The Benefits of Transformation Engines for z/TPF
March 22, 2022
As large V8 engines are replaced with smaller, four-cylinder turbocharged engines, the mainframe will not be excluded. A transformation engine is like a zSeries Information Parallel Processor (zIPP) or an Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL), an engine for running Linux operating system (OS) on zSeries. It is a specialty processor that moves specific types of […]
ArticlesAdd Links to Web-Based Tasks With Access Client Solutions
March 18, 2022
There are many web-based management interfaces for IBM i. New Navigator, Heritage Navigator, Web Administration, Administration Runtime Expert and more all have different URLs to access those interfaces. In my blog, “New Navigator Bookmarks and Favorites,” I described how to use bookmarks to link to the various web-based tasks using New Navigator. This week I’ll […]
ArticlesA New Home for the RFE Community
March 18, 2022
I’ve written about the Request for Enhancement (RFE) process in the past, but recently, Brian Veale notified us of the new IBM Power Systems Ideas portal. This is a site where you can present your ideas about improving products and services and interact with IBM developers. You’ll need an IBM ID to submit suggestions, comment and vote. […]
ArticlesLend Your Voice to Your Mainframe: An Experiment
March 17, 2022
In today’s world, voice technology has become very prevalent, and is evolving and maturing at a tremendous pace. From voice shopping on Amazon to routine (and growingly complex) tasks performed by personal voice assistant devices/speakers such as Amazon’s Alexa, voice technology has many practical uses in different spheres of life. What about lending our voices […]
ArticlesPandemic Pressures, and Mainframe User Insights
March 2, 2022
For many mainframers, the arrival of Arcati Mainframe Yearbook’s latest edition brightens up the dull winter months. The 2022 volume of this fascinating publication is now available and completely free. Let’s take a look at highlights from 2022. Mainframers’ Pandemic Pressures The past two years have been strange times for everyone, with people working from […]
Understanding Power Supplies for Power Systems
February 28, 2022
In 2018, I published an article on planning for power that explored the requirements for power connections and the rules about power distribution units (PDUs) when implementing IBM servers. IBM publishes maximum power usage for each of their servers in the technical overview manuals’ operating environment sections. Whenever installing new servers, it’s important to reassess […]
ArticlesNew Navigator Bookmarks and Favorites
February 25, 2022
New Navigator (New Nav) offers quite a few new enhancements and options. One new feature is the ability to add bookmarks. Favorites were available in Heritage Navigator, but they have been redesigned in New Nav. These features help you get organized and easily access your most used tasks. Bookmarks You will find Bookmarks in the […]
ArticlesWazi aaS: The Next Step in Modernization
February 24, 2022
Last week, IBM announced the next step of its roadmap to bring IBM Z and IBM Cloud closer together: Wazi as-a-Service (Wazi aaS), which will bring z/OS development and test as-a-service to the public cloud for the first time ever. To get more insight on what this announcement means for the future of IBM Z […]
ArticlesExtending Cyberresilience Capabilities
February 22, 2022
Managing and maintaining storage networks was never easy, but over the past two years, the responsibilities and challenges that come with the job have multiplied and diversified. Administrators must provide secure access to networks that extend beyond virtual corporate boundaries to serve an ever-growing work from home user base. Ransomware and other threats to data […]
ArticlesTop Reasons to Love AIX
February 17, 2022
As I started training for my upcoming Grand Canyon rim to rim hikes, I realized that I had not mentioned the things I love about AIX lately. I am an AIX bigot. I love IBM Power Systems. I have not gone to the extreme of getting a tattoo like some of the Apple fanboys and girls […]