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Vote Now in the Dz Tips and Techniques Challenge!

The three finalists for the second Destination z Tips and Techniques Challenge have been chosen. Voting is now underway to select the winner of an IBM Heritage T-shirt and $100 Visa gift card. The voting deadline has been extended, so Dz members now have until Nov. 11 to cast their ballots. Not a member? Join now for free!

As an added incentive, one voter will be selected at random to receive Heritage T-shirt and gift card as well. For a chance to be chosen, post why you voted for a particular piece of mainframe advice in the forum thread. The winner will be announced in November.

See our complete contest rules. As always, discussions work best when used with respect for your fellow Dz members. See our community guidelines.

Vote for your favorite tip.

RDz is a new development paradigm
You don’t need to know everything
Don’t forget the backup

The poll is closed.

Dz Challenge: Tips and Techniques Got a great tip or technique to share? You could win a great prize!

z & A > Dz Challenge: Tips and Techniques > Vote now for your favorite mainframe advice in the Dz Challenge — Part 2!

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mwestholder - 10/15/2012 8:59:44 AM

Vote now for your favorite mainframe advice in the Dz Challenge — Part 2!

Choose from the following finalists:

1. RDz is a new development paradigm
After working with the classic green screen, ISPF through TN3270, one of the great advice for mainframe career is to use RDz as a new development paradigm in mainframe enterprises. As an eclipsed based tooling, RDz is capable of everything accomplished by TSO, ISPF, and SDSF. Having had a in depth understanding of the TSO, ISPF and SDSF, it was a natural progression to this new state of the art GUI which increased my productivity and thereby improved my overall performance as an application developer for the mainframe world.

2. You don’t need to know everything
You don't have to know EVERYTHING about the mainframe; You just need to know where to look for the information.

3. Don’t forget the backup
Before you make any system changes always create a backup. Held true in 1979 and still does in 2012!

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Member	mydesravines - 10/15/2012 9:51:00 AM RE:Vote now for your favorite mainframe advice in the Dz Challenge — Part 2! I vote for the first one because it represents all the idea behind my post in this challenge. With RDz, you can see more, do more with much productivity and can save time and money. Vote for this tip and start trying RDz! Reply \| Quote \| Subscribe to post

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sleepy17 - 10/24/2012 4:22:44 PM

RE:Vote now for your favorite mainframe advice in the Dz Challenge — Part 2!

Even though I agree with what the previous posters said about #1, I voted for #2. The slogan, "You don’t need to know everything", relieves the student from the crushing amount of detail involved in mainframe processing.
The mainframe is a complex creature made of simple parts. As I commented thirty years ago when I was first learning about it, "Don't show me the forest, I just want to see the trees."
Simplification will enable us to overcome the prejudice many people have against the mainframe. A slogan of "You don’t need to know everything" can give them a more relaxed attitude.

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jan - 11/1/2012 11:18:43 AM

RE:Vote now for your favorite mainframe advice in the Dz Challenge — Part 2!

I hoped this forum was to be more technical. I voted for #3 but I would have preferred to vote - in the same line of thinking - for something like this:

1. Create a LINKLIST dataset (same attributes), let us call it SYS1.LINKLIB.RACF
2. Reassemble ICHRDSNT into it with new names (e.g. SYS1.RACF.COPY)
3. Create a member in SYS1.IPLPARM (e.g. LOADRA)
4. Copy your existing PROGxx member to PROGRA
5. Create a parmlib member IEASYSRA which is a copy of IEASYSxx except for pointing to PROGRA
6. Implement your mass RACF changes that could influence the behavior of STC's.
7. Use IRRUT200 to make a copy of your live RACF DB
8. IPL
9. Fall back is easily by adapting the LOADPARM on the HMC

I am also amazed at the number of participants. Are we all getting too old, too lazy or is it secretiveness?

Best regards to all mainframe lovers around the globe,

j@n

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Marc - 10/24/2012 4:12:25 PM

RE:Vote now for your favorite mainframe advice in the Dz Challenge — Part 2!

I voted for number 2, as it rings true. In fact, there is so much to know about the mainframe that only a genius (and there are a few) could ever know it all! However, the second part of this entry also has meaning for me as I look back at my career and recall all of the places I went to for info about the mainframe, including the manuals (from paper to internet), to associates and team members, to the various forums and now blogs where this info is shared... not to mention the trade magazines out there which have valuable info and insight too.

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Member	Anoop Thomas - 10/24/2012 10:15:04 PM RE:Vote now for your favorite mainframe advice in the Dz Challenge — Part 2! I voted for #2 as I think thats the best advice that we can give new comers. Reply \| Quote \| Subscribe to post


Member	airgas2000 - 10/25/2012 7:46:10 AM RE:Vote now for your favorite mainframe advice in the Dz Challenge — Part 2! Don’t forget the backup Nothing's worse than making catalog updates without taking a backup. After your updates you IPL the system and it won't activate. Reply \| Quote \| Subscribe to post

Member

IP - 11/1/2012 7:33:00 AM

RE:Vote now for your favorite mainframe advice in the Dz Challenge — Part 2!

My vote went to the quote #3 (although I hesitated over #2 and #3).

Why?
Because when doing seemingly small changes, they can make quite a surprise soon after (or even worse, after a longer period of time, after an IPL as airgas2000 mentioned, when you forget about that "small" change).

My addition to the voted quote is:

There are people who make backups and those who will make backups.

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BoB W - 11/30/2012 9:41:43 AM

RE:Vote now for your favorite mainframe advice in the Dz Challenge — Part 2!

#2 all the way. I'd add that you still need to know what you're reading when you find this information. Years ago you just needed to know how the manuals were organized to find the little nugget, now you need to be able to filter all the seemingly related misinformation (aka search results) to get the nugget, but that is how we learn.

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