SPARTA News

April 2015

SPARTA President’s Corner

contributed by Ron Pimblett

I hope everyone enjoyed the IBM New Facility Open House put on by Gary Grandlienard this past Month. It is good to know that IBM is still building and supporting our Mainframe infrastructure and environment.

I want to thank Randy Springs for taking charge of April’s meeting in my absence, I’m sure the minutes will be more professionally handled and fun all round.

Our thanks to Chris Blackshire for reminding us of our annual elections coming up; He 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 ( delayed to May)
4) At the May meeting, the new officers will take over. ( If there are changes)

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).

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 May 5 meeting.

April’s meeting will highlight the recent Share event in Seattle and Ed Webb of SAS will be presenting.

See you there, Ron

Future Speakers

(subject to change)

April 7, 2015 - SHARE Conference Report by Ed Webb of SAS
May 5, 2015 - TBD
June 2, 2015 - TBD

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 - President

(1959-2013)

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 first Tuesday evening of each month (except no meeting in January), 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.

November 2014 “CBT Tape” Shareware Online

The directory and files from the latest CBT tape V489 (dated November 12, 2014) 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 March 3, 2015 Meeting

•Meeting was called to order at 7:10 PM remotely by Rom Pimblett (Chapter Vice President).

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

•Eleven (11) people were present of which Ten (10) are 2014 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 February 2015 meeting were not approved as the March newsletter was not published by the meeting date.

•Tommy Thomas, the Chapter Treasurer, gave a verbal Treasurer's Report. As of February 13, 2015, the balance was $369.54. Motion was made and approved to accept the Treasurer's Report as read by Tommy.

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 at http://www.spartanc.org. Please send any comments or suggestions about the Web page to Mike Lockey. Be sure to check the Web site every once in a while to see any new or changed information.

•Tommy reminded everyone to leave the LabCorp conference room clean.

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

Date	Company	Speaker	Topic
April 7, 2015	SPARTA Members	Ed Webb and others?	Mar 1-6 SHARE Topics
May 5, 2015
June 2, 2015
July 7, 2015
Aug 4, 2015
Sept 1, 2015	Baseball Night	Tommy Thomas	Bulls vs Gwinnett Braves
Oct 6, 2015	SPARTA members	Ed Webb and others?	Aug 9-14 SHARE Topics
Nov 3, 2015
Dec 1, 2015

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

•The next SPARTA monthly meeting will be April 7, 2015 at LabCorp in the RTP.

•Food for the April 7 meeting will be subs.

NEW BUSINESS

•The 2015 dues are due ($30) starting in March 2015. Please pay Tommy Thomas.

•Thanks to LabCorp (Tommy Thomas) for hosting the March 3, 2015 meeting.

•There are currently 55 people on the SPARTA-RTP emailing list.

•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. (ChrisBl@nc.rr.com)

•President’s Corner submissions are wanted. 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 business portion of the meeting ended about 8:10 p.m.

PRESENTATION

Presentation and Live Demo by Compuware's David Kartzman on their Strobe and Topaz products.

Strobe / iStrobe is the premier technology for managing mainframe application performance in complex environments. It measures the activity of both on-line and batch-processing applications in single and multiple system environments. At every phase of the application life cycle, Strobe products locate and eliminate sources of mainframe performance issues and excessive resource demands. Strobe measures the activity of z/OS-based online and batch applications, providing reports on where and how time is spent during execution. Strobe supports an extensive array of subsystems, databases and languages. These products can be applied via a systematic program to reduce the consumption of mainframe resources and reduce associated costs and/or make resources available for additional business workloads.

Topaz is Compuware’s newest and highly innovative solution that helps a new mainframe development workforce quickly master mainframe programs and data in an intuitive manner. Key features include: Visualizing data relationships, visualizing program logic, Editing data with a single enterprise editor, Cross-LPAR copying, and z/OS system console command capabilities.

