SPARTA News

March 2014

SPARTA President’s Corner

contributed by Chris Blackshire

With our annual elections coming up, I thought it would be appropriate to review the election process and the responsibilities of the elected offices.

The SPARTA election process is a simple 4 step procedure:

1) At the February meeting, a nomination committee is setup,

2) At the March meeting, a slate of candidates will be presented,

3) At the April meeting, elections will be held, and 

4) At the May meeting, the new officers will take over.

I had always thought of our officer responsibilities as follows:

President - presides over the monthly meeting (office is open).

Vice President - sets up the speakers for each meeting (currently Ron Pimblett)

Secretary - keeps the minutes of the meetings (currently Mike Lockey)

Treasurer - keeps track of the money (currently Tommy Thomas)

Communications - publishes the monthly newsletter (currently Ed Webb).

Mike Lockey was so kind to find a copy of our bylaws and these are the actual responsibilities: 

The President, as Chief Executive Officer of the Chapter, shall supervise and control all business of the Chapter. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Chapter and perform all duties incident to the office of President. The President shall be an ex officio member of all standing or appointive committees.

The Vice-President shall, in the absence of the President, assume all duties and authority incident to the office of the President. The Vice-President shall perform all other chapter related duties that the President designates which includes, but is not limited to, forming Special Interest Groups, participating as an ex officio member of standing or appointive committees and formation of the Nominating Committee.

The Secretary shall keep and distribute the minutes of all meetings, ensure that all written notices required for Chapter business are delivered in a timely manner, act as custodian of the Chapter's records, create and maintain the list of members of the Chapter in an accurate manner, and perform all other chapter related duties that the President designates. The Secretary will Chair the Membership Committee.

The Treasurer shall have charge and custody of the Chapter's funds, receive and provide receipts for monies due to the organization, deposit such monies in a bank or other depository designated by the Officers of the Chapter, and present a financial statement at each meeting of the Chapter. All checks drawn on the Chapter must be signed by the Treasurer and the President or, in the absence of the President, the Vice-President, and in the absence of the Treasurer, by one (1) other chapter officer. The Treasurer shall also perform all chapter related duties that the President designates.

The Communications Director shall act as the public relations person for the Chapter and will appoint and Chair a newsletter committee as well as appoint and Chair a program committee. The Communications Director will manage all communications about the Chapter to sources other than members. The Communications Director will also perform all chapter related duties that the President designates.

Please think about running for the open president’s office. We should have a strong mainframe systems person’s type as in the mold of a Brad Carson. If you would like to be nominated for an office, please contact Ron Pimblett at 919-426-6518 or rpimblett@mdids.com before the March 25^th meeting.

Looking forward to hear Ed Webb of SAS tell us about his recent trip to Anaheim, California, for SHARE on Tuesday, March 25^th at LabCorp in RTP. See you there.

Future Speakers

(subject to change)

Mar. 25 SHARE Reports by Ed Webb of SAS

Apr. 29 Parallel Sysplex by Mark Brooks of IBM

May 20 TBA

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.

2013-2014 SPARTA

Board of Directors

Brad Carson

LabCorp

3060 S. Church St.

Burlington, NC 27215

Ron Pimblett - Vice President

MDI Data Systems 919-426-6518

866-634-3282

Raleigh, NC 27609

Mike Lockey -  Secretary

Guilford Co. Information Services  336-641-6235

201 N. Eugene St.

Greensboro, NC 27401

Tommy Thomas - Treasurer

LabCorp                  336-436-4178

3060 S. Church St.

Burlington, NC 27215

Ed Webb -  Communications Director

SAS Institute Inc.  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 1912 T.W. 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-RTP Group. The newsletter is posted to the website about five (5) days before each meeting so you can prepare. The SPARTA-RTP Group is maintained by Chris Blackshire; if you have corrections or problems receiving your meeting notice, contact Chris at chrisbl@nc.rr.com.

October 2013 “CBT Tape” Shareware Online

The directory and files from the latest CBT tape V487 (dated October 27, 2013) are available from www.cbttape.org.

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

Minutes of the February 25, 2014 Meeting

•Meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Ron Pimblett, the Chapter Vice President.

•The meeting was held at LabCorp in RTP, N.C.

•Eleven (11) people were present of which Ten (10) were members.

•Everyone in the room introduced themselves, told where they worked, and briefly described their job functions or their job hunting challenges.

•The minutes of the January 2014 meeting as held on February 4, 2014 were approved as published in the February 2014 newsletter.

•Tommy Thomas, the Chapter Treasurer, gave the Treasurer's Report. As of February 12, 2014, the balance is $548.64. Motion was made and approved to accept the Treasurer's Report as published in the February 2014 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 page is available. To access the SPARTA Web page, point your Web browser to this site: http://www.spartanc.org. Please send any comments or suggestions about the Web page to Mike Lockey. Be sure to check the Web page every once in a while to see any new or changed information.

•Ron Pimblett reminded everyone to leave the LabCorp conference room clean.

•Future Speakers and Topics (subject to change based on internal politics, budget, the weather):

If you have suggestions about speakers and topics, contact Ron Pimblett (919-833-8426).

•The next SPARTA monthly meeting will be March 25 at LabCorp in RTP.

•Food for the March meeting will be BarBQ.

•The 2014 dues are due ($30) starting in March 2014. Please see Tommy Thomas.

NEW BUSINESS

•Thanks to LabCorp (Tommy Thomas) for hosting the meeting.

•Thanks to Jerry Seefeldt and New Era Software for sponsoring the food tonight.

•There are currently 41 people on the SPARTA-RTP e-mailing list. There are currently 5 outstanding join invitations whose 30-day invitation time has expired.

•Send any e-mail address changes to Chris Blackshire so he can update the SPARTA-RTP Listserv. You will be added by the moderator (Chris) sending you an invitation to Join the list.

•Please assist Ron Pimblett and Ed Webb with ideas or try actually writing a President’s Corner article. If your shop is installing software or an OS process like Brad wrote about, please write about it.

•The new officers need to be nominated next month. Please see Ron Pimblett about running for office especially for the President’s office when elections come due in April. We would like a strong z/OS person as typified by Brad Carson to lead the SPARTA group.

•The bank sent a notice to Tommy that they are going to start charging SPARTA $17.00 per month for the checking account usage because of the low balance. Tommy has started looking for free checking options. Motion was made, seconded, and approved to move the checking account to a financial institution that has free checking for non-profit organizations.

•The IBM mainframe 360 turns 50 years old on April 7, 2014. Look for information from IBM and SPARTA as the date gets closer.

•The business portion of the meeting ended at 7:50 p.m.

PRESENTATION

•Presentation was given by Jerry Seefeldt of New Era Software. 

Topic: The Control Editor (TCE)

• New Era Software – z/OS Integrity and Compliance

• Without Adequate Operating System Controls overall System z Integrity becomes Questionable!

• The TCE Control Fabric

- Construction: TSO/ISPF, Batch, Sand Box (test area), Other

- Activation: System IPL, Operator Command

• TCE – An Overview – How TCE Works – An Abstract!

 - A Control and Productivity gap exists between conventional Change Management Systems and your External Security Manager, making it difficult to comply with System Programming and System Security best practices. 

 - These practices, are intended to shield the z/OS System Configuration from unauthorized and/or undocumented changes but more open than not result in findings of non-compliance with industry and regulatory configuration control requirements.

 - The Control Editor (TCE) compensates for the “GAP” by:

 - First: Enhancing the TSO/ISPF environment with tools that automate configuration backups and place at your staff’s fingertips access to Change History, Restore Points, Member Testing and Configuration Maps.

 - Second: Extending the conditional access rights granted by your ESM from data set boundaries to the Member Level, allowing you to enforce such rights based on member name, prefix, suffix, and as needed, by day, date and time.

 - TCE will support your need to provide a balance between Productivity and Control. 

• TCE – An Overview – How TCE Works – Conventional Control!

 - CMS: Change Management System - Planning / Authorization

 - ESM: External Security Manager - Access Rights / Update Privileges

 - Resolves “The Gap” that exists at the point of the Actual Change

• TCE – The Control Editor – Productivity and Control!

