Re: Nanosecond resolution timestamps for HLL's?
On Sat, 24 Feb 2024 19:50:32 +, Jim Mulder wrote: > I would say that STCKF is less "approximate" than STCK, since STCKF can have > more low order bits of time from the clock than >STCK, which inserts a processor related value in the low order bits to meet >the "unique with a partition" requirement. >STCKF is fine for measure time deltas as long as a delta of 0 is acceptable. >z/OS routinely uses STCKF for this purpose. >You won't observe time flowing backward from two STCKFs on the same logical >processor or the same z/OS work unit. Hi, Jim. I meant that if you want to really know what time it is, you can't use STCKF. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Nanosecond resolution timestamps for HLL's?
On Thu, 22 Feb 2024 01:08:55 -0600, Jon Perryman wrote: >Real-time clocks are not monotonical. Regardless of vendor, there is 1 >real-time clock shared by all CPU cores. There is indeed one hardware clock, but it's not visible to the partitions. The "system TOD clock" is what the partitions see, and it is architecturally defined to be monotonically increasing, never going backward and never being the same. Any two executions of STORE CLOCK (STCK or STCKE) on any processor in the partition, same or different, will always result in different clock values, and subsequent executions will result in values that are greater than either of the two prior values. STORE CLOCK FAST (STCKF) guarantees no such relationship, and time may appear to flow backwards. (So it's only useful when "approximately" is good enough.) See Chapter 4 of the PoP, "Setting and Inspecting the Clock". There's a table that I think you will find helpful. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Difference between STSI instruction and SYSEVENT QVS?
On Thu, 1 Feb 2024 13:22:30 -0600, Joe Monk wrote:
>What (if any) is the difference between the STSI instruction and the
>SYSEVENT QVS service, other than maybe the C interface.
SYSEVENT QVS is defined to return information in MSUs. Architecturally, STSI
has unit-less values. ("There is no formal description of the algorithm used to
generate this integer" and the term "MSU" is not in the Principles of Operation.
"Any similarity is purely coincidental."
Alan Altmark
IBM
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Re: Encryption and decryption - processor or TCPIP
On Wed, 24 Jan 2024 20:15:18 +0400, Peter wrote: >Still I am trying to understand encryption and decryption load goes to >general CP In case if you don't have CPACF or ICSF ? There's no such thing as "don't have CPACF". All machines have it. It's on-chip and part of the instruction set. The only variable is whether or not the no-charge hardware cryptographic feature 3863 is enabled (in countries where it is offered). It controls the amount of function in CPACF and whether or not you can use the crypto cards. Let's assume you have the feature enabled. As Eric has replied, CPACF is focused on symmetric (shared key) cryptographic operations. That's because symmetric operations can be done quickly, and far more efficiently than doing it in software. But CPACF is not an offload operation. All of the cycles are on the processor. For asymmetric cryptography, CPACF offers some help, but the real acceleration comes with the crypto cards. It's very visible when you start up a subsystem that clients are trying to connect to. E.g. telnet server, CICS, db2. Hundreds or thousands of clients may all be trying to connect at the same time. Those TLS handshakes are significantly accelerated by offloading the asymmetric cryptography to the crypto cards where it runs in parallel to whatever is happening on the CP. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Network not working between zOS and zVM
On Thu, 4 Jan 2024 18:44:10 +0100, Alain Benvéniste wrote: >I have removed the ethernet word on link statement. > >And it works ! Thanks ! You're welcome, but I don't know why it worked. Within OSA, layer 2 and layer 3 can communicate (unlike HiperSockets) unless port isolation is turned on in the IP configuration. >What would be the impact if i start a z/os and a z/vm test environnement ? >Ethernet word will not be required ? The "ETHERNET" keyword tells the device driver to use "layer 2" protocol. That is, the driver will provide full ethernet frames, with MAC headers. Without ETHERNET, it defaults to "IP" which is also known as "layer 3", in which the driver provides only IP packets, not ethernet frames, and the OSA takes care of adding the MAC headers. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Network not working between zOS and zVM
On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 09:04:54 -0600, Alain Benvéniste wrote: >I had a z/OS (10.1.106.201) under a z/VM(10.1.106.200) speaking to each other >through CTC, and it worked. >Now I want them to speak to each other through a unique OSA card as lpars. it >works but sporadically. >Each one can ping my PC(10.1.106.250). It sounds like MAC address confusion of some sort, seen when two hosts have the same IP address or when the external routers are confused. If you have dynamic routing, make sure those configuration reflect the direct connections instead of routing override pointing to CTC. When it is misbehaving, you need to see what the routers are telling you about both systems. It feels like there's a static route stuck somewhere. "Sporadic" is the clue. For fun, try removing the "ETHERNET" keyword from the z/VM LINK statement. It's ok to mix IP and ETHERNET mode traffic on the same OSA, but it's possible there is some kind of issue with the MAC address that VM is using because of ETHERNET mode. (It gets a new MAC address from the OSA.) Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Does z/VM have a product/tool which can send backup to the Cloud ?
On Tue, 24 Oct 2023 09:52:26 +0300, Arye Shemer wrote: >For several reasons (I am not allowed to disclose and.not entirely >agreed by our side) all rejected by this specific customer. I've been thinking about this some more, and there may be a solution acceptable to the customer, on the assumption we're talking about an IBM TS7700. When you insert new VM volumes, set the SC and SG in the UI. All those tapes will end up in the cloud once they are used. You might want to have two ranges and two TMS pools, one for each range. This will get you a pool of tapes that stay resident and pool that reside in the cloud. If you just want one pool with everything in the cloud, then you need to change the management constructs of existing volumes. That can be done in the UI, but they won't move to the cloud until the next time they are mounted. (Since VM doesn't have the LIBRARY command, you can't do a PARTRFSH MMOUNT.) So, it *can* be done, but any management has to be done via the UI. The TMS cannot adjust the management constructs. Alan Altmark Senior z/VM Architect and Consultant IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Does z/VM have a product/tool which can send backup to the Cloud ?
On Sat, 21 Oct 2023 14:02:39 -0500, Jon Perryman wrote: >Out of curiosity, what software is missing from z/VM that is a showstopper? The answer is "no" because z/VM DFSMS/rms, which provides the control point for tape libraries, does not provide the ability for applications to specify or control the Management Class, Data Class, Storage Class, or Storage Group, some or all of which are all required to allow a tape management system to migrate volumes to/from the cloud or otherwise manage replication. Customers haven't been vocal about needing that capability, so it's unlikely to ever change. And once DFSMS were to add that support, the TMS (e.g. IBM Tape Manager) would need to exploit it. Alan Altmark Senior z/VM Developer and Consultant IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: SNA Link Replacement in Z/OS 2.5
On Tue, 3 Oct 2023 01:48:31 +, Hights, Charles wrote: >I am trying to find a replacement for SNA Link in Z/OS 2.5. My problem, I have >4 LPAR's on one physical CPU. Normally to IP between the LPAR's we would just >FTP to that LPAR's IP address and we had no issue. Now all of sudden the >traffic >is timing out. My routes are very simple, just a default route that sends >everything to the switches that the OSA's connect to. I have spoken to the >Switch >support team and they say since the mainframes are on the same IP Segment it >is not being passed to the FW. Unfortunately the switch team doesn't have any >tools that will show what is happening to the traffic once the switch gets it. >So >I wanted to bypass the switches and setup an SNA Link type replacement. I see >that feature is not defined in Z/OS 2.5. On another client we use Hiper Sockets >to bypass the switches for internal IP between the LPAR's. On this particular >CPU, >Hiper Sockets devices are not configured in the IO Gen. So is there something >in >Z/OS 2.5, besides Hiper Sockets, that support a device and link type statements >to all traffic between LPAR's on the same CPU? If your LPARs are in the same subnet *and* are sharing an OSA adapter, the OSA will "short circuit" the traffic between the LPARs and it will not be visible on the switch. Are you sharing OSAs? You say "All of sudden". What changed since the last time it worked? Are you able to ping the gateway IP? Your routing table should also show that the other LPARs are directly connected (not routed). You can also use the OSA Advanced Facilities on the HMC to verify that your LPARs' IP addresses are properly registered in the OSA. You should also be able to see byte counts in motion. You could reset the OSA, but that would affect outboard comms, assuming that's the same OSA that connects to the switch. >So I wanted to bypass the switches and setup an SNA Link type replacement. I >see that feature is not defined in Z/OS 2.5. On another client we use Hiper >Sockets to bypass the switches for internal IP between the LPAR's. On this >particular CPU, Hiper Sockets devices are not configured in the IO Gen. So is >there something in Z/OS 2.5, besides Hiper Sockets, that support a device and >link type statements to all traffic between LPAR's on the same CPU? No SNA links. You're already bypassing the switches by sharing OSAs. Remember that the OSAs are acting as a network offload processor for you, moving data from one LPAR to another for you. If you change to use HiperSockets, you will start to burn the Z CPU. If you have the headroom, no problem, but the more data you move, the more CPU you burn. Alan Altmark z/VM Development IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Basic VM/CMS question (GENMOD)
You'll get plenty of help over in the IBMVM mailing list. When you issue the LOAD prior to the GENMOD, be sure to include the RLDSAVE option. This ensures that your program can be loaded anywhere in memory, and CMS will not overlay the current program. In fact, the first MODULE can invoke another MODULE without worrying about overlays. That code you have to read the module header isn't needed. This functionality was introduced into CMS around 1985 (VM/SP Release 4). In general, VM/370 is not a good place to develop applications that you intend to run on z/VM. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: IBM z16 Model A02 Announcement
On Tue, 4 Apr 2023 20:23:21 +, Enzo D'Amato wrote: >I think that it's very good that we now have something like the multiprise >3000 back again. I think having smaller systems available for the "mainframe >curious" will help a lot in getting new companies on the platform. It's not a new concept, Enzo. IBM has always had models at the low end, and this is the 3rd generation in a row to be available in a 19-inch form factor (rack mount). Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: STP timer information under z/OS?
