IBM Software Newsletter

Just received the first 'IBM Software Newsletter' of this year. Here's the page were you can subscribe to it and read the latest issue. The newsletter describes itself as delivering "the insights you need to fuel innovation and remain competitive. Access analyst reports, executive briefs, success stories, money-saving special offers and more. See how companies and organizations like yours are meeting IT and business challenges and building real business value with IBM software".
There's (amongst others) an announcement for a Webcast : IBM WebSphere Portal Enable for z/OS powers your portal on System z. If you're interested in other webcasts (to come or past) you can find them by navigating via the tool bar on the left.
What actually drew my attention the most was the header What's behind the buys? See how your needs drive IBM software acquisitions. I wondered what was the status of the Consul take-over. I think it's a coincidence but just last wednesday there was a new press release on it describing that IBM Completes Acquisition of Consul. There's some more information to be found on the IBM software pages with a Q&A of how Consul products will be integrated into the IBM Tivoli software portfolio. I'm sure there's more to come on this subject, so I'll keep you informed.

IBM Mainframe Discussion List

You might've noticed that my list of links is (in view of the subject of this blog) rather short. That's because I've seen lots of blogs flooded with links, and no one has the courage to wade through them. I could easily put tens and tens of links, but I've chosen to build this up gradually, each time giving a little explanation when I'm adding a new link.
Today it's the "IBM Mainframe Discussion List". I guess any person who's doing system related work on the mainframe knows it. For those who don't : the list is thé community of z/OS system engineers exchanging thoughts and problems on anything related to z/OS in particular and mainframe in general. You might compare it with the forums we all know on the net, but this system is set up via e-mail. You subscribe to the list and you get every post via e-mail and you can participate in the discussions. If you don't want to be flooded with mails you can e.g. ask to group them and have them sent once a day. If you don't know this list, you should really go and take a look. I suggest you start with the archives to give you an overall idea of the list. It's also a good starting point when you want to ask a question. It might've been treated before.

Some items I've covered here were also covered in the discussion list (e.g. new software pricing) - correlating dry announcements with real-life situations and comments.

Of course there are more discussion lists than just this one. I only mention a couple of them :

• DB2 : http://www.idugdb2-l.org/archives/db2-l.html
• RACF : http://listserv.uga.edu/archives/racf-l.html
• VM : http://listserv.uark.edu/archives/ibmvm.html

If you want to search for others you can go to the L-Soft List Search Page.

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").

Software pricing : zNALC and z/VSE MWLC

Yesterday two new pricing models were introduced. The first one is zNALC pricing on the z/OS platform. zNALC pricing is due to become the only pricing matrix for new workload replacing NALC ànd z/OS.e. There are some differences as compared to NALC and z/OS.e pricing :

• As opposed to NALC and z/OS.e it runs on all zArchitecture machines (z900,z800,z990,z890,z9 EC enz9 BC).
• You only have one product i.e. z/OS (without the limitations that were posed to z/OS.e as e.g. number of TSO sessions limited).
• zNALC can be implemented on LPAR level and sysplex aggregation is possible.
• It comes in two flavours : full-capacity ànd sub-capacity pricing.
• The interpretation of the 'New Workload' definition seems to be more lenient than before.
  

Along with the announcement of the new z/VSE Version 4 there's a complete new pricing matrix for VSE : Z/VSE MWLC (Midrange Workload Licence Charge). The full-capacity version of MWLC is already more interesting than TWLC pricing as more levels are introduced. But what's more : for the first time sub-capacity pricing is introduced to the VSE environment. The formula can very well be compared to that on z/OS. z/VSE V4 (and only z/VSE V4) can generate SCRT89 records. An SCRT report will be sent to IBM and will be used to bill the customer. Exciting news for VSE customers, I'd say.
This pricing model can be set up on an LPAR level too. This creates the possibility to consolidate a smaller VSE machine onto an LPAR of a larger z/OS machine - without having the penalty of paying full-capacity. Bear in mind that you have to have z/VSE V4 running on a z9 machine.

As you can see, I'm only touching the surface of these matters. A comprehensive explanation can be found in the announcements I already mentioned and IBM added two pages to the IBM System z software pricing page : zNALC and MWLC.

Last remark : as type 89 records must be gathered for the sub-capacity matrixes and general availability is March 16th, 2007, the earliest billing date for these sub-capacity formulas is June 1st, 2007.

Kristine Harper's Newbie Blog

In one of my former posts discussing the mainframe making its comeback I mentioned an article on the 23 year old Kristine Harper illustrating there are still young people interested in the mainframe. Kristine is also Project Manager of zNextGen. zNextGen is co-sponsored by IBM and Share and is "a brand new user-driven community for new and emerging IT professionals focused on mainframe computing. (...) The expressed goal of the zNextGen community is to serve as the gateway for newcomers to leverage the experience of mainframe veterans and expedite their professional development in this crucial segment of the IT workforce." I also just found out that Kristine has her own 'Newbie Blog'. Her most recent post is on Assembler Myths Dispelled!.
Once again, I'd say, just check it out !

A couple more software price changes

Before getting too euphoric about low mainframe costs, here's some counterweight, as IBM announced some price 'changes' on Subscription and Support (S&S) for certain products. Those affecting EMEA customers are :

• IBM Debug Tool Utilities and Advanced Functions for z/OS V7.1 S&S
  (5655-R45 - 5655-J19)
• IBM IMS Command Control Facility for z/OS, V2.1 S&S
  (5655-R58 - 5655-F41)

As always IBM links the price changes to functional improvements added to the products.
The one that stands out is 'IBM Debug Tool Utilities and Advanced Functions for z/OS V7.1' with an increase of maximum 25% for most European countries. Further details can be found in the announcement itself.

Consultancy Puts IBM’s TCO Claims to the Test

As if to emphasize my final note of last year, Stephen Swoyer of Enterprise Systems Journal starts off the year with this article : "Consultancy Puts IBM’s TCO Claims to the Test", subtitled "Do Big Blue’s mainframe TCO assertions add up?". The article focuses on a study by Wayne Kernochan, an analyst with consultancy Illuminata Inc. It looks at the way IBM presents the TCO of the mainframe divided into hardware, software licensing, people (e.g., administration, implementation, and upgrading), and environmental (e.g., electricity and air conditioning) costs. It seems to be clear that system administration and environmental costs are clearly more advantageous for the mainframe. The hardware itself is still more expensive, but then again, much less than, say, 5 years ago. Software costs should be about the same on all platforms. The strongest criticism is that IBM clearly underestimates the people cost for "for application, infrastructure, and (especially) database management", meaning "the more database instances you consolidate on a single system, the more DBAs you’ll have to have on hand to effectually manage them". But Kernochan immediately adds : "The reverse of this argument is that these costs are universal".
His conclusion is that IBM TCO claims do have merit : "Add it all together and mainframe TCO can look quite attractive. Administrative costs are often lower—even much lower—and … hardware, software, and physical plant costs are not … the drag they once were."

Happy New Year

Just one final note for my last post of the year. 2006 turned out to be a good year for the mainframe. I found it hopefull to see that not only professional people start to value the mainframe again. It also gets more and more attention in the press - and especially positive attention. And whether we like it or not, they play a great role in forming the public opinion, only this time, it's in our favor.

I can only wish every one the best for 2007. Thanks to those who visit from time to time or put a link on their own page. And I hope to meet you again in January at my little blog space.

IBM and Oracle initiatives

Last october, IBM and Oracle announced "a strategic initiative to collaborate on the sales and marketing of a series of enterprise business solutions with Oracle applications and technology for Linux on System z in order to target the business requirements of large and medium size enterprise customers and meet growing market demand."

On this IBM page the implications of the announcement are described as follows : "With today’s announcement, Oracle is extending the portfolio of products available on the IBM System z9 platform with a comprehensive set of both database and application solutions which Oracle intends to enable for Linux on System z. This could mean new opportunities for you to take advantage of the advanced functionality of Oracle applications on a premier Linux environment, benefiting from the core strengths of the IBM System z9 platform."

I'm not a specialist on Oracle applications but when I try to read between the lines, I have the impression that 'Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.10.2' will be able to run on zLinux. "Will be" is the right phrase though, because up to now it's not possible.

There is however a nice redbook on this matter due to be published in February 2007. But ther's already a draft available : Experiences with Oracle 10gR2 Solutions on Linux for IBM System z. "This IBM Redbook describe experiences gained while installing and testing several Oracle solutions, such as:
- Single Instance of Oracle Database 10gR2,
- Including sharing ORACLE_HOME and Cloning Oracle databases,
- RAC Instance of Oracle Database 10gR2 using raw devices, block devices or OCFS2 files
- Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.10.2 with a split configuration database on Linux on System z Oracle AS10g"

IBM making movies

This is not really a comment on mainframe but still.
First of all I find that IBM is making very creative ads lately. I guess they have a whole department over there for this. I posted 'The Heist' earlier this year and I would like to add another one. As you see, not only creative, but sometimes funny too.



IBM didn't start yesterday with making movies. To illustrate this I found a movie from 1956 at the Prelinger Archives. Do we already find the precursor of parallel sysplex in 1956 on an IBM machine for military purposes ? The time frame was quite different then. So I surely won't be searching for any other parallels with current times. Or as one comment at the Prelinger Archives says : "(...) Ignore the usual patriotic stuff... or smile."

Mainframe Growing Like It's 1979

As the year is closing down, surveys of the past year and predictions for the coming year are made everywhere. Of course, our interest mainly goes to commentaries on the mainframe, like this one at Enterprise Systems.

On the other hand, 2006 was a resurgent year for mainframe boosters. Big Iron enjoyed three strong quarters—including a Q3 in which it recorded 18 percent year-over-year growth in MIPS shipments—and helped IBM grow its server market share, thanks in large part to System z (see (http://www.esj.com/Enterprise/article.aspx?EditorialsID=2316).

To be sure, there was a downturn of sorts—mainframe sales dipped in Q2—but that was also ahead of IBM’s z9 Business Class (BC) and z9 Enterprise Class (EC) system refresh. What’s more, IBM introduced a new dedicated processor engine (zSeries Integrated Information Processor, or zIIP) and announced a $100 million investment to simplify mainframe management and programming.

All in all, 2006 was a great year for mainframe pros. As you’ll see, 2007 might be even stronger.

All in all a great message to conclude the old year and start with the new one. I'm not sure whether I'll get to posting again for this year. But with the end of the year in sight and the mainframe "growing like it's 1979', I suggest we start 'partying like it's 1999'
(yes, Prince )

z/OS 1.8 Installation Planning Checklist

I've been browsing through Techdocs again and came across this z/OS 1.8 Installation Planning Checklist. This is an interesting document which is "to be used as a supplement to existing product publications". For those who are preparing a migration towards z/OS 1.8, the list was last updated at the end of November.
This reminds me of another lesser known source of information for people upgrading to a new version of z/OS : the ‘zSeries Platform Test site'. This is a site where a team of IBM people write down their experiences at migrating to a next z/OS release. They work in a parallel sysplex environment and bring you a detailed report of their migrations : planning, migration, problems during migration, interaction with other products (DB2, IMS, Websphere, CICS . . . ). They also offer some sample configuration files . . . Unfortunately there's no publication on z/OS 1.8 yet. I'll keep you informed when it turns up. The last one is 'z/OS V1R7.0 zSeries Platform Test Report for z/OS and Linux Virtual Servers'. A list of earlier publications can be found here.

IBM to acquire Consul

On the Consul site we read that "On December 5, 2006, IBM and Consul entered into a definitive agreement for IBM to acquire Consul". On the IBM site, you can find the entire press release.
Consul is a leading provider of compliance and security audit software that helps clients track, report and investigate non-compliant behavior, such as unauthorized activity by information technology administrators or other users. I know them best for their mainframe products like Consul/RACF but apparantly it's their cross site coverage that makes this company an asset to the IBM products. Or as we find on their site :
"Consul's 20 year history as the leader in audit and compliance software means you can rely on us for the most comprehensive solution available on the market. With the first and only solution for log management, privileged user monitoring and audit (PUMA™), and security audit and compliance reporting across the enterprise, from perimeter to network devices, to applications, databases, operating systems, and the mainframe, the Consul InSight Suite meets your needs to track, report on, and investigate non-compliant behavior.
Consul offers two distinct industry acclaimed product suites:"

IBM Archives

As I was making a presentation on tape storage I came acrosse this page called the 'IBM Archives' on the outskirts of the IBM website. There's some great historical material in those archives. You can find the history of the IBM logo (from globes to stripes). This one was used from 1924 till 1946.

There were only three others since resulting in the current one with eight bars from 1972 onwards. As we see e.g. here on a System/370 :



My first recollection of a mainframe was the 4381 :



This is just one picture in a row of many in the Mainframe Photo Album.
But there's lots and lots more on the site. There's an Antique Attic, a history on cards and tapes etc. There are also some audio fragments of famous speeches, such as a recording of Thomas Watson in 1915 commenting on the "THINK" motto :

"And we must study through reading, listening, discussing, observing and thinking. We must not neglect any one of those ways of study. The trouble with most of us is that we fall down on the latter -- thinking -- because it's hard work for people to think, And, as Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler said recently, 'all of the problems of the world could be settled easily if men were only willing to think.' "

In other words : the place to be for those of us who are getting nostalgic from time to time.

IBM Redbooks

Today I'm stating the obvious of course. Every one knows the IBM Redbooks. But I just added the URL to my links because there were a couple of interesting redbooks this week. People tend to forget soon, but I still find the Redbooks a great initiative as compared to the former manuals we were always cursing because they were unreadable. You can subscribe to the Redbooks Newsletter over here, indicating your interest areas. So, you'll get an update on the site every Monday. Or you can even get real-time updates with the RSS-feeds nowadays.
The first redbook I would like to mention is still a draft : z/OS Version 1 Release 8 Implementation. But the draft is already worth mentioning. The content is too exhaustive to cover entirely here, but here's a foretaste :

This redbook describes the functional enhancements to z/OS® for Version 1 Release 8, (z/OS V1R8). These enhancements that are described are designed to help installations install, tailor, migrate, and configure z/OS V1R8.
This redbook describes the new enhancements as follows:
z/OS Version 1 Release 8 Overview
Installation and migration to z/OS V1R8
Console restructure
CFRM performance enhancements
RMF enhancements
WLM enhancements
.
.
.

The second one is ICF Catalog Backup and Recovery: Catalog RecoveryPlus Update. This Redpaper tells us about IBM Integrated Catalog Forward Recovery Utility (ICFRU) and Mainstar Catalog RecoveryPlus, two tool for ICF catalog backup and recovery. It "provides information and practical examples on how to use the Mainstar Catalog RecoveryPlus product in a catalog recovery situation. It also provides useful recommendations for storage administrators in implementing a catalog backup and recovery plan.
This redbook also provides a variety of practical tests to help you with the
different error scenarios you may find in your daily production activities."