z/VSE 6.1, CICS Transaction Server for z/VSE V2.1 and upcoming Live Virtual Class

During my absence z/VSE V 6.1 (ZP15-0281) and CICS Transaction Server for z/VSE V2.1 (ZP15-0494) were announced. In the meantime these products are already available since last week, but I still wanted to mention them because there's a Live Virtual Class tomorrow December1, 2015 at 17PM Brussels Time.

The content of this Live Virtual Class

This LVC session gives some information about the z/VSE 6.1 release content. z/VSE 6.1 comes with a new CICS TS version, the first new version since 16 years. The new CICS functions will be discussed. z/VSE 6.1 focuses also on security, networking, hardware exploitation and connectivity to Linux on z Systems and other platforms. Both TCP/IP stacks come with a new version or release. Their functionality is addressed, too.

You can find all the necessary information about it and the link to register over here.

Nevertheless let me also give you the highlights of these two products. Apparently it's a big year for z/VSE. z/VSE celebrated its 50th anniversary (that's actually 1965-2015) and there's a new CICS version for z/VSE for the first time in 16 years (that means since last century in 1999) !

IBM® z/VSE® V6.1 is designed to:

Exploit innovative IBM z13™ technology

• Configurable Crypto Express5S for data encryption and SSL acceleration.
• FICON® Express16S supporting a link rate of 16 Gbps.

Support enhanced IBM System Storage® options

• IBM System Storage TS7700 Virtualization Engine Release 3.3.
• IBM System Storage DS8870 Release 7.5 (ECKD™ and FCP-attached SCSI disks).
• IBM FlashSystem® V9000 for use with FCP-attached SCSI disks.

Introduce an architectural level set of IBM System z10®, or later

Deliver CICS® TS for z/VSE V2.1. CICS TS for z/VSE V2.1 can only be used with z/VSE V6.1, and replaces CICS TS for VSE/ESA V1.1.1. New functionality includes:

• Update and control capabilities to CICS resources for the CICS Explorer® system management tool.
• A new API to enable the transfer of large amounts of structured data between CICS applications to meet the needs of growing workloads.

Deliver IBM TCP/IP for z/VSE V2.1

• This new version replaces IBM TCP/IP for VSE/ESA V1.5F, and includes firewall functionality and other enhancements.

Deliver IBM IPv6/VSE V1.2

• This new release of IPv6/VSE provides firewall functionality, increased network availability, and other enhancements.

Add trigger functionality for the WebSphere® MQ Client for VSE

• The MQ Client Trigger Monitor adds trigger functionality for the WebSphere MQ Client for VSE to ease asynchronous message processing.

Some more useful information.
Those who are really into z/VSE know of course that I'm only their secondary blog source of information about z/VSE. For those who don't know it yet, I'll mention it again : Ingolf Salm does a far more extensive (ànd better) job at blogging about z/VSE than I do. So, go and have a look over there if you're into z/VSE.

Upcoming events

Here's a selection of upcoming events that might be of interest to you

BeNeLux : March 30 2015 - IBM z13 Technical Workshop

"The course participant will learn how to exploit the IBM z13 hardware and software infrastructure to effectively run modern mainframe workloads/solutions. The 1-day workshop will provide a detailed description of the new features and functions of the z13 and the IBM z Systems BladeCenter Extension (zBX) Model 004, thereby enabling clients, BPs, and IBMers to plan, implement, and operate the system environment in an expedited manner."
I already mentioned this workshop, so you can find the contents over there, but I wasn't aware there was a session held in Amsterdam as well. The price is 600€ but these sessions are usually well worth their money. You can enroll over here.

EMEA : May 18-22, 2015 - System z Technical University

The System z Technical University is taking place in Dublin for EMEA. You can find all information about attending, agenda, registration etc. over here. There's an early bird reduction until April 3, 2015. There's also an extra reduction code when you're a GSE member. While registering, check the box “I have received an IBM rep code” on the tab “Track info & activities” and fill in the code you received together with the GSE invitation.

Belgium: March 9, 2015 - Get More from your Storage, the new Era
at DOLCE La Hulpe (afternoon event with lunch)
"In order to help you get more from your Storage we will present several solutions around Software Defined Storage(SDS), FlashSystem, VersaStack and Tivoli
We will demonstrate

• how IBM technology is fundamentally changing the way business is done and influencing every department and aspect of an organization
• how SDS redefines the storage infrastructure in the data center and better understand how it works
• how IBM FlashSystem can help you to better manage your data with Extreme performance that allows you to do more in less time
• and finally how VersaStack is an easy to deploy, efficient and versatile offering that combines best-of-breed technologies of the Cisco UCS integrated infrastructure with the cloud ready IBM Storwize"

Info and registration over here.

(GSE) Meetings in Belgium

March 3, 2015 - GSE Architecture Working Group about 'Business Analytics'
IBM Client Center in Brussels
You can find the agenda as well as register over here. "Business Analytics is “The systematic leverage of cross functional business information and the resulting optimization of business decisions and processes”. It is one of the five big ICT paradigms (Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, Security, and Social Media) that many organizations are exploring and adopting as part of their business strategy, in order to stay competitive or even in order to survive!"


March 26, 2015 - GSE DB2 Working Group meeting
Volvo Gent
You can register over here. The agenda covers SYSLGRNX - From Darkness to Light, Autonomic Utility Processing for DBA Maintenance Activities, Discussion panel on Utility database maintenance operations. And if you can spare the time in the morning, you're in for a real treat as Volvo Gent invites you for a guided tour in the Truck assembly Factory !

Online events

February 18, 2015 - z/VM Live virtual class at 5:00PM Brussels Time
How z/VM Live Guest Relocation is used by GDPS - Introduction and Demo
"With z/VM 6.2, z/VM supports Single System Image (SSI) and Live Guest Relocation (LGR). With GDPS 3.10, GDPS can handle and control such setups. The presentation covers:

• a short introduction to LGR, GDPS and xDR
• GDPS maintenance scenarios which make use of LGR
• introduction to LGR concepts and how GDPS can control LGR
• a short demo
• best practices"

You can find all info and a registration link over here.

February 24, 2015 - z/VSE Live virtual class at 5:00PM Brussels Time
Mobile access to the existing z/VSE application
"The first z/VSE webcast in 2015 will demonstrate how to create a mobile application with access to existing applications running under z/VSE. We will start with a short overview of the IBM MobileFirst practice, followed by the necessary tools and knowledge to start mobile development for z/VSE and the step-by-step process of creating mobile applications. "

You can find all info and a registration link over here.

SHARE eLearning Webcasts

I just saw this announcement in my mailbox about a SHARE Webcast with a title that drew my attention : 'z/OS Little Enhancements: Many Small Potatoes Can Make a Big Meal'. I must have missed previous announcements because it's not in my agenda. But I'm still just on time as it is for today at 18:00 p.m. Brussels Time. It's a SHARE webcast by Marna Walle and here's its content :

There are a lot of little functions to make life easier for z/OS system programmers that you probably didn't even know about. These are not items that will make headlines or probably Redbooks, but if you need them, they could save time for a busy system programmer. The webcast will cover several z/OS functions in prior releases that you may not have even heard about such as: BEGINPARALLEL in IEFSSNxx, Timed Event Data Report, IDCAMS delete enhancements, ISPF multiple move/copy targets and others. Most of these are probably available on the z/OS release you have right now!

Intriguing enough to register, don't you think ?

But take a look at the link above, because there are actually a lot more future webcasts over there. Some of them ?

• Wednesday, February 5 : Intro to Crypto
• Wednesday, April 30 : Top New z/OS Performance Functions Every Sysprog Should Understand
• Wednesday, May 14 : Enterprise Computing: The Present and the Future 
• Wednesday, June 11 : My z/OS has Analytics? 
• Friday, July 11 : OMEGAMON Thresholds, Profiles and User Interfaces  

And there's more : at the link over here, you can find the webcast archive with "previous webcasts for viewing".

As I always say, just check it out !

ITSO System z World Tour 2013

It's that time of year again : "The IBM ITSO System z World Tour 2013 offers five one-day technical workshops to help you plan, design for and use the new features and upgrades available in IBM System z software and hardware. For over 20 years, ITSO has delivered these exclusive, one-day technical update seminars for IT professionals".

You can find more information on the tour on this page. At the right hand side you can also check whether the tour also stops in your country. Below I'm listing out the sessions and dates for Belgium.

Title	Date	Code
IBM zEnterprise System Technical Update (zEC12, zBC12, zBX)	09/12	Info&Registration
IBM z/OS Technical Update	10/12	Info&Registration
IBM Parallel Sysplex and High Availability	11/12	Info&Registration
IBM DB2 for z/OS and Query Accelerator	12/12	Info&Registration
Using IBM z/VM Latest Version and IBM Linux on System z Advanced Topics	13/12	Info&Registration

Mind you, but you know this of course, these are not for free.

Upcoming events and webcasts

I thought I might give you a summary of some events scheduled for the next month(s).

GSE Meetings in Belgium

December 6, 2012 - DB2 User Group Meeting
AXA Antwerp
This meeting will focus on customer experiences from Colruyt, KBC and BNP Paribas Fortis on migrating to DB2 10. Next to that SD Worx will tell you about the implementation of Temporal Data.
Information and registration

December 12, 2012 - GSE z/OS Working Group Meeting
RealDolmen Huizingen
Information

December 13, 2012 - GSE Security Working Group Meeting (z/OS Oriented)
IBM Belgium
Information and registration



IBM Events in Belgium

November 7, 2012 - PoT - Enterprise Application Transformation with RDz and RTCz
IBM Forum Brussels
"This Proof of Technology (PoT) session provides attendees with basic skills and hands-on exposure to the major features of the Rational Enterprise Modernization Accelerator for Developers, providing an integrated development solution, consisting of the Rational Developer for System z (version 8), Rational Team Concert (version 3) and Rational Asset Analyzer (version 6) tools."
Information - Registration

November 14, 2012 - PoT - Discovering the value of IBM WebSphere Application Server V8.5
IBM Forum Brussels
Information - Registration


IBM Webcasts

November 6 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
Follow the business rules to succeed in modernizing your IMS Applications 
Information and Registration 

November 7 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
Hey! Who closed my batch window?
"Addressing shrinking batch processing windows, while maintaining an 'always on' responsiveness to online transactions". 
Information and Registration

November 8 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
CICS V5.1: Operation efficiency and service agility through cloud enablement 
Information and Registration

November 13 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
International DB2 Users Group (IDUG) shares DB2 10 upgrade experiences from USERS
About : DB2 10 cost savings right out of the box,Reducing CPU and improving performance,Reducing business risk and overhead by staying current.  
Information and Registration

November 29 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
Mainframe Compiler Experts Panel: Strategies and Best Practices for Successful Compiler upgrades 
Information and Registration

December 11 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
DB2 for z/OS Migration - Query Performance Considerations 
Information and Registration


And there are still some more. If you want to see all upcoming webcasts, have look over here. For all upcoming teleconferences, you can take a look over here.

z/VSE Live Virtual Class

October 30, 2012 at 4 pm Brussels
VSE/POWER - all the news since z/VSE V4.2
Information and Registration


As I always say, just check them out !

IBM Total Solution Event for System z Brussels

If you're a Benelux customer and you want to keep up to date about all things mainframe then you should take the time for this conference. I know time is a valuable asset nowadays but this is a free 3-day conference that informs you about the latest technologies for System z. A wide audience is targeted as there are tracks for managers, architects and several technical groups. Let me give you an overview of the tracks :

• TRACK 1 - zEnterprise for IT Managers and Executives 
• TRACK 2 - zEnterprise for IT Architects 
• TRACK 3 - New Technologies on zEnterprise 
• TRACK 4 - Maximize Scalability and Flexibility with Linux and z/VM on System z 
• TRACK 5 - Cloud Computing with zEnterprise 
• TRACK 6 - Integrated Management and Monitoring of zEnterprise 
• TRACK 7 - Managing and exploiting Enterprise Data and Information 
• TRACK 8 - Exploiting Modern Application Architectures on zEnterprise 
• TRACK 9 - Increasing Productivity and Time to Market with Application Development Solutions for zEnterprise 
• TRACK 10 - DB2 on z/OS Update 
• TRACK 11 - IMS Update 
• TRACK 12 - CICS Update 

You can register over here. There's also aleady an agenda over there.
If you want more information on the tracks and session, take a look over here. You can download the session agenda over here.