On Tue, 14 Mar 2023 12:45:27 +, Peter Relson wrote: > >What I would especially like to be able to know under z/OS are the following >timer values: > >DST offset - The Daylight Savings Time (DST) offset relative to UTC in minutes. > >And what's missing - even from lsstp - is the date and time when switching >to/from DST, i.e., the timezone setting, in the STP server, if it's set up to >auto-change the clock in the spring and fall. > > >I'd say that z/OS has no concept of DST offset or switching to/from DST. >Changing to accommodate DST is left as an exercise for the customer. But you can't perform that exercise in a meaningful way without the right data, and that data is not available directly to applications (e.g. via PTFF). It *is* available to the OS, however, who can make it available to apps. If configured to do so, the z/VM Control Program obtains from STP the standard and DST time zones associated with the CTN at IPL. It's up to the customer to actually change the TZ dynamically via CP SET TIMEZONE or to re-IPL, as they wish, but system automation *could* orchestrate either action. A TZ change only affects CP and CMS. No virtual TOD clocks are harmed, so non-CMS guests are unaffected. Sadly, we don't yet virtualize STP. Maybe someday. QUERY TIMEZONE Zone Direction Offset Status Boundary UTC 00.00.00 Inactive GMT 00.00.00 Inactive EDT West 04.00.00 Active-(STP) EST West 05.00.00 Inactive-(STP) 02:00:27 11/05/23 Ready; T=0.01/0.01 11:14:34 -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Bytes in a 3390 track
As someone who has delved deeply into this subject for different reasons, and without "inside" knowledge, here's what I have learned or intuited: 1. Logical volumes are entirely self-contained (think of them as files), allocated from the arrays with all required space needed to hold metadata, including the count and key fields associated with every track allocated to the volume. 2. The CK fields appear to be located within the logical track construct. This does not preclude the existence of other constructs to make key and ID searches go faster. I speculate that such constructs do exist. Why? Because that's what I would do. 3. For thinly-provisioned volumes, space is allocated on WRITE-type operations and is released on ERASE-type operations. Space is managed in chunks that are implementation dependent, not on the architecture, though for DS8K, I think it's 1113 cylinders at a time (3390 mod 1 size). 4. While the architecture allows R0 data to be more than 8 bytes, it's not a good idea. There are too many things that "know" R0 is 8 bytes. 5. The space calculation capacity factors and the algorithm to use are returned by the device via Read Device Characteristics (RDC). You have to go to the book to get the algorithm details. 6. Unformatted track capacity is a useless number to sysprogs. 7. The best utilization of the device is when you have just one user record on the track (R1), and that record is 56664 bytes. 8. READ FULL TRACK and WRITE FULL TRACK operations are very specialized operations typically used only by programs that are archiving/restoring data. 9. "Nobody cares about this stuff, Alan. Don't you have something more important you should be doing?" I have a program that gathers capacity data. Here's output for a 100-cylinder minidisk. The only thing that changes based on cylinder count is the total capacity value: Capacity formula: 2 Capacity factors F1-F6: 34 19 9 6 116 6 HA + R0 length: 1428 Track length: 58786 Max R0 length: 57326 Max R1 length: 56664 (architected) Unformatted device capacity: 84.1 MB Formatted device capacity (4K blocks): 70.3 MB Formatted device capacity (56664 block): 81.1 MB Regards, Alan Altmark IBM z/VM Engineer and Consultant -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: CC compiler under CMS - LSEARCH option
On Mon, 15 Aug 2022 12:40:57 -0500, Paul Gilmartin wrote: >How can the programmer indicate: > >o A SFS member with a directory path? > (Must it be accessed with a mode letter?) There is no such capability; the directory must be accessed. You can use LSEARCH(A,B,D), for example, to restrict where the compiler looks for user include files. >o A BFS member? #include "/usr/alan/src/include/my.macro" LSEARCH(/usr/alan/src/include) And I should point out that the SEARCH option is how you change the search order for *system* include files. The compiler behaves differently with/without the OE option. All of this is thoroughly documented in the XL C/C++ for z/VM: User's Guide. I've only scratched the surface. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: CC compiler under CMS - LSEARCH option
On Sun, 14 Aug 2022 00:49:20 +0300, Binyamin Dissen wrote: >I am trying to tell the C compiler to use MACRO file types for #include. > : >I have tried multiple versions of LSEARCH with no luck. > >cc **name** c * (lsearch(*.macro) >WARNING CCN3261 Suboption *.macro is not valid for option LSEARCH. > >cc **name** c * (lsearch(*.*.*) >WARNING CCN3261 Suboption *.*.* is not valid for option LSEARCH. > >I can simply rename the MACRO to H and it works, but this is a bug in my >bonnet. You specified #include instead of #include "my.macro" <> are for system include files. These are always H files or members of a MACLIB. Quotes are for *user* include files. They can be any name. If not found, the LSEARCH option/default is used, ignoring the ft and fm. And your syntax for LSEARCH is wrong. It would be LSEARCH((*.macro)=(LIB(.), .)) That is, you are mapping a specific pattern to a specific set of MACLIBs. My test program that has #include "my.macro" compiles just fine without any LSEARCH specification. Alan Altmark z/VM Consultant IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: VM: redefine virtual storage from an EXEC
On Mon, 18 Jul 2022 17:33:26 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >How do CP and CMS handle LINERD LOGICAL=YES? LOGICAL=YES applies only to the CMS VSCREEN (fullscreen CMS). The CMS SET LINEND command command affects whether the console handler uses LOGICAL=YES (SET LINEND ON) or LOGICAL=NO (SET LINEND OFF). Applications are free to LINERD with either option. This is what I meant about fullscreen applications setting their own rules. CP doesn't scan the 3270 data stream for any specific content when the guest is using DIAGNOSE 0x58 or using native 3270 I/O. It's up to the app or OS. Alan Altmark Senior Managing z/VM Consultant IBM Technology Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: VM: redefine virtual storage from an EXEC
On Thu, 14 Jul 2022 21:57:33 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >The relevant statement is "Which component recognizes the '#' or the '15'x? >CP or VM (or XEDIT)?". > XEDIT can run in either line mode or full screen; in neither case is the CMS > command line relevant. When #CP is used from the line mode command line, the target is CP, not the guest. With a couple of exceptions, # characters are detected by the 3270 device driver and are converted to 0x15. Each line is then executed. The guest is never involved. So the DEFINE STORAGE and IPL succeed. Without the #CP, the data is split on # characters and each line is queued to the guest virtual console with an attention interrupt. CMS reads that data in puts each line in the CMS' internal console input buffer. On its way back to "idle" state, the CMS command processor reads the first buffered line and runs it. The DEFINE STORAGE command is passed to CP (SET IMPCP ON), causing the guest to be reset. The still-queued "IPL" command is never executed. (Note that # is really the current LINEND character according to the CP TERMINAL setting.) Within XEDIT, Fullscreen CMS, and other fullscreen applications, #CP is a programming construct implemented by the application. Fullscreen CMS sees the #CP and hands the entire line to CP via DIAG 8 after converting # to 0x15. XEDIT, on the other hand, has no special behavior for #CP. It simply breaks lines at the linend character and passes them to CMS if they aren't recognized (per SET IMPCPCMS). So what works in fullscreen CMS won't work the same way in XEDIT. Alan Altmark z/VM Consultant IBM Technology Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: zVM v7.1 : Populating VMSYS: Root BFS
On Wed, 29 Jun 2022 11:48:39 +, Jasi Grewal wrote: >Hi, I just picked up zVM support after skipping for many years and >experiencing an odd BFS issue. > - We need to populate VMSYS root and it seems that loadbfs does not perform > it anymore. > - I tried from starting with scratch SFS system: > - Then using bfsroot - loadbfs bfs loadbfs and gskssldb from Maint 193 > > - It creates directories within Root but does not populates it. >I made sure that the directories has correct owners and uid's and I remember >that this used to work on z/VM v5.3. > >Any guidance would be appreciated.Thank You in advance, 1. See "BFS Root File Space in a Non-default File Pool" in the CMS File Pool Planning book. You must load the Shell and Utilities separately (SHELL LOADBFS). Note carefully that you must modify a LOADBFS file if you don't want the default filepool(s). 2. See the TCP/IP Planning book for references to LOADBFS. You have to load the SSL server, gskkyman, and LDAP server files spaces separately. (The names are in the book.) 3. You can export the TCP/IP file spaces from VMSYS and import them into your new file server. 4. You can clone all of the disks used by VMSYS and change the name of the filepool, giving you the same content as VMSYS. 5. What's wrong with just using VMSYS and skip all this pain? (SERVICE will not maintain the content of your own filepools, so putting IBM code in them isn't a great idea.) 6. The z/VM SMEs hang out in the IBMVM mailing list at https://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa-UARKEDU.exe?A0=IBMVM. Let's continue the discussion there. Alan Altmark, IBM Senior Managing z/VM Consultant -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/VM FTP query
On Thu, 9 Jun 2022 21:23:34 -0500, Hank Oerlemans wrote: >1. Is there a better forum for this question ? >2. If not... > >I have worked out that FTP on z/VM needs a couple of extra commands to a FIXED >LRECL=1024 up to z/OS with the same number of records for a binary transfer. >XMIT back to z/VM works fine but ftp does not. > >Clearly I have a workaround but wondering what is going on with FTP in the GET >direction. Bit of a pain. IBMVM or IBMTCP-L are the better choices. Between z/VM and z/OS, z/VM to z/VM, or z/OS to z/OS: 1. EBCDIC 2. MODE B The client (assuming you haven't turned it off with the "sendsite" command) will provide or discover the LRECL and RECFM of the file automatically. See the IP User's Guide for details. Alan Altmark Senior Managing z/VM Consultant IBM Technical Services Endicott, NY -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: What is SUBCOM?
On Sun, 8 May 2022 13:02:15 -0500, Paul Gilmartin wrote: >I'm uneasy that ADDRESS TSO SUBCOM et al. contravene the >specification of ADDRESS in the Rexx Ref.: >ADDRESS temporarily or permanently changes the >destination of commands. Commands are strings >sent to an external environment. ... > >That's only mostly true. In contrast, >ADDRRESS LINKMVS IEFBR14 >expands as macro LINK EP=IEFBR14 >ADDRESS SH ':' >expands as "sh -c ':'" >etc. >It's a misdesign; chaotic, that Rexx induces a restriction on >the name space of an "external environment", particularly >given that ADDRESS MVS, which is peculiar to Rexx, not >an external environment, exists and serves the need. I'm not following you, Gil. Rexx issues the REXEXT macro when commands are issued. It's up to the macro expansion provided by MVS and the registered SUBCOM handlers (invoked by REXEXT) to interpret the command string in whatever way is appropriate to the command handler. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: What is SUBCOM?
On Sat, 7 May 2022 14:07:48 -0400, Phil Smith III wrote: >Well, of course you can issue it, but: >READY > >subcom mvs > COMMAND SUBCOM NOT FOUND I deserved that, didn't I? :-D "Can you drive without a license?" "Yes, but you should know that it's illegal to do so."I sometimes lose sight of the audience. :-) :-) Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: What is SUBCOM?
On Thu, 5 May 2022 12:23:30 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >I can parse that sentence two ways: > > 1. SUBCOM iis available for the environment name MVS and TSO. > 2. SUBCOM is available for all of the MVS environment and all of the TSO > environments > >For the second reading, "that is" makes sense; for the first reading it does >not. In either case, SH should be listed for both TSO and non-TSO. > >Na�vely, I would expect that SUBCOM will only work in ATTACH, ATTCHMVS, >ATTCHPGM, LINK, LINKMVS, LINKPGM, MVS and TSO. I think they're both right, though very poorly worded. The "SUBCOM" command is available in TSO and MVS command environments. That is, you can Address MVS "SUBCOM whatever" or Address TSO "SUBCOM whatever" At the same time, it's available in all REXX runtime environments because the exec can explicitly Address MVS to issue it. I am looking at this through the lens of z/VM which established these concepts in the first place. I'm curious if you can issue EXECIO or SUBCOM at the TSO command line. In z/VM these are genuine CMS commands that can be used in environments outside of (and much older than) REXX, such as the EXEC and EXEC2 languages or even an assembler program. Still, there is no real requirement for a SUBCOM environment be exactly the same as the interactive environment it represent. The SUBCOM handler gets control and decides whether to do something itself or pass it along. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: What is SUBCOM?
On Thu, 5 May 2022 12:23:30 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >I can parse that sentence two ways: > > 1. SUBCOM iis available for the environment name MVS and TSO. > 2. SUBCOM is available for all of the MVS environment and all of the TSO > environments > >For the second reading, "that is" makes sense; for the first reading it does >not. In either case, SH should be listed for both TSO and non-TSO. > >Na�vely, I would expect that SUBCOM will only work in ATTACH, ATTCHMVS, >ATTCHPGM, LINK, LINKMVS, LINKPGM, MVS and TSO. The "SUBCOM" command is available in TSO and MVS bcommand environments. That is, you can Address MVS "SUBCOM whatever" or Address TSO "SUBCOM whatever" At the same time, it's available in all REXX runtime environments because the exec can explicitly Address MVS to issue it, even while in ISPF or another command environment". It's a very poorly-worded description. To Gil's point: Can you issue "EXECIO" or "SUBCOM" from the TSO command line? If not, it's not a TSO command - it's just part of the *REXX* TSO command environment. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: SAF without an ESM
On Wed, 4 May 2022 12:50:49 -0400, zMan wrote: >Someone on r/mainframe asks what SAF does without an ESM. I'm thinking "not >much", but the last sentence above sort of suggests otherwise--unless "SAF >either processes security authorization requests directly" means "returns >RC=0 in all cases", in which case it would be accurate but IMHO overly >vague. Thoughts? Your instincts on "not much" is on point. You can read all about the SAF interface in Appendix D of the RACROUTE Macro Reference. Without an ESM, SAF will "defer" to the caller. How the caller treats a deferral is up for grabs. If, like TSO, the caller has a secondary authentication/authorization mechanism (e.g. SYS1.UADS), then all is not lost. But if the app/subsystem is entirely dependent on the ESM, all security decisions will [should] be "denied" or it should attempt to engage a human. Alan Altmark IBM z/VM Consultant -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Reliable source for OCO?
On Thu, 14 Apr 2022 11:37:32 +, Seymour J Metz wrote:
>I'm editing the wikipedia [[Operating system]] article, and another editor has
>challenged the sentence "The logic manuals for their
>contemporary descendants, z/VM, z/VSE and z/VM, are not available to the
>general public." What are the relevant URLs for IBM's
> policy? Thanks.
I've never heard of such a policy.
z/VM stopped publishing its PLMs because the effort to maintain them exceeded
their value. A vendor who needs information about z/VM internals uses their
PartnerWorld relationship to obtain it. That said, for historical reasons the
PLM for CP still exists internally. I know because I made a large update to it
just a handful of years ago, but it's already out of date again. But it's
nice to hand it to a new hire and point to the parts that are still good.
Even though z/VM doesn't publish a PLM, it still publishes most of the source
code for CP and CMS. Not surprisingly, we exclude any source code that uses
unpublished elements of z/Architecture ("not otherwise described in this
publication"), uses unpublished device interfaces, or that contains other
protected intellectual property.
Tied to that are source code updates that are included with PTFs, but that's
really shipped only because we'd have to stick our fingers in the spinning fan
blades of the long-established maintenance process to stop it. If we ever
change the way we maintain the system in the field, those source code updates
may well end. But that's again a case where the only people who care are a few
vendors, and they have other resources at their disposal.
z/VM customer sysprogs in 2022 do not modify or extend CP or CMS, and the
customers do not want their IT managers to also be in the software development
business. Governance rules related to off-the-shelf hardware and software have
moved to the forefront, and you can't hold the vendor liable if you have broken
the warranty seal.
And we don't want sysprogs wasting time trying to shoot a dump. That's what
they pay IBM to do and the sooner they get the dump to us, the sooner we can
fix the problem.
Alan Altmark
IBM
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Re: XEDIT assembler continuation lines
On Thu, 3 Mar 2022 14:35:41 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >That is not a workaround for the problem that I'm addressing. Consider the >command > > CHANGE /FOO/FOOBARBAZ/ > >on a line with few spaces. With TRUNC 72, text can spill over into the >continuation column. The change I'm suggesting is that there be a new mode in >which > > 1. Any type of insert or string replacement has no effect beyond the > truncation column > 2. Data keyed in beyond the replacement column are retained And I would counter-propose that you create a CHANGE XEDIT macro that does what you want (I was trying to illustrate that a macro can play with the settings). It's not that I'm averse to the idea of a change in XEDIT. In fact, I like "smart" behavior. But it turns out that mucking with defaults has its risks. VM Development was burned by that a couple of years ago when they changed one of the other default behaviors in XEDIT to make life easier. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: XEDIT assembler continuation lines
On Mon, 28 Feb 2022 18:37:24 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >Maybe compatibility with EDIT. XEDIT came out with VM/SP R2, and by then 3270s >were ubiquitous. > >Maybe an RFE is in order for a mode in which the TRUNC column applies to >editing commands bu not to input from the keyboard. I really don't see that getting any traction since the workaround is to "EXTRACT /BASETYPE" if wordpos(basetype.1, "ASSEMBLE COPY MACRO") > 1 then do "SET TRUNC 72" "SET ZONE 1 72" end in your PROFILE XEDIT. For a more sophisticated version of that, have a look at the label SetView: in https://www.vm.ibm.com/devpages/altmarka/profile.xedit Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: XEDIT assembler continuation lines
On Wed, 23 Feb 2022 17:47:31 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >Bummer. Maybe someone from IBM can shed light on the issue. I speculate that this was to prevent INSERT and CHANGE from overlaying column 72 by accident when editing in line mode. When you're ready to put in continuation characters, do TRUNC 72 # CL :72 # COVERLAY X # REPEAT n # TRUNC 71. Naturally we all updated our profiles once 3270s showed up, so it turned into a non-issue. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: INITSQA under VM
On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 10:13:58 -0600, Alain Benvéniste wrote: >I started a client's MVS under our VM. >We received a IEW303W 878-04 abend. >INITSQA 1500K at position 10-14 was added in his load. > >I would like to understand and our client too, what is the reason of this >abend because he didn't fail into this at home. >Same memory and both side, 1 CP more on VM side, less UCBs accessed on VM but >some devices in client's IOCP > defined. On VM side we have a supersized IOCP. I learnt the client works in > sysplex, not under VM... > >Any idea ? Alain, this question was asked and answered, I thought, on IBMVM mailing list. The stated suspicion was that you systems weren't equal, with most suspicion falling on the IODF. You told us that there were 500 devices in the virtual machine and 516 in the LPAR. You then admitted that the IODF in the virtual machine was far larger than in the LPAR. MVS is going to create a UCB for every device in the IODF, not just for devices that are in the I/O configuration, and SQA isn't big enough to hold it all. Either allocate more SQA or reduce the IODF to match the client configuration. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: What determines the effective terminal size?
For what it's worth, literally decades ago I changed all my default logmodes to D4x3290 and never looked back. It will fall back to 24x80 if there's an issue, which works on all emulated 3270s. Granted, this was on z/VM, which had native non-SNA 3720 support long before it ever had VCNA or VTAM. In any case, I quit getting phone calls from people. (VTAM no longer runs on the system I did network management on, so it's no longer an issue for anyone - esp. me!) Alan Altmark Senior Managing z/VM Consultant IBM Systems Lab Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Fall back STP Adjustments
On Tue, 2 Nov 2021 15:06:04 +0100, Stefan Skoglund wrote: >my point was that UTC doesnt change one whole hour in a leap. UTC is not a time zone . Its value changes only when leap seconds are introduced. >IF two different people in different timezones installs each their own >z15, if they push return at exactly the same time. What time >will the HMC expect the computer to be in ? (sort of.) The HMC has no expectations about the TOD clock of a CPC. If you don't have the STP feature, a POR will set the TOD clock according to the SE. If you have the STP feature, the SE will set its time to STP time (better clock!). Architecturally, the TOD clock follows TAI, with an epoch (TOD = all zeros) of Jan 1, 1900. It doesn't care about the 37 leap seconds that have been introduced into UTC since the epoch.(hence, TAI) If you used a standard TOD-to-civil time conversion (which all assume TOD is UTC), the result would be 37 seconds ahead of UTC. If the system is leap second-aware, then it subtracts the leap seconds when generating civil time. TAI -> UTC -> local time. When you don't configure leap seconds, the old (and new) algorithms will generate the correct civil time, but the observant person will discern that the epoch has moved 37 seconds backward into December 31, 1899. (And with each subsequent leap second, it moves backward an additional second.) Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Fall back STP Adjustments
On Tue, 2 Nov 2021 11:52:21 -0500, Paul Gilmartin wrote: >z/OS shirks the issue by making user address spaces non-dispatchable during a >leap second. I wouldn't say "shirks". Perhaps "accommodates" might be a better word. If you don't configure leap seconds in the timing network defintition (CTN), STP thinks Coordinated Server Time (CST) is wrong and begins to steer out the 1-second difference. As Tim noted, that takes about 7 hours. Those with strict time stamp requirements can't tolerate it being wrong for 7 hours, so suspending the application for one second is preferable. > z/VM? Tim pointed to my article. z/VM will give the wrong time if you have leap seconds configured in the CTN. >I have seen some discussion of inserting leap seconds at 23:59:60 local >time rather than UTC. Bad Idea. The discussion getting more traction in the scientific community is to abandon the leap second entirely. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Fall back STP Adjustments
On Tue, 2 Nov 2021 07:51:00 -0500, Paul Gilmartin wrote: >On Tue, 2 Nov 2021 11:46:56 +0100, Stefan Skoglund wrote: >> >>... UTC never changes, it increases monotonically ... >> >Those two statements contradict each other. And both are >incorrect. UTC falls back at a leap second. Nope. There is no fall back for leap seconds. They are *inserted* into the time stream (Temporal Mechanics 101). When that happens, UTC goes from 11:59:59 to 11:59:60 to 00:00:00. It doesn't pause, repeat, or go backwards. How an OS translates that concept into its local clock is left an exercise to the vendor. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
IHS Apache - authentication via LDAP
Does anyone know if the z/OS IHS (Apache) server supports password expiry and change when performing authentication via LDAP? That is, if the web server prompts for credentials and the pw is expired, will it enter into a dialog to get it changed? I then want to use the authenticated userid as the web client's id for the purposes. (The ID exists in the local RACF database, but I don't want to authenticate with it.) Is this something better suited to Liberty/WAS? Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: SIGP Orders
On Tue, 12 Oct 2021 07:09:23 -0500, Joe Monk wrote: >Looking thru the z/arch POP, I noticed that SIGP order 14 is no longer >listed as unassigned, but its definition and functions are missing from the >POP. > >Can someone tell us what this order is for? I suspect that line is supposed to say "Unassigned" just like 0x0F and 0x10. Please submit a Reader's Comment Form to request clarification. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: OSA Physical ethernet ports
On Fri, 10 Sep 2021 17:36:37 +0900, (K.K.Paradox)T.Kobayashi wrote: >1) Is the port set in OAT a OSA Physical port? Yes. If the PCHID has two ports, then you specify port 0 or 1 in the OAT. But be careful. On a z9, I think you have OSA-Express2. All of the PCHIDs are single port. There are multiple PCHIDs on a *card*, but each PCHID has only one port (port 0). The OSA-Express Customer's Guide and Reference has pictures. The HMC/SE will also tell you what type of card you have. >2) Can OSA-ICC 3270 sessions and OSE ports share a OSA Physical port? >Should these have separate Physical ports? You cannot share ports between OSE and OSC. The decision for OSE or OSC is at the PCHID level. >3) Where is the physical port of the OSA-ICC session set? In the ICC configuration on the HMC. >4) OSE is assigned to ZOS2 LPAR in the PARTITION statement. >But SHARED is also specified by CHPID. >Are OSE devices also available in ZOS1 LPARs? No. Your IOCP says that only ZOS2 has access: > CHPID PCHID=191,PATH=(CSS(0),03),TYPE=OSE,SHARED,PARTITION=((ZOS2)) If you didn't specify PARTITION=((ZOS2)), then both LPARs would have access. Alan Altmark IBM Systems Lab Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: GDPS Manuals Link
On Thu, 22 Jul 2021 20:46:46 +, fred glenlake wrote: >I am unsuccessfully trying to locate the hiding spot of the GDPS Manuals for >V4R1 so I can download a few. If anyone can share > the link of where I could download them please. I don't think the GDPS manuals aren't online since they're part of a service offering, not a product, per se. I would open a Case with GDPS to request them. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: looking for some doc about what z/OS displays on a tape drive
On Tue, 20 Jul 2021 10:03:18 -0400, Tony Thigpen wrote: >Is there actually any real IBM doc that describes what may be displayed >by z/OS on the little display on a 3480/3490/3590 tape drive? Yes. I'm looking at a copy of the IBM 3490 Hardware Reference, GA32-0127. The Load Display CCW supports (from any OS, not just z/OS): A-Z 0-9 # $ @ , . / ' ( ) * & + - = ¢ % | : _ < > ? ; Any service that z/OS provides that allows an application to interact with the display may be more restrictive. The display consists of two 8-character messages. If, how, and when those messages are displayed is the subject of a control character that the host sends along with the messages. There is at least one VTS-style product on the market that uses the displayed value as the requested volser whenever the message includes the control to index the (virtual) autoloader. This allows systems without DFSMS and 'modern' library controls to still be able to request a tape mount from the emulated library. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Coding for the future
On Sat, 19 Jun 2021 09:03:13 -0500, Paul Gilmartin wrote: >(where does "EXTERNAL:" in the Subject: come from? >Can it be suppressed?) I can't speak for others, of course, but within IBM, our mail gateways now tag all of our external e-mail with "[EXTERNAL]". This was an intentional change to our mail rules by the CIO. So any IBMer who replies directly rather than using the web interface will end up with it in the Subject line by default. And I'm guessing we're not the only ones. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: SMF on Z/VM
On Mon, 14 Jun 2021 16:55:32 +, Nai, Dean wrote: >We installed RACF on Z/VM and part of that installed had us activate SMF >record generation. >Anyone know if Z/VM can collect Z/OS type SMF records or only RACF types? On z/VM, the only SMF records created are RACF types 80, 81, and 83. All other subsystems have their own logging mechanism. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: IBM Zcloud - is it just outsourcing ?
