Fwd: IBM Alumni Directory

[Gabe Goldberg]

I'm just the messenger...

 Forwarded Message 
Subject:IBM Alumni Directory
Date:   Tue, 30 Jun 2020 15:59:22 + (UTC)
From:   Bob McGrath 
To: i...@agentsadvanceinc.com



Spending time updating the online IBM Alumni Directory while trying to
shelter in place.

Could you check your info by going to the web site (www.IBMalumni.com
), add or change and submit the data, or let
me know by email (ibmalu...@aol.com) if it is accurate as well as any
other additions, changes or corrections you can provide.

If you can include information about other alumni, it would make the
directory more accurate and useful.

I enter all the data personally to avoid hackers and pranksters from
messing with the web site info.

There are more than 26,500 alumni listed. (10,260 deceased).

Many thanks.

Bob McGrath

DPD & WTC (1953-1970)



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Fwd: Query for article on testing mainframe systems, applications, networks

[Gabe Goldberg]

I've had a small number of great responses to this but nothing like the
number I usually get to queries. Surprising, I thought this would be an
interesting topic with many people commenting...

Testing -- what's that? How do you test/validate Linux
systems/applications/networks?

 Forwarded Message 
Subject:Query for article on testing mainframe systems, applications,
networks
Date:   Mon, 29 Apr 2019 12:41:17 -0400
From:   Gabe Goldberg 



Query for article on testing mainframe systems, applications, networks

This is for website/magazine I'd not seen before: https://increment.com/
It's described: Increment is a print and digital magazine about how
teams build and operate software systems at scale.

It has an interesting approach, devoting issues to topic themes such as
internationalization, security, documentation, programming languages,
etc. My article is for an issue on testing.

---

Modern systems -- especially mainframes and everything connected to them
-- require modern testing tools and procedures. The days are gone when
it was sufficient to SYSGEN, IPL, (maybe) run a few test batch jobs or
interactive scripts, and wait for user feedback. (The old joke, of
course, was that users existed to test system programmers' system
programs.)

Testing is often misunderstood and neglected when it should be a
combination of creative art and rigorous engineering. In these days of
distributed, mixed-platform, and cloud-hosted applications, potentially
targeting millions of users, developers casually testing their own code
is also folly. Comprehensive test suites and cumulative regression tests
are essential tools for preventing everything from ugly interfaces to
catastrophic visible failures.

How widely used - and effective -- are techniques such as continuous
integration (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_integration -- the
practice of merging all developer working copies to a shared mainline
several times a day) and DevOps (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DevOps --
a set of software development practices that combines software
development and information technology operations)?

Do testing practices differ for GUI-developed applications? Or GUI apps
themselves -- same as for complex spreadsheets -- is the second "G" in
GIGO "gospel" or "garbage"?

So -- what are current best practices for testing mainframe (z/OS, z/VM,
z/VSE, Linux) technology? This covers everything from applying one PTF to
installing a new operating system release/version, and from verifying
batch/TSO operation to validating end-to-end transaction processing
across networks and multiple servers.

Besides testing system updates and local applications, how do you test
IBM program products and ISV products?

ISVs -- how do YOU test products across supported environments?

While the article isn't explicitly about tuning or performance, surely
those are critical assessments too when making changes. And, to keep
this topic manageable, it does NOT include debugging when tests fail.

As usual, please copy replies to me directly to avoid them being buried
in list digests.

Thanks.

--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0


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Query for article on testing mainframe systems, applications, networks

[Gabe Goldberg]

Query for article on testing mainframe systems, applications, networks

This is for website/magazine I'd not seen before: https://increment.com/
It's described: Increment is a print and digital magazine about how
teams build and operate software systems at scale.

It has an interesting approach, devoting issues to topic themes such as
internationalization, security, documentation, programming languages,
etc. My article is for an issue on testing.

---

Modern systems -- especially mainframes and everything connected to them
-- require modern testing tools and procedures. The days are gone when
it was sufficient to SYSGEN, IPL, (maybe) run a few test batch jobs or
interactive scripts, and wait for user feedback. (The old joke, of
course, was that users existed to test system programmers' system
programs.)

Testing is often misunderstood and neglected when it should be a
combination of creative art and rigorous engineering. In these days of
distributed, mixed-platform, and cloud-hosted applications, potentially
targeting millions of users, developers casually testing their own code
is also folly. Comprehensive test suites and cumulative regression tests
are essential tools for preventing everything from ugly interfaces to
catastrophic visible failures.

How widely used - and effective -- are techniques such as continuous
integration (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_integration -- the
practice of merging all developer working copies to a shared mainline
several times a day) and DevOps (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DevOps --
a set of software development practices that combines software
development and information technology operations)?

Do testing practices differ for GUI-developed applications? Or GUI apps
themselves -- same as for complex spreadsheets -- is the second "G" in
GIGO "gospel" or "garbage"?

So -- what are current best practices for testing mainframe (z/OS, z/VM,
z/VSE, Linux) technology? This covers everything from applying one PTF to
installing a new operating system release/version, and from verifying
batch/TSO operation to validating end-to-end transaction processing
across networks and multiple servers.

Besides testing system updates and local applications, how do you test
IBM program products and ISV products?

ISVs -- how do YOU test products across supported environments?

While the article isn't explicitly about tuning or performance, surely
those are critical assessments too when making changes. And, to keep
this topic manageable, it does NOT include debugging when tests fail.

As usual, please copy replies to me directly to avoid them being buried
in list digests.

Thanks.

--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0

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Petition · International Business Machines - IBM: Free the XA architecture! · Change.org

[Gabe Goldberg]

https://www.change.org/p/international-business-machines-ibm-free-the-xa-architecture

How about that?! Hadn't seen before, saw on z/OS list, passing it on.

--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0

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Annual Enterprise Computing Community Conference

[Gabe Goldberg]

I don't think I've seen this on these lists -- it's been highly 
recommended to me over several years!


---

11th Annual ECC Conference, June 9 -  1 1, 2019

Marist College, Poughkeepsie, New York

https://ecc.marist.edu/

https://ecc.marist.edu/web/conference2010

The 11th Annual ECC National Conference will focus on topics of interest 
for students, faculty and industry professionals including keynote 
presentations, concurrent technical/educational sessions and panel 
discussions.  Presentations may also cover other topics relevant to 
enterprise computing.Themes for the 11th Annual ECC Conference 
are:Technology in Healthcare and Big Data


https://files.constantcontact.com/1a04bbc8001/0d6fe97c-6e64-4428-85fe-388b2be364e6.pdf

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3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0

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The Yoda of Silicon Valley - The New York Times

[Gabe Goldberg]

Donald Knuth, master of algorithms, reflects on 50 years of his 
opus-in-progress, “The Art of Computer Programming.”


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/17/science/donald-knuth-computers-algorithms-programming.html

...plenty here on computers, programming, mathematics, typesetting.

I've forever had Volumes 1 and 3 of his series but can't claim to have 
read them completely. He's writing them fast than I'm reading them.


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Cutting ‘Old Heads’ at IBM

[Gabe Goldberg]

https://features.propublica.org/ibm/ibm-age-discrimination-american-workers/

No surprises, just a lot of details...

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Destination z article: VM's CMS: An Elixir for Mainframe Productivity

[Gabe Goldberg]

VM's CMS: An Elixir for Mainframe Productivity

From humble beginnings as part of IBM's 1960s pioneering virtualization 
research project, VM's Conversational Monitor System (CMS) component was 
an experiment in OS design explicitly created as a single-user system; 
it provided what would later be called "personal computing." When Bill 
Gates and Steve Jobs—themselves pioneers of consumerized computing—were 
teenagers, CMS was an industrial-strength mainstream platform for 
personalizing computing, developing applications and enhancing 
productivity in small, medium, and large organizations.


http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/VM-s-CMS--An-Elixir-for-Mainframe-Productivity
https://tinyurl.com/yb9y5b2k

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3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
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Charles B. Wang, former Islanders owner dies, his attorney says | Newsday

[Gabe Goldberg]

Born in Shanghai, China, he moved to the United States with his family 
at the age of 8. Wang later founded CA Technologies and led several Long 
Island-based philanthropic efforts.


https://www.newsday.com/long-island/computer-associates-charles-wang-1.22209693

I met him when he and Russ Artzt ran a small company called Standard 
Data out of a grubby midtown Manhattan office. I sure wouldn't have 
guessed what he'd accomplish in CA. Along with philanthropies mentioned, 
he donated generously to Brooklyn technical High School, which I 
attended a few yeas after him. In the minimal dealings I had with him -- 
very early, and then briefly in mid-1990s -- he was very pleasant.


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3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0

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Destination z article: Ensuring Data Storage Longevity

[Gabe Goldberg]

Ensuring Data Storage Longevity

Backup and Archival Data

Data comes in many varieties, related to why it exists and how it's 
stored: active, warehouse, transactional, backup, archival and more. 
I'll skip over the first three forms and focus on backup data (briefly) 
and archival data (primarily).


Because backup data recovers from human error, equipment failures and 
external catastrophes, its only reason for existing is restoring data to 
a recent image. Archival data may be needed for legal or industry 
compliance, historical recordkeeping, merger and acquisition due 
diligence, unanticipated queries/searches, or reconstructing operational 
environments. Backup data can be stored piecemeal as long as it can be 
completely restored. Archival data is holistic, a complete/consistent 
image. For a detailed explanation of why multiple backup copies—even 
cloud storage—don't constitute archived data, see this Storage 
Switzerland blog: https://bit.ly/2DzoJrR


http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Ensuring-Data-Storage-Longevity
https://bit.ly/2NiJVSS

...for non-technical folk reading this (it's going to diverse lists) -- 
your data needs backup and archiving too. And backup still isn't archive.


--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0

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For Destination z article: Favorite CMS applications or service machine functions?

[Gabe Goldberg]

I queried for this article a while ago; it's finally coming together.

So, last chance -- suggest your site's favorite CMS applications,
describe key service machines you've implemented. A couple sentences on
these is fine; I'll query if I need more details.

Please copy responses to me directly so they're not buried in list
digests. Unless specified otherwise, I'll assume that comments are for
publication; please indicate if they can't be used verbatim.

Thanks!