Webcast Series on the lastest Omegamon Technology from IBM

This looks like quite an interesting webcast series on Omegamon. I quote from the announcement page which you can find over here :

"Whether you’re an existing OMEGAMON® user, or you’re considering it, these webcasts will give you valuable information about greater visibility into the way services and applications are being executed across the enterprise. You’ll also learn how this helps you use fewer System z® resources and tackle enterprise-wide problems before they become outages. This webcast series is taught by subject matter experts from IBM Software Group who will share the most significant updates to the OMEGAMON product suite"

I'm just giving you the dates and titles of the sessions. Take a look over here for registration and more details on the content.

• 2 February 2012, 11:00 am EST, 5:00 pm Brussels Time
  Get More From Your Mainframe with Proactive End-to-End Monitoring
  Speaker: Susan Rice, Tivoli Product Manager

• 9 February 2012, 11:00 am EST, 5:00 pm Brussels Time
  Reduce Costs Based on Faster Problem Solving with Redesigned OMEGAMON
  Speaker: Richard Burford, Tivoli OMEGAMON Development

• 16 February 2012, 11:00 am EST, 5:00 pm Brussels Time
  Tuning Tips Lower System z Costs with OMEGAMON Monitoring
  Speaker: Don Zeunert, OMEGAMON XE Performance and Tuning

• 23 February 2012, 11:00 am EST, 5:00 pm Brussels Time
  Good News for Maintenance Windows: Install and Configure OMEGAMON Faster
  Speaker: Cecile Day, Tivoli Monitoring z/OS Installation and Configuration Developer

• 8 March 2012, 11:00 am EST, 5:00 pm Brussels Time
  See Into the Heart of CICS and Resolve Problems Faster Across LPAR Boundaries
  Speaker: Mike Goodman, Software Product Manager, Tivoli Systems Management

• 15 March 2012, 11:00 am EST, 5:00 pm Brussels Time
  The Critical Role of Service Management in Moving to Cloud on System z
  Speaker: Mike Baskey, Integration Architect and Chief Architect Management Standards

• 22 March 2012, 11:00 am EST, 5:00 pm Brussels Time
  Shave Time Off Application and Service Delivery with Enhanced Event Management
  Speaker: James Moore, Product Manager, Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager

This is an initiative from the IBM Systems Magazine.
As I always say, just check them out !

Upcoming events and webcasts

As it's the beginning of a new year, I thought this might be a good time to put some dates in your agendas. Which, by the way, reminds me of that hilarious video that circulated some time ago : "My Blackberry is not working". Don't tell me you missed that one ? Then I might just as well include it here. The date passes around 1'30''.



But now, let's get serious and pass on to the real dates. Oh well, you now what I mean.

Events in Belgium

April 26-27, 2012 - GSE Belgium Luxemburg Regional Conference 2012
Thermae Palace Oostende
Information

GSE Belgium z/OS Working Group Meeting dates
RealDolmen Huizingen

• Wednesday, March 14, 2012
• Wednesday, June 13, 2012
• Wednesday, September 12, 2012
• Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Information

September 18-20, 2012 - Total Solutions Event for System z 2012
IBM Forum Brussels
More information follows later.

IBM Webcasts

January 24 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
DB2 10 for z/OS – Justify your upgrade using the IBM Business Value Assessment Estimator Tool
"Join us for this (...) webcast and learn more about IBM DB2 10 for z/OS and a tool that can help you make a case for upgrading to it. DB2 10 is the latest release of the IBM flagship database. Its enhancements are designed to reduce operational costs, improve scalability and enhance productivity. This webcast will include an overview of the most significant potential financial savings offered by DB2 10. Then we’ll explore how these can be estimated using the IBM-internal DB2 10 Business Value Assessment Estimator Tool".
Information and registration

January 26 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
Getting started with highly scalable clouds across your enterprise
"Topics include : Lowering cost of service delivery through automation and reduced skill requirements,Deploying IT services faste, Deploying IT services faster, Standardizing delivery for deployment and management of IT services, Enabling users to request, deploy, monitor and manage cloud computing services".
Information and registration

