Mainframe Watch Belgium

z/VM Red Alert on OSA-Express3 Devices

2009-11-03T14:48:00.002+01:00

This Red Alert was issued last week on October 28, 2009 for z/VM 6.1, 5.4 and 5.3 : 'PK98608 OSA-Express3 Devices fail during startup with resetting events'.

USERS AFFECTED:
All users running OSA-Express3 devices with microcode level 7.31.0 and beyond who have a z/VM TCP/IP stack configuration that includes a VIPA interface.

As of microcode level 7.31.0 on OSA-Express3 devices, when z/VM TCP/IP is configured using two real interfaces and one VIPA interface, the devices will not initialize properly. The devices do not make it to the active state (as shown by the NETSTAT DEVLINKS command) and the devices are failing with multiple Resetting Event errors (sometimes with channel control checks and sometimes with unit checks). The problem occurs due to an unsupported bit that is on in the SETIP flags that are specified when issuing a SET IP primitive to store the VIPA address down the second interface. This bit used to be ignored by the OSA microcode, but as of the newer
microcode, the bit being on causes problems.

Problem Conclusion:
The code in TCTOOSD has been updated to no longer set the reserved x'04' bit in the SET IP flags when the SET IP primitive is being issued for the VIPA address.

PTF #'s: 530 --> UK51449, 540 --> UK51450, 610 --> UK51451

All details over here.

Migrating to Linux on System z reading material

2009-11-02T11:54:00.004+01:00

The picture I used last week came from the redbook : 'Practical Migration to Linux on System z' which was published a couple of weeks ago. This is a well-written publication on migrating/consolidating workloads to Linux on System z. It gives you a high-level tchnical overview on how to tackle such a migration project. Or as the authors state it : "(...) we attempt to present an end-to-end view of the technical challenges and methods necessary to complete a successful migration to Linux on System z". I particularly like the part on the migration analysis starting with z/vm and Linux on system z technical aspects (not too technical) and further focusing on Network analysis, Storage analysis, Application analysis, Database analysis, Backup analysis, Security analysis, Operational analysis and Disaster Recovery and Availability analysis. There are also some example cases.

So for some one who's (even only remotely) considering this kind of migration, this is definitely worth a read.

If you want to go a bit further down this path, you might also be interested in one or more of the following publications :

The manual Getting Started with Linux on System z (SC24-6194-00). I really want to quote the titles of most of the chapters of this manual as it gives you a wealth of technical information on the topic : About z/VM, Planning for Linux Virtual Servers, Changing the System Configuration, Configuring the Directory Maintenance Facility, Configuring TCP/IP, Restarting z/VM and checking the system, Creating your first Linux virtual Machine and installing linux, Cloning Linux Virtual servers . . .

Redbook z/VM and Linux on IBM System z The Virtualization Cookbook for SLES 10 SP2. "The publication adopts a cookbook format that provides you with a concise, repeatable set of procedures for installing and configuring z/VM in a logical partition (LPAR), and then installing and customizing Linux".

Redbook z/VM and Linux on IBM System z The Virtualization Cookbook for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2. Same format, but this time for Red Hat.

Redbook z/VM and Linux Operations for z/OS System Programmers. I guess the abstract of this book really sums up accurately what it's about : "Although other books have been written about many of these topics, this book gives enough information about each topic to describe z/VM and Linux on IBM System z operations to somebody who is new to both environments. This book is intended for z/OS programmers and system programmers who are transitioning to the z/VM and Linux on System z environments and who want a translation guide for assistance." You can take this translating very literally. Very often z/VM concepts are compared to the z/OS ones in order to make clear how they are similar to or different from z/OS.

So, if you're about to start with Linux on System z, you have (to my opinion) some nice starting material gathered here, no matter whether or not you're already familiar with z/VM or Linux (on System z).

Picture of the Day

2009-10-30T14:15:00.003+01:00

'Network Complexity' is the title of this picture, in case you wondered what you were looking at. In fact I've got it from a Redbook I'm reading for the moment and I just couldn't resist posting it. Hope I made you curious for the book, so I'm going to use this as a cliffhanger for the weekend. I'll tell you all about it on Monday !

z/VM 6.1 Documentation

2009-10-30T07:29:00.001+01:00

As I was reading about the new z/VM 6.1 announcements I came across several z/VM information pages. So I thought I might as well gather them here . . . with focus on z/VM 6.1.

IBM General z/VM page
IBM z/VM News site
z/VM End of Support Dates and z/VM Withdrawal from Marketing Dates
z/VM Data Sheet
z/VM Reference Guide
z/VM General Information : technical introduction containing Introduction to z/VM, How z/VM V6.1 can help you, What is new or changed in z/VM V6.1, Hardware and software requirements, Guide to the z/VM product information . . .
z/VM V6.1 FAQ
z/VM V6R1 Bookshelf
z/VM V6R1 PDF List
z/VM V6R1 Information Center
z/VM Redbooks
IBMVM Listserv Archives

Enjoy the reading !

Preview announcement : z/VSE 4.3

2009-10-29T07:48:00.001+01:00

I'm concluding my tour of last weeks announcements with the preview announcement of z/VSE 4.3 : 'Preview: IBM z/VSE Version 4 Release 3 - More capacity for future growth (ZA09-0028)'. This is really a preview as the planned availability for the fourth quarter of 2010 is still one year away. Here's a summary of the new functionalities from the IBM z/VSE page :

"Virtual storage constraint relief:
Allows customers with growing (CICS) workloads and/or those who want to consolidate their z/VSE systems to satisfy their increased needs of limited 24-bit storage.
Ease of use through four digit device addresses:
Provides more flexibility and infrastructure simplification in mixed IT environments consisting of z/VSE, z/VM, Linux on System z and/or z/OS.
Exploitation of innovative IBM System z10 technology:
- Dynamically add logical CPs without preplanning; allows increasing the capacity of the z/VSE system dependent on workload needs.
- Large page (1 megabytes page) support for data spaces to even better exploit large processor storage.
- FICON Express8 for faster data access.
Enhanced Storage Options.
Networking, security and auditability enhancements.
DOS/VS RPG II support for CICS Transaction Server for VSE/ESA (CICS TS). Support will also be made available on z/VSE V4.2."

If you want more information, the announcement letter is elaborating on every above aspect. As was also already announced in an earlier statement of direction, z/VSE V4.3 will no longer offer CICS/VSE V2.3 as part of the z/VSE V4.3 base. And there's one new "statement of general direction (...) z/VSE intends to provide an IPv6 solution that will enable z/VSE to participate in an IPv6 network".

IBM Announcement z/VM 6.1

2009-10-28T11:39:00.006+01:00

z/VM 6.1 already had a preview announcement in July. Now, here's the official announcement : 'IBM z/VM V6.1 - Foundation for future virtualization growth (ZP09-0459)'. Usually we need significant changes (pricing mechanism, technology) to trigger a new version. Here the trigger is definitely the fact that z/VM 6.1 implements a new Architecture Level Set (ALS) available only on the IBM System z10 EC and System z10 BC and future generations of System z servers. There are indeed some functionalities making use of System z10 only functionalities. Here's a short review of the new functions :

Exploitation of the System z10 server cache management instructions to help improve the performance of z/VM virtual networking for guest-to-guest streaming workloads
Better integration with IBM Systems Director by providing the z/VM Manageability Access Point (zMAP) agent (including the Platform Agent for Linux) with z/VM V6.1 for easier agent installation
Support for FICON Express8 – designed to provide faster access to data (link data rate of 8 Gbps)
Support for Crypto Express3 – the next generation cryptographic feature for System z (z/VM support is planned to be available in November 2009)
Support for IBM System Storage DS8000 Extended Address Volumes (planned availability: 12/2009)
Inclusion of several functional enhancements previously delivered in the z/VM V5.4 service stream

As I already indicated with the preview announcement the real interesting part lies in the Statements of Direction. As it seems that these will not be realized in 6.1 but in later releases, it's not sure that many customers will really want to upgrade to z/VM 6.1. As I've already read in the IBMVM Listserv List people will tend to wait for releases that do include the statements of direction. Surely as the support for z/VM 5.4 has been extended to September 2013 for people still running on System z9 or older systems.

Now what's so exciting about these SODs ? Well, they will certainly mean a step forward in Disaster/Recovery, manageability and Continuous availability for z/VM and zLinux. I'll just repeat them from my previous post :

z/VM Single System Image
IBM intends to provide capabilities that permit multiple z/VM systems to collaborate in order to provide a single system image. This is planned to allow all z/VM member systems to be managed, serviced, and administered as one system across which workloads can be deployed. The single system image is intended to share resources among all member systems.

z/VM Live Guest Relocation
IBM intends to further strengthen single system image support by providing live guest relocation. This is planned to provide the capability to move a running Linux virtual machine from one single system image member system to another. This is intended to further enhance workload management across a set of z/VM systems and to help clients avoid planned outages for virtual servers.

Here's a picture illustrating the Single System Image implementation.

