Rapid Containers: zCX Performance Improvements
If you're interested in improving the performance of your zCX instances, you should check out the latest article in IBM Systems Magazine. There are a number of zCX APARs that are now available. For those that are running zCX in z/OS under z/VM, the Large Pages APAR offers a significant performance boost when used with 1M memory pages. https://ibmsystemsmag.com/IBM-Z/9/2020/rapid-containers-zcx -- Anthony Giorgio z/OS Container Extensions Email: agior...@us.ibm.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: PCRE2 (Perl Compatible Regular Expressions) for z/OS 10.33 is available
Would you consider putting this code in a GitHub repo? Jerry Callen from Rocket Software has a CBT Tape repository setup, and it would be a lot easier for code like this to be discovered if it were on GitHub. https://github.com/CBTTape On 5/21/19 9:22 PM, Ze'ev Atlas wrote: I've just published version 10.33 of PCRE2 (Perl Compatible Regular Expressions) for z/OS.The distribution is available on file939 of the CBTTAPE.org (currently, in the 'UPDATE' page) http://cbttape.org/ftp/updates/CBT939.zip and eventually will move to the main page (http://cbttape.org/ftp/cbt/CBT939.zip) in few months The distribution includes a working simple API for Rexx and a COBOL demo program that demonstrates the usage in COBOL. The Rexx API includes an Assembler program that could be used to demonstrate the usage from Assembler. Ze'ev Atlas -- Anthony Giorgio z/OS Container Extensions -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OS Container Extensions
When you provision a zCX instance, you need to specify the configuration details. One of these is the IP address that will be assigned to the Linux guest. When the guest starts up, by default it will listen on a network port for ssh connections. You can then use your favorite ssh client to connect to the guest, and then deploy containers. If you run a container that wants to listen on a network port, like nginx, you need to instruct Docker to expose that port on the guest operating system. This is standard Docker behavior, and is well documented. All the network traffic going in and out of the Linux guest is routed through CommServer, via the z/OS TCP stack you specify. On 5/21/19 7:19 AM, David Crayford wrote: To be more specific - how can I connect via SSH to a docker container running under zCX? Also, how does networking work? If I provision a zCX container running an nginx web server it still uses the host network stack so won't be able to take advantage of Linux APIs like epoll etc. I guess the design is for spinning up development images and not deploying in production right? On 21/05/2019 7:11 pm, David Crayford wrote: Dumb question: How to we shell into a docker container running on z/OS? -- Anthony Giorgio z/OS Container Extensions -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OS Container Extensions
Let me step back a bit. zCX is essentially a hypervisor, which runs Linux as a guest operating system. That guest is running Docker as a process, and exposes it to the network. You can instruct Docker to run s390x container(s) of your choosing. They will be run in the context of the Linux guest, which itself is running inside the zCX address space. The zCX address space can make use of zIIPs, if any are available. z/OS has no knowledge of IFLs, hence they are not usable by zCX. On 5/21/19 9:28 AM, R.S. wrote: Maybe I missed something: Does it mean, the docker container *under z/OS* may contain some zLinux workload? Linux (in container) under z/OS? If yes - can it be offloaded to IFL or it has to run on CP/zIIP/zAAP? Regards -- Anthony Giorgio z/OS Container Extensions -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OS Container Extensions
If you would like to build your own s390x Docker container, the recommended paths are to either use a zCX instance on z/OS, or a Linux on Z environment. As for your specific question - I did some digging, and it looks like Docker isn't really designed for cross-compiling containers. Apparently it's *possible* to build an ARM container on an Intel system, but that involves QEMU to emulate a Linux-on-ARM flavor of the docker build commands. Perhaps something similar could be done with running Linux-on-s390x on Intel. On 5/20/19 1:00 PM, John McKown wrote: > I know nothing about Docker at present. Would it be possible for me to use a Linux/Intel system and the s390x cross-build tools to make a Docker "image" which I could then deploy on z/OS? -- Anthony Giorgio z/OS Container Extensions -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: [EXTERNAL] Comparing SMP/E to Git
Well said. Git was primarily designed to address deficiencies in other source code management systems. It has excellent support for branching and merging, which were a major pain point in Linux kernel development. Git is simply not designed to handle package management duties. On 5/20/19 3:45 PM, Seymour J Metz wrote: Is a Pier Cub better than a rowboat? Neither can do what he other does. If you're trying to deal with dependencies, SMP is better than anything else that I've seen. If you have independent developers updating the same source module, SMP is useless. When the only tool in your toolkit is a pipe, everything looks like filter. -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz http://mason.gmu.edu/~smetz3 -- Anthony Giorgio z/OS Container Extensions -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: Comparing SMP/E to Git
Git is designed as a source code management system, while SMP/E is a package manager. Git is analogous to Subversion, CVS, and RCS, while SMP/E is similar to RPM. On 5/20/19 9:49 AM, Sankaranarayanan, Vignesh wrote: Fine, didn't intend to say they were meant for the same thing, wanted to start a convo about both.. If you have a few minutes, can you expand on your statement.. ? – Vignesh Mainframe Infrastructure -Original Message- -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OS Container Extensions
If you have specific questions about zCX, feel free to post them here. I'll do my best to answer them, or find someone else who can. As far as the technical setup of zCX, it's essentially a z/OS hypervisor (like z/VM) that is only configured to run Linux. The Linux guest OS is running Docker, and is a turnkey appliance. You only have to configure the appliance to run in your z/OS environment (network, DASD, CPUs, etc.) Once zCX is configured and the address space (or spaces!) is started, the Docker service will be available to you in the appliance. You can use this service to pull containers from Docker registries. A container is essentially a packaged application+OS+libraries, which rather neatly solves the "dependency hell" problem. You can create your own containers or use commercially published ones, and these can be deployed to a "Docker registry" for use, either internally or externally. On 5/16/19 3:25 PM, Tina M Tarquinio wrote: > You can check out the details here --> > https://www.ibm.com/support/z-content-solutions/container-extensions/ > > There are some FAQs that cover what you ask below, and more! > > And if that doesnt cover it, we can get the team to meet with you > directly! > > > Tina M. Tarquinio > Director, IBM z/OS | @tinatarq | tina...@us.ibm.com > -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer, z/OS Container Extensions -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
[Announcement] We're back! Master the Mainframe 2018 AMA
The Master the Mainframe team would love you to join them and ask questions in an upcoming Reddit Ask Me Anything session. For those unaware, Master the Mainframe’s Learning System is open to anyone year-round for technology training and earning IBM digital badges...get free access to a system, and use it to learn. Friday Nov 30, at 11am ET / 8am PT / 4pm UK https://www.reddit.com/r/mainframe/comments/9xabu6/announcement_were_back_master_the_mainframe_2018/ We've assembled some of the folks that help to run the initiative, and the system itself: Paul Newton, /u/paulnewt Troy Crutcher, /u/tdcrutcher Joshua Bennetone, /u/jbenneto Ryan Rawlins, /u/ryanrawlins Be thinking of questions, and see you on the 30th! -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer IBM z Systems Platform Performance Manager Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Stack Exchange mainframe proposal
For those of you who are familiar with Stack Overflow (and its ilk), we are trying to get a mainframe version started on Stack Exchange. It's currently a proposal, and we need people to express their interest before moving on to the next phase. If this is something that sounds interesting to you, please follow the link below and check it out! https://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/118484/mainframes Right now we need folks to ask questions and vote for the ones that they find interesting. -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer IBM z Systems Platform Performance Manager Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: RFE? xlc compile option for C integers to be "Intel compat" or Little-Endian
On 06/14/2017 10:30 AM, John McKown wrote: This is just a kind of "speculation" on my part. It is to avoid problems when doing transfers of data between z/OS and Intel based platforms. I.e. when I want to do a binary transfer of a file from Linux or Windows to z/OS for processing, perhaps due to the complexity of the data and the "non z/OS end" people being uncooperative about translating their data to something like non-binary XML or JSON. I would like a way to specify that either specific integer variables be in "Little-Endian" format instead of the IBM z's "Big Endian". It seems to me that this should be "simple" by just using the "Load Reverse" and "Store Revere" instructions instead of the normal "Load" and "Store" instructions. There are 2, 4, & 8 byte variants of these instructions. In addition to the above, I am wondering about the reading/writing/processing of character data in ASCII instead of EBCDIC. I know of the ASCII compile option (which I can't review right now due the the abominable KC being unavailable right now - I am really PISSED at IBM for this unreliability). Well, enough on that digression. Does the ASCII compile option allow for reading, writing, and processing of ASCII char data? Of course, that I'd really like is a "simple" (not iconv) way to intermix ASCII & EBCDIC characters. And, yes, I know that I'm opening up a whole can of mega-worms with this "easy desire". John, When I write C programs that have to move data between little and big-endian systems, I generally use a byte-swapping function to manipulate the specific fields. If you know that data coming into z/OS is little-endian, then you could just perform the translation once on each field, and then treat it as a native value for the rest of its life. There are some specific built-in C functions that perform little to big endian byte swaps (htons, htonl), but they are more intended for an x86 machine working with network data. However,m GCC seems to have some extensions that you can call to perform this byte swapping, as detailed here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/105339/9816 I don't know if XLC has something similar, as I haven't used it in over a decade. -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer IBM z Systems Platform Performance Manager Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Reddit AMA on CICS TS V5.4
Hello everyone! IBM will be hosting a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session to discuss the new release of CICS TS V5.4. We're going to run a 1-hour session on r/mainframe, to informally chat about it. The hosts will be Fraser Bohm (CICS Chief Architect, DE) and Andy Bates (CICS Principal Offering Manager). The session will be this Wednesday, June 14th, at 11AM EDT (4PM London). http://ibm.biz/cicsama -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer IBM z Systems Platform Performance Manager Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Reddit AMA on z/OS and the API Economy TODAY
Hey everyone! We will be hosting a Reddit AMA TODAY at 11AM ET! Join Frank De Gilio and Charlie Lawrence to discuss IBM z/OS and the API Economy. https://redd.it/595d6l -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer IBM z Systems Hypervisor Performance Manager Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Reddit AMA from the Master the Mainframe team going on NOW
Hey everyone! The IBM Master the Mainframe team is hosting a Reddit 'Ask Me Anything' session right now. Check it out! https://redd.it/5bmitf -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer IBM z Systems Platform Performance Manager Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Upcoming Reddit AMAs
Hey everyone, We will be hosting not one, but TWO Reddit "Ask Me Anything" sessions next week. * IBM Master the Mainframe team Monday, Nov 7 @ 10AM ET https://redd.it/59gf4x * IBM z/OS and the API Economy, with Frank De Gilio and Charlie Lawrence Thursday, Nov 10 @ 11AM ET https://redd.it/595d6l Come join us in r/mainframe next week, and bring your best questions! -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer IBM z Systems Hypervisor Performance Manager Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Reddit AMA on z Systems security
Hey everyone, We're hosting a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session on z Systems security TODAY. It's from 11AM-12PM EDT in r/mainframe. Follow the link below after 11AM to join in the conversation! http://ibm.biz/security_ama -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer IBM z Systems Platform Performance Manager Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
IBM z Systems Development Blog
Did you know that the IBM z Systems development team has a blog? If you want to hear news about IBM products right from the experts who develop them, then come take a look! https://ibm.biz/z_systems_development Some of the topics recent articles have touched upon are: * zEDC and HSM - A Winning Combination * IBM Wave for z/VM: Grouping * Cryptography Just Got Even Faster on z13 with Java 8 SR1 * EMV Simplification with ICSF -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer IBM z Systems Platform Performance Manager Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Join the IBM z Systems team for a Reddit AMA on July 30
Come join the IBM z Systems team for a live chat session on Reddit! Join us on Reddit and bring your questions for our experts about IBM’s newest z/OS operating system. Date:July 30th, 2015 Time:11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Eastern Place:Visit this page July 30th at 11 AM EDT for a z/OS “Ask Us Anything” session on Reddit https://ibm.biz/zos_ama The above link will update about 15 minutes before the session starts. You will need to register in order to comment. -- Anthony Giorgio Advisory Software Engineer IBM z Systems Platform Performance Manager Twitter: @a_giorgio -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
