBX and Unified Resource Manager.
The next article 'Mainframe vs. Distributed' tells you about how to make a correct TCO study comparing apples with apples and warning you about some pitfalls ranging from faultive chargeback mechanisms to including "the corporate jet in the mainframe costs!" Yes, it's really there !
Then two interesting examples of consolidating on Linux on z. One of them is IBM itself and the other is Shelter Insurance. Go and read them : I'm sure you'll like the down to earth approach of Shelter Insurance.
You can find the digital version over here.

As I always say, just check them out !

Mainframe Hacking : Fact or Fiction ?

The December-January edition of z/Journal just came out and as usual there are some interesting articles in it. I don't want to sum them all up, but here are a few that caught my particular attention. The first one is the title of this post. You know the answer to that question ? Of course you do ! There's also an interesting article on the implementation of Linux on System z at Metlife. It illustrates that this is definitely not a mainframers only exercise, as we also already mentioned when writing about Mark Post's 'Linux Installation Planning' article. Focusing on the DB2 articles there's an interesting one on 'SQL Performance Tuning for Application Developers', an often overlooked item. And there are the '11 Rules of the Road for DBAs' by Craig Mullins (Rule #6 : Don't Panic).

As the end of the year is approaching we also see some speculations for 2010 popping up. Is the z11 imminent ? Will it be announced second half of 2010 ? Will there be a new software pricing mechanism announced with it ? What's the Future of Tape ?

As I always say, just check it out !

Oh, by the way, as my mother-tongue is Dutch I've learned two new words today. I don't think they're actually used on a daily basis but now I know what 'enshroud' and 'curmudgeon' mean. Do you ?

Short Takes

As promised, here are some short takes on some publications, teleconferences ...

• Teleconference : Tivoli System z storage – Technical update on Tivoli storage family
  This teleconference is actually tonight at 17.00h Brussels Time (15.00h GMT). The contents : "This telecon is an overview of IBM’s strategy for managing z/OS® storage environments. We’ll discuss details about each layer of the z/OS storage management strategy, including process management, the IBM Service Management foundation and operational management. We’ll show how the strategic z/OS storage management product, OMEGAMON® XE for Storage, fits into the strategy and how the rest of the Tivoli® z/OS storage management portfolio works together to address common z/OS storage tasks and resolve problems. We’ll also give you a brief review of the new Tivoli Service Management Center for System z®."
  If you can't attend today, it will also be available for replay.
  

• z/Journal April/May Issue
  I know, it's been out for a couple of weeks now, but I only got to have a look at it now. Some topics are Java enhancements to CICS TS 3.2, Storage Resource Management and the reduction of energy consumption (green, you know), why the Linux operating system with the IBM System z makes an ideal virtualization platform, z/VSE 4.2 new features, how DB2 9 for z/OS can improve a Data Warehouse's Performance (including reduction in the amount of CPU DB2 9 uses versus DB2 v8) and many more.
  

• IBM Systems Magazine May/June 2009
  I actually owe these people an apology for what I wrote earlier about the online version of the magazine. I still don't like these online versions, but I didn't notice there is also a .pdf version of the magazine, which I like a lot better. To make it up, here's the .pdf version of the previous issue. Main topics : "In this issue’s cover story you can read how IBM continues to protect your virtual resources with z/VM offerings for mainframes. (...) Read how you can implement a Dynamic Infrastructure on your System z server. In this issue’s case study, you’ll see how the City and County of Honolulu used both Systems z and System p servers to create a dynamic IT environment".
  
  
• Tivoli Software demos
  I came across this page via a link to this video on IBM's Green data center management solutions. But there are lots of other videos (demos) on e.g. TPC, TPC for Replication, System Automation, Workload Automation, Provisioning Manager, Identity Manager etc.
  

• PC Tip van de Week
  OK, second and last time I'm making some shameless publicity for another blog of mine. Unfortunately, or luckily some might say, it's in Dutch and I have one post a week with all kinds of basic hints and tips on PC usage. If not for the tip, you might want to check out my musical choices I add each week. If this 'sounds' familiar it's actually an idea I took over from Willie Favero's blog.