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3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0

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Walt Doherty - RIP

[Gabe Goldberg]

Father of economics of sub-second response time; wonderful
SHARE/mainframe/computing contributor.

http://hosting-11936.tributes.com/obituary/show/Walter-J.-Doherty-106121619

https://jlelliotton.blogspot.com/p/the-economic-value-of-rapid-response.html

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Destination z article: Mainframes Span the Globe

[Gabe Goldberg]

Mainframes Span the Globe
Clients share variations in worldwide IBM Z usage

Some brands seem ubiquitous worldwide: fast-food chains are one example.
And though one might assume that the same cuisine is being served 24/7,
somewhere/everywhere, a few individuals inexplicably want to verify that
for themselves .

Similar same-everywhere thinking might be easy to apply to mainframes,
though trying to log on to them all could be even harder than consuming
the same food worldwide. But if you've ever eaten at a chain restaurant
away from your home country, you likely noticed at least some regional
menu variations.

Similarly, does location matter, or is "a mainframe a mainframe?"

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Mainframes-Span-the-Globe.aspx
https://tinyurl.com/y8mdz334

--
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3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0


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Query about production use of CMS

[Gabe Goldberg]

I recently saw a list question about current use of CMS for application
execution. While years ago this was hardly unusual, CMS production usage
has obviously declined (and that's too bad!). Nevertheless, I suggested
an article about this for Destination z website and posted a preliminary
query to the VM list.

I received a few responses about CMS usage along with suggestions for
the article's potential orientation. One comment noted that although
traditional CMS workloads (e.g., Profs/OfficeVision, interactive
personal computing, application execution) had indeed declined, CMS was
still widely used for two critical functions: service virtual machines
(SVMs) and and configuring virtual machines for Linux.

While service machines have been a powerful component since VM's
introduction, today's communication, execution, and hypervisor functions
far exceed what might even have been imagined in the early days.

So I'd appreciate comments along these lines (and any others you think of!):

 * How is CMS used for its traditional workloads?
 * How have SVM-enabling facilities evolved, what are your most
   critical/powerful/innovative SVM functions?
 * How does CMS enable/facilitate introducing, supporting, and scaling
   Linux usage?

Please copy responses to me directly so they're not buried in list
digests. Unless specified otherwise, I'll assume that comments are for
publication; please indicate if they can't be used verbatim. Destination
z editor strongly prefers comments to be attributed by name, title, and
affiliation; they can be anonymized if necessary.

Thanks!

--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0


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Preliminary query about mainframe "environmentals"

[Gabe Goldberg]

I've seen occasional list mentions/discussions about mainframe
environmentals (power, cooling, floorspace, weight, etc.). Obviously
these requirements have changed -- declined -- over various machine
generations, but maybe this is still interesting enough for a
Destination z website article.

So this is a preliminary query to gauge how many responses I might get
to specific questions about environmentals. (And don't be limited to
aspects I've mentioned -- note others that come to mind).

There seem to be at least two facets here -- information available from
IBM and elsewhere, and actual experiences.

If you might comment, please let me know -- and if you reply to the
list, please copy me directly so responses aren't buried in list digests.

Responses now won't be for publication; this is just a survey/census to
determine if an article on this topic will work. But when I ask specific
questions, being able to quote and attribute responses will be best. But
if necessary, comments can be anonymized.

Thanks.

--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0

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Destination z article: Reflecting on Technology Progress

[Gabe Goldberg]

Reflecting on Technology Progress
As IBM Z advances and evolves, varied skills are needed

http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Reflecting-Technology-Progress
http://tinyurl.com/y9m9w8jc

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Fw: Special Request from Len Santalucia, Chairperson of the Linux Foundation Open Mainframe Project

[Gabe Goldberg]

Forwarding here too, at Len's request. Reply as directed on survey -- 
not to me, just the messenger.



   From: Leonard Santalucia 
   
   To: "william.mun...@bbh.com" 
    
   Date: 08/11/2017 12:11 PM
   Subject: Special Request from Len Santalucia, Chairperson of the
   Linux Foundation Open Mainframe Project

   




   Bill, would you mind sending this out to your MVMUA email list please?
   +++

   Hi Folks, the Linux Foundation is conducting a brief online survey
   about *mainframe computing*. This confidential study is being
   conducted to understand current and planned usage of the mainframe.
 Through this study, we hope to generate the most comprehensive
   assessment of the mainframe industry – both where it is and where it
   is going.  If you would like to receive a summary of Key Findings
   from the study, simply indicate your desire to receive this summary
   report at the end of the survey. Please be assured that the study is
   being conducted for research purposes only; all information is
   *gathered anonymously*and will remain *strictly confidential*.

   To complete the survey, simply click on the link below, or copy and
   paste the link into your web browser. The survey should take you
   about 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
   https://v2.decipherinc.com/survey/selfserve/1f15/rco17004?list=1
   

   Thank you for your input and for taking the time to complete the survey!
   Regards, Len

   Leonard J. Santalucia
   CTO | Business Development Manager | Certified Specialist
   Vicom Infinity, Inc.
   IBM Premier Business Partner
   One Penn Plaza - Suite 2010
   New York, New York 10119
   Cell…….917-856-4493
   eFax413-622-1229
   vText……… 9178564...@vtext.com 
   General Blog http://www.infinite-blue.com/blog/
   

   Blockchain Blog http://blockchain.infinite-blue.com/
   

   Vicom Infinity http://www.vicominfinity.com
   

   Vicom Computer Services http://www.vicomnet.com/
   

   Infinity Systems http://www.infinite-blue.com
   


   facebook
   
twitter
   
linkedin
   

Researching Destination z article on non-US mainframes

[Gabe Goldberg]

Here's a query I've sent to a few individuals, and I'll send a couple
more to people outside US who I've seen post here or elsewhere. If
you're running a non-US mainframe -- or have done so, or know people who
have, or have thoughts on this -- and might chat a bit via email, please
get in touch.

As usual, if you reply to the list, please copy me directly so your note
isn't buried in the daily list digest.

Thanks!

 Forwarded Message 
Subject:Researching article on international mainframes
Date:   Tue, 8 Aug 2017 14:36:50 -0400
From:   Gabe Goldberg <g...@gabegold.com>
To: 



First, I have to call this "non-US use of mainframes" rather than
"international", since to the rest of the world, the US is "international".

My point to editor proposing this article was that it's too easy to
forget that US isn't only -- and maybe isn't main! -- user of mainframes.

I'd like to include brief non-US mainframe usage profiles plus comments
on differences in mainframe applications/issues world-wide.

So I'll appreciate whatever you can provide...

 * Your thoughts on this
 * Suggestions of interesting non-US sites which might be willing to
   chat (via email) for brief profiles
 * Pointers to mainframe user groups around the world
 * Introduction to similar mainframe experts/advocates elsewhere
 * Noteworthy regional variations in mainframe usage/applications/issues

Thanks!

--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, inc.g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegold Twitter: GabeG0


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In Silicon Valley, dropping in at the GooglePlex, tech museums and the Jobs garage

[Gabe Goldberg]

In Silicon Valley, dropping in at the GooglePlex, tech museums and the 
Jobs garage


By Renee Sklarew

Like my college-age daughters, I am in love with my iPhone. And my ardor 
increased while I was researching a guidebook. With my cellphone, I 
narrated each hike into the Notes app, used Google Maps when I got lost 
and the Camera app to capture scenery. As I worked, I wondered how we 
got from room-size mainframes to this portable computer-in-my-hand.


So when Southwest Airlines started offering daily nonstops from 
Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport to San Jose, I 
booked a trip with my husband, Eric. After an affordable 
transcontinental flight, we landed at Mineta San Jose International 
Airport, in the heart of Silicon Valley.


Without a personal invitation from an employee, you can’t enter the 
offices of Apple, Facebook or Google, but you can visit each campus on 
your own. We like taking tours, so we reserved with a company that 
provides personalized ones and explains how Silicon Valley came to be.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/in-silicon-valley-dropping-in-at-the-googleplex-tech-museums-and-the-jobs-garage/2017/07/13/438c2674-6015-11e7-a4f7-af34fc1d9d39_story.html

---

First time I saw a technology I'd used -- Silent 700 terminal, I think! 
-- exhibited in a museum, I had definitely mixed feelings. Plenty more 
of our history is now on display as artifacts. Someday they might have a 
stuffed baby boomer system programmer on display.


--
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Jean Sammet, Co-Designer of a Pioneering Computer Language, Dies at 89

[Gabe Goldberg]

Jean E. Sammet, an early software engineer and a designer of COBOL, a 
programming language that brought computing into the business 
mainstream, died on May 20 in Maryland. She was 89.


She lived in a retirement community in Silver Spring and died at a 
nearby hospital after a brief illness, said Elizabeth Conlisk, a 
spokeswoman for Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, where Ms. Sammet 
had earned her undergraduate degree and later endowed a professorship in 
computer science.


The programming language Ms. Sammet helped bring to life is now more 
than a half-century old, but billions of lines of COBOL code still run 
on the mainframe computers that underpin the work of corporations and 
government agencies around the world.


Ms. Sammet was a graduate student in mathematics when she first 
encountered a computer in 1949 at the University of Illinois at 
Urbana-Champaign. She wasn’t impressed.


“I thought of a computer as some obscene piece of hardware that I wanted 
nothing to do with,” Ms. Sammet recalled in an interview in 2000.


Her initial aversion was not unusual among the math purists of the time, 
long before computer science emerged as an academic discipline. Later, 
Ms. Sammet tried programming calculations onto cardboard punched cards, 
which were then fed into a computer.


“To my utter astonishment,” she said, “I loved it.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/04/technology/obituary-jean-sammet-software-designer-cobol.html

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Bridging the Distance: Remote system control, despite its complexity, is worth it

[Gabe Goldberg]

Bridging the Distance
Remote system control, despite its complexity, is worth it

Remote system programming used to mean using a keypunch machine outside 
the data center. But card decks still needed to get to the clunky 2540 
or equivalent unit record device. Maybe we had a key or door code to do 
this ourselves, or maybe we handed it to an operator. Then, 3270-style 
devices allowed for increased distance—and hike—to and from our systems. 
Finally, networked terminals and workstations made location irrelevant. 
Whether in an office or working from home, z Systems 
programmers/administrators can now work from the next office, building, 
city, time zone or continent.