On Fri, 28 May 2021 11:50:28 +0200, Radoslaw Skorupka wrote: >IMHO it depends. >First, it depends on what we understand as outsourcing. >1. I buy HW and SW and keep it in my datacenter. Oh, BTW: the >application software is mine, not delivered from outside. >2. Application is delivered, and there are many options how to maintain it. >3. I keep HW in leased DC. >4. I rent HW from DC owner. >5. I rent HW from DC owner and some services like cabling, servicing, etc. >6. DC owner takes care about switches and maybe other things. >... >etc. > >Regarding Zcloud - I believe it depends on your expectations how deep >the outsourcing would be. zCloud is IBM-owned and -managed hardware and software in an IBM DC using various software stacks (z/VM, Linux, z/OS, CICS, IMS, DB2, MQ, Websphere, etc.), with your application (if any) and data. You run in one or more LPARs, sharing the machines with other zCloud customers. See the link to the data sheet at https://www.ibm.com/services/cloud/managed-infrastructure-as-a-service. You could view it as a form of outsourcing, yes. Alan Altmark IBM Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Question about SIE
On Mon, 17 May 2021 19:42:06 -0500, Joe Monk wrote: >In the IBM vm environment on z/arch under SIE, what is the correct response >to STFLE for a non-enabled or present facility? Zero or NULL? > >If a person were to try to do RRBM, should facility bit 66 be enabled or >what? In response to your e-mail, I re-read your original question, which isn't about SIE, but about a STFLE response. z/VM does not enable the RRBM facility for guests (STFLE bit 66 is OFF). You should receive an Operation Exception. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Question about SIE
On Tue, 18 May 2021 07:46:54 -0500, Joe Monk wrote: >Sorry, I meant the correct response from an STFLE, not to. > >So you are saying that the hardware should return '0' is the facility is >not enabled, and '1' if it is. That's how STLFE, works, yes (see Principles of Operation), but I don't see any facility indications for interpretive execution, the details of which haven't been published since the 370-XA time frame. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: STIMERM LT value
On Fri, 14 May 2021 05:28:52 -0700, Ed Jaffe wrote: >Reasonable people can disagree about what the word "pricey" means, but >no one can defend the indefensible. > >Every Intel-based Linux, Windows or Mac, at every hardware price-point, >can synchronize its clock with an external NTP sever in real-time >without a reboot. The lineage and history of the clocks and time on microprocessors is very different than that of the mainframe and leads inevitably to the OS needing to use NTP and have the OS be the Arbiter of Time. (Do apps call gettimeofday() or do they read the timestamp register? They call gettimeofday().) On the mainframe, we allowed (encouraged?) applications (subsystems, user apps, middleware) to use the TOD clock. STORE CLOCK is an unprivileged instruction. And the tradition predates the introduction of leap seconds, so everyone calculated the same time using the same algorithm over and over and over and over again. If you have someone doing STCK, but not using CVTLSO, they're likely to calculate the wrong time. At the end of the day (no pun intended), the TOD clock needs to be in sync with UTC. And once that decision is made, it becomes an obvious waste of resources to implement an ntp client in the OS. With ntp, if multiple servers are all synced to the same time source then they are, by acclamation, synced with each other. But that's not good enough since there are lots of places with TOD clock or TOD clock-based values. They need to be on the same time line. >For the high six-figure price we paid for our z15, it should have come >with similar functionality built-in, but didn't. > >IBM's current positioning in this regard, as Dave Gibney and others >discovered, is a source of embarrassment for the platform. Help me with this, Ed. Did you receive a proposal that didn't include STP? Or at least offer it as an option? If it wasn't offered, that bothers me. IMO, all proposals should include cryptos (where not prohibited by law), a pair of copper OSAs, six or more fiber OSAs (speed and type customer choice), a pair of RoCE cards, STP, STP links, and a pair of HMCs (unless you already have them). If it's an IFL box, then add some FCP adapters. Getting this stuff in the initial sale is going to be cheaper than adding it later. Then if the client wants to reduce the price by redlining items, that's on them, but I think IBM or the BP should be bringing a full function proposal. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: STIMERM LT value
On Tue, 11 May 2021 03:25:35 -0700, Ed Jaffe wrote: >We experienced significant clock drift on our z13s. (I can't understand >why IBM makes STP optional and pricey. All Z machines should be able to >synchronize to NIST.) Ed, I won't argue the point of "Why isn't in a standard feature?" (I wish it was, too), but I will take issue with "pricey". I was surprised at how inexpensive it actually is, particularly when I look at what it does. >Our z15 has gone through a full POR several times since being installed >in August 2020 (see the video https://youtu.be/uis-8s_O1K8), the most >recent one being just a few weeks ago. So, it's difficult to know yet if >similar adjustments will be required. If they are, we stand ready to >adjust our CLOCKxx member as needed. I think you'll find the z15 has a more stable clock. But you need to back up and look at your business requirements. FINRA, for example, requires business systems to be within one second of UTC. (Certain kinds of financial transactions have much tighter requirements.) Given the time and effort you spent on fiddling with CLOCKxx, you may find that STP pays for itself very quickly. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: When did CMS stop requiring S/370 mode?
On Wed, 12 May 2021 08:18:36 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: ><http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/VM_370/Release_6/GC20-1818-3_IBM_Virtual_Machine_Facility_370_CMS_Command_and_Macro_Reference_Rel_6_PLC_17_Apr81.pdf> > doesn't list an option on the FORMAT command to select a new format file > system. Yes, but the -2 level of the book has the TNLs in it. >Are the VM/370, VM/SE, VM/BSE, VM/SP, VM/XA (MA, SF and SP) and VM/ESA >announcement letters and GI manuals >available online? I can find online announcements back to VM/SP Release 2 and back to VM/XA MA. Basically, anything prior to 1980 isn't there. Several years ago there was a reprint of the VM/370 announcement, and my copy is on the wall outside my office in a building I haven't been in in over a year. As far as manuals go, I think VM/SP R6 and VM/XA SP 2.1 were the first to have electronic copies (BookManager READ). Those CDs are in my office, too. :-) Somewhere in the office are also a couple of still-in-the-shrinkwrap CP-67 or VM/370 manuals. (I *think* they're CP-67.) I can find references to VM/BSE and VM/SE, but it appears to be shorthand for "VM/370 with BSEPP or SEPP". If memory serves, I began with VM/370 PLC 3 or 4, then 6, then VM/SP R2 in college, but I wasn't aware of minor details like CDF vs. EDF. I just formatted my disks using the defaults. After joining IBM, I remember arguments in the aisle over what to do about changing the default from CDF (800 bytes blocks) to EDF (1K or 4K). I was just a young whippersnapper at the time and didn't involve myself in the deliberations of the Elders. A lot of memory cells have become non-functional in that amount of time. :-( Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: When did CMS stop requiring S/370 mode?
On Tue, 11 May 2021 12:49:47 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >Thanks; I asked because I was editing >https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMS_file_system and there was a footnote > referring to cuu addresses. I've added some text that I hope puts things in > context. There are other issues with that article. In CP-67 and in the earlier releases of VM/370, there was indeed a limit of 6 file modes. In VM/370 those limits were relieved; you can see TNLs that did it in the VM/370 manuals on Bitsavers. The FST format shown is from the CDF file system. EDF was part of SEPP or BSEPP ([Basic] System Extensions Program Product, I think), which was eventually integrated into VM/370, also visible in the VM/370 manual evolution. With EDF, those halfword fields weren't large enough, so the FST was expanded. >Are there online documents listing the change dates? If so, I probably should >add citations. The announcement letters for each release along with the associated General Information manual let you piece together what was possible in each release. And sorry if I wasn't clear about 370 mode. z/VM 3.1 could *run* CMS/370, but we stopped shipping it in Version 2. Announcement 294-159 for VM/ESA [Version 1] Release 2.2 (6 April 1994) said: "The CMS in VM/ESA Release 2.2 is the last release of CMS to run in a 370-mode virtual machine. Users still needing 370-mode CMS support are encouraged to run their 370 applications using the 370 Accommodation facility which became available in VM/ESA Release 2.1. 370-mode virtual machines will continue to be provided for use by guest operating systems and by applications which do not run on CMS. Many 370 applications can run unaltered in XA/XC mode. By testing the applications with 370 accommodation, customer can be assured their applications will run in XA/XC virtual machines under future releases of CMS." Announcement 294-524 (13 Sept 1994) for VM/ESA Version 2 Release 1 (GA Oct 1995) had this to say: "The CMS in VM/ESA Version 1 Release 2.2 (CMS 11) is the last release of CMS to run in a 370 mode virtual machine. The CMS in VM/ESA Version 2 (CMS 12) will not IPL in a 370 mode virtual machine. The removal of the 370-mode CMS helps to provide relief for storage constraints below the 16MB line. One megabyte of the CMS nucleus that was previously below the 16MB line will be moved above the line. 370 mode virtual machines will continue to be provided by CP for use by guest operating systems, applications that do not run on CMS, and previous releases of CMS. Users needing support for 370-mode applications are encouraged to run those applications using the 370 accommodation feature which became available in VM/ESA Version 1 Release 2.1. Verifying the execution of applications with the 370 accommodation feature allow customers to position those applications to run in XA or XC mode virtual machines under VM/ESA Version 2 and future releases of CMS." Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: When did CMS stop requiring S/370 mode?
On Mon, 10 May 2021 12:56:42 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >CMS originally ran on a real S/360 or on a S/60 virtual machine under CP-67. >The CMS for VM/370 through VM/SP ran > on a virtual S/370. When did CMS stop requiring S/370 mode and when did it > stop supporting S/370 mode (if it did)? I worked on that project as I was in CMS Development at the time, the owner of a lot of I/O-related code. VM/XA SP2.1 shipped CMS 5.5, the "converged" CMS that made CMS bimodal (dual-pathed for 370 and 370-XA) and replaced all of the I/O instructions DIAGNOSE calls to CP. Prior to that, CMS Release 5 (VM/SP 5) required 370 mode, though you never noticed because VM/SP (and the VM/ESA 370 feature) didn't have any other kind of virtual machine. Both the ESA and 370 features of VM/ESA 1.0 and 1.1 had the same CMS (level 7 and 8, respectively). z/VM 3.1 was the last release to support 370 mode virtual machines, including CMS. z/VM V4 (all releases) tolerated virtual machines defined with MACHINE 370, but would not instantiate them. (This was done in case of sharing a directory with z/VM V3 or earlier.) The 9672 G3 was the last machine with 370 microcode, and z/VM 3.1 was the last release to support the G3. CMS today would probably run in a 370 mode virtual machine. There are still BC/EC-mode dual paths, too, but let's not get carried away. :-) Sir Alan Lord of the Protocols Order of the Knights of VM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: PPFA
On Wed, 28 Apr 2021 20:27:03 -0600, Roger Bolan wrote: >As Salva said the logo itself is likely a page segment. If you browse the >AFP resource itself, it probably has some lines at the top that will >identify the tool that made it. It sounds like to change the logo, they >would change the image, replace the page segment member with the new logo >with the same name, and then you might not need to change overlay, pagedef, >or formdef at all. >If the user has IBM support contracts to allow for support for usage or >"how to" questions, the best thing would be to open a case so IBM can help >with access to the data. > >If he can't determine or use the original tool for some reason, he could >try downloading the AFP Printer Driver from this web site: >https://dl.ricohsoftware.com/downloads/aa9a248e-101c-4aa6-b109-1cf7403f3b4f > >Yes, that's a Ricoh site. The old IBM Printing Systems Division is part of >Ricoh nowadays. >With that printer driver you can configure to "print" any image on Windows >into an AFP page segment. > >Then the binary page segment file can be uploaded to z/OS. If it needs to >go into an MVS library you can use AFRREBLK (part of PSF) to turn the file >into a library member. Hi, Roger. Thanks, everyone. The OGL reference put me on the right track (overlay referenced by FORMDEF points to a SEGMENT that sits in the mystical AFP Resource Library). I eventually tripped over the AFP Print driver and found that the AFP Workbench Viewer was the way to generate a new PSEG. This was all really really vague in the books with respect to getting things into an "AFP resource library". There was no googleable answer to the question of "How to get a JPEG into a PSF overlay?" While researching, it sent me down memory lane to when I was doing PSF/VM testing and working with the dev team in Boulder. PSF is what persuaded me to leave VM code development in the late 1980s and move into VM System Test for 12 years. Last year I tried to see if I could re-establish contact my old PSF/VM test environment, but there was nothing but faint echoes and cobwebs where code and configuration files used to live, though I did find the SFCM and PDMREM1 userids still extant after all this time. (sniff) Alan Altmark z/VM Consultant IBM Lab Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
PPFA
Asking for a friend who has been tasked to change the logo that is printed on the reports being generated by Infoprint on z/OS. They have a PAGEDEF and FORMDEF that contains the logo, but the person who originally set that up is long gone. He has familiarity with Infoprint and how to get the reports generated and all that, but not with how the xDEFs are created. My instincts (as someone who did a lot of PSF-related stuff back in the late 80s) is that this was the job of PPFA. You could upload a JPG, one-page PDF, or GIF (or whatever), and tell PPFA to build the PAGEDEF and FORMDEF for it. Blah blah blah blah blah blah. Right. My familiarity with PSF was restricted almost entirely to VM, and that back to the late 80s when I was doing PSF/VM testing on a new release of VM. I think I may have used PPFA exactly once during that time. If it *is* PPFA that deals with this, and assuming the source files for the current pagedef/formdef are still extant, what kinds of files should he be looking for and where would they most likely be? If the files aren't there, can PPFA read in the existing DEF objects so that he can modify them without starting from the very beginning? Yes, I could tell him to RTFMs, but there's a lot of FMs to R and I'd like to point him in the right direction so he can start digging. Thanks for your help. Alan Altmark z/VM Consultant IBM Lab Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: IBM splitting into two companies
On Thu, 8 Oct 2020 10:44:09 -0500, Dave Jousma wrote: >Anyone know any more about this? > >https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ibm-divestiture/ibm-to-break-up-109-year-old-company-to-focus-on-cloud-growth-idUSKBN26T1TZ > >https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-to-accelerate-hybrid-cloud-growth-strategy-and-execute-spin-off-of-market-leading-managed-infrastructure-services-unit-301148458.html IBM's announcements says that IBM will "separate its Managed Infrastructure Services unit of its Global Technology Services division into a new public company." It might help to understand that the IBM Systems and IBM Global Technology Services (GTS) divisions are in very different businesses. IBM Systems produces hardware, operating systems, and related software products for sale. In support of that it also has its own "Lab Services" group that is focused on helping clients embrace the new, as well as understand the old. We have some amount of overlap with GTS, but we're on a much smaller scale with more advanced and more tightly focused services. GTS is focused on contracted services that include system operations, data center management and operation, application development (formerly of IBM Global Business Services), long-term staff augmentation, project management, general IT consulting, and Other Duties As Assigned. One suspects that a considerable amount of effort has been spent drawing a line between "Managed Infrastructure Services" and "Other". At some point IBM will publish more details, I'm sure. Alan Altmark IBM Systems Lab Services Senior Managing z/VM Consultant -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Two Processors and One IODF
On Tue, 14 Jul 2020 12:16:37 +0200, R.S. wrote: >I hate new names of PPRC and XRC (and PPRC-XD), but... But one should >know there are new features. New features with new names, but no old >name exist for them. > >There are still PPRC, XRC, PPRC-XD, but there is also some kind of "XRC >without z/OS", performed by dasd arrays without host involvement. XRC = An architecture for time stamping I/Os across multiple Z systems. Any OS can do it. The time stamp is part of the I/O architecture. z/OS Global Mirror = An application that runs on a pair of z/OS systems. The local z/OS system gets copies of all write I/O to local copy of a mirrored volume. The local z/OS system sends the I/O to a remote z/OS system where the I/Os are placed in timestamp order and then written. It is an asynchronous tech driven by the host, it can be used with storage servers from different vendors. PPRC = Peer-to-Peer Remote Copy = I/O architecture that enables a pair of local storage controllers to maintain volume mirrors synchronously. RPO = 0 for the mirrors since I/O to the primary does not complete until I/O to the mirror is complete. Asynchronous PPRC = A slightly different version of PPRC for a pair of storage controllers that are too far away from each to be able to maintain I/O service times and the mirrors. RPO > 0 for the mirrors since I/O to the primary will complete before the I/O to the secondary is complete (or even started). NOTE: SRDF and PPRC are similar, but they are not compatible with each other.. Metro Mirror = Exploitation of PPRC to manage the local mirrors.. Global Mirror = Exploitation of aynch PPRC to manage remote mirrors. The names were changed to avoid dragging everyone down a rabbit hole as the tech changes underneath. HTH. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
MVS master consoles
Hi. I'm learning some things about MVS consoles.I have both the PD console (SYSCON - aka Operating System Messages task on the HMC) and a local 3270 console (named MVSMAST) active. Both have all routing codes assigned. This is in a virtual machine, so SYSCON works with the #CP VINPUT VMSG command and displays line mode output. Will both receive all messages and can either one respond to system action messages? What I really don't want is for use of the 3270 console to interfere with what's going on with SYSCON. Someone DIALs into the 3270 console and all of sudden the PD console stops getting messages or some such. As you can tell, there's a lot about MVS console management I don't grok. I've looked in the books, of course, but all that did was confuse me a bit more. It assumed I already understood various aspects of how consoles work. I know I can vary MVSMAST inactive at system startup and require them to activate it manually via #CP VINPUT VMSG, but that seems like mean thing to do if I can be assured that it's presence won't materially affect messages appearing on the PD console and it's ability to respond to any action messages it sees. (Yup, might be a race between human and machine, but I expect the machine to win that race.) Thanks., Alan Alan Altmark Senior Managing z/VM and Linux Consultant IBM Systems Lab Services Phone: 607-429-3323 | Mobile: 607-321-7556 E-mail: altma...@us.ibm.com Endicott, NY USA -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Define FCP without IPL(POR)
On Mon, 20 Jan 2020 14:18:26 +0200, Mike Shorkend wrote: >For z/VM, you can definitely activate a new I/O configuration using the >ACTIVATE command. See > >https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSB27U_7.1.0/com.ibm.zvm.v710.hcpe2/rexxact.htm > >I do not know if there are specific limitations for FCP There are no special limitations for dynamically defined FCP subchannels beyond those for FCP channels in general. See the IOCP book (not HCD book) for those recommendations. If z/OS is on the CPC, define and activate FCP subchannels just like you do for FICON subchannels. Regards, Alan Altmark IBM Systems Lab Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: IP 0.0.0.0
On Mon, 23 Dec 2019 15:08:02 -0700, Grant Taylor wrote: >Where is it cross posted from / to? (I'd like to look at the other >location.) IBMTCP-L is where the meat of the discussion is taking place. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Ancient DASD connectivity
On Thu, 16 May 2019 15:26:45 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >Well, for some devices the CU and device were in the same box, e.g., 2501. Yes. A-units (Axx models) often include(d) at least one, possibly two or even four, I/O devices, with B units (Bxx models) providing expansion. Last CU standing in the A/B world was, I think, the IBM 3590, but it all went out the window when the 3592s made their debut. While it was interesting for IBM to wear it's engineering designs on its visible sleeve, it was confusing. Model numbers today are more expressions of marketing than of the underlying technology. Fun times. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: [External] Re: Ancient DASD connectivity
On Wed, 15 May 2019 18:12:19 -0500, Tom Marchant wrote: >The s/360 POO (available on bitsavers), says, >"A control unit may be housed separately or it may be physically >and logically integral with the I/O device." The classic example of early CU integration was the 2701 communications controller and the integrated CTC adapters. Disk, tape, and unit record devices of the same era had discrete controllers. Unit record CU (2821) was interesting in that it talked to devices that did different things: 1403/1404 printer and 2540 card reader-punch. Clever of them. But the up-and-coming display devices (3275) and printers (3211) were a visible hybrid with an "attached" CU. 3211 still named it separately (3811). Kinda weird. 3430 tape had integrated CU in the A units, and after that I think integrated CU was de rigueur for all device types, with 3990 being the last one on the floor. (BTW, once someone explains CU integration, the whole A/B model numbering thing makes more sense.) I had always assumed that latency was driving engineers to shorten the distance between CU and device. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Ancient DASD connectivity
On Wed, 15 May 2019 21:41:20 +, Seymour J Metz wrote: >That may be true for 2314, but it is not true for anything later. The A unit >connects to the control unit, not to the channel. > I actually intended to say that the A units connected to the control unit. I don't know why I said "channel". (sigh) Everyone knows an I/O device can't talk to a channel! :-) Thanks for noticing! Alan -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Ancient DASD connectivity
On Wed, 15 May 2019 14:59:00 +0200, R.S. wrote:
>In the old days there was a Storage Control Unit, i.e. 3830 and disk
>controller within disk cabinet, i.e. 3350-A2
>
>So, we have CPC-cable1-3830-cable2-3350A2controller-internal_cable3-disk.
>
>I'm trying to understand separation of duties between 3830 and 3350A2
>controller.
>What was defined as CU - it was 3830 or controller within 3350 cabinet?
>Which cable was a channel (Bus)? I guess it is "cable1" connecting
>CPC and 3830.
>
>Not to mention that some old reference manual's diagram shows yet
>another box between CPC and 3830 SCU.
Depending on the year, you might find (rusty memory):
host
- channel 0
- channel 1
- switch (2814/2914)
- channel 1
- Control unit 0 (bus & tag from channel/switch)
- device 0 ("string header") (A-Unit)
- device 1 (B unit)
- device 2 (B unit)
- device 3 (B unit)
- Control unit 1 (bus & tag) from CU 0
- repeat
- channel 2
- repeat
The A units handled the fan-out (signal and power) to dependent devices (B
units) in the string and had the logic to talk to the channel. The B units
were just dumb slaves to the A unit. The A units could only talk to B units
of the same type since all the power and signaling was custom. The interface
between the CU and the A unit was generally such that a CU could handle strings
of newer and older device types. The number of A units required, the number
of I/O devices included in an A unit, and the way B units were attached was
generally model specific, so you would see variations on the above. (Don't
confuse with more modern UNIT=3390B to indicate a PAV to MVS!)
It was sheer size of the componentry that drove this design. I think the 3990
was the last stand-alone disk controller. With the arrival of 2105s, the CU
was inside the same cabinet as the drives and Logical CUs (LCUs) were born.
One big black box (literally). Adding additional cabinets no longer affected
the I/O configuration - just capacity.
We still have switches, of course, but they're no longer pull-turn-push. :-)
Alan Altmark
IBM Systems Lab Services
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Re: mainframe hacking "success stories"?
Reading all of these posts has brought out the salient points of IT security: 1. All the technology in the world won't help you if you don't use it. 2. Stupid people can outwit a capable machine (SET SECURITY OFF). 3. Z security builds on its long history and culture of talented people, effective processes, and robust products. When all are fully engaged, its security mechanisms are really hard to beat. 4. The bad guys have time on their side, often putting the good guys on the defensive. The difference between the two is what protects you. The more places you have those buffers, the better the protection will be. 5. Sometimes obscurity is good. Sometimes not. It depends on what you are hiding and from whom. But don't be upset when your secret is becomes known. It shouldn't be your only defense. 6. When someone possesses valid credentials to a system, only their activities while using them will tell you if they are Good or Evil. This is the weakest part of all system security. Humans are vital to IT security, yet are the weakest link, being both easiest to manipulate and capable of being compromised. (I've seen the movies; retinal scanners won't help.)We try to recognize changes in system behavior to know when something is wrong, yet we pay little attention to human activities. (How to recognize when your Db2 database is being surreptitiously unloaded in small bits over a long period of time.) 7. The "Z" on the box doesn't make it more secure than any other platform (no miracles or magic). It does, however, come with an impressive arsenal that you can use to make it so. I would be comfortable saying that it is "more securable" than any other general purpose platform. That encompasses both the types of security services and the difficulty in subverting them. 8. Prevention is better than detection, but detection lets us know when our preventive measures have failed. 9. Have you done all that is *commercially reasonable* to protect your data and your services? All that is possible may not be reasonable in some contexts, so don't fall into that trap. Understanding your liability (cost of loss) helps you assess "reasonable". 10. Assume that nothing is perfect. (You would be correct.) Bad things happen to good people. If you detect that, in spite of your best attempts, the unthinkable has happened, are you prepared to deal with it competently, calmly, and quickly? Alan Altmark IBM Systems Lab Services z/VM Consultant -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: GETMAIN LOC=32
On Tue, 15 May 2018 08:33:13 -0700, Charles Mills <charl...@mcn.org> wrote: >I should know better than to poke this thing again but I just do not see how >it makes sense. > >- If the code runs AM=31 then 32-bit addresses will not work. >- If the code runs AM=64 then the high words of the registers are significant. >One cannot count on them being zero -- trust me on this, been there and got >the S0C4 tee shirt* -- so you now have to at least be cognizant of high halves >of registers, which defeats the OP's idea of pretending that bits 0-31 don't >exist. You have to save those high halves (if you want to be well-behaved) and >you have to zero or LLGF into them. And by running AM=64 aren't you getting >away from this (silly IMHO) concept of portability back to s/370? > >Does that not make the case for this fall apart? If you assume nothing changes, then indeed can be no AM32 for the very reasons you cite. But if you make certain assumptions and restrictions, you can have it without too much effort. But those restrictions are a bummer. You can't reliably CALL a 31-bit interface with 32-bit storage addresses, even if it has a fixed number of parameters. The called code isn't going to be assured to be "AM32-clean". I remember when we had to XA-ize CMS and all of the AMODE switching internally to deal with new programs calling old interfaces. It wasn't free. But as an intellectual exercise on how to write "old" code in an AM64 environment and get some of the benefits for free, it's been interesting. As you point out, not worth IBM's effort to accommodate such a small group of beneficiaries, but interesting nonetheless. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: GETMAIN LOC=32
I've been reading this thread (for too long) and am compelled to ask folks to please stop arguing with Paul. Jim Mulder has rejected Paul's request, and the buck stops there as far as I'm concerned. "Asked and answered, Your Honor." Paul is entitled to his "want" and all are entitled to their opinion on it, of course, but the two sides are clearly not going to achieve a meeting of the minds, so unless folks want to talk about it ad nauseum, "Let It Go." He made his case, it was interesting to think about, and now it's done. With much appreciation, Alan Altmark (speaking for himself) -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
On Wed, 4 Apr 2018 10:58:16 +1000, Andrew Rowley <and...@blackhillsoftware.com> wrote: >How do I verify that the key that I see browsing your website is really >yours and hasn't been e.g. substituted in transit? Key exchange is the >hardest bit of cryptography. Because you accessed the web site via https://, causing the transmission of the key to be encrypted and tamper-proof. Further, Charles' web site uses a certificate published by a Certificate Authority that YOU trust. Or more precisely, he uses a CA that the vendor of your browser trusts. You trust your vendor implicitly by using their browser. THAT is what CA/Browser Forum (CAB) industry group is all about. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
On Mon, 2 Apr 2018 15:24:27 -0500, Edward Gould <edgould1...@comcast.net> wrote: >You are probably not missing anything. I think its me that is missing >something. >I get from you that you do “something” on the HMC (something about a FTP >server) I haven’t see it but it may be hidden I don’t use the HMC but maybe >once a year. >If you are saying you FTP what is on the DVD to the FTP started task on the MF >I guess I am OK (but have questions) with that. The sticking point I am at is >how does the FTP server on the MF even know about the HMC server? *assuming >its magic* then does the FTP server on the HMC transmit the data to the FTP >server on the MF (How) and how does the FTP server on the MF know where to >put the files that are downloaded and what naming conventions are used and >what if you do not like them?\ >I need a intro or something to explain to me what is going on so I can explain >it to management as I am not understanding the slight of hand that is going >on. Since apparently I need access to swap DVD’s as they are done how long >(estimated) does it take? The reason I ask is that I have to have VP with me >when I go near the HMC. I am sure he is not going to be happy sitting with me >for hours on end. >Sorry to be so pedantic but before I run this up the flag pole I need some >basic information. There is no user- or host-accessible FTP server in the HMC. Years ago there was one, but no longer. The HMC today (2.14) can act as an FTP *gateway* for the "Load from Removable Media or FTP Server" task on the SE out to some external FTP server in your network, but it cannot serve as a network-accessible FTP server. I pointed out in a previous post that there IS a way for the host to access data on the removable media, and the VM FTP server does so, but it requires the co-operation of someone authorized on the HMC to go in and give the LPAR access (only one LPAR at a time). If you perform a "Load from Removable Media or FTP Server" and point to removable media, *I believe* the media remains associated with the loading LPAR until the LPAR is reset, another LPAR loads from the media, or an HMC user specifically disassociates the media from the partition. But don't confuse arbitrary access to the removable media with the Load task. The Load function stores data from the media at specified storage locations and then does a SYSTEM RESTART to load the restart PSW and start running. Arbitrary access is more like "read file ". I believe that z/OS has some capability in this space as well, but I don't know the details. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
On Tue, 3 Apr 2018 19:39:57 +, David Boyes <dbo...@sinenomine.net> wrote: >On 4/3/18, 3:00 PM, "IBM Mainframe Discussion List on behalf of Phil Smith" ><IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU on behalf of p...@voltage.com> wrote: >I believe we're talking about different things. What you're describing isn't >civilian use of TLS. It's probably stream-cipher stuff (which is weaker >anyway) and in any case is within the telco system. Nobody is going to crack >TLS, even with lots and lots of data. > >Afraid not. > >https://www.blackhat.com/docs/us-16/materials/us-16-Ortisi-Recover-A-RSA-Private-Key-From-A-TLS-Session-With-Perfect-Forward-Secrecy.pdf > > >Thus the push for TLS 1.3 deployment. Boys, the issue is not whether TLS can be broken. "Anything you can do, I can do better!" the song goes. Given time and energy, any economically viable crypto can be broken. The entire industry is about making time and energy the limiting factor as opposed to the strength of the algorithms themselves. My point was that of the three delivery methods today (tape, DVD, and network), the network delivery is the most secure because it is the most expensive one to defeat. It's far easier and cheaper to buy off the little guy in the trucking firm to substitute the similar-looking package than to get the telco to do your dirty work for you. Or establish yourself AS a telco. (GREAT. There's the next nightmare: low-cost ISP who is really state actor.) Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
On Tue, 27 Mar 2018 17:09:44 +, David Boyes <dbo...@sinenomine.net> wrote: >The HMC DVD in not directly accessible to any operating system as a device >with VM or Linux, and the interface > to it is not a published one. z/VM FTP server has long been able to access the removable media on the HMC. Or an authorized z/VM guest can do it themselves via DIAGNOSE X'2C4' (see CP Programming Services book). But to what end, ultimately? Across the industry, the ubiquitous DVD drive is disappearing. The manufacturers are winding down production. Those devices that need optical media have moved to Blu-Ray. Yet many laptops have neither. Weight. Power. Cost. The most secure delivery of service to z/OS is directly via SMP/E. Corrupted data or MITM interference is automatically detected by the TLS connection. You know the data is coming from IBM and you know it hasn't been tampered with. This story is not finished. Technology will continue to change, risk profiles will continue to change (are the Illuminati or State actors producing 3590 tapes and substituting them?), and so the delivery mechanisms will continue to evolve, just as they have done since the story began. Alan Altmark IBM Systems Lab Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Loading IOCP input file using FTP
On Thu, 22 Mar 2018 06:48:37 +, Gadi Ben-Avi <gad...@malam.com> wrote: >I am trying to load an IOCP input file using FTP. >The operation failed. > >As far as I can see, the only way to do this is using Single Object >Operations. Is this correct? > >I did not see any attempt to access the FTP server. >Ping to the FTP server failed as well. > >What would the source IP be for this operation? The SE's IP address, the HMC's >internal IP address, or the HMC's external IP address. > >The computer is a z13s running HMC 2.13.1 Yes, importing or exporting an IOCP requires Single Object Operations into the SE. When you get there, the task is an FTP client. In the 2.13 level, you have to point it to an FTP server that is VPNed into or otherwise connected to the internal HMC-SE network. At the 2.14 level, the SE will use the HMC as a gateway, obviating the need to break into the HMC-SE private network. Also at the 2.14 level you can choose FTP, FTPS, or SFTP. Alan Altmark IBM Systems Lab Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Cobol EBCDIC to ASCII
On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:35:57 +, Seymour J Metz <sme...@gmu.edu> wrote:
>The problem is not that the term "ASCII" is ambiguous; it isn't. The problem
>is that people don't understand what ASCII is and
> refer to things that aren't ASCII as "ASCII". Code pages like 437, 850 and
> ISO-8859-x aren't ASCII, and if IBM documentation
> refers to them as ACII then that is a disservice to your customers.
>
>There are, however, issues as to how ASCII should be converted to other code
>pages. For example, ASCII defines a broken
> vertical bar, nut it is common to display | as a solid vertical bar. Many
> code pages have both characters, and either choice
> can lead to problems.
At a point in history, "ASCII" and "EBCDIC" meant only one thing, but they have
since evolved. They retained, however, their core DNA. It is to that DNA we
refer when we say their names without qualification. The term "US-ASCII"
refers to the original 7-bit specification adopted by ANSI as X3.4. It is
preserved in IBM code page 367.
The nice thing about ASCII is that all descendants of US-ASCII simply added
characters 128 to 255. The first 128 code points remained untouched. How a
platform displayed the 32 control characters in a non-control context, or the
appearance of undefined code point 0x7f (i.e. in a character generator), was
beyond the scope of the ANSI standard.
EBCDIC, on the other hand, suffered under the strain of trying to maintain
compatibility with its BCD ancestor, the needs of the different programming
languages, a recalcitrant ANSI standards committee, and the limitations of the
hardware at the time ("Thank you, Mr. Hollerith!").
There was apparently an objective that EBCDIC have all the graphics of ASCII
and none that ASCII did not. "Men plan, gods laugh." There were too many
participants at the table and compromises were made that we deal with today.
The equivalence eventually made it into the literature as IBM code page 38.
Right. I don't use it, either.
The book "Coded Character Sets, History and Development" by Charles Mackenzie,
IBM (Addison-Wesley, System Programming Series, 1980) is as fascinating as it
is horrifyingly geeky.
Alan Altmark
IBM
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Re: Cobol EBCDIC to ASCII
On Mon, 19 Feb 2018 14:13:27 -0600, Paul Gilmartin <paulgboul...@aim.com> wrote: >How about USASCII? Is that unambiguously the 7-bit set? > >I've encountered two EBCDIC C implementations. One of them returned "true" if >the EBCDIC character translated to ASCII was a USASCII character. The other >returned :true" simply if the EBCDIC code point was less than 128. Yes, USASCII (US-ASCII) is the original 7-bit code set. >That's *so* 20th century! And 95 is better than 56. And luck had little to >do with it; >it was more lackadaisical design. 7-bit ASCII was extant when EBCDIC was >conceived. >Prudence should have dictated that EBCDIC code points correspinding to those 95 >glyphs be kept invariant. Perhaps, but IBM was trying to provide a proof point for the "International" part of its name. I speculate that it was about reusing the existing character generator implementations in the field and that those were exceedingly stingy in terms of how many glyphs they would display. While that explains things like National Use Characters, it's doesn't explain why code page designers would allow characters with existing assignments to just float around. (dope slap) All influenced by APL, ATMS, Selectrics, print chains, and an apparent lack of coordination. And WHY would you move lower case 'a' to 0x61 when the code point assignments are arbitrary in the post-card reader era to begin with? (baseball bat). "Why, Santy Clause, WHY?" Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Cobol EBCDIC to ASCII
On Sun, 18 Feb 2018 13:59:37 -0600, Paul Gilmartin <paulgboul...@aim.com> wrote:
>I believe "ASCII" can properly be used to refer to the first 128 characters in
>CCSID 819.
>including special characters. Informally, many use "ASCII" to refer to CCSID
>819 or
>other ISO-LATIN code pages.
I've been doing code page and translation table development and analysis since
about 1987. The term "ASCII" is just as ambiguous as "EBCDIC", as without
qualification each term only sets an expectation for the 8-bit encoding of a
somewhat vague set of glyphs.
The original 7-bit ASCII established a full 95-glyph character set that remains
invariant today among all 8-bit ASCII code pages. EBCDIC wasn't quite so
lucky, as it has only 56 invariant characters. It would be 82, but lower case
a-z can vary or be non-existent. If your data is composed of only the 56
common invariant characters, any EBCDIC and ASCII code page will suffice. All
"Latin" EBCDIC code pages will work for lower case a-z.
Here are the common invariant characters.
A-Z
0-9
space
. , + - / * ( ) < > = % : ; _ ? ' " &
If you also have:
@ ! ~ # $ ^ | [ ] { } `
then any ASCII code page will do, but you need to select your EBCDIC code page
carefully.
If you have any other glyph, then both ASCII and EBCDIC code pages must be
selected with care.
Alan Altmark
IBM Lab Services
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Re: Time on one LPAR on CEC
On Mon, 9 Oct 2017 16:31:58 +, Jesse 1 Robinson <jesse1.robin...@sce.com> wrote: >We run all LPARs on UTC with local time managed by STP. However, the LPAR >profile definition screen on HMC includes this: > >Clock Type Assignment >_ Standard time of day >_ Logical partition time offset > >I believe that this option allows an LPAR to run with a (presumably >geographic) offset different from other LPARs on the same >CEC. I thought that the option was intended specifically to allow shops to run >LPARs in support of various business applications > around the world. I have no actual experience here. ;-( Skip, all of the LPARs should be set to UTC with TOD clock offset 0. Using TOD clock offsets is just a way to let you easily test future events today. "I've got this code that supposed to run on April 1st of every year. Will it?" To get a different *timezone* in an LPAR, you use the OS's own timezone support. While you CAN get the tz from the hardware as a default, you don't have to. Alan Altmark IBM Lab Services z/VM and Linux -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: EBCDIC, ASCII, ugh
On Thu, 22 Jun 2017 22:25:21 +, Frank Swarbrick <frank.swarbr...@outlook.com> wrote: > We have a requirement to store some information in an encrypted ASCII file > (that is, it was ASCII prior to being encrypted) > on a distributed platform over which we have no control. We also have a > requirement that we make sure that no data is > lost during transmission. Do you have a requirement to create an encrypted ASCII file? Or do you have a requirement to decrypt and save (store) a clear-text EBCDIC version of such a file? Don't overthink the solution. Just remember that ASCII text files are streams with CRLFs in them, which means the CRLFs are part of the encrypted data. You don't encrypt the LINES of a file and then append CRLFs. (Tempting in EBCDIC systems.) Is the encryption solely for the purpose of file transmission? Or does it need to be encrypted at rest for other reasons? I would be tempted to just use TLS-enabled FTP. TLS ensures that the data is not altered in transmission, so the MD5 is superfluous for that purpose. Alan Altmark IBM Lab Services z/VM and Linux -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Question on SPKA and Control Register 3
On Sat, 17 Dec 2016 23:25:00 -0500, Tony Harminc <t...@harminc.net> wrote: >A problem program must not be (architecturally, not by heuristics) able >to discover that it's running in a virtual machine. This is no longer true. When STLFE (problem state) reports the presence of the store-hypervisor-information facility, you know you are in a virtual machine. Alan Altmark, IBM z/VM Consultant -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Stand-Alone DSS RESTORE with 3584 Library - How??