Short Takes

Here some short messages on publications, events, podcasts . . .

• If you want to read some more on CICS TS 4.1, there will be a series of 4 articles about it in the zJournal CICS Spotlight. Here's the first one : 'Compete, Comply, and Control with CICS Transaction Server for z/OS v4.1'. If you want to subscribe to other zJournal Spotlights, just go over here.

• If it's not too late. Diane G. Johnson (IBM) reminds me of an event I forgot to mention earlier : The Total Solution Event for System z in Amsterdam next week from March 10, 2009 till March 12, 2009. This is a no charge event for mainframe customers with lots of parallel tracks on DB2, CICS, SOA, IMS, Linux on z, WAS with lots of well-known speakers. You can find more information and register over here. I know there's a program guide but I can't find it online. If you want more information on content, you can contact Patrick Bruinsma (IBM NL).

• Susan Visser (IBM) blogs about all sorts of publications regarding DB2. She now mentions a very interesting series of podcasts on 'DB2 9 for z/OS pureXML' by Guogen Zhang which you can find over here.

• Last week, there also was an new issue of zJournal itself with its February-March issue with a Q&A on IMS and SOA, the Exploitation of the Crypto Express2 Accelerator, Introducing Open Solaris for System z and 'How zIIP Processors are Changing the Rules'.

• Also out today : the z/OS Hot Topics Newsletter. I' ve only had the time to browse through it quickly and it looks like a very promising issue. It starts out with a series of 'memories of a mainframe' starting off with the punch cards. Did you know you still can buy new ones. Other articles 'z/OS support for Solid State Drives on the DS8000', FlashCopy V2, EAV free space information, zFavorites, cutting costs on z/OS with IMS. It closes with '10 Hot Tips for z'. In case you haven't noticed, I just try to lure you into downloading this newsletter. It' s really worth your time. And I just couldn't resist adding this picture :
  
  
• By the way : if you want to see more of these pictures : take a look over here in the IBM mainframe photo album.
  
  

Short Takes June 2008

It's been more than a week since my last post, but there's a good explanation for that : working for an IBM BP, end of Q2, need I say more ?
So, I've had little time to catch up on anything, but here are some short messages.

• You've all been warned : DB2 V7 is out of support next Monday. Willie Favero also mentions this and draws our attention to the fact that DB2 V8 is already on the market for more than 4 years. So, you really should be starting to think DB2 9 which also is already out there for more than a year now

• Up to now I failed to write anything on a great new initiative by Bob Thomas : Mainframe Executive. You might call it zJournal for CIOs and IT Managers. On the one hand, there are regular WebFlashes, which are accumulated in some kind of blog over here. Just browse through recent entries, there's some great stuff over there like e.g. '15 Reasons to stay on the mainframe'. On the other hand, there's the Mainframe Executive Magazine with lots of articles and columns. You can subscribe to both over here.

• By the way, there's a new issue of zJournal too, with an interesting article on 'Mainframe Tape Technology : Myths and Realities' and many others of course.

• I also found the time to update the Agenda of Upcoming Events in Belgium and I'd like to mention one event in particular : once again there's another 5-day Introduction to z/OS and the System z Mainframe Environment at the IBM Forum in Brussels. This free Proof of Technology gives a great introduction for people who are relatively new to the mainframe. If you're interested, you can find all information and subscribe over here.

Well, that's it for now. I guess it will turn a bit more quiet from now on and people will start going on holiday. I'm still around for a couple of weeks, though.

zJournal spotlights

zJournal is not just a magazine. It regularly launches new ideas (e.g.buyers guide, mainframe community), the one sometimes more successful than the other. Here's another one that's given its final form : the zJournal Spotlights. I mentioned them before as they have already been sent out for some time, focusing on specific subjects like CICS, z/OS, WebSphere, Linux on System z etc.

As of last week you can now explicitely subscribe to them. I suggest you do so, because I had to re-subscribe to most of those I've been receiving in the past. The newest spotlight is on Storage Connectivity with e.g. a detailed article on ‘FICON Channel Path Metrics’ and ‘Eight Tips for the New Mainframe Storage Manager’.

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.

