Category Archives: Uncategorized

(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:Continue reading “European System z Technical Conference – End of Day 4”

(Originally posted 2007-04-18.) Me: Memory Matters in 2007 I was pleased that about 60 people attended this presentation. Connie Beuselinck: System z9 OSA-Express2 Update and Performance Benchmarks Network Traffic Analyzer was announced today for QDIO problem determination. It’s exclusive to z9 and OSA-Express2. QDIO Diagnostic Synchronisation (also announced today) allows z/OS to signal to OSA-Express2Continue reading “European System z Technical Conference – End of Day 3”

(Originally posted 2007-04-17.) I just started talking to the original developer of the IFASMFDP SMF Dump Program about adding more record selection sophistication to it. I can promise absolutely nothing but are there any requirements any of you have for the SMF Dump Program?

(Originally posted 2007-04-17.) Paul Rogers: z/OS Releases 8, 9 and Beyond This is very much an overview presentation. Other sessions go into more detail. Paul provided a salutary reminder that z/OS Release 6 goes out of service at the end of September. We’re now supporting only the current release and the 2 previous ones. APARContinue reading “European System z Technical Conference – End of Day 2”

(Originally posted 2007-04-17.) It’s been really nice meeting with so many acquaintances. The highlight of Day 1 was undoubtedly Pat Artis presenting on HyperPAVs. As I have a couple of foils on HyperPAVs from the DB2 perspective on Thursday it’s going to be nice not to have to explain them in too much detail –Continue reading “System z Tech Conference – End of Day 1”

(Originally posted 2007-04-16.) The agenda this time is chock full of great sessions. I’ve “marked my card” for every single session. Bob Hoey – marketing guy though he is – is giving a keynote speech that fills one with a lot of hope for the mainframe. (Bob, if you know nothing else about him, participatedContinue reading “European System z Technical Conference Begins”

(Originally posted 2007-03-23.) This year’s IBM System z Technical Conference is 16-20 April in Munich. Now I’ve got my three presentations together I can relax and have just perused the agenda: There are some very good sessions and some excellent speakers. My sessions are: Much Ado About CPU I’ve worked pretty hard to move theContinue reading “IBM System z Technical Conference 2007”

(Originally posted 2007-03-22.) Here’s a nice picture from the Minding the Planet blog:

(Originally posted 2007-03-20.) My good friend Linda August (of the IBM Washington Systems Center and previously of the global Performance Management team I was a member of) has written a very good paper (and an accompanying presentation she gave at SHARE in February). The theme is highly topical: The management of uniprocessor LPARs. Topical becauseContinue reading “An Excellent Paper on Uniprocessor Performance Management”

(Originally posted 2007-03-20.) I guess I must be part of the “ungrateful peasant” generation of computer geeks… I never really liked FORTRAN. And now John Backus who led the team that developed it is dead. For me the elegance of other languages biased my view – but that’s to miss the point: FORTRAN preceded them.Continue reading “John Backus RIP”