On Fri, 5 Feb 2016 11:20:16 -0800, Ed Jaffe <edja...@phoenixsoftware.com> wrote:
>The 3584 has numbered SCSI element numbers for every slot, including
>those occupied by the drives themselves. Moving a tape from its current
>location in the library to the correct SCSI element effectively mounts
>it in the drive!!!
>
>If this is documented in the 3584 Operations guide, I never found it. It
>should be CLEARLY documented there as well as in the DSS stand-alone
>restore procedures section under "Using a Tape Library". I will submit
>an RCF to get the z/OS pub updated.
Ed, I don't think it's up to z/OS to document how to move cartridges around in
every tape library, nor appropriate for it to do so. The procedure will vary
with each generation or even model of the hardware. Rather, z/OS should be
very, clear, that you must MANUALLY mount the volume via the tape
library-provided management interface, which may be via a local console, web
browser, or a physical panel on the machine. There is no more "get the tape
and put it in the drive" (under normal circumstances) and all prose that
assumes that should be changed.
What I found confusing in the 3584 book is that it you "move" a tape, you don't
"mount" it. Once I realized what it meant to move a tape, I rapidly honed in
on the right procedure.
I think that the tape library books should all include phrases like
- manual mount ("You perform a manual mount by ...")
- manually mount ("You manually mount or move a tape to a drive by ...")
- manually move
At least in the index.
Finally, most (all?) of the IBM tape library books are horrible (IMO) at
documenting the actual procedure (pull down, select, right click) or showing
mockups of the windows. Unless you are logged into the device and can click
on HELP or the actual buttons, you're going to have problems. You can't
advise someone how to do it without actually doing it since you can't visualize
what's going on! (The z Systems HMC/SE HELP files have made their trek to
Knowledge Center, and life is somewhat better.)
Alan Altmark
IBM
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Re: z/VM "load from dvd or server"
> "Load from Removable Media or Server" - > installation from DVD or ftp server. There is no place to put load > parameters. > Quite speciic scenario, but installation process is possibly older than > "Integrated 3270 Console", so other consoles for that process should be > also an option. The machine has two ways to IPL: 1. The traditional LOAD function -- Choose channel-attached device or a remote SCSI LUN. Uses traditional IPL I/O architecture. 2. Load from Removable Media or Server (LRMS) -- Choose from media-provided pick list. Selected program is loaded into memory and a SYSTEM RESTART is performed. You only use the LOAD FROM REMOVABLE MEDIA OR SERVER (LRMS) function for installation,and that's the only time the integrated 3270 is required. It is z/VM that requires the integrated 3270. As After that, you LOAD the LPAR in the traditional manner. Please note that when using LRMS with an FTP server that the server must be on the HMC-SE LAN segment. That is, the SEs are the machines doing the FTP and the SE must be able to reach the FTP server. Because the HMC will not perform routing, the suggested configuration is for your fave FTP server to have an interface on it with a VPN into the LAN segment used by the HMC & SEs. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/VM "load from dvd or server"
> z/VM Installation Manual says I should first launch Integrated 3270 > console before Load. > Otherwise I get wait state. > > Q: can I use other console instead, for example ICC console? No, you can't use ICC or other console. You must use the integrated 3270, just as the instructions say. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/VM "load from dvd or server"
> Note: HMC-based "Integrated 3270 Console" works fine, however I would > like to use ICC session for some reasons. You can use ICC after the system is installed. Specifying ICC address on LOADPARM will cause SAPL to come up on that device. CONS=addr on the SAPL panel defines where the OPERATOR will be logged on. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Anyone got any ancient DASD manuals?
On Sun, 3 Jan 2016 13:18:00 -0500, Shmuel Metz (Seymour J.) <shmuel+ibm-m...@patriot.net> wrote: >Might one of the manuals in <http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/9370> >tell him what he needs to know? The information on servicing the 9370/9221 DASD subsystem is contained only in the Service Guides, none of which are in that directory. They are also absent from the ES/9000 CD collection (1990), the Hardware Collection CD (1996 and 1998), and the Online Library Starter Kit (1992). If no one is able to assist and the 9345 books won't work, I will contact the IBM Archivist to see if the needed books have been scanned in. It may have already been done as a part of our efforts to support places like the Computer History Museum. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Anyone got any ancient DASD manuals?
On Sun, 3 Jan 2016 16:31:48 +1300, Mike Ross <tmfdm...@gmail.com> wrote: >I have a friend trying to restore a 9370 system and he needs to >re-init the diag track on the disk. This requires entering some >special commands on the keyboard behind the front panel on the drive >controller itself... and he needs IBM 9335-A01 SERVICE GUIDE (probably >SY33-0113, but not sure) to tell him what they are! > >Please check old dusty bookshelves. Any current or former IBM CEs reading this? I'm not a CE, but I do have access to some old 9370 service manuals, though for the 9341/9343/9345 (SY27-7500, SY27-7501), not for the 9335. The one for the 9343/9345 says: 1. Power on the service panel 2. F1=Service Options 3. F4=Utilities 4. F5=Non-Customer tracks reformat But your friend should first run the Verification Test Procedures utility before reformatting the track in order to get needed REFCODEs. These books and the utilities all need that information in order to know what to do. If the verification utility doesn't complete successfully, then there are FRUs that have to be replaced. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Is there a source for detailed, instruction-level performance info?
On Mon, 28 Dec 2015 11:02:15 -0600, Jerry Callen <jcal...@narsil.org> wrote: >I'm not really after detailed timing. I'm looking for implementation details >of the same sort used by compiler writers to guide selection of instruction >sequences, where the guiding principle is, "How can I avoid pipeline stalls?" >As I noted, several SHARE presentations contain SOME of this information, >which I've already benefited from, but I'm looking for more. Just remember that your machine runs more than one thing at a time, and trying to over-engineer a solution may end up being suboptimal. Nice for single-thread performance, but it may be irrelevant in terms of overall throughput. If caches are sufficiently polluted by other LPARs, you may find no advantage. Someday they may even violate the law of causality. Who knows Every processor family has different behaviors. The longevity of the z architecture can be attributed to the fact that we don't get overly carried away trying to teach the machines to sit up and beg. At some point, it's "fast enough" and making it go faster is just an academic exercise. >I'm still hoping that someone will reveal the existence of a document intended >for compiler writers... Folks who participate in PWD may have access to that kind of information -- I don't know. If you participate in Linux GCC development, then you can see what IBM loads upstream for new processors. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Is there a source for detailed, instruction-level performance info?
On Wed, 30 Dec 2015 17:08:26 -0600, Jerry Callen <jcal...@narsil.org> wrote: >Bob Rogers (no longer at IBM...) Bob rejoined IBM a while back, working in z/VM. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Machine Types and Architecture Levels
On Sat, 28 Nov 2015 09:17:01 -0800, Charles Mills <charl...@mcn.org> wrote: >I am dealing with future machines by assuming that anything not in my table >is of an architecture level higher than those I know about. For my >application this is a safe assumption. The problem you have is that the premise is false. A machine type can be thought of as a point-in-time collection of architectural features, whose existence is surfaced by the STFL and STFLE instructions. At GA2 we often add new features, so a table would have to look at "GA1" and "GA2". While it is rare for things to be removed from the architecture, it does happen (the old Vector facility). And there are even functions in the system that allow a concurrent MCL to signal the addition or deletion of a feature. >VM does not generally alter the problem instruction set of a guest, right, >nor change the machine type number? (I recall that one can change the serial >number.) If VM is running on a z196, every guest sees a machine type of >2817, correct? VM neither adds store on condition to a machine that does not >support it at the hardware level, nor deletes it from a machine that does? In general, this is not true. z/VM masks off the features reported by STFL and STFLE such that the guest sees only those that are supported by both the processor and z/VM (for guest exploitation). Further, in a Single System Image cluster, relocation domains can cause a guest on z13, say, to see only the features and functions of a z12 or z196/114, a fencing mechanism enforced by the Interpretive Execution Facility. The guest will see a machine type of a z12 rather than that of the physical CPU it is running on. z/VM also adds architecture, as demonstrated by the STORE HYPERVISOR INFORMATION (STHYI) instruction, represented by a STFLE bit, the IUCV instruction (hi-order byte of Processor ID = FF) and different set of DIAGNOSE subfunctions (again, from STIDP[0] = FF). Alan Altmark z/VM Consultant -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: I just bought an IBM z890
On Fri, 6 Nov 2015 14:55:28 -0500, Connor Krukosky <conn...@connorsdomain.com>
wrote:
>Hi I'm new to the list, was pointed here by someone because I need some
>help using the HMC on the z890 to get an LPAR setup to boot via FTP.
>I bought this machine for $237 :)
>It wasn't fun to get into the basement but its here now.
>http://imgur.com/a/5uWit
>I have gotten it to power on and 'power-on reset' but that's about as
>far as I've gotten.
>I also have to reconfigure the I/O because a pair of I/O modules where
>damaged because the heat-sinks fell off when removing them and they
>damaged some chips while removing them.
>Any help would be appreciated :)
Congratulations, Connor. You now belong to a very select club of people who
have a mainframe in their home. :-)
I understand that you want to run Linux. Good, because it's the only free OS
you can get that will run on that box. The MVS 3.8 that people talk about
won't, since it's a S/370 architecture OS and the z890 is ESA/390 and
z/Architecture only.
Your box comes with three types of integrated consoles, one of each per
partition you create: line mode ("Operating system messages"), 3270, and
native ASCII. All of them work with Linux, but I suspect you'll like the
ASCII console the best. These console are not devices in the traditional
sense and are not defined in your IOCP. They're more like services, rather
than devices.
A z/Architecture Linux DVD can be placed in the DVD drive on the HMC, or you
can load the files to an FTP server, and boot from either location.
You will need to change your I/O configuration (IOCP) to reconfigure your fibre
channel adapters to be FCP instead of FICON. Linux will also be looking for a
network adapter (Open Systems Adapter, OSA).
Congrats, again! We're all pulling for you!
Alan Altmark
IBM
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Re: [IBMTCP-L] IP via CTC (MPCPTP) between CECs?