January 31 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
Migrating to DB2 10? Get maximum CPU benefit with minimum impact
"Topics include : Identifying SQL statements that need attention before they impact performance in your DB2 10 environment, Estimating the cost of your SQL between different versions of DB2, Running “what if?” scenarios to determine optimum performance settings, including updat­ing catalog statistics and creating new indexes, Migrating and comparing access path statistics in DB2 V8 or DB2 9 to DB2 10 environment". Focus on the use of DB2 Tools.
Information and registration

February 14 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
Coordinated Disaster Recovery for IMS and DB2
"In this teleconference we’ll descrbe storage-aware data management tools for IMS and DB2 that integrate storage-based fast-replication facilities with IMS and DB2 systems to provide fast and non-disruptive IMS and DB2 disaster recovery solutions".
Information and registration

February 15 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
Boost performance, productivity and cost savings with IBM’s latest compilers for zEnterprise
"(...) learn how IBM’s latest compilers, middleware and tools can help you stay on the technology curve. In this webcast, Ray (Jones) and Kevin (Stoodley) will discuss best practices and approaches to plan and execute a successful compiler migration, alongside CICS, IMSand DB2 upgrades. They will also go over IBM’s strategy for compilers and tools on System z to help you better plan your overall development and upgrade efforts".
Information and registration

February 21 and February 22 at 4 pm GMT, 5 pm Brussels
IBM DB2 10 Migration Planning and Very Early Experiences – PART 1 & PART 2
"To help facilitate your migration, John Campbell will provide planning information about migrating to DB2 10 for z/OS from either DB2 9 or DB2 Version 8. This webcast will be a two part series on February 21st and 22 nd.. Join us for this webcast series which will share surprises, pitfalls and lessons learned; provide hints and tips; discuss enabling fast start; introduce and discuss some further enhancements; and share the latest news about migrations".
Information and registration


Other events

March 13-15, 2012 - Total Solutions Event for System z 2012
IBM Forum Amsterdam
Information and registration

May 14-18, 2012 - IDUG North America DB2 Tech Conference
Denver, Colorado, USA
Information and registration

November 4-9, 2012 - IDUG EMEA DB2 Tech Conference
Berlin Germany
Information and registration

DB2Night Shows

The third DB2Night Season is already on its way. You can already find the replay of the first z/OS session from Klaas Brant on 'Ten reasons to move to DB2 10 in 2012' over here.

For the moment there's just on other DB2 for z/OS session planned on January 23, 2012 by Cristian Molero on 'Data skew and big volumes in the real world data'. Details and registration over here. Normally all events are scheduled at 11 am EST, 5 pm Brussels.As I always say, just check them out !

If you want to check upcoming DB2Night shows, then have a look from time to time over here. There's an RSS feed available as well and they also have a blog now.


As I always say, just check them out !

GSE Members: 15% discount for all IBM trainings and conferences in Belgium

Here's a short, but interesting, news on a reduction for IBM Trainings for GSE members.

There was a bit of confusion about this at the Regional Conference last week, but take a look at the GSE Belux site.

IBM offers "GSE members a 15 % discount for ALL European Technical Conferences, ALL IBM National as well as ALL IBM Training Courses". So "give this information to the responsible people in your company so you can benefit from this 15% discount".

You can find all information about this over here.

Total Solution Event for System z - September 27-29

Last week there was the GSE Regional Conference for Belgium in Spa around the central theme of 'Hybrid Computing'. It was really a very good conference with lots of interesting presentations, like the one from Andrew Butler of Gartner with a very positive view on the 'Mainframe in Tomorrow's Enterprise'. Who told you Gartner wants every one off the mainframe ? We also got a good view of IBM's strategy on hybrid systems and on what they have realized so far. An interesting panel discussion also indicated how important it is to have architects working at an enterprise level. Architects who must have a broad general view on different technologies and of course also on mainframe technologies.