• Strobe Key Points as described and shown in the live demo:
- Eliminates large paper dumps by browsing dumps online in an intuitive manner
- Do QA for system load tests
- Uses SMF record types 70, 89, and 30 to do job costing reports
- Shows peak usage times that allows jobs to be reschedule in less demanding times
- Allows focusing on trends from stored data
- Can store Strobe measurement for historical references and comparisons
- iStrobe for Linux, open systems, and Linux on Z server analysis
- Strobe has 4 started tasks that takes snapshots
- - Set time selection parameters for low CPU usage
- - Select what type transactions (filters)
- - Can select grouped CICS transactions such as AB** to analyze
- Can dissect rolling 4 hour averages to resolve peaks (to lower software usage costs)
- Resolve peak usage before sending the monthly data/usage reports to IBM
- Use Strobe to analyze job usage before putting them in production
- - Can measure CPU, memory, waits, and I/O usage
- - Can access source code to pinpoint program coding that causes an issue
- - Measure session CPU, waits, reports, session usage
- - Accesses IBM manuals to suggest changes and to drill down into details
- GUI works via a series of drop downs (windows like)
- Has a DB2 Adviser that can show issues ranked from high to low
- - Shows table spaces and good/bad layouts
- - Shows SQL statements causing excessive CPU, I/O, or waits
- - Shows defined buffer use
- Shows catalog usage
- Program developers can use through a GUI interface
- - Unit testing
- - Quality Assurance
- - Load tests
- - Use to train new developers for good programming procedures (eliminate bad coding)

• Topaz Key Points demonstrated:
- New product (all done in real time)
- Thin client
- Enterprise wide concepts
- Before old timers retire, use their stored knowledge to train new people
- Learn basic concepts
- Shows relationships by pictures / diagrams
- Maps programs much like flowcharts do
- Visualizes COBOL programs (PL1 and C++ coming in the future)
- Drag and Drop file copies (but not databases)
- Uses FileAide
- Programs Visualizer
- - Can do a structured chart of COBOL paragraph names
- - Shows logic flow (and shows the code in real time which is great for testing program changes)
- Enterprise Data Editor has a common look and feel

• Speaker Contact Information:
David Kartzman
Compuware Corporation
Bluffton, SC
Solution Consultant
email: David.Kartzman@compuware.com
Mobile: 1-704-351-8104
Work: 1-843-706-2879
www.compuware.com

• The presentation and meeting ended about 9:30 P.M.

Treasurer’s Report for February 2015

contributed by Tommy Thomas

The balance in the account is $369.54 as of February 13, 2015.

SPARTA Financial Report
3/01/2014 through 02/13/2015

INCOME

Opening Balance	0.00
Total Deposits
Dues	710.00
Close RBC	329.15
TOTAL INCOME	$1039.15

EXPENSES
Food	756.72
Web Site	111.46
xfer to Petty Cash	30.00
Bank Service Charge	0
TOTAL EXPENSE	$898.18

BANK BALANCE Fidelity	140.97
PETTY CASH	228.57
TOTAL CASH	$369.54

Items of Interest

SPARTA Schedule and Menu for 2015

contributed by Tommy Thomas and Chris Blackshire

Apr. 7 - Subs
May 5 - BarBQ
June 2 - Pizza
July 7 - Chicken
Aug. 4 - Subs
Sept 1 - Baseball Night (choose your own)
Oct. 6 - BarBQ
Nov. 3 - Pizza
Dec. 1 - Subs

OpenSSH for z/OS New Features and Functions

contributed by Ed Webb

"Release 1.3 of IBM Ported Tools for z/OS - OpenSSH was announced to be available in February 2015. This release is based on OpenSSH 6.4, reflecting a 5 year refresh. This session will review the new features in this major release as well as migration considerations for current users. The presenters will provide detailed information on how to:
- Install IBM Ported Tools OpenSSH 1.3
- Tune Ported Tools OpenSSH
- Review of Service Requirements
- Tune Language Environment
- Enable ICSF /dev/random support
- Exploit hardware accelerated (CPACF via ICSF) Ciphers and Macs

Note: IBM has announced a statement of direction that OpenSSH will be included as a base element in z/OS 2.2."

You can find this SHARE Seattle session 16736 here.

SHARE in Orlando Has Hotel Info Available

contributed by Ed Webb

SHARE returns to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort August 9-14, 2015. Hotel Information and Reservations are available now. It's always good to make a reservation soon to get the hotel that you want. You can cancel easily if you cannot get approval to attend.

See the Hotel Info at SHARE.

Securing the IBM Mainframe: A New Redbooks Solution Guide

contributed by Ed Webb

"Cybercrime is a sophisticated activity. It is no longer a playing field for “script-kiddies” trying to get access to systems and servers for fun, and it is not about quick hacks to get in and get out quickly. It is now about real commercial, political, or even military advantages. There have been reports in the press recently of large systems data breaches, and it is apparent that some of these are associated with attempts to access mainframe data.

The skills and knowledge that are required to manage and operate a sophisticated IBM System z mainframe are different from those that are used by professionals who use Linux, UNIX, or Windows servers for commercial organizations. The complexity of ways in which various organizations use System z over many years, means that there are now fewer people with the knowledge and skills to even attempt breaking into a mainframe system.... "

View the rest of this summary at this Redbook site.

How the z13 will Fuel the Mobile Revolution
contributed by Ed Webb

"By 2025, IBM predicts 40 trillion mobile transactions will occur every single day. Is your organization ready?

With its announcement of the z13 mainframe, IBM has developed a platform with the capacity to help companies transform their business and fully embrace the mobile revolution. The mainframe has evolved to deliver the highest levels of flexibility, security, speed and velocity. And as far as total cost of ownership, it is the most cost-efficient solution on the market.

Integrating the systems of record with the systems of insight through embedded analytics delivers more targeted customer interactions, which is a game changing competitive advantage. Then there's the scalability necessary for processing the exponentially increasing flow of data coming from mobile devices. The z13 is designed to do it all, while also delivering the tried and true performance, security and availability that continues to make the mainframe the most trusted platform on the planet for critical transactions.

Simply put, z13 is in an unparalleled position for enabling mobilization and maximizing business opportunities through the full data life cycle. It's a seminal moment as we move toward an ever more connected future."

View the rest of this SHARE blog post here.

Humor

Scotch With Two Drops Of Water

contributed by Chris Blackshire

A lady goes to the bar on a cruise ship and orders a Scotch with two drops of water.
As the bartender gives her the drink she says, 'I'm on this cruise to celebrate my 80th birthday and it's today....'
The bartender says, 'Well, since it's your birthday, I'll buy you a drink. In fact, this one is on me.'
As the woman finishes her drink, the woman to her right says, 'I would like to buy you a drink, too.'
The old woman says, 'Thank you. Bartender, I want a Scotch with two drops of water.'
'Coming up,' says the bartender.
As she finishes that drink, the man to her left says, 'I would like to buy you one, too.'
The old woman says, 'Thank you. Bartender, I want another Scotch with two drops of water.'
'Coming right up,' the bartender says.
As he gives her the drink, he says, 'Ma'am, I'm dying of curiosity. Why the Scotch with only two drops of water?'
The old woman replies, 'Sonny, when you're my age, you've learned how to hold your liquor. Holding your water, however, is a whole other thing!!'

A Blonde and the Snow in Minneapolis

contributed by Chris Blackshire

A husband and wife in Minneapolis were listening to the radio during breakfast.
They heard the announcer say, "We are going to have 8 to 10 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the even-numbered side of the street, so the snow plows can get through." So the good wife went out and moved her car.
A week later while they are eating breakfast again, the radio announcer said, "We are expecting 10 to 12 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the odd-numbered side of the street, so the snow plows can get through." The good wife went out and moved her car again.
The next week they are again having breakfast, when the radio announcer says, "We are expecting 12 to 14 inches of snow today. You must park...." Then the electric power went out. The good wife was very upset, and with a worried look on her face she said, "I don't know what to do. Which side of the street do I need to park on so the snow plows can get through?"
Then with the love and understanding in his voice that all men who are married to blondes exhibit, the husband replied, "Why don't you just leave the car in the garage this time."

Membership Information

Don’t Forget the Next SPARTA Meeting

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

7 p.m.

Location: 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: Subs, Drink, Dessert

Program:

SHARE Seattle Conference Report

Speaker:

Ed Webb of SAS

SPARTA News

P.O. Box 13194

Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3194

First Class Postage

SPARTA Corporate Sponsors: