>>> On 5/4/2015 at 09:53 AM, Jason Space <[email protected]> 
>>> wrote: 
> 1. Some of the things the open systems *NIX guys like to do is LVM
> everything, including root.  From the Set up Linux on IBM System z for
> Production redbook
>         I found the following statement:
>                 "Do not include the root file system in the LVM structure
> because, if for any reason the LVM
>                 fails, the operating system will not boot. "  - Set up
> Linux on IBM System z for Production
> 
> Are there other reasoning's to not do so?  These are the types of things
> that would really be helpful.

While LVM might be far more reliable these days, humans are not.  Neither is 
some of the newer software that Linux distributions have more-or-less been 
forced to include and rely upon.  I'm still seeing far too many "I added a new 
DASD volume to my Linux system and now it won't come online or it won't boot" 
messages to this mailing list, for example.  However, if you're not the one 
responsible for the Linux system if it breaks, I would let this one go.  Just 
put your recommendation in an email and file it for later.

> 2. No root access for z/VM system programmers to z/Linux servers.
>         To my knowledge the s390-tools modules require root to invoke
> them. These tools are the essential interfaces between z/Linux and z/VM
> platform.

Yes, but what does that have to do with the z/VM systems programmer?  If 
they're not responsible for what happens within the Linux system, they don't 
need any sort of access to root.  As the z/VM systems programmer, they can do 
whatever they want to the guest from the z/VM environment.  No need, really, 
for root access.  And, as Mike MacIsaac said, there's always sudo if really 
needed.

> 3. Sharing of Read/Only binaries.
>         Install once / share many -- This idea of this is mainframe
> centric and is foreign idea to open systems.

As Mike also said, sharing things like WAS, etc. buy you far more benefit than 
the root file system itself, given the counterbalancing hassles involved with 
maintaining the root file system.  SUSE does provide and support a read-only 
root sharing capability, so just point them to that.  As more Linux teams get 
experience with virtualization through KVM and Xen, they're starting to realize 
that some of the ideas that come from the mainframe world are not so crazy 
after all.

I would write up all your recommendations and send them out, and then be quiet 
unless someone asks for your help.  Regardless of what happens after that, 
you'll be in a better position organizationally than you would by aggravating 
everyone.  Just make sure everyone knows you're available to help them if they 
want it.

Oh, and one of the recommendations I would make is to have more than one person 
from the team taking over responsibility subscribe to this mailing list, and 
possibly IBMVM.


Mark Post

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