1. Question about Charging for SRB Time
2. SHARE Agenda Now Available Online
3. FTC Opens Computer Crime Web Site
1. Question about Charging for SRB Time
For many years the MVS operating systems (OS/390 and now z/OS) have maintained separate reporting structures for processor time consumed in task mode (TCB time) versus processor time consumed while running under an authorized subtask (SRB time). Although these measurements are maintained separately in the control blocks and SMF records, we (along with others in the industry) have always recommended that these two measurements be combined and charged at the same rate for billing purposes.
But there are others who do not agree, and we will still occasionally talk to a user who does not charge for SRB CPU time, or who charges a different rate for it than regular TCB CPU time. We would like to see if this is an issue for many users. If you have some type of chargeback system where users are billed for CPU usage then please answer the following two questions:
- Do you ignore SRB CPU time and not charge for it as part of your accounting algorithm?
- Do you charge for SRB CPU time, but use a different rate than for TCB CPU time?
If you answered “yes” to either of these two questions, could you please send us an email at technical@watsonwalker.com and include your reasons for doing this? Thanks in advance for your help.
2. SHARE Agenda Now Available Online
It won’t be that long until the next SHARE meeting in Seattle (March 5-10, 2006). If you’re still deciding whether or not to attend, it might be helpful to review the agenda for an overview of the sessions that will be presented. The full agenda is now available on the SHARE Web site (http://www.share.org) in several different formats:
Conference Scheduler
This is a Windows-based tool that can be downloaded and then run on your workstation. You can view the available sessions, and then pick primary and alternate sessions for each time slot. You can even specify custom events for meetings that aren’t listed in the agenda. This tool is the one we use, because we can easily trade personal agendas and make sure we have everything important covered.
Personal Itinerary
This is similar in function to the Conference Scheduler, but it is web-based so that you don’t have to download and install anything.
Adobe Acrobat Version
This allows you to view the entire 197-page agenda as a PDF file, browsing for sessions and printing off those pages that are of most interest.
Online Version
Your web browser is the only tool you will need to browse through this online version.
There are also special files that can be accessed, such as grids for all of the WebSphere sessions. The Web site makes it easy to do just about everything you need to do, including registering for the conference and booking a hotel room. We think that SHARE is a great training opportunity, and hope that many of you can attend this next meeting.
3. FTC Opens Computer Crime Web Site
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of the US government recently started a new Web site designed to educate consumers about computer crime. This is because of the growth of such crimes in the past, particularly over the last year. You may access the information on this site from the address http://www.onguardonline.gov.
Click on the buttons at the bottom of the screen to learn about the various types of computer crimes. The selections currently include Overview, ID Theft, Spyware, Phishing, Spam Scams, and Shopping.
Although this material is quite general, this would be a good reference site for those without a lot of online experience. After you select one of the buttons, if you click on the “Read More” option, it will generally display more useful information, such as links to other Web sites or email addresses that may be used to report suspicious activity.
Stay tuned!