Good news for all our Tuning Letter subscribers – the 121-page 2019 No. 2 issue of the Tuning Letter is now available on our Publications website. This issue includes:
- An article about the CA/Broadcom products that exploit zIIP processors. Nearly every Z installation has zIIPs, but trying to identify the products that should be exploiting those zIIPs can be quite a ‘challenge’ (we know, we tried to do that and have the gray hairs to show for it!). So we worked with Mike Patriarco in CA/Broadcom to create an article that lists all the Broadcom products that provide zIIP exploitation, together with links to the web pages for those products. Mike also provided more detailed information about how to enable, disable, and monitor zIIP exploitation in some of their more popular products. And, perhaps the most positive outcome of this collaboration, was that CA have created a website that pulls the list of all their products that exploit zIIPs, and the links to those products, into one page – https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/mainframe-compatibilites/ziip-enabled-ca-products.html . Following on from this project, expect similar articles for some of the other large ISVs. We hope that this will save you a few gray hairs the next time you are trying to figure out which of your products use zIIPs.
- Three user tips and experiences, including very interesting information for any sites that use Software AG’s Adabas or Natural products.
- Cheryl’s review of changes to SYS1.PARMLIB, including the many changes and additions since z/OS 2.3 was originally released. Many new z/OS functions are shipped in the DISABLED state, with a Parmlib member or parameter being used to Enable them. So what better view into interesting new functions in z/OS than Cheryl’s thorough analysis of Parmlib changes?
- In addition to all our usual reviews of New Function and performance-related APARs, Redbooks, and Techdocs, in this issue we added a table showing the End-of-Service dates for the major z/OS subsystems, we included the z/OS-related Statements of Direction for the last two years, and we provide links to the last two years’ of z/OS 2.3 announcements as well, as the z/OS 2.4 Preview and Full announcement. Our readers really appreciate the time that we save them by reviewing IBM’s thousands of APARs, so we are trying to provide yet more value by centralizing this additional important information into one place for them. In the next issue, we hope to also add IBM’s Statements of Directions related to the Z processors.
- Many z/OS sites are starting to prepare for a handover from their techies with 30+ years’ experience to the new generation. At the same time, IBM and a number of ISVs are building their future software install processes on z/OSMF’s Workflows function. So we worked with Marna Walle to create an article that gets you started with Workflows, and suggests ways that you might use Workflows as a vehicle to pass your tools and documentation and JCL and programs that you have built up over your career to your mentees.
- Finally, we have a short description of a new offering from Watson & Walker called Quick Start. It was designed by our colleague, Mario Bezzi and is really intended to help sites that are overworked and understaffed (does that sound familiar?), or that would simply like to have an independent, objective, team of experts review their system and be available to answer technical questions. The offering includes a 1-year subscription to the Tuning Letter, 2 on-site visits a year to provide briefings on what’s happening in the mainframe world (particularly valuable to those that are unable to attend the major user conferences), email support for technical questions, and a high level performance review of your production systems. If you would like more information, click here or email us at technical@watsonwalker.com.
That’s all for this issue. Time to get started on the next issue, where we will be covering z/OS 2.4, maybe some additional zIIP exploiters, and who-knows what other interesting announcements might happen between now and then.
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Stay Tuned, and thank you for all your support.