SPARTA News September 2006

September 2006

SPARTA President’s Corner

by Brad Carson

It's September and I've been on the new job a little over three weeks. I have to tell you they have been three very busy weeks. The second day at work and they come through with a Reduction In Force (RIF). We lost our Director and a really good Tivoli person, then on the following Friday my DB2 system programmer left. So if any of you know of a DB2 system programmer who is looking for work please contact me.

On Monday, September 11th, we took a network hit that made all LPARs on the system in RTP unreachable. We are using static VIPA and OMPROUTE to control load balancing across two OSA-Express cards. On reviewing the configurations I found a few errors and made suggestions for changes. Then to verify our changes I called in a favor from a friend at GSK (no, it wasn't John Bryant ;-)) who handles their network configurations. While that was being reviewed, IBM informed us that there was a microcode update (drop 27A) that would update the code for OSA-Express and OSA-Express2 cards. We were able to schedule time on the 17th to implement the configuration changes and get the microcode installed, and I must say that our network interfaces are behaving much better now. We were also able to test and validate load balancing and path fail-over with no problems.

Since I've begun my new duties at LabCorp, I've had to cut back on the work I was doing for DDA. I am now down to an as needed basis for them. I still connect up once a week to check the health of their Flex box and read my e-mail from them. The next big issue for DDA will be an OS upgrade once z/OS 1.8 is release for the ADCD users. I expect that early next year.

This month our speaker will be Mark Nelson from IBM to give us an update on RACF. To accommodate Mark's remote web-based presentation we are holding our meeting at SAS in Cary. Please check the newsletter for directions to SAS. I look forward to seeing you all in Cary on the 26th.

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


Future Speakers
(subject to change)

Sept. 26 - RACF Update by Mark Nelson of IBM (Special Location: SAS Education Center in Cary)
Oct. 31 - Relativity product

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.

2006-2007 SPARTA
Board of Directors

Brad Carson - President
LabCorp 336-436-8294

Burlington, NC 27215

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 August 29th, 2006 Meeting

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

•Eleven (11) people were present; all were members.

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

•The minutes of July 2006 meeting were accepted as published in the August 2006 newsletter.

•Tommy Thomas, the Chapter Treasurer, gave the Treasurer's report. As of August 15, 2006, the balance is $1580.50. Motion was made and approved to accept the Treasurer's Report as published in the August 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)

September 2006 RACF by Mark Nelson of IBM

October 2006 Relativity products

November 2006 CMG paper from Jim Horne of Lowes

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

•The September SPARTA meeting will be held at the SAS Education Center in Cary.

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

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

•The business portion of the meeting ended at 8:10 p.m.

•Duane Reaugh of DTS software and Brad Carson of DHTS spoke about the recent SHARE conference in Baltimore.

•Duane spoke about the following topics:

MVS Opening

z/OS Service and APARS

z/OS DFSMS 1.8

MIDAWS (Modified Indirect Data Address Words)

Dead CIs

VSAM Load - NIS vs. SIS

Normal Insertion Strategy

Sequential Insertion Strategy

•Brad spoke about the following topics:

Expectations

Attended Session summary

Key information learned

What we can or should do

Thoughts and comments

Handout information

•The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.

Treasurer’s Report for September 2006

contributed by Tommy Thomas

The balance in the account is $ 1540.65 as of September 17, 2006.

Financial Report
3/01/2006 through 09/17/2006

Items of Interest

SPARTA Schedule and Menu for 2006

contributed by Tommy Thomas and Chris Blackshire

Sept. 26 - Chicken
Oct. 31 - Subs
Nov. 28 - BarBQ

Southern CMG Meets in Raleigh in late October

contributed by Ed Webb

Early registration is open for the next Southern CMG meeting on Oct. 27 at First Citizens Operations Center in Raleigh. Here’s the details:

http://regions.cmg.org/regions/scmg/fall_06/raleigh/meeting_10_27_06.htm


Twenty Mainframe Myths to Reconsider ... and Abandon

Recommended by Mike Lockey

(Excerpted with permission from The Clipper Group Captain's Log dated May 23, 2006, entitled "Mainframe Mythologies Live On - Setting the Record Straight", available at http://www.clipper.com/research/TCG2006038.pdf. Copyright (c) 2006, The Clipper Group, Inc. All rights reserved.)

20 Myths to Reconsider … and Abandon
One of the nice things about labeling something as a myth is that the reader knows where the author stands. If it is a myth, it is – by definition ? not true, but commonly believed to be true. So, here are many of my favorite mainframe myths, which keep many folks from considering the mainframe path to IT nirvana.
The mainframe is dead, extinct long ago. No one uses them anymore.
False! Most of the world’s largest enterprises rely on mainframes for the bulk of their mission-critical transaction processing and data serving. Far from extinct, this dinosaur has survived and continued to evolve. Server growth for mainframes has outpaced other designs. It is the most sophisticated and most secure IT system available. It is often said that 80% of the world’s mission-critical data is stored on and accessed by mainframes.
The mainframe only runs legacy software (like CICS, IMS, COBOL, etc.).
False! The majority of the new engines (the “processor complex”) sold are for Linux and Java applications.
The mainframe makes no sense for an open systems data center (with no legacy applications from the mainframe era).
False! The majority of the new engines sold are for Java and Linux. That is where most of the enterprise-class application development is being done. If you are running SOA workloads, the mainframe also makes sense, because most executables are Java-based or have components that run in a Linux environment.
The mainframe is unaffordable. It just costs too much to buy and run.
False. While the hardware appears to cost more on an application processor basis, the mainframe does much more work. In addition, the mainframe has many supplemental (hidden, special-purpose) processors (for I/O, security, and management) that are not included in the classical “engine count”. Furthermore, the fastest-rising cost today is for systems administration, where the mainframe shines as a lower-cost operating environment. Lastly, the mainframe may be the most efficient enterprise-class solution, in terms of electrical consumption, floor space, and cooling.
The mainframe makes no sense for mid-sized enterprises.
False! The new System z9 BC (business class) is targeted at mid-sized enterprises and offers a broad range of sizing options and upgrade alternatives.
The mainframe requires special skills that are increasingly harder to acquire (i.e., training) or find (i.e., hiring) and afford.
False! Mainframes require fewer people to act as administrators than what is required to manage so-called “open systems”. Training is readily available and many thousands of students are now in training programs around the world.
The mainframe requires expensive disks.
False! The mainframe has its own storage networking protocols (FICON and ESCON), but there are mid-range-priced storage arrays available, including IBM’s System Storage DS 6000, which can be used as FICON/ESCON and/or Fibre Channel storage. In addition, there are third-party controllers that allow connection of Fibre Channel storage devices to mainframes.
The mainframe isn’t based on an industry-standard architecture.
False! (This subject is worthy of a couple of pages, but I’ll be concise here.) Yes, the mainframe uses its own (unique) processors. Yes, they are different from Intel/AMD, but what difference does that make? If the complaint is about the cost, judge the Total Cost of Ownership. If the complaint is about the instruction set, they all do Linux and Java (which were designed to separate the chip architecture from the application environments). While “Industry Standard” sounds appealing, those processors are less advanced (by a long mile) than the z9 processor. Also, recognize that z9 is an evolutionary child of 40 years of processor design, with backward compatibility along the way.
The mainframe isn’t Scale Out in design, so it is archaic (i.e., Scale Up is dead).
False! (Again, this is worthy of a longer discussion.) “Scale Up” is better for larger applications running many workloads in a shared-resource environment. Sure, it is easier to think about mono- through quad-processors on a board or a blade, but that doesn’t make them superior for commercial processing being done to meet quality-of-service requirements. The reality is that virtualization should hide all of this physicality from developers and users. It then becomes a discussion of how best to match many workload needs to policy requirements. Scale Up does this better!
The mainframe has no place in multi-tiered architectures (with application servers, database servers, and web servers).
False! These application architectures run better on a mainframe, especially with the special-purpose engines (for Linux, Java and database) because they can be connected at high speed via HiperLinks (rather than connecting externally through the network). In addition, the mainframe can be used as a data server to applications running on other platforms or can serve as a “hub” that controls the execution of application workloads across a heterogeneous set of servers.
A mainframe locks you into IBM for platforms, storage, software, and (many) services.
False! While IBM is the last of the big computer vendors to offer mainframe computers, they are not the only vendor offering “mainframe compatible systems”. Additionally, you have many choices for mainframe storage, applications, operations, and management software. Contrary to what is a popular belief, you don’t need IBM services to run a mainframe data center.
If I don’t know about it, the mainframe must not be relevant!
False! What we have here is a “knowledge gap”, which is closely aligned with an age gap. Those of us who have been in IT since before the PC era (say, before 1985) generally understand large-systems thinking and its close relative, the enterprise data center. If you are younger than 35 or 40, then you might not have had any significant experience in a “shared computing” (a.k.a. “time sharing”) environment. These days, many computer science, information systems, and IT faculty don’t have large systems experience. Just because they or you haven’t seen it, doesn't mean that it is archaic.
We just got rid of our mainframe, right after Y2K. It can’t be the right system just five years later.
False! That was your grandfather’s mainframe. Time marches on. The dinosaur evolved into a bird…the mainframe now is an eagle.
We don’t use terminals any more.
True! (Just wanted to see if you were paying attention!) Nobody uses terminals anymore, but “thin clients” of one sort or another, do seem to make sense for many applications. With mainframes, you can use just about any client device (from PCs to web-enabled phones to thin-client stations, no different that most other servers) This is an application issue, not a server issue. However, mainframes will allow access to legacy programs that presume that you are on a terminal, even though you are on a more modern piece of equipment.
__________________ (fill in the blank) will say that I am nuts, if I consider a mainframe. (Suggested entries: my IT staff, my boss, the CIO, the CFO, etc.)
Well, maybe. But that is not reason enough to ignore this possibility. You and your boss may become heroes, if you can meet your enterprise’s many requirements (for quality of service, flexibility, security, etc.) with a mainframe and lower the total cost of ownership (TCO)!
I can’t get to a mainframe environment from where I am. Too much change and pain. It makes no sense.
False! Spoken like a true coward. You won’t know until you check this out.
My enterprise’s “open systems” applications are not supported on the mainframe.
False! Most leading enterprise applications will run on the mainframe. Most run on Linux platforms or are Java-based!
I run Oracle DBMS. The mainframe makes no sense!
False! While IBM would like you to use DB2, Oracle does run on the mainframe.
IBM has priced the mainframe as a sucker play. The more I use it, the more costly it will get! Software licensing is the killer!
False! The more you use it, the less it costs per unit of work done. That is why the largest of enterprises love it. Admittedly, getting started from scratch will have higher costs, per unit of work done. However, this is about quality of service and asset utilization, where the mainframe is at the head of the pack.
Working on a mainframe will ruin my IT career.
False! Once you look under the hood, you will understand a different meaning of “cool”. (More like a turbo-charged “NASCAR” than a standard vehicle at your dealer’s showroom. Vroom!) Mainframe experience is a high source of job security and growth. This is about being part of the “ultimate infrastructure”.

 If you can define your world solely in terms of Windows-based applications, then you probably are locked into that world. The debate on whether Windows is “open” will not be addressed herein. Or, if you can satisfy all of your enterprise IT requirements with Windows servers, then much of this bulletin may not apply to your organization.
 As in so many other ways, mainframe terminology is different from that of traditional SMP servers. Mainframes contain “engines”, while SMP servers run on “processors”. There is more than a subtle difference here. The engine count in a mainframe refers to the number of IBM System z9 general-purpose and special-purpose processing complexes. Very importantly, there are many “extra” processors in each mainframe, but only the ones used for hosting operating systems or running special-purpose software are counted as engines. This is contrary to most Scale-Up SMP servers, which rely overwhelmingly on its “standard” processors (RISC/Intel/AMD) for all functions.
 Footnote #4 also applies here.



Redbooks: All Worth A Look

contributed by Ed Webb

Drafts

z/OS V1R7 DFSMS Technical Update
Published: August, 31, 2006 More details are available at http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpieces/abstracts/sg247225.html

Redpapers

How does the MIDAW facility improve the performance of FICON channels using DB2 and other workloads?
Published: August, 31, 2006 More details are available at http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpapers/abstracts/redp4201.html

Technotes

How VSS Works with Tivoli Storage Manager for Copy Server and IBM System Storage Hardware
Published: August, 28, 2006 More details are available at http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0638.html

Humor

The Great Will Rogers

contributed by Chris Blackshire

Will Rogers was a Cherokee from Oklahoma. He died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935, was probably the greatest political sage this country has ever known. Enjoy the following:

1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.

2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.

3. There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman...neither works.

4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

5. Always drink upstream from the herd.

6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket.

8. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there!

11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.

12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring ! He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.


The Year 1906

contributed by Chris Blackshire

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!

The year is 1906.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the year 1906:

The average life expectancy was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars, and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in was 22 cents per hour.

The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND by the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." ( Shocking? DUH! )

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

Now one can forward this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and others all over the United States, & Canada possibly the world, in a matter of seconds!

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years

IT STAGGERS THE MIND, EH . ?

Membership Information

Don’t Forget the Next SPARTA Meeting

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Special Location: SAS in Cary

Take I-40 to Exit 287 Harrison Avenue Cary and go south (left over I-40 from Raleigh or right off I-40 from Durham). Turn left onto SAS Campus Drive at the traffic light. Go about a quarter mile or so. At the gate, tell the guard you are attending the SPARTA meeting. Then turn right into the Building F drive and park along curb. Go in the rightmost entrance to see Ed Webb. Here’s a map http://support.sas.com/training/fyi/ca_map.pdf

Free Food: Chicken, Drinks, Dessert

Program:

RACF Update

Speaker:

Mark Nelson of IBM (via webcast)

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



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