Click on image for larger version in new window

Planned availability for z/VM 6.1 : October 23, 2009 except for some features as indicated above.

Upcoming events Belgium (+ webcasts)

2009-10-27T10:32:00.004+01:00

I've just updated the events agenda in the right hand column of the blog. I just would like to point out three events which I think will be quite interesting to follow.

First of all there's a webcast next week on November 3, 2009 (5 p.m. Brussels Time) on DB2 X for z/OS technical preview. This is about the new version of DB2 on z/OS and from what I've heard of it so far, it looks like a very promising release. You can register over here.

Secondly, for people near Brussels, I would definitely recommend the XIV event at the SAP Lounge in Vilvoorde on November 9, 2009 : 'XIV - The New Generation of Storage'. If only because it's with storage-visionary Moshe Yanai himself, the creator/inventor of XIV Storage. A must for every one who's remotely interested in XIV and Storage in general. You can register over here.

Thirdly I would like to recommend the 'PoT - Introduction to zVM and Linux on System z' at IBM Luxembourg on December 8-10, 2009. This is a three day Proof of Concept with a good mix of presentations on z/VM, zLinux, Cognos, DB2, Linux on System z monitoring ... and various installation labs. I'm practically sure there will follow PoTs in Belgium, but I mention the Luxemburg version anyway as they had to refuse subscriptions for the last one in Brussels and . . . I can testify from first-hand experience it's defintely worth your time. You can register over here.

TS7700 and TS3500 : new functions

2009-10-26T13:48:00.004+01:00

For the TS7700 and TS3500 there wasn't actually a real announcement last week. As far as I can see, there were only firmware upgrades for which no announcement is needed.

You can find the new functions for the TS3500 Tape Library R9A on the IBM support pages or on the TS3500 Information Center. Here's a short summary :

Support for greater than 6260/6887 slots : you can now have 15.000 slots for 3592 media and 20.000 slots for LTO media.
Inventory Self-Correction
Key Path Diagnostics via the Web Specialist
Automatically set HD slot offline for specific errors
SNMP Audit Logging
SNMP traps for EKM/TKLM communication failure, tape drive TapeAlert 18, new unassigned cartridge, and all doors closed
Added Offline slot count on System Summary web page

The new functions of the TS7700 R1.6 can be found in the data sheet. Here's a short summary :

2-way grid has been enhanced up to 4-way grid support
TS7720 and TS7740 can now be combined in the same grid. This "allows a TS7720 to use a TS7740 as an archival installation providing full back end tape functionality"
Virtual WORM Tape media are supported : "microcode capabilities allow the TS7700 Virtualization Engine to support a virtual equivalent of write once read many (WORM) tape media".
Machine code install should be improved and installation time should be significantly reduced.

IBM announcement - DS8000 R5 - DS8700

2009-10-23T10:28:00.005+02:00

Second in row for last Tuesdays announcements is the DS8700. Yet again, we have an announcement for each model type : 'IBM System Storage DS8700 high-performance flagship high-end disk addresses your business and financial needs' (2421 : ZG09-0832, 2422 : ZG09-0903, 2423 : ZG09-0904 and 2424 : ZG09-0905).

When you take a look at the summarizing table in the data sheet, you won't find a lot of difference between the DS8300 and the DS8700.
First of all there's the larger cache and Non Volatile Storage (NVS) that go up from maximum 256GB-8GB to 384GB-12GB.
Then there's of course the new processor where instead of the Power 5 2.2 GHz 4-way you now have the Power 6 4.7 GHz 2- or 4-way. The Power 6 is DS8700 only and allthough the DS8100 and the DS8300 will still be marketed, they will remain Power 5.
Thirdly, you also have to look at what's no longer there : ESCON has disappeared from the picture and I think that makes sense. I'm pretty sure that whoever is considering a DS8700 nowadays has migrated from ESCON to FICON.
Then there's another feature that's no longer supported ; LPAR-mode. I would've missed it, because the announcement only briefly mentions that 8300-LPAR model conversion is not supported. But Tony Pearson gives an explanation about this in his blog post on the DS8700 : customers just didn't seem to be interested in it and "it turned out that supporting both LPAR and non-LPAR modes merely doubled the testing effort, so IBM got rid of it for the DS8700".

So, what's the really new part ? I would paraphrase by saying : IBM made it "better, stronger, faster". I guess I'm getting old if a quote like this comes to my mind. But I have one consolation : if you recognize it, you must be getting old too, no ? Back to business and I'll once again quote Tony Pearson :

"On the hardware side, it uses faster POWER6 processors instead of POWER5+, has faster PCI-e buses instead of the RIO-G loops, and faster four-port device adapters (DAs) for added bandwidth between cache and drives".