That's why I would encourage you to also send your architects to the IBM Total Solution Event for System z on September 27-29, 2011 at the IBM Forum in Brussels. It's free and there are a couple of general tracks especially for them. Here's an overview of the different tracks :

• Track 1 - zEnterprise for IT Managers and Executives
• Track 2 - zEnterprise Solutions Update for IT Architects
• Track 3 - Smart Industry Solutions on zEnterprise
• Track 4 - zEnterprise Technical Update
• Track 5 - Maximize Scalability and Flexibility with Linux and z/VM on System z
• Track 6 - Cloud Computing with zEnterprise
• Track 7 - Information and Data Management on zEnterprise
• Track 8 - Getting Predictive with New Intelligence Solutions on zEnterprise
• Track 9 - Increase Productivity and Time to Market with Application Development Solutions for zEnterprise
• Track 10 - Providing Integrated Visibility and Control for zEnterprise
• Track 11 - zEnterprise as the Foundation for Modern Application Architectures

You can register over here.

The Total Solution Event for System z - 2010 - Amsterdam

It's first organized in Amsterdam, but it's also coming to Brussels in the fall, more specifically from September 8 to 10, 2010. So, for the Belgian customers, mark this already in your agendas. And if you cannot make it in September, here's your opportunity to attend this conference in Amsterdam from March 9 to 11, 2010.

It's a free event, similar to a System z Technical University. It takes 3 days and it's organized around 10 tracks :

Track 1 - System Z For Architects
Track 2 - System Z And Z/Os Update
Track 3 - Getting Started With Linux On System Z
Track 4 - Linux On System Z - Advanced
Track 5 - Information And Data Management On System Z
Track 6 - Enterprise Modernization And New Trends For Development
Track 7 - Z/Os Batch Modernization
Track 8 - Implementing The Foundation For Business Continuum On System Z
Track 9 - Managing And Monitoring Of System Z Workloads
Track 10 - System Z For Managers And Executives

And there are definitely some renowned international speakers. You can find all info over here.

So you have two chances to attend this event : Amsterdam March 9-11, 2010 or Brussels September 8-10, 2010. I'll definitely come back with more info on the Brussels event in due time.

Webcast : Responding to Today's Demands with a Dynamic Infrastructure

Next Tuesday IBM is going to have "some important announcements" on Dynamic Infrastructure. Following earlier February and April announcements, you might call this the third wave of announcements around Dynamic Infrastructure. I quote the invitation :

"As the world becomes more instrumented, intelligent, and interconnected, the demands on your infrastructure continue to grow. IBM continues to chart a strategy to help you deliver a new kind of infrastructure. One that helps you reduce costs, manage risks and improve service. A dynamic infrastructure — designed for a smarter planet.

In this special 45-minute Webcast, you’ll hear from IBM Executives and clients about a host of new offerings that deliver and support a dynamic infrastructure:

• Service Management. Faster time-to-market of services through enhanced visibility, control and automation.
• Systems for a smarter planet. A workload-optimized approach to system design, management and delivery.
• Information Infrastructure. New solutions that achieve significant cost reduction and information-led transformation."

The names of the speakers may already give you an idea of some of the content that will be dealt with : Rich Esposito Vice President, ITS&A Services,Middleware Services, IBM Global Technology Services, Al Zollar General Manager, IBM Tivoli Software, Rod Adkins Senior Vice President, Development & Manufacturing, IBM Systems & Technology Group and Curtis Tearte General Manager, Storage Systems, IBM Systems & Technology Group.

The Webcast takes place at 11.00 EST, 15.00 GMT, 17.00 Brussels Time.
Link for information and registration : http://www.ibm.com/dynamic-webcast

And to top it off, here's a video invitation for the event :

System z ITSO Workshop Tour 2009

Just like last year IBM organizes some System z Workshops in November. For Benelux it's at the IBM Forum in Brussels and at the IBM Training Center in Amsterdam. These workshops are "completely devoted to the latest technology IBM System z Platform, taught by several 'guru' members of the IBM ITSO Department of Poughkeepsie". There are 5 1-day workshops which focus on :

• System z Hardware Update
• Technical Seminar on z/OS. Latest Release V1 R11
• Parallel Sysplex update and High Availability
• System z Virtualization (z/VM and Linux)
• System z Networking Technologies Update

Links for dates, content, enrollment prices etc : Belgium and Netherlands. You can also launch a search for other countries. You will also notice that there are some other workshops as well (e.g. on DB2, CICS Transaction Server, IMS ...).

April Teleconferences - Webcasts

Here are some upcoming Teleconferences and Webcasts for the next month :

• What's new in IMS
  "This presentation reviews the most significant functional enhancements that have been delivered through the service process for IMS 9 and IMS 10".
  When : April 7, 2009 at 3 p.m. GMT or 5 p.m. Brussels time
  Click here for more information and registration.
  

• PureXML technology in DB2 9 for z/OS
  How to "directly handle XML data in DB2 with PureXML technology, accelerate application development, develop greater business agility, improve business insight and consolidate system administration"
  When : April 21, 2009 at p.m. GMT or 5 p.m. Brussels time
  Click here for more information and registration.
  

• Managing large objects in a DB2 for z/OS environment – tips and techniques
  Topics covered : safely managing DB2 large objects throughout the application lifecycle, methods to create and alter LOB and auxiliary table spaces, navigation of the DB2 catalog, setting up utility jobs, migrating DB2 tables with LOB columns . . .
  When : April 28, 2009 at p.m. GMT or 5 p.m. Brussels time
  Click here for more information and registration.

• The future of SOA on z/OS built on a smarter foundation of CICS TS V4, WAS V7 and Rational
  "Topics to be covered include composite application development leveraging existing assets and creating new business applications through innovative re-composition, Programming models, Solutions that provide a unified development environment and team infrastructure that promotes collaborative application development"
  When : April 8, 2009 at p.m. GMT or 5 p.m. Brussels time
  Click here for more information and registration.
  

IBM Education Assistant

It's always nice to find some replays of presentations on, say, Systems and Servers, Information Management, Lotus software, Rational software, Websphere software and Tivoli software. Well, that's exactly wat Education Assistant has in store for you. Just take a look e.g. at the Systems and Servers part. There are presentations on CICS Transaction Server, CICS Transaction Gateway, Debug Tools for z/OS, z/OS itself and others. For z/OS 1.10, you can e.g. find presenation plus recording of the three part migration presentation of Marna Walle. And there's a lot more.

If you want to switch to the other sections, you find them on the right hand side of the screen. Just click on the link and you get the Education Assistant of that software branch.

So, as I always say, just check it out !

Live Virtual Classes

Next week, there's an interesting Live Virtual Class on 'High Availability for Linux on IBM System z Servers'. Its contents :

Linux virtual servers are increasingly being used to support critical applications in IBM System z and zSeries server environments. As the mission becomes more important; so does the need to ensure its supporting infrastructure is highly available. But how? z/OS system programmers know the best practices for eliminating single points of failure for their systems; but may be unsure how to translate those techniques to the Linux world. Admins coming from a distributed Linux background may wonder how a virtualized environment on zSeries changes the game. And both groups may ponder how to best marry the Linux and z/OS worlds to maximize availability.

Wonder no more. This session will cover a set of high availability architectures for Linux virtual servers (LVS); in the context of serving data to WebSphere applications (though WebSphere itself won't be the main focus). We'll discuss:

1. Single points of failure in an LVS environment; probabilities of each; and the relative cost to eliminate them -- with examples of how to do so
2. The power of virtualization to minimize degradation of service in the wake of failures; and to reduce the need for large clusters of redundant servers
3. How software running on Linux virtual servers can work cooperatively with a Parallel Sysplex and z/OS data sharing groups
4. Sample architecture specifics; including architectural decisions and tradeoffs; configuration options; and product technologies used

Date : Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Time : 11:00 AM EDT (New York), 10:00 AM CDT, 4:00 PM London, 5:00 PM Brussels
Registration over here.

There's another one the day after on z/VSE Tools.

The z/VSE web site offers more than 20 tools ('as is'; at no additional charge) for download. The tools are designed make certain z/VSE tasks easier and more interesting. Because of the sheer number of tools; you may have lost track about what tools are provided and what they are for. There may be a tool available that you are not aware of; for a task you need to perform. This session will provide an overview of each the tools that are currently available on the VSE homepage. For every tool; a short description and usage scenarios will be discussed.

Date : Thursday, May 29, 2008
Time : 11:00 A.M. EDT New York, 10:00 AM CDT, 3:00 PM London, 4:00 PM Brussels
Registration over here. (the link's not working for me at the moment, hope it works for you).

If you've missed any Live Virtual Class, you can still find them for playback at the Z/VM Live Virtual Class page and at the z/VSE Live Virtual Class page.