Gadi Ben-Avi asked:
>Will it give better performance than Hypersockets?

Yes, for anything that can exploit SMC-D (which is anything sockets-based,
z/OS to z/OS).(*) If you go look at the presentation provided in the first
link on the Web page I referenced, on page 11, there's this statement from
IBM:

"SMC-D / ISM provides significantly improved performance benefits above
both [SMC-R and HiperSockets] within the CPC."

Pages 15 and 16 provide performance benchmark results. Latency, throughput,
and CPU efficiency are all improved, all by at least 4X% and in one case by
800%.

The presentation also explains the SMC Applicability Tool (SMCAT), a tool
that can help you assess what you currently have running on z/OS that can
exploit SMC-D (and SMC-R for that matter). More information on SMCAT is
available here:

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSLTBW_2.2.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r2.halg001/rfssmcat.htm

Please note that SMCAT does not tell you what *could* be running (or could
be reconfigured) on z/OS that would *also* benefit. It just looks at the
status quo, so its report should be viewed as something of a minimum. Even
more/better might be possible.

SMC-D runs alongside HiperSockets, so it's not either-or. You use both,
together. And with OSA connectivity too, if you wish. Moreover, SMC-D is no
additional charge. All you've got to do is to configure it. Here are the
configuration steps in z/OS 2.2 (and also please refer to the parent
topics):

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSLTBW_2.2.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r2.halz002/smcd_steps_for_configuring.htm

It's really a no brainer. If SMCAT reports that you have more than
non-trivial potential for SMC exploitation, you should definitely turn it
on as reasonably expeditiously as you can.

At present, SMC-D is exclusively for z/OS to z/OS communication within the
same machine. In the future, SMC-D might extend to other operating systems
on the same machine, but I don't have any specific information about that.
SMC-R (RoCE Express) is optionally available for cross-machine
communications with z/OS and/or Linux, and I suppose you could use SMC-R
for communications within the same machine, too. (Whatever can cross
between machines doesn't necessarily have to. You can "loop back" if you
wish.)

(*) Notably this can include Enterprise Extender connections, z/OS to z/OS
on the same machine. The z/OS release levels need not be the same, as long
as you meet at least the minimum on both/all sides (z/OS 2.2 with SMC-D
PTFs, or higher; SMCAT is available for some earlier z/OS releases).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy Sipples
IT Architect Executive, Industry Solutions, IBM Z & LinuxONE,
Multi-Geography
E-Mail: [email protected]

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