I think this pretty much sums up the improvements that have been made for this new DS8000 generation. So what does this mean for you ? The DS8700 "can enable over a 50% performance improvement in I/O operations per second in transaction processing workload environments. Additionally, sequential workloads can receive as much as 150% bandwidth improvement".

Planned availability : Today October 23, 2009. The DS8100 and DS8300 can be upgraded to a DS8700. This hardware installation MES will be available on January 6, 2010.

(*) As I'm sure no one recognized the quote : it's from the opening sequence of Six Million Dollar Man !

IBM Announcement : z10 EC GA3 and z10 BC GA2

2009-10-22T08:46:00.003+02:00

As I told you in my last post, IBM made a huge amount of announcements last Tuesday. Here's a first one on improvements for the z10 : 'IBM System z10 - Delivering security-rich offerings to protect your data (ZG09-0798)'. In the past, we sometimes saw huge amounts of new features at a new GA, but this time I think it's rather limited. Still, there are some interesting new things. I'll give you three of them. You can explore the rest of them in the announcement itself. It's a.o. about STP Enhancements and z/OS Alerts for error conditions, HMC/SE Digitally Signed Firmware . . .

Next generation of cryptographic feature with new Crypto-Express3 card
I'm not that familiar with encryption and stuff, so I'm not going to divert on the new functions. But I do want to mention a statement of direction regarding Crypto-Express2 : "The IBM System z10 EC and z10 BC will be the last servers to offer Crypto Express2 (#0863) as a feature, either as part of a new-build order, or carried forward on an upgrade".

Capacity for Planned Events (CPE) enhancement
As you know 'Capacity for Planned Events' was announced along with the z10 and functions as a kind of equivalent to CBU for planned events. Up to now you could turn on the full available capacity for the machine for a three-day planned period. Now you are able to limit this to the capacity you actually need and this should imply a cost reduction for your CPE activation.

Configuration flexibility for OSA-ICC cards
"You can now exploit the four ports on an OSA-Express3 1000BASE-T Ethernet feature on the z10 EC and z10 BC, or the two ports on an OSA-Express3-2P 1000BASE-T on a z10 BC, when defining the feature as an Integrated Console Controller (OSA-ICC)" with CHPID type OSC. This means e.g. on a four-port card there are two PCI-E adapters with each two ports. But until now you lost one of the two ports when defining one of them with CHPID type OSC. This limitation has now been removed !

There's one other Statement of Direction I would like to mention : "On future System z servers, IBM intends to support optional overhead cabling. (...). Overhead cabling is designed to provide an additional option and increased flexibility, to help remove floor hazards in a non-raised-floor environment, and to help increase air flow in a raised-floor environment".

If you're interested in specific features, watch out for the availability dates. Most of the features, like the Crypto Express3 card, will be available on November 20, 2009. The Improved Capacity for Planned Events options become available on December 31, 2009 and the OSA multi-port support for CHPID type OSC is scheduled somewhere in the first quarter of 2010.

October 20 Announcements and Dynamic Infrastructure

2009-10-21T15:21:00.004+02:00

You may be thinking there were lots of announcements yesterday, there was a new announcement about Dynamic Infrastructure and Mainframe Watch Belgium doesn't seem to be commenting on it as quickly as before. Well, I must admit, first of all there were really a lot of announcements, but that's not the main reason. Everything is presented in function of the Dynamic Infrastructure vision of IBM. And that's the one I'm really struggling with. I'm trying to see the relevance of it all for mainframe and I don't think I have really come to terms with it . . . yet. So I'll stick to the basic concepts : improve service, manage risk and reduce cost. I'm sure the product announcements are very valuable but when I hear all the theories, the word that actually comes to my mind is hineininterpretiering. If you don't know it, just look it up, you'll know what I mean.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm actually quite happy to stick to three concepts that I've known for quite some years now which were first launched in October 2003, already six years ago now : Value, Innovation and Community. Yes, the Mainframe Charter. When I look at the z10 announcements that were made yesterday the new items might as well have been divided into these three categories.

Having expressed my confusion on the topic, what can you expect from me in the upcoming posts :

z10 EC GA2 and z10 BC GA3
DS8700 announcement
New functions of the TS7700 and TS3500
z/VM 6.1 announcement
z/VSE 4.3 Preview announcement
Enterprise PL/I for z/OS V3.9

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

2009-10-14T06:37:00.002+02:00

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

2009-10-13T11:06:00.003+02:00

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 ...).

Belgian Mainframe students looking for a training place

2009-10-09T08:44:00.002+02:00

I've been discussing the Academic Initiative, young mainframers or the lack of it in several previous posts. So here's my little contribution in finding a training place for some of our Belgian mainframe students.

Hogeschool Gent (a Belgian college) is one of those schools offering a mainframe specialization. This does not only involve following some courses but also a real life training period in an actual mainframe environment. In other words : in your company ! Due to the succes of this mainframe specialization (yes, really !), the school is still looking for some companies who want to give their students a chance for a real life opportunity.

What does it involve ? Two students will work out a very concrete project you have in mind. The goal is to have a well defined project on which they will be working full time in your company for about 3 months. They are assisted by a tutor from your company who is appointed to them.

If you're interested and want to have more details, please contact Angeline Van Achter who is responsible for the traineeships at Hogeschool Gent. She has all the additional information you need. Or you can drop me a note as well. You know where to find me.

So stop saying there are no young people choosing mainframe. There are. And they need you. And don't forget : you'll need them ! One last note : we see that companies offering this traineeship to students are very proud of their students, of what they accomplish and they often offer them to stay after they graduate from school.

IBM Announcement : IMS Version 11

2009-10-07T09:27:00.002+02:00

I started out my programming career in a production environment where we were using IBM COPICS ... back in the late eighties. COPICS was one of the first IBM ERP products. Ididn't even know the phrase back then. If I remember correctly we were using VM, VSE, CICS, COBOL, VSAM and DL/I. At a certain moment there was a study to convert the database to DB2 as DB2 was the future and DL/I already seemed to have become a thing of the past. Still, the conversion never took place.

And look now : about a year ago IBM made a pre-announcement of IMS Version 11. Now here's the announcement itself : 'IBM IMS V11 easier than ever (ZP09-0352)'. And IMS is going as strong as ever with lots of companies still heavily relying on it. I'll just give you the highlights and some extra reading materials.

The highlights :

IMS™ V11 Database Manager enhancements

IMS Open Database support offers direct distributed TCP/IP access to IMS data, providing cost efficiency, enabling application growth, and improving resilience.
Broadened Java™ and XML support and tools can ease IMS development and access to IMS data.
IMS Fast Path Buffer Manager, Application Control Block library, and Local System Queue Area storage reduction utilize 64-bit storage to improve availability and overall system performance.
Enhanced commands and user exits simplify operations and improve availability.

IMS V11 Transaction Manager enhancements

IMS Connect (the TCP/IP gateway to IMS transactions, operations, and now data) enhancements offer improved IMS flexibility, availability, resilience, and security.
Broadened Java and XML tooling eases IMS application development and connectivity, and enhances IMS Web services to assist developers with business transformation.
Enhanced commands and user exits simplify operations and improve availability.
IMS Application Control Block library and Local System Queue Area reduction utilize 64-bit storage to improve availability and system performance

Some extra resources :

The IBM IMS page
Announcement summary
There's a teleconference on November 10, 2009 by Rich Lewis (IBM) at 4.00 p.m. GMT. The technical level is 'basic'.
IMS V11 presentation in .pdf or .ppt format.
There's an interesting post at Mainframe Update on recent enhancements to IMS related software.
If you're into IMS, don't forget to check out the Virtual IMS Connection site on a regular basis. They also have a newsletter and regular virtual meetings (webconferences). All earlier newsletters and presentations can be found on the Resources page.

Planned availability date : October 30, 2009

Short Takes

2009-09-30T10:17:00.003+02:00

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

Sysprog.org : Mainframe Systems Programming
I like to refer to some good or promising sites once in a while and this is one of them. This site wants to collect all kinds of information for the mainframe systems programmer. It has a very nice section on mainframe websites and blogs itself even with a small review on each site. The homepage is also interesting because the Something to read part intends to gather information from different sites so you have a central point referring to all kinds of new information which is mainframe related. It has my blog included and I hope others will follow.

Red Hat-IBM-RealDolmen event : the presentations
Some time ago I wrote about the joint Red Hat - IBM - RealDolmen event, but I still had to give you a link to the presentations. Well, they're all over here. I particularly liked the presentations about Red Hat subscription model and offerings and Why and how to conduct a Proof of Concept?

When did IBM first open its offices in my town ?
This is a nice FAQ I came across via the IBM-MAIN discussion list. It's from the IBM Archives site and there are other interesting, intriguing, funny questions like e.g. 'What is the origin of IBM’s “THINK” motto?' or 'What was the IBM type ...' starting from Type 1 up to Type 7656, What is the origin of the term “Big Blue?”. It also gives a historical overview of the mainframe.

Abis DB2 newsletter
Recently, Guido Indesteege from ABIS (a Belgian Training & Consulting Company) drew my attention to their DB2 newsletter. This is a newsletter covering application programming, best practices, maintenance, new functionalities . . . Unfortunately for some readers : it only appears in Dutch !

BCOOL with COBOL

2009-09-29T08:48:00.003+02:00

COBOL has turned 50 on September 18, 2009. Though I spent quite some years programming COBOL myself, I didn't pay that much attention to it. But yesterday I came across this page on eweek.com : '20 things you might not know about COBOL'. Nice. Worth mentioning ? Perhaps.

And then yesterday evening my eldest son came from school and told me he wrote his first COBOL program. Coincidence, synchronicity, how do you call that ? So of course I asked what he wrote and they did some simple calculations to start with. "Oh yeah, the compute statement, no ?". I just couldn't resist it. Had to play the smart ass (not a COBOL expression). But still, it's nice to see that some schools still see the relevance of teaching that old COBOL language. By the way, it's also one of those schools participating in the Academic initiative. So, they're also offering a mainframe education.

So that's why I'm posting the link after all. So my son and his co-students can perhaps pick up the relevance of COBOL through this little slide show. And if they want to challenge their teacher why they still have to study COBOL they might throw in this quote from Edsger Dijkstra : "The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offence".

By the way : BCOOL is an acronym of COBOL.

A draft, a book and a technote

2009-09-22T09:53:00.004+02:00

If you haven't got a clue what I'm talking about, then shame on you : three types of publications you find on the IBM Redbook site. The book is the final product while a draft is a publication that's not yet entirely finalized, but is already worth publishing on the site. A Technote is a short, usually very practical text, on one particular subject.

The book : 'DB2 9 for z/OS: Distributed Functions'
It consists of 4 parts

Distributed Database architecture and configurations : the authors "introduce the concepts and protocols of DRDA and describe the layout and the components of the possible configurations where DB2 for z/OS can play a client or server role"
Setup and Configuration : "a description of the steps needed for the installation of a distributed environment"
Distributed Applications : Application programming and data sharing
Performance and problem determination

The book also contains lots of samples.
And if you live in the Belgian region, you might want to go to the joint DB2-CICS-SOA GSE meeting next Thursday where there's also a session on 'Talking with DB2 for z/OS : today's distributed connectivity options'.

The Draft : 'Batch modernization on z/OS'
"As a large portion of the workload on z/OS is processed in a batch mode, it is not difficult to justify a dedicated publication on this matter.
These days there are many different technologies that can be put at work in a batch environment on z/OS. This Redbook demonstrates that batch on z/OS is not only COBOL, JCL and a job scheduler anymore. This book also demonstrates that z/OS offers a sophisticated environment for batch that you may not have implemented on z/OS yet.
(...) The book also includes a chapter on future developments in batch processing."

The Technote : 'Converting LPAR Weights to Logical Processor Allocation'
Plain and simple, but useful : "This Tip describes how to calculate the portion of a shared logical processor assigned to an LPAR."
--> Link seems to be no longer working. Workaround : you can Google for lpar weight redbooks. It gives you the non-working link to the document, but you can still find it via the 'in cache' link.

My third Blogoversary

2009-09-18T08:48:00.005+02:00

Time flies . . . when you're having fun !

Three years already and it seems like yesterday that I was writing my first post. I just took a look at the number of posts I made and I see I'm living up to my promises. I'm still hitting an average of two posts per week.

The one thing I miss from time to time is some interactivity. Don't be shy to leave a comment or drop me a note or a mail. I might be having second thought about Twitter, but it sure has a lot more interactivity going on. On the other hand, I see Twitter more as a source of references to the real content that's still more often found in blogs.

So I'm just going to stop this with the same words I posted last year : thanks for stopping by from time to time and don't hesitate to leave some comments if you have any kind of remarks.

As Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (from The Simpsons) would say : "Thank you, Come again".

New initiative : Mainframe Linux Wiki

2009-09-17T08:00:00.004+02:00

I think this is an initiative worth mentioning and I hope it'll be a successfull one. It was cross-posted by Mark Post on the Linux-390, IBMVM, and IBM-Main Discussion lists : "With the assistance of Marist College (and Velocity Software who owns the domain name), I've put up a Wiki at http://wiki.linuxvm.org/wiki/ for people to contribute content". This should become a wiki for mainframe Linux an z/VM and it's now up to people like you and me who want to share their knowledge and experience with the rest of us.

Suggested topics so far include :

For the moment only the 'Technical Presentations' has content with already a nice collection of presentations from previous Share, WAVV, System z Expo ... meetings.

As I said, I hope this becomes a success story !

Sampling Techdocs : July - August 2009

2009-09-14T10:29:00.004+02:00

Here we are again with some new and interesting reading material from TechDocs. I've mentioned the first two before, but hey, it was holiday season back then and they are really valuable documents.

Presentation : z/OS System Initialization Logic (IPL)
"This presentation describes general processing involved initializing z/OS System from the IPL process until the system is ready to start JES2 or JES3." The major steps described are : the hardware process of loading z/OS, the loading and initialization of the nucleus, the initialization of general system resources, Master Scheduler Initialization. All I can say about this one : veeeeerrrrrrryyyyyyy nice !
Technical Document : OSA-ICC experiences. Usage guide for z/OS and z/VM
This is a very nice document for any one who wants to install the OSA-Express Integrated Console Controller (OSA-ICC) support of the 1000BASE-T card. It really takes you by the hand through chapters like OSA-ICC definitions on HMC, OSA-ICC VTAM Definition on z/OS, Implementing an OSA-ICC connection for z/VM and Connect to TSO using PCOMM & OSA-ICC. If you're still a first time OSA-ICC installer, this is the document to start with.
Technical Document : Restore Server Time Protocol configuration information across a Power on Reset
One can now save an "STP configuration across PORs and power failures for a single server and a two server STP-only CTN". This 2-page document outlines "the prerequisites, set up required, and steps needed to enable this functionality".

Flash : Withdrawal of z/OS Function Beginning with z/OS Release 5 Through Current z/OS Release
"This flash lists those items IBM has announced intention for removal in a specific z/OS release. These items have already been announced in previous IBM z/OS announcement letters. This is a collection of those items being removed. Consideration should be given to this list when planning your migration to a z/OS release". The Flash has been updated for z/OS 1.11

White Paper : IBM Encrypted Storage Overview and Customer Requirements
"This document is intended to contain critical information that you will need to know in order to manage IBM encrypted storage and to comply with IBM requirements for using IBM encrypted storage". It's the Word document you need. It contains chapters on Encryption Concepts, TKLM (Tivoli Key Lifecycle Management), DS8000 Disk Encryption, Tape encryption, Best Practices for Encrypting Storage Environments, IBM Guidelines and Requirements for Encrypting Storage Installations and IBM Guidelines and Requirements for Key Server Management.

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

Upcoming Events (Belgium) and Webcasts

2009-09-10T10:11:00.004+02:00

You know I keep an agenda up to date on this blog, but those reading the blog via RSS (or other) feeds might never see it. So, since I see some really interesting events coming up, I thought I'd mention them here too.

If I have to put some in the spotlights, I think the CICS Web Services Webcasts will be interesting. Oh, by the way, I stumbled across these through @IBM_CICS on Twitter. So Twitter might prove usefully after all ;-). I see some very interesting agendas for the joint GSE meetings on September 23 and 24. And I'm following the three day PoT on zVM and zLinux.

September 11, 2009
GSE Security Group Meeting on z/OS Security
Information and registration

September 22, 2009
Webcast: CICS Web services Part 1 - Development
Information and registration

September 23, 2009
Joint GSE z/OS and GSE Storage Working Group Meeting at IBM Forum Brussels
Information and registration

September 24, 2009
Combined GSE DB2, CICS and SOA Working Group Meeting at IBM Forum Brussels
Information and registration

29/09/2009
Webcast: CICS Web services Part 2 - Deployment
Information and registration

September 29, 2009
PoT - Introducing Web 2.0 in Your Company at IBM Forum Brussels
Information and registration

October 9, 2009
PoT - COBOL - PL/I Application Development for IMS at IBM Forum Brussels
Information and registration

October 5-8, 2009
IDUG Europe in Rome
Information and registration

October 14-16, 2009
PoT - Introduction to zLinux & zVM at IBM Forum Brussels
Information and registration

FICON Express8 Performance

2009-09-07T11:40:00.003+02:00

In a previous post I pointed out the announcement of the new FICON Express8 cards. Now there's already a white paper on the performance. Here's a graph taken from that study :

You can find the entire white paper over here : 'IBM System z10 FICON Express8 Channel Performance Version 1'.

Thanks to Jan Tits from IBM Belgium for pointing this out to me.

Red Hat Webinars : Get the Hype on System z

2009-09-04T14:10:00.004+02:00

Yesterday I attended the joint IBM - Red Hat - RealDolmen event on Red Hat on System z. There were some really nice presentations. If you couldn't attend the session, I'll give you the links as soon as they're available on the web.

Red Hat really has a very dynamic Benelux team and I guess it's no different elsewhere. They have dedicated people focusing on System z and if you still think zLinux and Suse are synonyms, then think again. In a couple of years they now have gained a share of almost 40% of the Linux on System z market.

If you want to learn more about it or for that matter about Linux on System z in general, you should really have a look at the three webinars they are giving on Red Hat on System z. I just watched the playback of the first one : 'What's all the Hype about System z?' and I must say it's really worth spending an hour's time on it. It's also a great presentation for people not involved into mainframe up to now. It gives e.g. some explanations on 'mainframe-speak' and it elaborates on things we use to take for granted. And that are exactly the arguments you'll need to convince non-mainframers of the value of the mainframe. Ok, you got the message : check it out !

There are two more webinars coming up :

'z/VM vs. Distributed Hypervisor Matchup: z/VM Holds the Title by Reed Mullen (IBM) and Shawn Wells (Red Hat) on September 17, 2009 at 8 p.m. Brussels Time
Current & Future Linux on System z Technology by Hans-Joachim Picht (IBM) and Shawn Wells (Red Hat) on September 24, 2009 at 5 p.m. Brussels Time

Putting a new face on z/OS

2009-08-27T08:32:00.000+02:00

I borrowed the title of this post from an article on z/OS in a CCR2 newsletter dating from 2005. Oddly enough, that almost exactly matches the title of the announcement of z/OSMF : 'IBM z/OS Management Facility V1.11 -- A new face for z/OS (ZP09-0276)'. I can't resist to give you a quote from that article.

"z/OS users today must master an assortment of user interface (UI) styles: TSO command line, ISPF panels, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), even Web-style UIs. To complete a task such as applying service, they often must interact with different UIs while flipping through a variety of publications. That's today. On the horizon is a new z/OS management console that will be headquarter central for z/OS management tasks".

So, the goal was "to simplify and modernize z/OS management for 'zNextGen' - the new generation of IBM System z9 and eServer zSeries IT professionals" in order to "make life easier for z/OS novices and experts alike".

A year later we had the announcement of 'IBM's Five year march to Mainframe Simplification'. The goal was "to enable technology administrators and computer programmers to more easily program, manage and administer a mainframe system -- as well as to increasingly automate the development and deployment of applications for the mainframe environment". Areas on which to focus were automated configuration checking, modernizing the mainframe user interface, improving software asset management technologies and modernizing the mainframe's development environment with visual tools. If we look at these targets wen can definitely say that progress has been made. Look e.g. at the development environment. But there's still room for improvement.

So, now, here's z/OSMF (z/OS Management Facility). It's "a new product for z/OS that provides support for a modern, Web-browser based management console for z/OS (...) The z/OS Management Facility is intended to enable system programmers to more easily manage and administer a mainframe system by simplifying day to day operations and administration of a z/OS system. More than just a graphical user interface, the z/OS Management Facility is intelligent. Automated tasks can help reduce the learning curve and improve productivity". It surely offers some interesting features and is definitely worth trying out. An example ? "Tasks taking up to 20 minutes, such as collecting and sending dump data, can now take as little as 30 seconds (or 8 key clicks) with z/OS Management Facility". This looks impressive and as far as I've heard, it actually is.

Here's an image of the browser user interface :

Click on picture for larger view in new window

For the moment you see four functionalities on the tree menu on the left :

Configuration contains the Configuration Assistant task which provides a guided interface for configuring TCP/IP policy-based networking functions.
Problem Determination contains the Incident Log task which provides a consolidated list of problems, along with the details and the diagnostic data captured and saved with each problem. It also facilitates sending the diagnostic data for further diagnosis
Links contains links to sites for system management tools and information. Some initial useful links are provided
z/OSMF Administration contains administrative tasks that allow you to manage z/OSMF users, roles, and links

I took this from the latest z/OS Hot Topics Newsletter which has several introductory articles on z/OSMF. There's also a z/OSMF Web page and at the bottom of it you'll also find the Program Directory and the User's Guide.

Oh, and have I told you that it's completely free. It's sold as IPLA software with a cost of zero dollars and a yearly S&S of also zero dollars, which is pretty much the same in euro. So, there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't give it a try !