 - Building a Safer Safer, more Secure z/OS Environment for your Business Applications 

• TCE – An Overview – How TCE Works – Productivity / Control!

 - TCE strikes a balance in design and implementation between the productivity needs of z/OS System Programmers and the control needs of z/OS System Administrators.

 - The z/OS Nanny - The Productivity Component

 - The z/OS Padlock - The Control Component

• TCE – Enhanced TSO/ISPF Workflow Improves Productivity!

• TCE – Enhanced TSO/ISPF Workflow – The EDIF Window!

 - For more on EDIF and the “Edit Window” see the z/OS V1R13.0 ISPF Services Guide

• TCE – The Inline Change Descriptor will Bridge the GAP! 

• TCE – The Padlock Reinforces Data set Control Boundaries!

• TCE – An Overview – How TCE Works – As an Event Listener!

- One way to envision the TCE is to think of it as an “Event Listener”

 - The Control List defines the events that matches the predetermined profile 

• TCE – An Overview – TSO/ISPF Workflow Management! 

• TCE – System Configuration Members!

 TCE PARMLIB Members

 - NSEPRMxx: Service Tasks and Member Suffixes

 - NSEJRNxx: Journal Specifications, System Controls

 - NSECTLxx: Category and Data set Boundaries

 - NSESELxx: Padlock Data set/Member Access Rules

 - NSEPJTxx: Padlock Project Access Rules

 - NSEGRPxx: Controlled User Group Definitions

 - NSEENSxx: Event Notification Service Settings

 - NSEDETxx: Supplemental Detector Activation

• The Control Editor – New in Release Eight!

 - Sharing of Control List and Journals

 - New Batch Update Utility – NEZUTIL

 - Enhanced Interval Change Detection

 - Padlock Control over RACF Command

 - Supports RECFM(FB|VB) LRECL(<> 80)

 - Interactive Configuration Dialog Interface

• TCE – New Shared Control List and Journals!

• TCE – New NEZUTIL Batch Utilities!

• TCE – Enhanced Interval Change Detection!

• TCE – New RACF Command Padlock Controls!

• TCE – Support for Variable Length Records!

• TCE – New Configuration Dialogs!

• TCE – The Control Editor – Productivity and Control!

• TCE – The Control Editor – Demonstration Web Cast!

- Webcasts by: Paul R. Robichaux -  prr@newera.com 

-  http://www.newera-info.com/Webcasts.html 

• Contact Information

 - Jerry Seefeldt of ERA - Work 408-520-7101 x740 - Email: jms@newera.com

 -  http://www.newera-info.com/Links.html 

• The presentation and discussions ended about 8:35 PM.

Treasurer’s Report for March 2014

contributed by Tommy Thomas

The balance in the account is $870.01 as of March 14, 2014.

Financial Report

3/01/2013 through 03/14/2014

Items of Interest

SPARTA Schedule and Menu for 2014

contributed by Tommy Thomas and Chris Blackshire

Mar 25 - BarBQ

Apr 29 - Pizza

May 20 - Chicken

June 24 - Subs

July 29 - BarBQ

Aug 25 - DBAP Buy Your Own (Monday night)

Sept 30 - Pizza

Oct 28 - Chicken

Dec 2 - Subs

Dec. 31 - No Meeting, Happy Holidays

Southern CMG Returns to Raleigh in April - Mark Your Calendars!

contributed by Dan Squillace

The early registration deadlines of April 4^thand April 10^th for Raleigh and Richmond respectively are a lot like objects in your mirror - closer than they appear!

So please check out these excellent meetings!

Raleigh:

    Meeting:  Friday, April 11^th

    Early Registration:  April 4^th

Richmond:

    Meeting:  Thursday, April 17^th

    Early Registration:  April 10^th

Early registration includes free lunch and a $10 discount!

Check out the great programs and register now!

http://regions.cmg.org/regions/scmg.

