Today's Modern Mainframe

IBM mainframes process two thirds of the world’s business information every day, and have
been doing so for decades, because of the many strengths provided by the mainframe, such
as high availability, good redundancy, high performance I/O capabilities, and much more.

But have you ever been challenged by an anti-mainframer by a statement like "Oh, aren't mainframes dead?" - or - "Why would anyone still use a mainframe?" Have you wanted a ready response that is easily digestible and not overly techie? Well, IBM has a new Redguide book titled The IBM Mainframe Today: System z Strengths and Values that might be of help.

This publication describes the business drivers, their impact on IT, and how the System z platform can be a major player for the business solution by providing flexibility, responsiveness to customers and market needs, as well as cost effectiveness. It also discusses the mainframe hardware, software, and environment, with an emphasis on the features and capabilities that make the System z mainframe a good choice for businesses.

Also, you may have noticed the new term: Redguide. Similar to an IBM Redbook, an IBM Redguide is not quite as technical as a Redbook, but more in-depth than a brochure or other pieces of "sales" collateral.

So, if you are a mainframer like me, you'll want to download and read The IBM Mainframe Today: System z Strengths and Value. After all, the price is right (free). And you'll want to keep an eye out for additional Redguides from IBM. Susan Visser recently blogged about the first 15 Redguides here.

A New DB2 Manual

I'm just now getting around to downloading the recently refreshed IBM DB2 9 for z/OS manuals. IBM updated almost all of the DB2 manuals in December 2008. Indeed, 19 of the 24 manuals listed have a publication date of December 2008.

But wait, I haven't seen one of these manuals before: IRLM Messages and Codes for IMS and DB2 for z/OS. If you take a look at the manual, yes, it is a first edition.

This "new" manual describes messages and codes that are issued by the IRLM (internal resource lock manager) which is used by both IMS and DB2 for z/OS. The information is not necessarily new, though, as it was previously contained in the messages and codes publications for both IMS and DB2. But now, we have a single manual.

Another thing I noticed, but I'm not sure exactly when it happened, is that Directory of Subsystem Parameters has been removed as an Appendix of the DB2 Installation Guide (dsnigk15). Now I know this Appendix was there in this manual when DB2 9 first came out (I still have the PDF)... but it was not in the previous edition (dsnigk14) of the Installation Guide either. Anyone know if it was moved somewhere else (wouldn't make much sense since it refers back to pages in the Installation Guide)? Or if there are plans afoot to make a DSNZPARM manual (I've been requesting and wishing for that for years).