Gaming and Mainframing on a Playstation 3 ?

I guess it was a little stream of consciousness that made me cough up this title.

What's it about ? I was just reading the main article of zJournal : 'The State of IBM Mainframe Emulation' by Philip Smith III. You should really read it to get a comprehensive view on this matter. There has been much ado (I must be in a literary mood) about mainframe emulation lately. Also Pete Clarke is voicing his concern on this issue in his comment on z/VSE in the same zJournal issue.

What's the problem : IBM has not prolongued its agreement with Fundamental Software that delivers FLEX-ES, the main (Linux based) software platform for mainframe emulation. What are the consequences ? Since IBM did not continue the agreement, no FLEX-ES systems can be sold since November 2006. "Simultaneously, IBM stopped licensing software on FLEX-based systems, so existing Fundamental customers can’t add IBM products to their systems. While commercial FLEX-ES customer machines will continue to run indefinitely, many small mainframe development shops have embraced FLEX solutions through IBM’s PartnerWorld for Developers (PWD) program—and these machines are controlled by a time-limited hardware dongle. When the dongle expires, FLEX-ES will no longer operate. For these sites, the clock is running, and finding an alternative is critical !"

Are there any alternatives ? Not really, the only 'safe' solution for the moment is buying a z9 BC, but that's actually quite expensive as you also have to buy external storage. Not really a choice for small developers. The not so safe and perhaps not so legal alternatives either are PSI and Hercules. Firstly IBM filed suit against PSI and the end of this doesn't seem to be in sight. You can find more information on this in Phil Payne's report on the case. Secondly, Hercules is a well known mainframe emulator (mainly on Linux) but IBM has never wanted to licence its operating systems on Hercules.

Another alternative, just a rumor for the moment, is that IBM might offer a low-end machine "perhaps using the IBM’s new Cell Broadband Engine (CBE) processor (...) It’s easy to imagine (if not easily implement) an emulator running under Linux or AIX on CBE-based hardware". What's the CBE processor ? It's IBM's 'game' processor that is used in Sony's Playstation 3 and that's also announced to be used in the mainframe (the 'IBM Gameframe'). And what do you know : you cannot only play games on a PS3, it can also run a complete Linux machine.
Hence the little twist of the mind that produced the title of this topic.

New Edition of z/Journal

I've mentioned the previous edition of z/Journal and I've just received the December-January edition. I thought I might mention it once again, as they always have some interesting articles. If you want to stay informed on the next editions of z/Journal I suggest you subscribe to the digital edition over here (PDF - print only available in the USA).
The main article this time is a threat we're all aware of but we rarely pay enough attention to it. Perhaps because most of us are also in that corner. It's about "Priviliged users and the Mainframe". Starting point of the article : "A recent insider threat survey, conducted by the U.S. Secret Service and CERT, confirms that the insider threat usually comes from technical or priviliged users".
Some other interesting articles : "CICS TS 3.1 Debugging Background & Guiding", "Enhancing Efficiency with Mainframe Virtualization : Enter Linux on the mainframe" and "Reorg Rebalance DB2 for z/OS V8 Utility enhancement" (This article "examines the REBALANCE option, a utility enhancement in V8 you can use to make REORG automatically rebalance the data in your partitions").

z/Journal New Edition

z/Journal has just released its new edition. I've subscribed to the digital edition some time ago (PDF - print only available in the USA). And I must say each time there are some interesting articles. Some examples :

• "Top Ten Ways To Waste CPU Using DB2",
• "Linux Worst Practices : What Not To Do"
• "Understanding Workload Manager : Analyzing Velocity Goals"
• "10 Ways To Improve RACF Performance

The main article is "Storage Wars, The Attack Of The Tapes" describing how mainframe backup solutions fit into an open enterprise. What are the technical evolutions ? What about protection against tape loss or loss of personal information ? And related to this : what about encryption ?. The opening sentence sets the tone for a nice article by Brandon Hoff : "With the rapid growth of Web commerce, enterprises are struggling to provide storage solutions that are continuously available, satisfy peak demands, and manage storage growth while protecting data from malicious attacks".
You can subscribe to the digital z/Journal edition over here.