On Wednesday, 01/21/2015 at 06:26 EST, Mark Regan netsfw_sysp...@yahoo.com wrote: I have six sandbox LPARS that are located on two different CECs. Three on one and three on the other. Each of the three only have one 10GbE OSA to use as we don't want them to share an OSA with prod or test/dev. From looking at the manuals it looks like I could set up CTC/MPCPTP connection between the two CECs, if we have any spare FICON channels to use that is. I need to check on that with our hardware guy. What I'm wanting to do is to provide an alternate way into the sandbox LPARs on a CEC if they were to lose there single OSA connection for some reason. Then use OSPF routing to route the connection destined to the CEC with the down OSA, in through the OSA on the other CEC and then over the CTC connection. Is it doable and are there any issues to look out for? Since it is a sandbox env, there will not be much traffic over the CTC if that scenario were to happen. Yes, you can do that. For best results, make sure the IP addresses on the CTC connection are in a separate /30 subnet. Alan Altmark Senior Managing z/VM and Linux Consultant Lab Services System z Delivery Practice IBM Systems Technology Group ibm.com/systems/services/labservices office: 607.429.3323 mobile; 607.321.7556 alan_altm...@us.ibm.com IBM Endicott -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Slushware
On Sun, 28 Dec 2014 05:55:09 -0800, Phil Smith p...@voltage.com wrote: Alan, by that definition, none of us have ever applied a microcode patch. Yet I remember distinctly doing so (box after box of 1.44MB floppies!). So either IBM has changed the meaning of the term, which doesn't quite make sense, or I was hallucinating. Plus I'm not sure what the distinction would be between microcode and the actual raw chip instruction set in this case?! Technically, microcode is what decodes instructions, puts data on the buses, moves data into and out of registers, and turns the logic gates on and off. It need have no similarity to what you read in a programming reference. When we first started using the word microcode I believe it was correct. Then we split the microcode into a burned-in part and a loadable part, so the word came to mean reloadable microcode. Feh. It was no longer really microcode, but there wasn't a term for what it was. So we introduced the term millicode. As the CPU architecture got more and more complex and functionally rich, microcode was left to flounder with no clear meaning. So today we have firmware that is an accretion of all of the things that can be changed without replacing parts, millicode to identify the firmware that implements the architecture, and microcode to mean everything that isn't millicode. Yet you never hear millicode being applied to storage controllers or other parts outside of the processor. And you know as well as I do that they aren't replacing microcode on the processor chips. They're replacing the OS and the applications that use them. But we continue to call it microcode. The joke's on us If you try to create clear-cut definitions of the terms, you will be frustrated. It's best to go read what Humpty Dumpty has to say to Alice about the meaning of words. When I hear them, I wait for context to surface and then just say to myself, Oh. THAT part of The System. :-) Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Slushware
On Sat, 27 Dec 2014 09:17:20 -0800, Phil Smith p...@voltage.com wrote: This is fun. I'm not sure modern machines are both microcoded AND millicoded-I thought millicode was just another form of microcode. Am I wrong? Sure. Millicode sits between your program and the machine's native instruction set. It is part of the firmware, meaning it can be changed. It primarily intercepts any non-native instruction and breaks it down into a sequence of native instructions or redirects that data to another processor. Microcode is burned into the CPUs, being the on-chip logic that actually runs the native instruction set. In rare cases millicode may intercept a native instruction and re-implement it, such as might be done if an error is found in microcode or chip design too late or too expensive to fix. A z/Architecture instruction may shift from millicode to native and back several times over its life as the underlying chip design changes. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: publibz-infocenter-knowledgecenter
On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 20:33:06 -0500, Mike Shaw techsupp...@quickref.com wrote: Knowledge Center is IT from now on, boys and girls. We're not happy about it either. There are a lot of bytes still to go under the bridge. What has happened is some sort of culture shift in the way people (younger than me) *want* to get information. The Knowledge Center (KC) makes some attempt to organize information into task-oriented groupings. The problem is that books themselves aren't really structured (yet) to take advantage of it. Most (System z) manuals are replete with headers to help the reader find and follow the information trail. And those are tied to running headings and footings to make flipping through a book easier. (I find that I still use them when flipping pages in a PDF.) And the books were arranged by topic, not task or discipline. But it all has to go. BookManager drove me crazy with all the hierarchical relationships and little 2-sentence pages. G!!!. But it showed perfectly how the document was structured. (Eeee! Bad word!) Those same structures are still with us in an environment where you shouldn't have keep clicking or paging (NEXT PREV) to find the info. So KC gets us part of way there, but the books themselves inhibit true success. It makes me think that the next generation of information writers will simply use Wiki-style updates with tags to indicate what type of information it is. Then the Knowledge Vortex will pull it in and shuffle it into all the venues those tags mandate. How we get the well-organized books we have come to know like the backs of our hands out of that is yet to be seen. The KC isn't a library of books. It's a compendium of factoids. And that's what's making everyone (myself included) a bit off balance. I don't do well with Facebook, either. Or IBM Connections. It reminds me of when I learned LISP, a non-procedural language. My mind had difficulty with the concept, not the language itself. New tricks! Arf! Arf! -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Z/VM migrate from CKD to FBA
On Tue, 29 Jul 2014 10:30:55 -0500, Mike Schwab mike.a.sch...@gmail.com wrote: On CKD, z/VM formats it with Fixed length blocks. Should be able to ICKDSF the new volume then Backup the old volume and restore to the new volume, or use a move command. While that would be nice, if true, it's wrong. In many cases the z/VM data has a different organization when on FBA. Some of the data must be logically copied at a filesystem level (e.g. CMS files), others must be re-created (CP-owned volumes). In fact, z/VM itself has to be reinstalled so that you get the FBA minidisk layouts. The RACF database requires special care, too. And the non-CMS guests themselves have to copy their data, too. Converting storage architectures is a non-trivial exercise. It can be done, but not by brute force. We continue to recommend that z/VM and guest data that is classified as slow growth continue to reside on ECKD. Fast-growth data such as databases should be on native SCSI, not FBA simulation on SCSI. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z10 IPL from Utility Tape
On Thu, 8 May 2014 12:54:04 -0500, Alan Altmark alan_altm...@us.ibm.com wrote: If the IPLable utility tape was created on a labeled tape, then it isn't going to work and you have no choice but to IPL the installation media. (A power outage isn't going to affect a tape that's not in a drive.) A small lie. If you keep IPLing from the same tape, the drive will move past the tape marks and the program can load. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z10 IPL from Utility Tape
On Wed, 7 May 2014 20:05:58 -0400, Ed Finnell efinnel...@aol.com wrote: Think the key is get a working VM system by whatever means available. From there validate IO config. The only z/VM things you can IPL from tape are a z/VM installation tape, IOCP, ICKDSF, DDR, and standalone dump. Tape volumes created by DDR are not IPLable unless you go through a specific process to place DDR on the front of the tape. You can also IPL the z/VM installation DVD and use the starter system. If the IPLable utility tape was created on a labeled tape, then it isn't going to work and you have no choice but to IPL the installation media. (A power outage isn't going to affect a tape that's not in a drive.) The thing about recovery procedures is that you need to test them before you need them! Alan Altmark IBM Lab Services z/VM Consultant -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OS 1.9 under z/VM 6.3 on zBC12
On Sun, 23 Feb 2014 23:52:01 -0600, Brian Westerman brian_wester...@syzygyinc.com wrote: The short answer is yes. And you don't need to get the extended end of life updates for z/os 1.9 to do it. I always worry about such short answers. :-) The last machine z/OS 1.9 supported was the z196/z114. Since is was never supported on the zEC12 or zBC12, there is no assurance that it will operate correctly. (And even if you extended the life on z/OS 1.9, you wouldn't get support for zEC12 or zBC12.) From a z/VM perspective, z/VM 6.1 was the last release to support z/OS 1.9 guests. In general, z/VM does not hide the processor architecture (including Crypto-Express) from the guest. Where the guest *does* get some relief is in the I/O space since you can use virtual devices or expose the guest only to devices it understands. So you can do anything you like with whatever operating systems you wish. Whether you should build a business dependency on that choice is another matter entirely. And as a gentle reminder, I see that general support for z/OS 1.12 ends in September of this year. Regards, Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: IBM getting out of the Ed business?
On Sat, 20 Jul 2013 23:26:36 -0500, Ed Gould edgould1...@comcast.net wrote: Big Blue cedes software and systems training biz to partners http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2013/07/16/ ibm_software_systems_training_channel/ *IF* this is true... is Z/os may not be far behind. Eh? What do you mean by z/OS may not be far behind.? The introduction of IBM Global Training Partners will provide clients with more options and opportunities to receive IBM-authorized training. Please watch the videos at http://www.ibm.com/training/us?lnk=ushpcs2 Alan Altmark Sr. Managing z/VM and Linux Consultant IBM Lab Services and Training -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OS v2.1 preview
On Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:21:15 -0500, John Eells ee...@us.ibm.com wrote: It's definitely NOT limited to z/OS, but we commonly make announcements related to z/OS platform software delivery in the z/OS announcements to avoid the overhead of separate software delivery announcements. Also, some of the things that are affected by the change cannot have their own announcements because of how our announcement system works, and the z/OS announcements seem the best place to reach the widest audience. Unfortunately this information did not make it into the z/VM V6.3 Preview announcement. As you say, it applies to all System z software delivery, not just z/OS. Alan Altmark Senior Managing z/VM and Linux Consultant IBM STG Lab Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OS v2.1 preview
On Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:15:53 -0600, Alan Altmark alan_altm...@us.ibm.com wrote: Unfortunately this information did not make it into the z/VM V6.3 Preview announcement. As you say, it applies to all System z software delivery, not just z/OS. I realized that this could be misconstrued. While at some point this transition will occur on all platforms, they won't all be affected at the same time. The implementation dates given in the z/OS Preview apply only to z/OS software deliver. Alan Altmark Senior Managing z/VM and Linux Consultant IBM STG Lab Services -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: LOAD from ... SERVER option?
On Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:54:41 +, Lund James E james-l...@tamu.edu wrote: I have been looking into the LOAD from Removable Media or Server option available for remotely using these utilities, but, for lack of documentation, I'm unable to get the environment setup properly. Has anyone had success using an FTP server as a LOAD source? I do have a PMH opened with IBM (15964,004). They are telling me my SEs need to be on the same network as the locally-accessible FTP server (we're not comfortable doing this and were under the impression it was a *bad* thing to do). We are looking for a better explanation, or even a better method to manage these utilities. Too bad the books don't explain this well. The SE and the FTP server must be able to talk to each other, but they do NOT have to be in the same subnet (local network). As long as you assign valid public IP addresses (i.e. for your intranet) and set the SE network configuration to point to a router that is plugged into your HMC-SE network, you can load from an FTP server anywhere in your network. I would suggest that you use the firewall functions of that router to allow only outbound TCP connections from the SE, as the SE uses passive ftp. Of course, if you have an application firewall, it will handle active and passive ftp, opening the needed ports on demand, in the correct directions. Alan Altmark IBM Senior Managing System z IT Consultant -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Searching for storage (DASD) alternatives
On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:26:58 -0500, Shmuel Metz (Seymour J.) shmuel+...@patriot.net wrote: The original code base precedes FBA. Once they added FBA most of the work was done for FCP SCSI. I'm not sure what you're saying. MVS, VM, and VSE code bases *all* precede the invention of channel-attached FBA. They weren't engineered for use by MVS (e.g. originally no RESERVE/RELEASE), but it didn't matter since MVS wasn't engineered to accept device geometries that weren't based on (CYL, TRK, REC) addressing and allocation units. The CMS and CP file systems are based on fixed-size blocks, hiding the device geometry. Further, all usage by CP and CMS is on cylinder boundaries. So from both an application and dasd management perspective, FBA didn't present a huge problem for the people and programs involved. But adding SCSI device drivers was a Big Deal, requiring a lot of heavy lifting, and introducing a lot of new configuration and terminology (WWPN, LUN, NPIV) into the host OS. In VM, you either give the guest direct access to an HBA and let the guest talk to the device, or you use EDEVICEs, wherein CP will emulate FBA minidisks on SCSI LUNs. More interesting, I think, are the cultural barriers to SCSI, particularly with z/OS. When you use SCSI, you (the sysprog) typically don't own or manage the storage. It isn't typically directly plugged into your z box, but is part of a storage area network (SAN) with its own connectivity, performance, security, and recovery technologies (e.g. no IOP-managed multipathing) and management endpoints. You are beholden to and dependent on other admins in other lines of management. I have to say that this doesn't sit will with many mainframe shops that have been bastions of glass-house self-sufficiency for generations. And the consultants have to scramble, too, since all the rules of thumb change. Folks like to look for cheaper dasd, and I don't blame them, but I have to say 'be careful what you wish for.' :-) Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z10/zVM DS6800 Problem
On Mon, 31 Dec 2012 09:16:10 -0600, Karl Severson karl_j_sever...@raytheon.com wrote: Our support team came up with a question having to do with licenses. Is there a license that identifies the SM PC to the z10 during the IML or IPL process? We reckoned that perhaps SM was allowed to boot up only so far so as to be able to be initially configured but when the time comes to actually IPL the mainframe there had to be a handshake between the SM and the DS6800 in order for the disk array to be seen by the z10 thereby allowing the IPL to proceed. Either that or we're still missing something that is in the original configuration file on our SM PC that isn't on the one at the customer site. Karl, 'm not a DS6800 expert, but I can tell you that the SM PC does not have to be identified to the z10, as the z10 doesn't talk to it. If it is a FICON attachment (vs. FC), then you will need to have activated the FICON Attachment feature on the controller and the usual FICON configuration tasks are needed. In particular, it means you need to have used the SM to configure the FICON ports on the controller. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Usefullness (or not) of STOC/LOC instructions?
On Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:21:05 -0800, Charles Mills charl...@mcn.org wrote: LOL. Ain't it the truth! Possibly even too much bother to explain to the tech writers or I don't have a precise enough logical grasp of it to translate its operation into English sentences. The Architects write the POO. They write what they mean and they mean what they write. They have to, since it is the specification to which the Engineers must conform. They do, on occasion, provide some guidance to the Engineers that can help reduce construction costs. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Usefullness (or not) of STOC/LOC instructions?
On Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:39:56 -0500, John Gilmore jwgli...@gmail.com wrote: I must, however, add that unpredictable is sometimes in some IBM publications used as a polite euphemism for It's too complicated to explain here, and you wouldn't understand anyway. In my 30 years of creating, documenting, and using IBM APIs, I have never seen such usage. For a particular implementation, results are determinate and predictable to the engineers of the implementation. But between two different implementations, the results may be different. Consequently, the programmer may *observe* a particular behavior, but they should not attempt to *predict* any particular behavior, as the engineers are not obligated to maintain any particular result. The POO says [p.1-29] that compatibility is maintained (defined as 'identical results') as long as the program, among other things, does not depend on results or functions that are defined to be unpredictable or model-dependent or are identified as undefined. This includes the requirement that the program should not depend on the assignment of device numbers and CPU addresses. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Usefullness (or not) of STOC/LOC instructions?
On Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:35:22 -0500, Tony Harminc t...@harminc.net wrote: It would be unforgivable if the architects baked in I'm sure this was going to say something interesting... Of course! Everything I say is interesting! (To me, anyway!) :-) I was going to say that it would be unforgivable if the architects baked a specific implementation into the architecture, as it would undermine a half century of effort. They are very experienced at knowing when to use a fine-point pen vs. a broad brush. Alan Altmark IBM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
