(Originally posted 2007-04-19.)
Parwez Hamid: System z9 BC GA2 and System z9 EC GA3 Update
Available from 11 May, Driver Level 67 provides the BC GA2 / EC GA3 enhancements. The current one is 63. Parwez set the expectation the upgrade can be done non-disruptively if you plan carefully.
Common to BC and EC machines:
- LPAR Group Capacity Limit. Group of LPARs on one footprint need not be in the same parallel sysplex. Requires z/OS Release 8.
- Coupling Facility code (CFCC) Level 15. Exclusive to z9. Designed to provide a basis for future CF enhancements (which will require z/OS R.9). z/OS R.6 with OA17055 for function and OA17070 for RMF support. Right now provides more allowable tasks (112 vs 48). (I mentioned this as part of Joan’s presentation yesterday.)
- System-Initiated CHPID Reconfiguration reduces operator burden when taking CHPIDs offline. z/OS R.6 with PTFs required.
- Multi-path IPL.
- CHPID type FCP (QDIO) and OSA performance enhancements. (I mentioned these as part of Connie’s presentation yesterday.)
- QDIO Diagnostic Synchronisation (Connie again).
- On/Off Capacity on Demand flexibility improved so may well provide more responsive activation of temporary capacity.
- HMC Logon LDAP Authentication enhances security for the Hardware Management Console (HMC). There are other HMC enhancements.
- The System Activity Display (SAD) now has the system’s power consumption. The example of a 10-IFL machine is 4.7kW. Parwez said the biggest z9 configuration only takes 18kW – when I asked if his example was realistic. Personally I think these numbers are VERY good. And here’s an example:
BC only:
- R07 Capacity Backup (CBU) Enhancement allows conversion to the capacity limit of a S07. Note: Some R07 limitations (compared to S07) remain. S07 and R07 are the hardware models, of course.
- New FICON Express4-2C SX card – has fewer channels than EC FICON Express4, to meet “BC customer” requirements.
- Crypto Express2-1P single processor card for “BC customer” requirements, compared to EC card which has two processors.
Statements of Direction:
- Removal of support for Dynamic ICF Expansion – which allows CF LPAR to expand from dedicated ICFs to use shared General-Purpose Engines (GCPs).
- z9 is the last system which will support older than “n-2” technology – whether as the CF or another coupled system.
- z/OS XML processing on zAAP and zIIP specialty engines.
- IPSec encryption and decryption on zIIP is expected be available in August 2007 – using Enclave SRBs. zIIPs support CP Assist Crypto Function (CPACF) as all characterisable engines do. Support is in z/OS R.8 with PTFs.
Me: DB2 I/O with DS8000
2 people in my session – one a hardware storage vendor and the other a business partner who does DB2 education. So we had a nice wide-ranging chat using the foils.
Isabel Arnold: Attracting Young Developers to the Mainframe using Eclipse-Based Tooling
Websphere Developer for z is Eclipse-based, so has the usual Eclipse behaviours. There is a division of labour between the Eclipse-based workstation components and host components. I noticed EGL as one of the supported languages. I’m psyched enough to want to play with it! It would be fair, though, to note that things like refactoring for mainframe languages are not YET as advanced as those for java.
Hendrik Wörner: Websphere Portal V6 for z/OS
A good presentation on why z/OS is a good place to run Websphere Portal. Those advantages are mainly the same as for Websphere Application Server on z/OS.
Isabel Arnold: Mainframe Asset Discovery, Modernization and Integration
A very good SOA-oriented overview presentation, with more detail on componentisation. Websphere Studio Asset Analyser and Application Transformation Workbench work together to help with transformation.
Mainframe, Performance, Topics 