But should this be happening? Do today's system programmers need 
physical access to data centers? Why or why not? Does being able to see 
and touch one's systems hold real value, or is it just a matter of 
professional pride? And to what extent is it practical to have a lack of 
immediacy to data centers, operations staff, users or matters?


http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Business-Case/Bridging-the-Distance


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Query for Destination z article: How has system programming changed?

[Gabe Goldberg]

How has system programming changed over the mainframe's life? Over your
career? What did you do in the early days, what do you do now? Is it
still "system programming" or ... what?

Has traditional system programming become some/mostly/all system
administration?

Has how you divide time between tasks changed (administering systems,
developing system software and tools, coding applications, solving
problems in IBM/ISV/local code, evaluating/installing hardware/software
products, writing documentation, teaching, etc.)?

How have programming languages you use changed (from assembler, FORTRAN,
PL/I to today's moving-target language assortment)? Do you keep up with
languages or stick to the tried-and-true? If the latter, which
languages?

Don't be too backward focused; look forward: has it changed, does it
change, will it change because of technology evolution or individuals'
age/perspective/knowledge?

Is there a chicken/egg process: IBM detects a skill shortage so it
attempts to reduces skills required. Which, of course, reduces skills
available, which worsens the skills shortage. Have automation and
new/improved utilities reduced/changed your work? Deskilled it?

Have changes increased/decreased how interesting work is -- letting you
focus on challenging aspects, or made it more routine?

What's next; where will our profession be in five/ten years?

---

Please copy replies to me so they're not buried in list digest.

This is for publication -- with attribution/affiliation if possible. If
your affiliation isn't obvious from email address or sig, please supply
it. If you'd rather not be attributed/affiliated, that's OK -- just tell
me that in reply.

--

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Destination z article: IBM z/VM's Single System Image feature links systems

[Gabe Goldberg]

Seamless Computing
IBM z/VM's Single System Image feature links systems

If awards were given for vague and over-hyped technology terms, cloud 
computing could be a strong contender. Like the famous fragmented 
elephant description 
, its 
meaning and attributes depend on who's speaking, his or her background 
and experience and (too often) what’s being sold. Cloud computing's 
any/all of scalable technology, shared storage, easily provisioned 
compute images, seamless networking, failover reliability, outage-free 
maintenance and maybe more.


*VM Architectural Enhancement*

For a more down-to-earth implementation that plausibly satisfies those 
reasonable (and not mutually exclusive) requirements, consider z/VM's 
Single System Image (SSI) 
feature.http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Systems-Administration/Seamless-Computing

http://tinyurl.com/zfz8zdd


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Query for Destination z article: remote system programming

[Gabe Goldberg]

Remote system programming used to mean using a keypunch machine outside
the data center. Then 3270-style devices allowed increased potential
distance -- and hike -- to and from mainframes. Finally, networked
terminals, workstations, tablets, and smart phones made location
irrelevant. Whether in an office or working from home, system
programmers/administrators can now be in the next office, next building,
next city, next time zone, next continent.

Or, can they? Is there good or bad news here? Whether or not they ever
did, do today's system programmers need physical access to data canters?
Why or why not? How far is it practical to be remote (from systems,
colleagues, managers, everything) before distance from -- lack of
immediacy to -- data center, operations staff, users, matters?

If you're doing remote support/admin, what are your tips regarding
technologies to use, work practices, challenges, problems to solve,
etc.? What connectivity is necessary, what equipment do you need (or
wish for) at hand? Can you wrangle z/OS from a tablet or phone? What do
you wish you'd known when you started providing remote support?

Please copy replies to me directly so they're not buried in list digest;
I'd appreciate hearing back by Friday, December 16th.

I've collected some discussion about this from the lists so I'll likely
query a few people directly.

Please include your name and affiliation so I needn't request it. And
remember, this is for publication -- while I can likely paraphrase
what's said if you'd rather be anonymous, for credibility, I'd much
rather attribute statements.

Thanks!

--

Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
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Destination z article: Lessons Learned

[Gabe Goldberg]

Lessons Learned
More seasoned mainframers advise their younger selves and Generation Z 
workers

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Lessons-Learned
http://tinyurl.com/gpdrxbb

Time travel is a science fiction literature staple, from “Back to the 
Future” and “Terminator” film franchises back to works by Robert A. 
Heinlein and other classics. But there's always the paradox challenge: 
if someone travels back in time, they risk changing things so 
dramatically that they wouldn't exist in future time to go back to 
change things. One Heinlein story describes—and diagrams—relationships 
in the story “All You Zombies.” A Washington Post opinion piece 
describes time travel's history (in fiction, of course) and suggests 
that it's ultimately sought to provide immortality.


Though even z Systems can't provide actual temporal relocation, it's 
interesting to consider what advice mainframe professionals would give 
their younger selves if the opportunity existed. And veterans' wisdom 
applies to Generation Z. Best to receive it now, rather than in 30 years 
when someone else asks what advice they'd give to their younger selves


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IBM Jargon and General Computing Dictionary Tenth Edition

[Gabe Goldberg]

Worth a glance, if you've not seen this. Or a refresher if you have.

http://www.comlay.net/ibmjarg.pdf

It just showed up in a LinkedIn group -- not exactly hot off the press.

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Checklists Bring Order Out of Chaos and Enhance Reliability

[Gabe Goldberg]

Checklists Bring Order Out of Chaos and Enhance Reliability
Systematic procedures help avoid and solve problems

After spending a career with mainframes, I prefer order to chaos. I like 
the deterministic manner in which mainframe OSes are maintained (audit 
trails, full piece-part identification, systematic system builds, 
standardized maintenance tools, maintenance history, etc.) more than the 
free-fire frontier mentality for configuring, maintaining and debugging 
Windows PCs (plug-and-pray, installs which sprinkle random files 
everywhere, rebooting to ignore vanquish problems, etc.). Even logging 
changes to my PC, I feel at the mercy of the next software install which 
mysteriously corrupts a working system. But I take some comfort from 
detailed records and notes on how I've done things and set up systems so 
I can retrace my path.


In the same manner, when my wife prepares her favorite contribution to 
potluck events, rum cake, she follows a written recipe (see below). I've 
teased her about needing—or at least wanting—instructions, but I admire 
her process and see that it mirrors mine. I'm happy that the only 
variable between cakes is whether they include chocolate chips and nuts, 
with no risk of key ingredients forgotten.


http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Checklists-Bring-Order-Out-of-Chaos-and-Enhance-Re
http://tinyurl.com/z7jlecx

...plus, Kim's rum cake recipe!

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Query for Destination z website: experience with z/VM's SSI

[Gabe Goldberg]

z/VM's SSI -- Single System Image --  feature (VMSSI) was announced and
orderable in 2011. So there's been enough time for sites  to evaluate,
consider, install, use, enjoy it. I'd like to write about what sites are
doing with it, how it's used, what real-world problems it's solving, why
it's liked. That is, illustrate user experience with it rather than
getting deep into its technology.

I'm particularly interested in this having myself used an earlier
implementation -- http://bit.ly/2dkukBg -- from different corporate
parentage (though with some common technical talent behind it). So I'm
doubly interested in hearing from people who've used both versions.

Please copy replies to me directly so they're not buried in list digest.

Please include your name and affiliation so I needn't request it. And
remember, this is for publication -- though I can likely paraphrase
what's said if you'd rather be anonymous.

--

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Query for Destination z website: What advice would you give your former self?

[Gabe Goldberg]

Times change but lessons learned and insights gained can often
timelessly apply equally to younger  generations. And we've all had
moments of "If I'd only known then what I know now". So: What advice
would you give your younger self, back then?

Might this include job/career options/choices, technology insights, work
habits, geography, finances, or ...?

To what past age would you offer yourself advice? (within your working
life, please)?

Did you receive advice that you ignored but that, in hindsight, you wish
you'd followed, or at least better understood?

Is there advice you now wish you'd received "back then" which would NOT
apply now?

For extra credit, describe how you'd have reacted to the advice you wish
you'd received.

Remember, this isn't advice you'd give to anyone NOW, it's what you'd
tell your long-ago younger self  about your job/career, technology, the
industry, etc.

Please copy replies to me directly so they're not buried in list digest.

Please include your name and affiliation so I needn't request it. And
remember, this is for publication --  though I can likely paraphrase
what's said if you'd rather be anonymous.

Thanks.

--

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3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0

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Re: Query for Destination z article: mistakes -- teachable/learnable moments

[Gabe Goldberg]

You're welcome. The article was published a while ago:

Turn Experiences Into Wisdom
Testing, planning and sharing with others helps ensure professional success

http://tinyurl.com/ns8rej

TICONA, LUIS said:

Re: Query for Destination z article: mistakes -- teachable/learnable moments

Great quotes;
I can apply  some of them with my kids and our Boys Scouts by me.

Thank you Gabe;


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Destination z article: A Rewarding z/VSE Community

[Gabe Goldberg]

A Rewarding z/VSE Community
Fans focus on participation and knowledge sharing

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/A-Rewarding-z-VSE-Community.aspx

http://tinyurl.com/he7wosp




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Query for Destination z article on using checklists in IT

[Gabe Goldberg]

The excellent and readable book "The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get
Things Right"  (link below to avoid wrapping) illustrates -- using
examples from medicine, aviation, and many other contexts -- great and
pervasive value in applying structure, planning, discipline, and
checklists to complex projects. Working with technology, we're more than
familiar with lists of instructions for installing, maintaining,
debugging, and repairing what we work with. For example, VM through many
incarnations has used an IVP (Installation Verification Program) to
exercise basic functions. Long ago in a VM data center, we added local
functions to the test suite. Ensuring successful IVP operation at least
reduces unpleasant surprises when systems entered production. And
examples in the book from aviation and the military show how checklists
and structured reports avoid problems, solve problems, and improve
quality by identifying weak areas.

 -- the book

Many years ago when purchasing a new mainframe, we endured meetings with
our IBM team called Systems Assurance. Tedious though they were, they
paid off in ensuring that we bought the right configuration, properly
prepared the data center facility, and understood the
delivery/installation process. It was clearly based on years of
experience with things going not quite right. So -- I'd like to hear
about experiences using checklists for anything mainframe related (e.g.,
designing, developing, testing, debugging, documenting). Initially,
being brief is fine; I'll follow up for details.

As usual, please copy me directly to avoid replies being buried in list
digests. Thanks!

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Another Connor writeup

[Gabe Goldberg]

A Gen Z Mainframe Adventure
http://www.ibmsystemsmagmainframedigital.com/nxtbooks/ibmsystemsmag/mainframe_20160506/#/50
http://tinyurl.com/hqd57s3

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IBM Destination z - IBM z/TPF Excels at Transaction Processing

[Gabe Goldberg]

Mighty Mainframe OS
IBM z/TPF excels at transaction processing

For decades—essentially since birth of the IBM System/370 in the early 
1970s—mainframers have known and used the three primary members of the 
mainframe OS family: z/OS, z/VM and z/VSE.


Ask a hundred mainframers to name z Systems OSes and at least 99 of them 
might only mention those three. And seek the best solution for sustained 
mission-critical high-volume transaction processing against massive 
databases—the strategic foundation for leaders in many consumer and 
business serving industries—the answer will likely be z/OS running CICS 
or IMS, combined with middleware.


But simultaneously and quietly, as these systems evolved through 
multiple generations to current "z/" versions, another powerful 
environment was little known in the mainstream community, even though it 
was critical to multiple key industries and was used on, helped market 
and influenced evolution of the biggest of IBM's big iron.


That's the mainframe system software sibling: IBM z/Transaction 
Processing Facility (TPF).


http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Business-Case/Mighty-Mainframe-OS
http://tinyurl.com/j83h7at

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IBM Systems Magazine article -- Learn by looking back

[Gabe Goldberg]

http://www.ibmsystemsmagmainframedigital.com/nxtbooks/ibmsystemsmag/mainframe_20160304/#/50

The Wayback Machine -- Archive.org -- remembers it all. Or at least a
lot of it!

I don't like most online magazine viewers but it seems the only way to
see this article.

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Mainframes Have a Long History of Accessibility -- With tools, IBM z Systems is inclusive to all

[Gabe Goldberg]

Mainframes Have a Long History of Accessibility --  with tools, IBM z
Systems is inclusive to all

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Mainframes-Have-a-Long-History-of-Accessibility
http://tinyurl.com/hjtvcwp

Thanks to many folks who helped/suggested/contributed...

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Destination z article: Best System Programmer Attributes

[Gabe Goldberg]

Best System Programmer Attributes
Mainframers give advice and lessons learned on what helps in the real world

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Best-System-Programmer-Attributes

...thanks to those who responded and chatted!

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Destination z article -- Application Review: IBM Interactive Product Catalog

[Gabe Goldberg]

Application Review: IBM Interactive Product Catalog

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Resource-Center/Application-Review--IBM-Interactive-Product-Catalo


http://tinyurl.com/p6otxfe

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Query for Destination z article -- sysprog attributes

[Gabe Goldberg]

What attributes do system programmers absolutely need? Which are nice to
have? Are there kiss-of-death traits for system programmers? Attributes
can be skills, instincts, knowledge, etc. What's critical, what works,
what doesn't matter, what's best never shown or seen? Perhaps at least
as important, which attributes are innate and which can be learned (or,
when necessary, unlearned)? Do these vary across different systems
supported/maintained/developed?

Thanks.

As usual, please copy replies to me directly so they're not buried in
list digests.

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Destination z: Turn Experiences Into Wisdom -- Testing, planning and sharing with others

[Gabe Goldberg]

Turn Experiences Into Wisdom -- Testing, planning and sharing with others

http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Turn-Experiences-Into-Wisdom.aspx
http://tinyurl.com/ns8rejf

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Query for Destination z -- mainframe accessibility

[Gabe Goldberg]

Over the years, IBM's done great work making technology accessible --
that is, reducing effects and limitations of diminished hearing, sight,
mobility, etc. In the past, I've seen fat IBM handbooks describing
platform-specific accessible technology -- though not lately.

But given ongoing research/development plus ADA requirements for
reasonable accommodation, I suspect this is still an active area.

The difference is likely that modern platforms are accessed by the same
universal devices -- smartphones, tablets, workstations, PCs, Macs,
whatever. (Keypunches and coax-connected 3270 terminals, not so much.)
So that's where accessibility would be provided, at network edges.

What's out there? What have you seen/used? I'll appreciate hearing
real-life experiences about using mainframes with any
hardware/software/network/etc. tools to overcome access limitations,
along with pointers to tools.

Thanks -- and as always, please copy replies to me directly so they're
not buried in list digests.

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Destination z: Use Career Resources to Grow

[Gabe Goldberg]

Use Career Resources to Grow -- many different places to better yourself
and find like-minded individuals

http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Business-Case/Using-Career-Resources-to-Grow
http://tinyurl.com/o9yufu9

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Query for Destination z: Underutilized resources

[Gabe Goldberg]

I've worked with mainframes and then other technologies for a long time
-- and have always sought communities relevant to whatever technology
niche I was in. By communities I mean people, companies, organizations
-- anyone with whom I shared interest in some broad-or-narrow technology
(mainframes, VM, computer security, medical IT, Windows, email, consumer
technology, telematics, etc.).

And I've always known people who, for whatever reason, didn't avail
themselves of such resources. Which seemed to me to be willfully flying
blind, rather than sharing/receiving anything/everything that would make
their jobs easier.

So, for Destination z -- what community resources should others take
advantage of, participate in, contribute to, benefit from, collaborate
with, etc.?

I'm more interested in off-beaten-path pointers but would also like
stories on how people benefit from mainstream resources (e.g., SHARE,
NaSPA, Destination z, IBM Systems Magazine, publications from
http://enterprisesystemsmedia.com/, VM Workshop, WAVV, IBM conferences,
local user groups, discussion lists, LinkedIn groups).

What's missing from my list? What are your favorites? Why; how have they
helped you? How did you find them? What niche/specialized resources need
more visibility/participation?

As usual, please be (relatively) brief -- I'll query for additional
information. And copy replies to me directly to avoid info being trapped
in list digests.

Thanks...

--
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3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
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Mainframe Work, Then and Now

[Gabe Goldberg]

Mainframe Work, Then and Now -- The issues and transitions mainframers 
faced in the past help us improve today


It's all too easy as mainframers to answer What's new? with Not 
much. Or to gripe about the latest bug encountered or fixed, or look 
forward to installing the (supposedly) latest-and-greatest 
just-announced whatever from IBM or an ISV.


But taking a longer view is interesting, remembering back five or 20 
years or more, focusing on how it's not just technology that's changed, 
and also the very nature of our work. Today's processors, memory, 
storage capacities and networks couldn't have been imagined in the early 
days; paraphrasing a well-known but bogus industry saying, 24-bit 
addressing was thought to be enough for anybody. And it was, for a 
while. (Now, of course, we take for granted 64-bit technology, a growing 
array of opcodes and a massive Principles of Operation that would 
astonish early mainframers.) Similarly, punch card input and greenbar 
printed output (and system dumps!) made the world—and the 1403 print 
train—spin, for a while.


http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Mainframe-Work--Then-and-Now 



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GLOBALFOUNDRIES to Acquire IBM's Semiconductor Technology Business

[Gabe Goldberg]

IBM and GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced that they have signed a
Definitive Agreement under
which GLOBALFOUNDRIES plans to acquire IBM's global commercial
semiconductor technology business,
including intellectual property, world-class technologists and
technologies related to IBM Microelectronics,
subject to completion of applicable regulatory reviews. GLOBALFOUNDRIES
will also become IBM's exclusive
server processor semiconductor technology provider for 22nm, 14nm and
10nm semiconductors for the
next 10 years.

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Destination z articles -- moving a data center (two parts)

[Gabe Goldberg]

I previously sent first article, not second. Here are both parts...

Planning for Data Center Move Is Critical
Clearly defining steps and outcome before a move, upgrade or build helps
ensure a smooth transition to success
http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Systems-Administration/Planning-for-Data-Center-Move-Is-Critical
http://tinyurl.com/lfg7rnt

Flexibility Needed During Execution of Data Center Move
Having backup plans and defined roles makes the move easier when
surprises arise
http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Systems-Administration/Flexibility-Needed-During-Execution-of-Data-Center
http://tinyurl.com/pdcea79

Thanks to people who answered the query for this...

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Query for Destination z article: mistakes -- teachable/learnable moments

[Gabe Goldberg]

There are at least a bazillion (Google tells me) quotes about mistakes.

So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because that's where
you will find success. On the far side of failure. Thomas J. Watson, Sr.

It is much easier to be critical than to be correct. Benjamin Disraeli

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
Albert Einstein

Anyone who's ever accomplished anything -- done anything -- has made
mistakes. What have your mainframe career mistakes, teachable/learnable
moments, painful learning experiences, hard-knocks lessons, etc., been?
What errors have you seen or heard (and believed!) others make? What
were the consequences and, most important, what did you learn?

These might be technical or job/career related. What would you go back
and tell your younger self to do or not do? To do differently? What
mistakes would you help others avoid?

Please be (relatively) brief; if I need more information, I'll ask. And
please copy me directly so replies aren't buried in list digests.

Thanks...

--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
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Destination z article query: mainframe work changed/changing?

[Gabe Goldberg]

For Destination z, I'm writing about how mainframe work has changed --
/especially /with with tips and what might be in the future and how to
stay ahead.

In the that was then category, there's all this...

 * I learned to program a keypunch drum control card my first day
   working at IBM
 * We all worked night shifts for machine time
 * We had massively heavy printed system dumps
 * We had bookshelves full of manuals needing too-frequent updates via TNL
 * Companies had on-site and frequently visiting sales and support IBMers
 * We fought religious wars between VMers/MVSers
 * We loved full source code (for VM, at least)
 * I had a manager who'd been a very good system programmer
 * Mostly or entirely blue (IBM) installations were common
 * We suffered with primitive and creaky-slow dial access
 * Users fought for space in terminal rooms vs. today's
   anywhere/everywhere personal terminals/PCs/BYOD
 * Centralized staff vs. dispersed teleworkers
 * Informal or no change control
 * A few mainstream programming languages


...which has all changed mostly for the better (but, ah, source code, I
remember it well). Mid-career came FAX machines (but who would we use
that with?), and later came the Internet, smartphones/tablets. Under
this is now we have BYOD, social media, and Donald Trump turning DC's
beautiful/historic Old Post Office into a hotel. No wait, save that last
one for griping elsewhere.

So -- other examples? What's new and what's coming in mainframe work? Is
it getting better or worse? How do you (do you?) keep up or even stay
ahead?

For this article, I'm focusing on work, not that-was-then and
this-is-now technology changes (3.g., running half-meg memory
mainframes  with 35/100/200 MB DASD, etc.)

As usual, be brief -- I'll ask for details. Copy directly to me to avoid
replies buried in digests, etc.

Thanks!

--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0


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IBM Destination z - Planning for Data Center Move Is Critical

[Gabe Goldberg]

Planning for Data Center Move Is Critical: Clearly defining the steps
and outcome before a move, upgrade or build helps ensure a smooth
transition to success

http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Systems-Administration/Planning-for-Data-Center-Move-Is-Critical

http://tinyurl.com/lfg7rnt

Thanks for help...

--
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3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
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web: IT History Society

[Gabe Goldberg]

Hadn't seen this before...

Dedicated to Preserving IT History

The IT History Society (ITHS) is an international group of over 600
members working together to document, preserve, catalog, and research
the history of Information Technology (IT). Comprised of individuals,
academicians, corporate archivists, curators of public institutions, and
hobbyists, our online resources include:

A global network of IT historians and archivists
Our exclusive International Database of Historical and Archival Sites
IT Honor Roll of people who have made a noteworthy contribution to
the industry
IT Hardware and Companies databases
Research links and tools to aid in the preservation of IT history
Technology Quotes
Calendar of upcoming events
An active blog
And more

http://www.ithistory.org/

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Fwd: Mainframe users love their computer artifacts - share yours

[Gabe Goldberg]

I'm the messenger -- follow links and respond as suggested below. You 
might have to register on Destination z website to post there.


 Original Message 
Subject:Mainframe users love their computer artifacts - share yours
Date:   Thu, 24 Jul 2014 11:39:54 -0600
From:   Destination z destinati...@destinationz.org
To: g...@gabegold.com



To view this email as a web page, go here. 
http://cl.exct.net/?qs=bce3392b2230df75094a81d5810b4d2be9ece3955e0fc340852b69fd5394ee04


http://cl.exct.net/?qs=bce3392b2230df752815bf63eca50edfc1f31ea0a67442c181ecbd8da9ae9d0f 



July 24, 2014

How passionate are you about your chosen profession? Many mainframers 
have some pretty old and unique mainframe artifacts. Sharing your items 
from the past with the Destination z community could earn you one of two 
$50 prepaid Visa gift cards.


Participation is open to all Destination z members. To enter, head to 
the forums for the most unique artifacts 
http://cl.exct.net/?qs=bce3392b2230df75a145cb105b2b28040fbfca7cf3209e3adbbe5005574bc578 
and oldest artifacts 
http://cl.exct.net/?qs=bce3392b2230df75328b8682f5f4fead0a8ff8c77505fb44a275f1e1d1acc0eb. 
There, you can upload a picture of your item and explain what makes it 
unique, the timeframe it is from and why you have held on to it or the 
story behind it.

http://www.destinationz.org/Community/Forums?forumid=10threadid=253
http://www.destinationz.org/Community/Forums?forumid=10threadid=252

Submissions are due by Sept. 19 at midnight Central time. Judges will 
decide the winners in each category, and winners will be announced at 
the end of September. Read more about the contest here. 
http://cl.exct.net/?qs=bce3392b2230df751c248cdab3dc4f78ed01ea83da6f7991d9f8dfdcd8c77c68

http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Join-the-Computer-Artifacts-Contest

Get inspiration from others in the field by reading our recent stories 
Holding on to History 
http://cl.exct.net/?qs=bce3392b2230df7504b486ee1c2282ebbde38914640ad17786cf359d332cde85 
and Cherished Computer Memories 
http://cl.exct.net/?qs=bce3392b2230df75cb5c834967fe362b98ee4fbadf25b0771f61c0ed31d9c6a4.

http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Holding-on-to-History
http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Cherished-Computer-Memories

Because you're a valuable member of Destination z, I'd like to 
personally invite you to join us and share your favorite computer 
artifacts and the stories behind them. Good luck!


Valerie Dennis
Destinationz.org Editor


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Re: Query for SHARE blog article -- storage media issues

[Gabe Goldberg]

Really -- hardly anything to say on this? Surprisingly few responses,
less than I've received for any other queries. Is there no story here,
media migration just ... works? Nothing to see here, not worth writing
about? Or are some aspects worth addressing?

On 6/16/2014 23:42, Gabe Goldberg wrote:

As devices (DASD, tape, etc.) and media change format or simply age,
how do you ensure you can read what's recorded?

How do you migrate data across changing device types/characteristics?
How much does device topology matter for that? What happens when you
change backup tools/technology? Has your data ever been left behind?

Are backup (likely recent data and relatively transient lifetime) and
archive (long-term or permanent storage) handled differently?

How long do you assume tapes will be readable? Are they stored to
maximize storage integrity? How?

Have you had a data storage problem or catastrophe (earthquake, fire,
smoke, Halon, etc.)? Lost data? Used a recovery service such as
http://www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com/? They have interesting
recovery stories like this:
http://www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com/blog/star-trek-the-lost-files/

These issues can be for personal computing or music (e.g., it's tough
reading 5 1/4 floppies or playing eight-track tapes) but I'm more
interested in mainframe experiences for this.

On the boundary between personal and professional areas -- and
speaking of floppy discs and eight-track tapes -- I wonder how many of
us have tape reels, cartridges, or data cell strips that we'll never
be able to read but will never discard. Why is that?

Are there other media issues to cover? (I'll include a paper tape
storage disaster in the story...)

As usual, please copy replies directly to me so they're not buried in
list digests.

Thanks...




--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0

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Query for SHARE blog article -- storage media issues

[Gabe Goldberg]

As devices (DASD, tape, etc.) and media change format or simply age, how
do you ensure you can read what's recorded?

How do you migrate data across changing device types/characteristics?
How much does device topology matter for that? What happens when you
change backup tools/technology? Has your data ever been left behind?

Are backup (likely recent data and relatively transient lifetime) and
archive (long-term or permanent storage) handled differently?

How long do you assume tapes will be readable? Are they stored to
maximize storage integrity? How?

Have you had a data storage problem or catastrophe (earthquake, fire,
smoke, Halon, etc.)? Lost data? Used a recovery service such as
http://www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com/? They have interesting recovery
stories like this:
http://www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com/blog/star-trek-the-lost-files/

These issues can be for personal computing or music (e.g., it's tough
reading 5 1/4 floppies or playing eight-track tapes) but I'm more
interested in mainframe experiences for this.

On the boundary between personal and professional areas -- and speaking
of floppy discs and eight-track tapes -- I wonder how many of us have
tape reels, cartridges, or data cell strips that we'll never be able to
read but will never discard. Why is that?

Are there other media issues to cover? (I'll include a paper tape
storage disaster in the story...)

As usual, please copy replies directly to me so they're not buried in
list digests.

Thanks...

--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.   g...@gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042   (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegoldTwitter: GabeG0

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Destination z: Cherished Computer Memories

[Gabe Goldberg]

Part 2

Cherished Computer Memories: Holding on to keepsakes can teach us about
 a certain time in computing and help us relive our experiences

http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Cherished-Computer-Memories


...thanks, IBM-Main, for reminder about button man!

--
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Destination z article: Artifacts -- Holding on to History

[Gabe Goldberg]

Holding on to History
Personal artifacts allow people to remember and preserve industry history

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Holding-on-to-History.aspx

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Destination z article: Bringing New Workloads to System z

[Gabe Goldberg]

Bringing New Workloads to System z (Part 1)
Simplify System z acquisitions and upgrades with IBM solution editions
http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Business-Case/Bringing-New-Workloads-to-System-z.aspx

Solutions Move Forward with System z (Part 2)
IBM Solution Editions help cloud computing, specialized business offerings
http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Business-Case/Solutions-Move-Forward-with-System-z.aspx

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Destination z article: Turn Challenges Into Opportunities

[Gabe Goldberg]

Turn Challenges Into Opportunities
Mainframes—and Mainframers—Can Learn From the Past and One Another

http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Business-Case/Turn-Challenges-Into-Opportunities 



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Fwd: Bloomberg: Old and Fired at IBM: Tech Trendsetter Changes the Game, Guards Age Data

[Gabe Goldberg]

From Bloomberg, May 12, 2014, 5:00:00

Although IBM employees are now able to accept a severance agreement and 
maintain their ability to bring an age- discrimination claim in 
arbitration, the strategy could make it harder and riskier for dismissed 
older employees to decide whether it’s worth taking on the cost of a 
legal battle.


For at least a decade, International Business Machines Corp. 
http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/IBM:US gave fired employees information 
detailing a severance package that asked them to waive 
age-discrimination claims and also included a page listing the job 
titles and ages of workers being let go.


To read the entire article, go to 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-12/old-fired-at-ibm-trendsetter-offers-workers-arbitration.html






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Query for Destination z website -- relocating a data center

[Gabe Goldberg]

Have you moved a data center? What was involved? How much fun was it?
What was involved, from start to finish? Does the old disruption rule,
two moves equals one fire apply?

Please share lessons learned, gotchas suffered or avoided, if only
wishes, war stories, etc. Here's some thinking points (not necessarily
in project order, listed for completeness)...

 * Was the move worse than an data center build, initial installation,
   or upgrade?
 * Planning
 * Schedule, timeline, milestones
 * Logistics
 * DIY move vs. contractors/subcontractors
 * Site preparation, e.g., check outlet before plugging in anything too
   stupid to protect against bad circuit. I saw one vendor's (not IBM)
   equipment burned out when field manager didn't check power.
 * Achieving non-stop operation or outage tolerable?
 * Business continuity during execution
 * Flexibility during execution
 * Move equipment vs. install all new?
 * Incremental move or big-bang cutover?
 * Parallel operation of old/new data centers?
 * Back-out plan or point-of-no-return?
 * Transition period?
 * Testing
 * Software licensing
 * Costs
 * Results, assessment, postmortem, etc.

As usual, please copy reply to me so it's not lost in list digest.

Thanks...

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In new case, Supreme Court revisits the question of software patents

[Gabe Goldberg]

In new case, Supreme Court revisits the question of software patents

Timothy B. Lee | Washington Post | March 28, 2014

If you write a book or a song, you can get copyright protection for it.
If you invent a pill or a better mousetrap, you can patent it. But for
decades, software has had the distinction of being eligible for both
copyright and patent protection. The patent system, critics say, is
complex and expensive --- and a bad fit for the fast-moving software
industry. And they wonder, doesn't the protection offered by copyright
suffice?

...

In the 1970s, the high court placed strict rules on software-related
patents. Since then, a lower court has effectively overruled its
precedents, flooding the marketplace with software patents.

...

...copyright protection allows someone to independently develop
software to achieve the 'same overall result' as a copyrighted program.
In contrast, patent law does not, thereby limiting the opportunities of
future innovators and creating the risk of accidental infringement and
wasteful litigation.

...

At first, the Supreme Court let the Federal Circuit shape patent law
with minimal interference. But by the time John G. Roberts Jr. became
chief justice in 2005, the Federal Circuit's patent-friendly
jurisprudence had produced record levels of patent litigation and an
avalanche of bad press. The Supreme Court gave the Federal Circuit
closer scrutiny. The high court didn't like what it found. ... In a 2009
oral argument, Roberts commented that lower courts 'don't have a choice'
about following Supreme Court precedents. 'They can't say, 'I don't like
the Supreme Court rule so I'm not going to apply it.''Then, he added
wryly: 'other than the Federal Circuit.'

..

Critics say that's the point: The Supreme Court placed limits on
software patents in the 1970s, and the Federal Circuit is supposed to
enforce them. In their view, business method and software patents
shouldn't have been granted in the first place. And while a decision
invalidating thousands of software patents could be bad for the bottom
lines of some large software companies, it could be good for the
industry as a whole. Litigation by 'patent trolls' cost defendants at
least $29 billion in 2011, one study showed. Those costs are driven by
software patents.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/in-new-case-supreme-court-revisits-the-question-of-software-patents/2014/03/28/a3da1c52-ad3a-11e3-9627-c65021d6d572_story.html





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Query for Destination z article -- artifacts

[Gabe Goldberg]

Most people here have been at this a while (or a long time, or forever).
So we've all seen technologies come and go -- probably with mixed
feelings. Some vanished too soon, good riddance to others.

What computing/career artifacts do people have? I have a couple hex
calculators. One is the TI Programmer II -- might have cost $60 a couple
decades ago, much less than the $250 model that preceded it -- which my
boss foolishly refused to buy for me (productivity, what's that?). The
other is mechanical, with metal slides and stylus (I think I bought it
as a novelty, never used it in production). I know people/companies
which have decorated hallways/rooms in early mainframe (my wife calls
one friend's house a computer mausoleum; I liked walking down the
hallway telling her what each box did).

Of course there are computer museums...
http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Computing-Museums-Preserve-IT-History.aspx

...but I'm interested in what individuals have. So... some thinking points:

 * You've used it, now it's in museum -- how does that make you feel?
 * Most influenced your career
 * Most liked/disliked
 * Most significant technology breakthrough
 * You developed/supported it
 * You have pictures of it
 * You have it
 * You want it
 * You bought it
 * You bartered for it
 * You found it
 * Someone gave it to you for free
 * You stole it
 * It's on eBay
 * Family reactions; your spouse loves/hates it/them
 * It's small/large
 * It's operational
 * You're restoring it
 * You use it productively
 * It's in storage
 * You threw it away and now can't believe you didn't keep it
 * You're glad it's gone, never want to see one again (1052, 6670,
   2250, etc.)
 * You've decorated your house in early mainframe
 * You have the T-shirt
 * You have the emotional/physical scars

Regarding first one -- quite a while ago, I saw a TI Silent 700 thermal
terminal mounted on a Smithsonian museum wall like a trophy. I sighed,
having lugged those around, to meetings, on trips.

Please copy replies to me directly so they're not buried in list
digests. Brief would be good -- this is an article, not a book. But
don't just list things; tell why you have them, what they mean to you,
etc. Tell me if you have pictures of these trophies (or might take some)
but don't send 'em yet.

I started this having hardware in mind but software seems to qualify
also -- e.g., I knew someone who had every version of MS-DOS and Windows
running in PC virtual machines, artifacts indeed. So if you're running
OS/360 PCP on a 360/40 that seems to qualify.

Thanks...

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Query for Destination z article -- identifying/overcoming mainframe challenges

[Gabe Goldberg]

Challenges are everywhere -- doing more with fewer resources,
maintaining security, management/user sometimes willful ignorance of
mainframe characteristics and strengths, disrespect (different from
ignorance!) for mainframe heritage and value, staffing (recruiting
needed skills, generation-gap communication, needing to be Swiss-Army
experts on diverse technologies/platforms), system maintenance, managing
vendor accounting and billing, capacity planning, performance analysis, etc.

OK, that's enough -- and only part of the bad news. What other
challenges are faced? And much more important, what's done (can be done,
should be done) to overcome them all?

As usual, be brief -- this will be a relatively short article. And
please copy to me directly so replies aren't buried in digests.

Thanks...

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Destination z article -- Mainframe Magna Carta

[Gabe Goldberg]

Mainframe Magna Carta
The promise and reality of the IBM Mainframe Charter and Statements of
Integrity

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Business-Case/mainframe-charter-statement-of-integrity.aspx

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web: Half an operating system: The triumph and tragedy of OS/2 | Ars Technica

[Gabe Goldberg]

Interesting (long) recap...

http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/11/half-an-operating-system-the-triumph-and-tragedy-of-os2/

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Query for SHARE blog -- Redbooks, residencies, etc.

[Gabe Goldberg]

I'm writing an article for SHARE blog --
http://www.share.org/p/bl/et/blogid=2 -- on Redbooks, Redpapers,
Redguides, residencies (shouldn't they be Redidencies or some such?),
workshops, and the ITSO (International Technical Support Organization)
structure behind them. http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/ is a starting page
if you're not familiar with them all.

So -- I'd appreciate feedback on Redx (what you like, don't like,
would like, etc.) as well as (especially) comments if you've joined a
residency to create anything Red.

As usual, please copy replies directly to me so they're not buried in
list digest. Thanks...

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SHARE Blog: News Flash: The Mainframe (Still) Isn't Dead

[Gabe Goldberg]

News Flash: The Mainframe (Still) Isn't Dead

A very-much-alive Mark Twain famously commented that reports of his
death were greatly exaggerated.

Mainframers know that the same is true (and always has been) regarding
reports and predictions of the mainframe's death, including Stewart
Alsop's unwise 1991 suggestion in InfoWorld that the last mainframe
would be unplugged in 1996, immortalized by the Computer History Museum.
http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/mainframe-computers/7/182/734

http://www.share.org/p/bl/ar/blogaid=256

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Query for Destination z website -- IBM Solution Editions

[Gabe Goldberg]

IBM Solution Editions --
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/solutions/editions/ -- have been
available for a while, with specific bundles coming and going. In fact,
I'm not sure that page lists all current Solution Editions so I'll dig
further.

Has anyone here used these, evaluated/installed/supported/used/etc.?
Comments? Favorites?

Please copy replies directly to me so they're not buried in list digests.

Thanks...

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Re: Destination z: Strolling Down Memory (Core) Lane

[Gabe Goldberg]

Museum history, hard to find on website:

Backgrounder
http://www.computerhistory.org/press/backgrounder/

Douglas Wooster d...@isomedia.com said:

 Thanks for the link, Gabe.
 I wish I'd known about The Living Computer Museum in Seattle when I was
 there a few years ago  --  I'd love to see if I can remember how to sort
 payroll!!

 I never realized the Computer History Museum moved from Boston to
 California.  Oddly, I couldn't find any museum history on their site.


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Destination z: Strolling Down Memory (Core) Lane

[Gabe Goldberg]

Strolling Down Memory (Core) Lane
Museums and online resources help preserve computing history

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Computing-Museums-Preserve-IT-History.aspx


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Maximizing (IBM) shareholder value: The goal that changed corporate America

[Gabe Goldberg]

ENDICOTT, N.Y. --- This town in the hills of Upstate New York is best
known as the birthplace of IBM, one of the country's most iconic
companies. But there remain only hints of that storied past.

The main street, once swarming with International Business Machines
employees in their signature white shirts and dark suits, is dotted with
empty storefronts. During the 1980s, there were 10,000 IBM workers in
Endicott. Now, after years of layoffs and jobs shipped overseas, about
700 employees are left.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/maximizing-shareholder-value-the-goal-that-changed-corporate-america/2013/08/26/26e9ca8e-ed74-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html



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Query for Destination z article -- mainframe charter, statement of integrity, etc.

[Gabe Goldberg]

Quite a while ago, IBM announced the Mainframe Charter...
http://www.gartner.com/id=456214
http://www-07.ibm.com/servers/eserver/includes/download/mainframe_charter_faq.pdf
Etc.

Same (but even longer ago) for MVS and VM Statements of Integrity...
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/os/zos/features/racf/zos_integrity_statement.html
http://www.vm.ibm.com/security/zvminteg.html
Etc.

Do folks remember? Did you care back then?

Have you had occasion to refer to them, cite them to management, quote
them to IBM? Wave them at other vendors for comparing offerings?

Do these documents matter now? Have promises been fulfilled?

Are similar commitments missing from other environments?

Other comments?

Thanks.

Please copy replies to me directly so they're not buried in list digests...

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Destination z article: IBM System z Academic Initiative

[Gabe Goldberg]

No Longer 'Old School'
IBM System z Academic Initiative partners with industry, universities,
professionals and students

http://tinyurl.com/kmrn5kj
http://www.destinationz.org/Academia/Articles/IBM-System-z-Academic-Initiative-partners-with-ind.aspx

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web: IBM Attracts Short Sellers as Revenue Growth Slips | The Exchange - Yahoo! ...

[Gabe Goldberg]

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/ibm-attracts-short-sellers-revenue-growth-slips-173036160.html

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Re: Stunningly stupid

[Gabe Goldberg]

I'm not arguing against fit for purpose -- IBM's current buzzword for 
use the best platform for the application. Of course, it's not clear 
to me that one server/plane or ten servers per 10,000 seats provides the 
mainframe's robust and responsive service. If that setup was more 
effective/economical, wouldn't it be used? Same for wherever mainframes 
are used, no?


My point is that mocking antiquated mainframe reservations systems ... 
technology developed four decades ago makes as much sense as saying 
that we shouldn't be driving today's cars because -- shockingly -- they 
resemble cars of a hundred years ago, still having four tires, a 
steering wheel, and gas/brake pedals.


He's not arguing on the merits, he's just saying that today's mainframes 
and res systems were developed forty years ago, and he's wrong.


On 8/8/2013 18:46, Carey Tyler Schug wrote:
Well, unless we have airplanes with 200,000 seats per plane, the seat 
purchase could be distributed, as long as each plane was on one server 
at a time.  or, a collection of 10 servers who lock on any one of 
10,000 flights, book the seat, then release that flight maybe.


If a person  is through booking several flights, an oversight program 
would fire off bookings for each, then back them out if one failed.


Private, since this thread has gone far beyond this posting.

So, no, I would argue you don't need mainframes for booking flights.  
It may still be better in some way because of needing less compute 
power to distribute the work.


If you want to forward to the list, that is OK, including with your 
argument why I am wrong.


--Carey


On 08/06/2013 01:36 PM, Gabe Goldberg wrote:

Time to get real about real-time airfares
The Navigator • By Christopher Elliott on Sunday, August 4th, 2013

You don’t have to be a consumer advocate to see that how you buy 
airline tickets — indeed, how you book travel in general — is stuck 
in the technological Dark Ages. If the various factions within the 
travel industry truly cared about innovation, they would have 
abandoned their antiquated mainframe reservations systems decades 
ago, when other industries embraced a little thing called the 
Internet. You might be surprised to learn that your electronic ticket 
reservation continues to be made on technology developed four decades 
ago.


http://elliott.org/the-navigator/time-to-get-real-about-real-time-airfares/ 



Has couple reader comments about mainframe reality; needs more.








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Stunningly stupid

[Gabe Goldberg]

Time to get real about real-time airfares
The Navigator • By Christopher Elliott on Sunday, August 4th, 2013

You don’t have to be a consumer advocate to see that how you buy airline 
tickets — indeed, how you book travel in general — is stuck in the 
technological Dark Ages. If the various factions within the travel 
industry truly cared about innovation, they would have abandoned their 
antiquated mainframe reservations systems decades ago, when other 
industries embraced a little thing called the Internet. You might be 
surprised to learn that your electronic ticket reservation continues to 
be made on technology developed four decades ago.


http://elliott.org/the-navigator/time-to-get-real-about-real-time-airfares/

Has couple reader comments about mainframe reality; needs more.

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Query for Destination z article -- computer museums

[Gabe Goldberg]

They're everywhere -- once I started looking for them.

I knew about -- have toured -- Computer History Museum  --
www.computerhistory.org/

And I recently saw a great presentation on The Living Computer Museum
-- www.livingcomputermuseum.org/

But I hadn't known about American Computer  Robotics Museum --
www.compustory.com/

I wonder what other museums exist -- especially any with relevance to
mainframes -- so I'll appreciate tips/pointers and, especially, hearing
about experiences joining/supporting/visiting them. (Or contributing
artifacts to them. Maintaining private collections of mainframe
components as some people I know do is interesting but might not qualify
as operating a museum. My wife called one such residence decorated with
large mainframe components a computer mausoleum -- but I liked it.)

Too bad, I have no budget for world tour of museums -- so I'll have to
visit virtually.

Please copy me directly so responses don't get lost in list digests.
Thanks...

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web: Godmother of Unix admins Evi Nemeth presumed lost at sea • The Regis ter

[Gabe Goldberg]

Obit The New Zealand authorities have formally called off the search for
the sailing cruiser Nina, and say its seven-person crew, which includes
Evi Nemeth who for the last 30 years has written the system
administration handbooks for Unix and Linux, is now presumed lost at sea.

Nemeth was sailing off the western coast of New Zealand in the missing
21-metre vintage wooden schooner with its owner David Dyche, 58; his
wife, Rosemary, 60, and their son David, 17; Kyle Jackson, 27; Danielle
Wright, 18, and Briton Matthew Wootton, 35. The boat was last heard from
on June 4, when Nemeth requested meteorological information about rough
weather they were encountering.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/05/evi_nemeth_unix_dead/

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Writing article for Destination z on IBM Academic Initiative

[Gabe Goldberg]

Anyone here have experience with it?
http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/university/academic/pub/page/academic_initiative
http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/university/academic/pub/page/systemz

Have you taken classes. entered competitions, taught classes, hired
graduates, been to a local Academic Initiative meeting (usually include
IBMers, local industry, local educational institutions), etc.

Any other comments?

Thanks; please copy replies to me directly so they're not buried in list
digests...

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Destination z -- Back to the Future -- Don't Reinvent Mainframe Wheels

[Gabe Goldberg]

Back to the Future -- Don't Reinvent Mainframe Wheels
Passing on System z wisdom pays off for you and your organization

http://ow.ly/kBl9Z

or

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Pass-on-System-z-Wisdom.aspx

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Query for Destination z article -- APARS and siblings

[Gabe Goldberg]

Query for Destination z article -- APARs and siblings

The word APAR is like a Swiss Army knife: it's a noun, verb, epithet,
four-letter word, and it's short for authorized program analysis
report. But when does anyone say that mouthful?

So I'll write about APAR severities -- definitions, misconceptions,
uses, misuses, and experiences -- combining IBM's official definitions
of APAR (problem report) severities, plus real-world uses/issues. And
sibling alphabet soup: PTFs, PMRs, and others I've forgotten (so remind
me), and SHARE requirements.

I'll include similar information -- problem reporting, severities, etc.
-- from other vendors. That's often where confusion/friction arises,
when procedures/definitions/priorities differ from IBM's better-known
details.

So, I'd like IBM and ISV-related comments, suggestions, experiences,
references from IBM and ISVs. Changes since the beginning?
Expectations/hopes for the future?

I'd like this to be inclusive, so I'd like to hear about all System z
operating systems. I usually get plenty of responses on two of these,
less on the other two (and you all know which is which). So chime in if
you want your favorite system represented.

It's the usual relatively short article, so brief is best. And please
copy replies to me so I don't miss them in list digests.

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web: 'Hacking The Mainframe': What Hollywood Gets Wrong About Its Favorite Tech ...

[Gabe Goldberg]

The comedy blog Slackstory published An Ode to Movie Mainframes this
week, chronicling Hollywood's age-old obsession with hacking the
mainframe. Movies most often use the phrase to mean that the hacker
can now do anything he or she wants with a given computer system. But
in the real world, what exactly is a mainframe and what would hacking
into it even entail?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/27/hacking-the-mainframe_n_2958380.html

...and read comments, of course.

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web: IBM News room - 2013-04-03 IBM Awards Highest Technical Honor to Eight New ...

[Gabe Goldberg]

ARMONK, N.Y. - 03 Apr 2013: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today marked the 50th
anniversary of its Fellows program by elevating eight employees to IBM
Fellow for their innovations in such strategic areas as cloud and mobile
computing, big data and business analytics. The new Fellows will be
visible in reinforcing IBM's commitment to technical eminence worldwide
as they each adopt an IBM growth market, serving as technology
ambassadors in key regions.

The new IBM Fellows join an elite group of inventors whose efforts
benefit from IBM's more than $6 billion annual investment in research
and development as well as other initiatives that serve clients. Since
1963, only 246 IBMers have earned the IBM Fellow distinction, and 85 of
them remain active IBM employees. IBM Fellows have generated nearly
7,500 patents, received five Nobel prizes, thousands of government and
professional citations and have a massive store of published research in
scientific journals.

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/40767.wss

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Destination z article: Don't Leave Your Successors Adrift

[Gabe Goldberg]

Don't Leave Your Successors Adrift
Mentoring, training and documentation can keep mainframes humming

http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Trends/Mentoring-Training-Documentation-Mainframe.aspx


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Query for Destination z article -- mainframes back to the future

[Gabe Goldberg]

I'm writing about Back to the Future for mainframers -- historic (but
sometimes forgotten) mainframe lessons needed by and best-to-be learned
by new mainframers (but everyone, really).

This includes favorite techniques, conventional wisdom and common
knowledge so obvious that they risk not being recognized and passed on,
eternal truths that keep being rediscovered, etc. Most useful are broad
principles rather than specific and maybe-ephemeral how-to or fix-this tips.

It will be the usual relatively short article, so brief is best. And
please copy replies to me so I don't miss them in list digests.

Thanks for helping...

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Fwd: Bloomberg: IBM’s Rometty Earns $16.2 M illion in Total Compensation in 2012

[Gabe Goldberg]

 Original Message 
Subject: 	Bloomberg: IBM’s Rometty Earns $16.2 Million in Total 
Compensation in 2012

Date:   Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:24:40 -0400
From:   Gabriel Goldberg gabeg...@gmail.com
To: Gabe Goldberg g...@gabegold.com



From Bloomberg, Mar 11, 2013, 14:53:04

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) 
http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/IBM:US Chief Executive Officer Ginni 
Rometty, who took the job in January 2012, was paid $16.2 million in 
total compensation last year, including $1.5 million in salary.


To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/ZBaQfW

Sent from the Bloomberg iPad application. Download the free application 
at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bloomberg-for-ipad/id364304764?mt=8









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Query for Destination z article: successor training and knowledge transfer

[Gabe Goldberg]

Blah, blah -- we hear constantly about the oncoming (or current!) brain
drain of a mainframer generation retiring. We certainly hear on these
lists about individuals retiring (and congratulations for that!).

So, is it a crisis or is it about as well predicted and handled as Y2K
(that is, anticipated/understood well in advance and dealt with)?

What are installations doing about it besides denying it, panicking,
threatening/pretending to abandon the mainframe?

What are YOU doing about it -- not preparing for retirement, I mean, but
training successors?

How is knowledge transferred? Mentoring (formal, informal?) Are new
employees given the same sort of education/training opportunities
available years ago or is it ... self-study, OJT, watch/learn/hope/do/train?

What's in fashion now for career planning as people join the mainframe
community?

Are there differences across mainframe environments (z/OS, z/VM, z/VSE,
Linux for System z, TPF)? Variations within those (CICS, IMS, DB2)? Are
some environments dwindling because of skills shortages? Etc.

Reply/copy directly to me please so comments aren't buried in list digests.

Thanks...

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Living Computer Museum

[Gabe Goldberg]

http://www.livingcomputermuseum.org/ -- fascinating, check it out. Not a
stuffy warehouse with techno-artifacts, a laboratory for reincarnating
running systems!

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Destination z: Career Advice: Resolve to support and advance your mainframe career in 2013

[Gabe Goldberg]

Career Advice: Resolve to support and advance your mainframe career in 2013
http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Business-Case/Resolve-to-Support-and-Advance-Your-Mainframe-Care.aspx


Or http://ow.ly/gclRS

Thanks for suggestions!

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40 Years of VM Community—and Going Strong !

[Gabe Goldberg]

40 Years of VM Community—and Going Strong!

http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/mainframe/trends/z-vm/vm_community/

Thanks for suggestions and comments -- and especially for Melinda 
Varian's and Neale Ferguson's papers to refresh memory!


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Query for Destination z article giving career-related New Years resolutions

[Gabe Goldberg]

I'm writing an article for Destination z -- http://destinationz.org/ --
suggesting career-related New Years resolutions.

Resolutions can suggest things to do or things NOT to do -- so describe
what works and what doesn't. What have you done right, and wrong? What
would you do differently? What have others done that you've admired or
thought absurd? Tips can aim at newbies starting out, mid-career
staffers, or veterans still going strong or needing to reinvent
themselves. Tips can be technology-specific but are most useful when
they are (or can be) generalized.

War stories are always interesting but for length constraints I'll need
to boil most items down to shorter nuggets.

As usual, please copy me directly so I don't miss responses in list
digests. Thanks...

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Query for Destination z article on auditors...

[Gabe Goldberg]

...Care and Feeding of Auditors, Fun with Auditors, Your auditor is
your friend, etc. -- how the article shapes up will determine title!

I'm interested in dealings with and advice for dealing with IT auditors,
data center auditors, security/compliance auditors, any other sort of
auditors you've encountered (and what other types are there?).

If you've dealt with them, share advice? If you ARE one, share advice?
Stories too; good news, bad news, whatever -- but most interesting is
advice/warnings/gotchas, rather than just anecdotes.

I've read the Auditors don't know squat thread on IBM-Main so don't
need that rehashed. And it wandered from the original question regarding
having to apply z/OS PTFs within 30 days of availability (which of
course drew laughter).

So -- tips on warding off audits? Minimizing their burden? Avoiding
ridiculous audit-imposed requirements? Educating auditors? Benefiting
from audits? Being an auditor?

Please reply/copy to g...@gabegold.com in addition to however else you
respond -- so I don't miss comments in digests. Thanks, all.

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Destination z article: Competent complaining creates constructive catastrophe conclusion climate

[Gabe Goldberg]

Competent complaining creates constructive catastrophe conclusion climate

http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Systems-Administration/Competent-Complaining-Creates-Constructive-Catastr.aspx

Thanks for input; next query to come shortly...

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Query for Destination z article on chargeback systems

[Gabe Goldberg]

Query for Destination z article on chargeback systems

I'm writing article for Destination z -- http://destinationz.org/ --
giving tips on chargeback systems. I'm interested in reasons for/against
implementing chargeback; technical tips for implementing; political
hints for inflicting, including getting management buy-in; financial
aspects for setting fair rates; suggestions for DEFINING fair rates;
native tools, vendor and free offerings, home-grown systems;
problems/pitfalls/gotchas/solutions; reality matters for preventing
mainframes from being burdened with unrelated costs and overheads; etc.

For this one, brief anecdotes -- war/horror stories describing
good/bad/neutral experiences -- will be useful. I'll review list
archives but pointers to relevant threads will help.

Operating system-agnostic tips and system-specific issues/tips/tools are
both essential.

As usual, please copy me directly so I don't miss responses in list
digests. Thanks...

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Destination z article: Comprehensive security requires detecting, defeating insider threats

[Gabe Goldberg]

Inside Information
Comprehensive security requires detecting, defeating insider threats

http://destinationz.org/security-internal-threats.aspx

...thanks for comments from all you insiders!

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Query for Destination z article on reporting problems

[Gabe Goldberg]

I'm writing article for Destination z -- http://destinationz.org/ --
giving tips for reporting problems to vendors.

I'll include information/procedural aspects (e.g., technical details to
provide, how to set severity/priority, what to realistically expect from
support, collaborative debugging, dealing with sensitive installation
information, problem tracking, how/when to follow up, escalation
techniques) as well as communication tools to use, such as online
access, file transfer, telephone, face-to-face, carrier pigeon, mental
telepathy, and wishful thinking.

Operating system-agnostic tips will be most valuable, though include any
system-specific issues/tips/tools that come to mind.

Tips are more valuable than anecdotes, though positive/negative
experiences definitely add color!

As usual, please copy me directly so I don't miss responses in list digests.

Thanks!

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A proof-of-concept project lets you boldly go where you've never been before

[Gabe Goldberg]

Destination z: A proof-of-concept project lets you boldly go where 
you've never been before


Proof-of-concept (POC) demonstration projects can blaze a trail, doing 
something on a small scale, for the first time, but perhaps changing 
basic assumptions and potentially influencing an industry or the world. 
One recent example was the privately launched Dragon supply capsule 
reaching the International Space Station; the early mainframe Linux 
implementations represent another.


Closer to home, IT POC projects are sometimes called pilot studies or 
prototypes. In the data center development/rollout scheme of things, 
they come much earlier than efforts such as beta tests, the last bit of 
fitness evaluation and tweaking before full release or production. Of 
course, even though proof connotes assured success, POCs occasionally 
fail—but that can be good news, because a concept disproved at an early 
stage often prevents a large disaster.


Major mainframe changes often begin with POC projects. Sometimes they're 
even off-radar skunkworks efforts, hidden until results are 
irrefutable and leading to game-changing successes. Linux on System z is 
frequently introduced with this toe-in-the-water approach, then scaled 
for huge server consolidation.


http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Application-Development/Safe-Travels.aspx

Thanks for comments and suggestions for this article.

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The Truth Will Set You Free -- on Destination z

[Gabe Goldberg]

The Truth Will Set You Free
http://destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Business-Case/The-Truth-Will-Set-You-Free.aspx

...and of course, thanks to all who responded to query.

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Re: Run NTP on zLinux or not?

[Gabe Goldberg]

I'm curious, have you looked at IBM's System z Academic Initiative program?
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/university/systemz/

It's been active for years, offers online training, classes at hundreds
of colleges/universities, certifications, etc. It seems to get positive
reviews. For z/Motivation it offers

Enterprise Computing: Why you should teach it and your students should
learn about it

IBM continues to modernize and simplify the mainframe platform, while
partnering with IBM customers, business partners and academia from
around the world to build more of the skills that industry demands.
There has never been a better time to teach your students about large
systems.

All of the top 25 world banks run their businesses on mainframes.
71% of global Fortune 500 companies are System z clients.
9 out of the top 10 global life/health insurance providers process
their high-volume transactions on a mainframe.

Ron Wells ron.we...@slfs.com mailto:ron.we...@slfs.com said:

no---and quality of students from schools are LOW... common sense gone
.. and not enough / few schools training in MF for anything ..

From: Jonathan Quay jonathan.q...@ihg.com mailto:jonathan.q...@ihg.com

Same way we got incented. Management makes a commitment to hire, train,
and compensate zVM people. Do you see that happening in today's world of
commodity hardware, open source software, and lowest common denominator
application development?

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Destination z article query: Fun with proof-of-concept projects

[Gabe Goldberg]

Major mainframe changes often begin with small proof-of-concept (POC)
projects. Sometimes they're even off-radar skunkworks efforts, hidden
until results are irrefutable and leading to game-changing successes.
Linux on System z is frequently introduced with this toe-in-water
approach, then scaled for huge server consolidation.

Tell me about what's been learned from your POC projects --
specifically, what's the best way to conceive, plan, implement,
evaluate, and report on work expected to introduce new technologies,
tools, products, processes, etc. Have they been done with management
support or as unsanctioned technology bright ideas? Either way, were
they formal projects or seat-of-pants fun? What's been evaluated?

And, of course, mention why some things didn't pan out. Were ideas
flawed or could POCs have been done better?

As usual, extra credit for copying replies to me directly so they're not
buried in list digests.

As usual, thanks...

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Destination z article query: Dealing with insider threats

[Gabe Goldberg]

Research reports and anecdotal evidence repeatedly show that major
vulnerabilities -- perhaps the largest risks -- come from insider
threats. That is, trusted people betraying their positions and trust.

But what's the answer? Watchers watching watchers watching each other?

Decades ago, as a system programmer responsible for site security, I
was open with management about my having the keys to the kingdom because
there were no checks or even full reporting on my actions. Now, prudent
or mandated separation of duties discipline wouldn't grant such
unrestricted freedom. But beyond that concept, what's done in
small/medium-size/large installations to balance risk mitigation against
staff productivity? What tools and practices are used?

Of course, sometimes common sense dictates what to do. At that
installation where I worked, a second-shift operator was fired for
cause, given two weeks notice, and allowed to work through it. I
objected -- especially since he worked alone -- but was overruled. As
best we could tell, nothing bad happened. But it seemed a foolish risk
with potentially awful -- and perhaps hard to detect until much later --
consequences. So please also mention bad practices, missed
opportunities, risks not usually addressed.

As usual, extra credit for copying replies to me directly so they're not
buried in list digests.

As usual, thanks...

--
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For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to lists...@vm.marist.edu with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit
http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390
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For more information on Linux on System z, visit
http://wiki.linuxvm.org/