 *** Raleigh on Friday, April 11^th. ***

Memory Caches

    Claire Cates

 High Performance Computing Systems

    James McGalliard

   Data Center Capacity Planning

     Chris Molloy

   Effective Reporting – Making Sure You Tell the Story

     Jim Horne

   Performance and Capacity in the Broader Context of Non-Functional Requirements

     Ann Dowling 

z/OS Performance "HOT" Topics

     Kathy Walsh 

DB2 v11 Performance

    Mark Rader

*** Richmond on Thursday, April 17^th. ***

Memory Caches

     Claire Cates 

  High Performance Computing Systems

     James McGalliard

   ePrivacy Issues and their Potential Effect on Online Data Collection

    Anna Long

   z/OS Performance "HOT" Topics

     Kathy Walsh

   DB2 v11 Performance

     John Iczkovits

   Database Performance

     Peter Zaitsev

SHARE A Quiver Full of Arrows

contributed by Ed Webb

Mary Anne Matyaz, Core Technology Project Manager, posted this entry in the MVS Program blog while we were at SHARE in Anaheim a week ago.

http://www.share.org/p/bl/et/blogid=0&blogaid=279&source=6

5 Things to Know About System z HiperSockets

contributed by Ed Webb

Many data center environments today have multi-tiered server applications. Although it is common to see a variety of middle-tier servers surrounding the System z data and transaction servers, there is a way to minimize the cost and complexity of the network.  The solution can provide benefits in performance and availability, as well as minimizing ongoing support costs.  This solution involves consolidating servers onto the System z itself.

In addition to the zEnterprise functions of virtualization and centralized control, the function of HiperSockets (fast internal network channels) allows the servers to cross-communicate quickly and easily.  Here are 5 things to know about HiperSockets.

https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/5things/entry/5_things_to_know_about_hipersockets_on_system_z?lang=en

IBM z/OSMF Workflow for z/OS 2.1 Migration

contributed by Ed Webb

Marna Walle of IBM has posted a couple of links on her SHARE blog, Marna’s Musings, about a new downloadable z/OSMF Workflow for z/OS V2.1 Migration.

Of course, there’s a chicken and egg issue here: to use this migration Workflow, you have to run z/OSMF V2.1 which only runs on z/OS 2.1. But this new Workflow is a good example of what is coming in this new function within z/OSMF.

The z/OS 2.1 Migration Workflow is the Workflow version of the z/OS 2.1 Migration Guide book. When you get z/OSMF 2.1 up and running on z/OS 2.1, add this Workflow and be sure there’s nothing you missed. Then come 2015 you’ll be ready for the Migration Workflow for z/OS V2.2.

http://www.share.org/p/bl/et/blogid=0&blogaid=272&source=6

And there’s a video also:

http://www.share.org/p/bl/et/blogaid=273

IBM Education Assistance for z/OS V2

contributed by Ed Webb

One more of Marna’s Musings to help you take advantage of z/OS V2.1: 

http://www.share.org/p/bl/et/blogaid=282

The Mainframe is 50

The Mainframe Turns 50

contributed by Ed Webb

Bob Thomas of Enterprise Systems Media waxes nostalgic in this recent article about the 50 anniversary of the IBM System/360 coming on April 7, 1964. Though Fortune magazine called it Watson’s $5 Billion Gamble, consider that the budget for the project was only $1 Billion.

“Where were you 50 years ago on April 7, 1964? For most people in IT, that’s a crazy question because most of them weren’t even born yet. But it’s definitely a fair question for many mainframers. That’s right, many of us mainframers are a bunch of old-timers who will have no problem with that question. The fact that so many mainframers are nearing retirement age is an important issue, but not one that will be dealt with here.”

http://enterprisesystemsmedia.com/article/the-mainframe-turns-50

Membership Information

Don’t Forget the Next SPARTA Meeting

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

7 p.m.

LabCorp in the RTP

Take I-40 to Miami Boulevard and go north. Turn right onto 1912 T.W. 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: BarBQ, Drink, Dessert

Program:

SHARE Anaheim Conference Report

Speaker:

Ed Webb of SAS Institute Inc.

SPARTA News

P.O. Box 13194

Research Triangle Park, NC  27709-3194

First Class Postage

SPARTA Corporate Sponsors: