SPARTA News May 2006

May 2006

SPARTA President’s Corner

by Brad Carson

May is here and we are still on a roller coaster ride with the weather. Do you keep the heat on or switch to AC? It changes from day to day, but it looks like the drought has eased up some. I'm finally able to wash my cars in the driveway for the first time since last October.

IBM has announced the follow-on to the z/890 hardware as well as an update/rename for the z9-109 hardware. For the z/890 the new hardware is the z9 BC (I like those initials), BC stands for Business Class and it can have up to 4 standard CPs and up to 4 specialty CPs (ICF, IFL, zAAP, and zIIP). For the z9-109 it is now known as the z9 EC for Enterprise Class and can still mix and match up to 54 CPs. Also announced were 4 GB FICON connections, but you'll have to wait a little bit to have some DASD that have 4GB interfaces.

At DHTS we are planning for the first production IPL since we've placed our z/890 into production in January. Because we need to reconfigure our lpars in order to handle DR for the university, this IPL was scheduled. Our DBA's were glad for this since they wanted put some new DB2 maintenance into production. I was also happy for this so that I can get our last three ICF catalogs that have the IMBED and REPLICATE attributes rebuilt without them. Looks like a fun night on the 20th.

Over at DDA we are planning for the upgrade to z/OS 1.7 and all the associated software that comes with the application developer's suite. Looks like CICS goes to V3.1 which will take a little work but everything else should just drop in. Usually my biggest headache is getting all the TSO tools running the way DDA expects them to. We'll see how this goes.

This month our speaker will be Jim Ott from Triangle Systems to talk to us about latest and greatest happenings with IOF. I look forward to seeing you all at LabCorp on the 23rd.

P.S. Chicken, drinks, and dessert will be provided.


Special Meeting Date for May - Tuesday, May 23, 2006!


Future Speakers
(subject to change)

May 23 - IOF from Triangle Systems
June 27 - RACF Update by IBM

We need ideas and volunteers for future speakers. Presentations don’t have to be fancy, just informative and interesting. Even a 5 or 10 minute talk can start an interesting interaction. Contact Ron Pimblett by phone as noted below.

2005-2006 SPARTA
Board of Directors

Brad Carson - President
Duke Health Technology Solutions 919-668-0545
2424 Ervin Road, Suite 9000
Durham, NC 27710

Ron Pimblett - Vice President
Dignus, LLC 919-676-0847
8354 Six Forks Road
Raleigh, NC 27615

Mike Lockey - Secretary
Guilford Co. Information Services 336-641-6235
201 N. Eugene St.
Greensboro, NC 27401

Tommy Thomas - Treasurer
LabCorp 336-436-4178
231 Maple Ave, Koury Ctr 3rd Fl. 919-361-7267
Burlington, NC 27215

Ed Webb - Communications Director
SAS Institute 919-531-4162
SAS Campus Drive
Cary, NC 27513

Meetings

Meetings are scheduled for the last Tuesday evening of each month (except no meeting in December), with optional dinner at 6:15 p.m. and the meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m.

These monthly meetings usually are held at LabCorp’s Center for Molecular Biology and Pathology (CMBP) near the Research Triangle Park (see last page). Take I-40 to Miami Boulevard and go north. Turn right onto Alexander Drive. Go about a mile or so. Then turn right into LabCorp complex and turn Left to the CMBP Building. In the lobby, sign in as a visitor to see Tommy Thomas. Tommy will escort you to the conference room.

Call for Articles

If you have any ideas for speakers, presentations, newsletter articles, or are interested in taking part in a presentation, PLEASE contact one of the Board of Directors with your suggestions.

Newsletter e-Mailings

The SPARTA policy is to e-mail a monthly notice to our SPARTA-L Group. The newsletter is posted to the website about five (5) days before each meeting so you can prepare. The SPARTA-L Group is maintained by Mike Lockey at (336) 641-6235; if you have corrections or problems receiving your meeting notice, contact Mike.

February 2006 CBT Tape Online

The directory and files from the latest CBT tape V471 (dated February 28, 2006) are available from www.cbttape.org.

If you need help obtaining one or more files, contact Brad Carson at Duke Health or Ed Webb at SAS (see Board of Director’s list for contact info).

Minutes of the April 25th, 2006 Meeting

•Meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Brad Carson, the Chapter President.

•Eleven (11) people were present; nine (9) were members.

•Everyone in the room introduced themselves, told where they worked, and briefly described their job function.

•The minutes of March 2006 meeting were accepted as published in the April 2006 newsletter.

•Tommy Thomas, the Chapter Treasurer, gave the Treasurer's report. As of April 11, 2006, the balance is $1591.58. Motion was made and approved to accept the Treasurer's Report as published in the April 2006 newsletter.

OLD BUSINESS

•Articles are needed for this newsletter. If you would like to write an article for this newsletter, please contact Ed Webb. Keep in mind that you don't really need to write the article; it can be an article that you read that you would like to share with the membership.

•The SPARTA Web site is available. To access the SPARTA Web site, point your Web browser to this URL: http://www.spartanc.org. Please send any comments or suggestions about the Web site to Mike Lockey. Be sure to check the site every once in a while to see any new or changed information.

•Brad Carson reminded everyone to keep the conference room clean.


NEW BUSINESS

•Future Speakers and Topics:
(subject to change)

May 2006 IOF Update by Jim Ott of Triangle Systems
June 2006 RACF by Mark Nelson of IBM

•Future Topics and Possible Sources
SOA Software for z/OS by Relativity Technologies
Tivoli
Computer Associates

If you have suggestions about speakers and topics, contact Ron Pimblett.

•The May 23rd 2006 SPARTA meeting will be held at LabCorp in RTP. This date is earlier than usual because of Memorial Day.

•Food for the May meeting will be chicken, drinks and dessert

•It is time to pay your annual dues. Annual dues are $20 and should be given to Tommy Thomas.

•Brad Carson stated that there is no need for a Nominations Committee because the current Board of Directors decided to run for re-election this year. However, if you’re are interested in a position on the SPARTA of Directors, see Brad Carson.

•Thanks to Tommy Thomas of LabCorp for hosting the meeting.

•The business portion of the meeting ended at 8:08 p.m.

•Dan Cody, VP of Visara International presented an overview of Visara and its products.
Dan's presentation covered:
Visara company overview and sample customers
Product offerings:
Mainframe Console Solutions and Console Management
Communications Servers
SSL 1000 Security Appliance
Midrange (AS/400, iSeries) Console Solutions
Displays and Consoles
Visara SCON Console Concentrator features and benefits
StorageTek LMU support
Remote Console Management scenarios
Comparisons to IBM 3174-22L and 2074

Dan also distributed a generous supply Visara branded gifts.

•The meeting ended at 9:30 p.m.

Treasurer’s Report for May 2006

contributed by Tommy Thomas

The balance in the account is $ 1536.58 as of May 16, 2006.

Financial Report
3/01/2006 through 05/16/2006

Items of Interest

SPARTA Schedule and Menu for 2006

contributed by Tommy Thomas and Chris Blackshire

May 23 - Chicken
June 27 - Subs
July 25 - BarBQ
Aug. 29 - Pizza
Sept. 26 - Chicken
Oct. 31 - Subs
Nov. 28 - BarBQ


Hercules, Son of Z’s

contributed by Ron Pimblett

In Greek Mythology, Heracles, whom the Romans called Hercules, was the son of Zeus. In computing, Hercules, which everyone calls Hercules, is an open source mainframe emulator that in its current imitates even the most recent model, the Z9. Hercules comes in versions that run under Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows with Cygwin. Hercules doesn't provide all the I/O found on a real mainframe, but (with limitations) it can provide virtual mainframe disk drives, it can read and write mainframe tape, and it can talk to mainframe terminals. ....

The very existence of the Hercules movement is a nightmare for Fundamental Software, whose Flex-ES emulation environment is approved by IBM for restricted commercial use and also for much broader use by software developers. But a Flex box that can deliver 50 MIPS or more costs about as much as a z890 with comparable power. In fact, if a z890 buyer can grab all the benefits of IBM's most favorable deals and get a business partner to live with modest hardware profits, these days a zSeries system plus Shark storage can actually be cheaper than a Flex, even though the Flex emulator runs on an IBM xSeries server that when naked costs peanuts compared to the basic z890 box. This is because in many cases there are discounts to IBM resellers of more than 32 percent on the z890 plus arrangements under which software costs on a mainframe that is to be replaced are capped for three years. The z890 is likely to have some residual value after three years, perhaps 10 to 20 percent of list, while the Flex license cannot be resold....

Read the entire article at http://www.tech-news.com/another/ap200601b.html


z9 Enterprise and Business Class replacing z9-109 and z890

contributed by Ed Webb

106287 IBM System z9 Business Class -- z9 technology innovation for small and medium enterprises http://www.ibm.com/isource/cgi-bin/goto?it=usa_annred&on=106-287

106293 IBM System z9 Enterprise Class: A security-rich, resilient and scalable mainframe for managing on demand infrastructures
http://www.ibm.com/isource/cgi-bin/goto?it=usa_annred&on=106-293

Humor


Learn Chinese in Five Minutes

contributed by Chris Blackshire

Read Out Loud

English Chinese

That's not right Sum Ting Wong

Are you harboring ! a fugitive? Hu Yu Hai Ding

See me ASAP Kum Hia Nao

Stupid Man Dum Fuk

Small Horse Tai Ni Po Ni

Did you go to the beach? Wai Yu So Tan

I bumped into a coffee table Ai Bang Mai Fu Kin Ni

I think you need a face lift Chin Tu Fat

It's very dark in here Wai So Dim

I thought you were on a diet Wai Yu Mun Ching

This is a tow away zone No Pah King

Our meeting is scheduled for next week Wai Yu Kum Nao

Staying out of sight Lei Ying Lo

He's cleaning his automobile Wa Shing Ka

Your body odor is offensive Yu Stin Ki Pu

Great Fa Kin Su Pa


Tree Types and You

contributed by Chris Blackshire

Find your birthday and then find your tree. This is really cool and somewhat accurate.

Find your tree below and see what you are like. Each tree is explained.

Jan 01 to Jan 11 - Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24 - Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03 - Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08 - Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18 - Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28 - Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10 - Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20 - Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only) - Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31 - Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10 - Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20 - Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30 - Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14 - Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24 - Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03 - Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13 - Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23 - Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only) - Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04 - Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14 - Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25 - Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04 - Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13 - Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23 - Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02 - Pine Tree
Sep 03 to Sep 12 - Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22 - Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only) - Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03 - Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13 - Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23 - Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11 - Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21 - Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01 - Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11 - Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21 - Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only) - Beech Tree
Dec 23 to Jan 01 - Apple Tree

TREES (in alphabetical order)

Apple Tree (Love) -- quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, and attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous, sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner.

Ash Tree (Ambition) -- extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented,, likes to play with fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money rules over the heart, demands attention, needs love and much emotional support.

Beech Tree (Creative) -- has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.).

Birch Tree (Inspiration) -- vivacious, attractive, elegant,friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

Cedar Tree (Confidence) -- of rare strength, knows how to adapt, likes unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

Chestnut Tree (Honesty) -- of unusual stature, impressive, Well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.

Cypress Tree (Faithfulness) -- strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give but doesn't necessarily like it, strives to be content, optimistic, wants to be financially independent, wants love and affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be
satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to gain knowledge, needs to be needed.

Elm Tree (Noble-mindedness) -- pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

Fig Tree (Sensibility) -- very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest, loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when wants to be, loves life and friends, enjoys children and animals, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great intelligence.

Fir tree (Mysterious) -- extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others, yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable.

Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary) -- charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a
lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.

Hornbeam Tree (Good Taste) -- of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.

Lime Tree (Doubt) - intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones, hates fighting and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough, but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices for family and friends, has many talents but not always enough time to use them, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely loyal.

Maple Tree (Independence of Mind) -- no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

Oak Tree (Brave) -- robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.

Olive Tree (Wisdom) -- loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

Pine Tree (Peacemaker) -- loves agreeable company, craves peace and harmony, loves to help others, active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if betrayed or lied to, emotionally soft, low self esteem, needs affection and reassurance.

Poplar Tree (Uncertainty) -- looks very decorative, talented, not very self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, great artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

Rowan Tree (Sensitivity) -- full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even
complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

Walnut Tree (Passion) -- unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.

Weeping Willow (Melancholy) - likes to be stress free, loves family life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic places, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition, suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves to make others laugh .


Too Funny

contributed by Chris Blackshire

Two doctors opened an office in a small town and put up a sign reading: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones -- Psychiatry and Proctology."

The town council was not happy with the sign, so the doctors changed it to "Hysterias and Posteriors."

This was not acceptable either, so in an effort to satisfy the council they changed the sign to "Schizoids and Hemorrhoids."
No go.

Next, they tried "Catatonics and High Colonics."
The town council turned thumbs down again.

Then came "Manic Depressives and Anal Retentives."
Still no good.

Another attempt resulted in "Minds and Behinds."
Unacceptable again.

So they tried "Lost Souls and Butt Holes."
No way.

"Analysis and Anal Cysts?"
Nope.

"Nuts and Butts?"
Uh uh.

"Freaks and Cheeks?"
Still no go.

"Loons and Moons?"
Forget it.

Almost at their wit's end, the doctors finally came up with: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones -- Odds and Ends."

Everyone loved it!!

Membership Information

Don’t Forget the Next SPARTA Meeting

Special Meeting Date:
Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Location: LabCorp in the RTP

Take I-40 to Miami Boulevard and go north. Turn right onto Alexander Drive. Go about a mile or so. Then turn right into LabCorp complex and turn left to the CMBP Building. In the lobby, sign in as a visitor to see Tommy Thomas. Tommy will escort you to the conference room.

Free Food: Chicken, Drinks, Dessert

Program:

What’s New in IOF

Speaker:

Jim Ott of Triangle Systems

SPARTA News
P.O. Box 13194
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3194



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