Miao Zhang-Cohen of IBM Z Program Management on the IBM z15

Joseph Gulla does a Q&A with IBM Z Product Owner Miao Zhang-Cohen on the IBM z15.

How a ‘CM1 SL1 - ACK’ Input Message Sent to IMS Connect Works

What happens when an IMS Connect client sends a CM1 SL1 - ACK input message to IMS Connect.

How a CM1 SL0 Input Message Sent to IMS Connect Works: Part 2

An explanation of what happens when an IMS Connect client sends a CM1 SL0 input message to IMS Connect and a Syncpoint failure occurs.

How a CM1 SL0 Input Message Sent to IMS Connect Works

An explanation of what happens when an IMS Connect client sends a CM1 SL0 input message to IMS Connect.

The IBM Z Infinity Pool

Virtualization—or making a computer conceptually seem to have more resources than are actually available, causing the margin between near and far to become invisible—is similar to the experience of looking past the edge of an infinity pool and seeing the ocean.

Unifying the Platform: The IBM Z and LinuxONE Community

Jeanne Brooks, the Worldwide IBM Z Community Leader, and her team created the new IBM Z and LinuxONE Community—a user-centric community offering members an experience unlike any other.

Needed Innovations for the IBM Z Ecosystem

That solid foundation of innovation on the IBM Z platform continues to enable newer emerging features and applications, surpassing the distributed computing world in every way but one: humanity.

Master the Mainframe With Misty Decker

Joseph Gulla does a Q&A with Misty Decker to learn what's new with the IBM Z Academic Initiative and Master the Mainframe.

Overcoming IBM Z Inertia

Today’s mainframe legacies have often become stumbling blocks for moving to the future.

9 Questions About IBM Redbooks With Chris Rayns

Joseph Gulla talks with IBM Redbooks Manager Chris Rayns about IBM Redbooks, why they’re useful, how they’ve evolved and how audiences receive them.

IBM Z: Your Mother’s Mainframe

Our mainframe ecosystem has been built by so many world-class people of every description, including many great women in IT.

Why Millennial Mainframers Make Great Candidates for “Superjobs”

Joseph Gulla—IT thought leader, researcher and regular contributor to Destination z—explores how experience reconciling legacy systems with emerging technologies makes millennial mainframers super candidates for what Deloitte describes as “superjobs.”

2019 ECC: 4 Keynotes and a Student Panel

Joseph Gulla highlights compelling ideas, unexpected notions and real-world connections from the 2019 ECC conference.

6 Reasons Python Is Crucial for Data Science

Here are six reasons why Python is crucial for data science, even more than R.

Of Elephants and Mainframes

There are at least five (and probably a lot more) reasons why mainframers are like elephants.

Babbage, Hollerith, Turing: A Merging of Theory and Practice that Led to IBM Z

We have Babbage, Hollerith and Turing to thank for the fact that modern world-class computing keeps turning out better and better successors.

Cynthia Worrad on Student Involvement in the 2019 ECC Conference

Joseph Gulla talks with Cynthia Worrad, an assistant dean for the School of Computer Science and Mathematics at Marist College, about student involvement at the 2019 ECC conference.

Practices You Should Follow if You’re in C# Development

If you’re a modern-day developer, it’s imperative that you learn C# and understand C# best practices.

Automation on IBM Z Has Never Been More Complete

The IBM Z Service Automation Suite is a collection of products used to automate and control a large range of system elements.

A Brief History of Mainframe Memory Technology

Teaching Through Gamification a Winning Strategy

Mainframe Mike: The Game teaches school-aged children about IBM Z hardware and software.

Z Architecture Improves Database Security, Storage and Performance

Security, storage and performance features in z14 are improving application functionality on IBM Z.

360 Henge: How the Mainframe Shapes Our Future

Much of the best of IT has come to a point of reliability where the innovation can build on top of it rather than changing foundational layers. One of the most important moments in IT history was the announcement of the System/360.

An Organic Analogy for Millennial Mainframe Career Models

James Stanger, CompTIA’s chief technology evangelist, explains how organic analogies like farming can illuminate the way to career success for millennial mainframers in the era Gartner describes as the “intelligent digital mesh.”

Z Architecture Continuously Improves Application Support

How do recent Z architecture enhancements support applications that run on IBM Z?

APPC/MVS Timeout Service

If you activate the APPC/MVS timeout service, you can indicate the maximum time interval an application waits before terminating a conversation and regaining control from APPC/MVS callable services.

Expose Existing IMS Transactions as RESTful APIs

This article examines three steps for a simple, yet practical implementation of securely exposing your existing IMS transactions as RESTful APIs.

Secure Against Those You Trust Most

Instead of taking offense to the requirement that their security access be limited, take a fence and protect your key personnel, so they’ll still be there to help pick up the pieces if things do go wrong.

Get APPC/MVS and Your IMS Talking to Each Other

Learn the necessary steps for setting up your IMS to get APPC related messages onto the IMS message queues.

Why Millennial Mainframers Reconcile Today’s Digital Paradox

David Hyman, president, Center for Technology & Workforce Solutions, explains why millennial mainframers epitomize the professional skill set for reconciling the digital business world’s passion for invention with its angst over obsolescence.

Announcing the 2018 Master the Mainframe Winners

The winners of the 2018 Master the Mainframe contest were announced at Think 2019 in San Francisco.

A New Way to Modernize Applications

There’s a rich set of alternative tools you can use to explore new approaches to application modernization.

The Need for Specifics in Simplifying IT

When you understand the specifics, you can help your organization avoid a great deal of difficulty.

Lessons Learned From Early IT Planning

Reg Harbeck highlights wisdom shared in the early days of computing and explains how we can still learn from these principles today.

Traditional Modernization Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

Modernization is not free or without risk but nevertheless it’s essential to keeping an application responsive to business needs.

Peaceful, Easy Mainframe

From security, to optimized configuration, to cost benefits, the mainframe has proven its relevance and reliability time and again.

Modernization Is an Ongoing Strategic Activity

Application modernization is about reworking or updating an application to better meet current needs. It’s such a simple idea—so, why is it challenging? Modernization can be perplexing for any number of important reasons.

Preserving Valuable IT and Mainframe Practices

There are a lot of things the mainframe has that are worth preserving, understanding and building on: business and technical practices, cultural attitudes, tricks and techniques, and more.

A True Cost Benefit Approach to IT Architecture

The first step to a more business-focused outcome on the mainframe is to identify the costs and benefits of solutions in place.

The Future of IT Roles and Jobs

Joseph Gulla discusses the future of IT jobs, the availability of skilled human resources and the impact of innovation.

Today’s IT Roles and Responsibilities

Joseph Gulla discusses IT architects and IT specialists along with other key IT roles—including analysts, consultants, IT security and IT support.

Mainframe Continuity Planning 3: Fully Understand Your Platform

The opportunities for the mainframe are unlimited, especially once you’ve understood the weaknesses, threats and strengths that fill in the context. Together, these factors make SWOT. This article conducts a SWOT analysis of the mainframe platform.

VM's CMS: An Elixir for Mainframe Productivity

From humble beginnings as part of IBM's 1960s pioneering virtualization research project, VM's Conversational Monitor System (CMS) component was an experiment in OS design explicitly created as a single-user system; it provided what would later be called "personal computing."

Continuous Availability for Non-Data Sharing Workloads

Parallel Sysplex on IBM Z provides a highly reliable, redundant and robust environment by clustering together multiple z/OS systems with one or more coupling facilities to achieve near-continuous availability.

Ensuring Data Storage Longevity

Backup isn’t archive. It's wonderful having robust near-term data storage recoverable from the worst possible disaster, error or malfeasance. But that's not the same as being able to recover and process your data in a month, year or decade.

Mainframe Continuity Planning 2

New mainframers are finally beginning to arrive, and the mainframe shops that take fullest advantage of the mainframe’s strengths. So why aren’t more mainframers getting the word out about this important career choice?

The Future of IT Project Management

Project management is a growing field and IT project managers are one dimension of this developing profession.

How to Keep up With Z

So, you’re working on the mainframe platform. Some of you may have just started working with mainframes, and some of you might be experienced mainframers wanting to know more about specific topics or areas. Where do you start?

Where Are We and How Did We Get Here?

The mainframe community is still standing—though many of our mainframe colleagues have now begun to move on to other pastures. And thanks to initiatives such as zNextGen, a new generation on the mainframe is slowly beginning to form.

IT Trendz Topic Diversity and Future Direction

Joseph Gulla points out his most valuable and informative IT Trendz series—including IT consolidation, things they didn’t teach him in school and pivotal ideas in IT such as programming languages and middleware.

Monitoring Your z/OS Network Traffic

Imagine being directed by your manager to identify the overall quality of the cryptographic protection for your z/OS network. What exposures do you have? Who is using unapproved protection protocols, or worse, not using any protection at all? Where would you start?

Four Stunning Keynotes From the ECC Conference

Joseph Gulla explains the four keynote talks from the Enterprise Computing Community (ECC) conference.

All About IBM Doc Buddy

The IBM Doc Buddy app can search error messages of IBM Z software products in online or offline environments

Hybrid Cloud for IBM Z

A multi-cloud strategy can provide a mechanism to migrate away from centralized IT to get to the cloud fast. It will also help integrate old and new platforms and leverage new cost and consumption models to achieve IT transformation.

Ten Thousand Mainframes Today: A Million Tomorrow

After three decades, competing systems still haven’t caught up with what the mainframe was doing before it was a decade old. So why isn’t the mainframe universally perceived as the top computing platform?

No Stumps, No Chumps

Maturing mainframe culture in time for the future

First Encounters of the Z Kind

She started on Interskill, she went to SHARE and she’s starting to master the mainframe. What’s next?

Blockchain for IBM Z

When blockchain first emerged as the next big thing, it arrived as the technology behind bitcoin. At that time, blockchain was an x86 phenomenon. Today it has moved to Linux and runs on multiple platforms, including IBM Z and LinuxONE. From the start, blockchain naturally benefitted from the legendary scalability, reliability, security and flexibility of Z.

The Changing Face of IT Consolidation

The technical implementation of consolidation projects has changed considerably over the last decade. Ten years ago, companies were deploying virtualization as a consolidation tactic. Today, centralizing images to IBM Z servers and including cloud-services software are major factor in new consolidation and modernization activities.

Advanced Analytics

IBM Z offers options to analyze data at a deeper and quicker level.

A Glimpse Inside Db2 for z/OS

Mid-level technical papers focus on a specific topic related to Db2 for z/OS.

Guide to Your First Conference

Get the most out of mainframe events with preparation, networking and sharing what you learn.

A Path Ahead

Achieve early career technical leadership through planning and involvement.

Three Tsunamis and a Boat

Be prepared for disruptions that will affect the mainframe

Data-Driven Decision-Making

IBM Z can help move analytics to the source of data to find deeper, faster wisdom.

Application Enablement

Db2 12 helps adapt to modern application development paradigms.

Future Mainframers

To educate those around you to the mainframe, explain its value, answer questions and provide resources.

Eight Reasons to Use Java

Java with IBM Z modernizes through integration, support, tools and more.

Something Broke, How Do I Fix It?

Debugging Linux issues can be frustrating. Some general steps can make tackling Linux problems more manageable.

Competitive Costs

IBM offers new container pricing models for IBM Z.

The Future Today

IBM Machine Learning offers opportunities for various industries and business solutions.

Planning for the Future

Java is at the heart of application modernization on the mainframe.

Mainframes Span the Globe

Clients share variations in worldwide IBM Z usage

Improved Performance for New Workloads in DB2

DB2 V12 improves the performance of analytical queries on IBM Z.

New Security Standard

Pervasive encryption, available on IBM z14, offers complete data protection.

Test System

Software testing for enterprise computing brings together traditional software and new tools and practices.

Business Plan

Mainframe organizations are responding to new technology and opportunity with innovation.

Reflecting on Technology Progress

As IBM Z advances and evolves, varied skills are needed.

Enterprise Computing Community Conference 2017 Recap

Variety of sessions, topics and speakers is high.

Get to Know Quantum Computing

Learn what sets apart quantum computing, what its future holds and use cases.

Noah’s Architecture

IBM Z is designed to survive and thrive with its stability, continuity and security.

IBM z/OS Provisioning Toolkit

The utility gives developers flexibility to easily build, run and share application images.

IBM Z Announced

To help clients enable trust and leadership in a digital economy, IBM introduced the new IBM z14 system centered around three themes: Secure data and transactions, intelligence and insight, and an open and connected enterprise cloud.

Improved Access Path Management in DB2

IBM DB2 V12 provides dynamic SQL plan stability.

Only as Safe as You Make It

Knowing your system will ensure that the setup and configuration is secure.

A Valuable System

Blockchain on IBM z Systems and LinuxONE provide security, performance and a business advantage.

All About Algorithm 2 With DB2 12

The insert algorithm reduces time per transaction while increasing the number of inserts.

IBM Machine Learning for z/OS Is Here

IBM Machine Learning for z/OS continually provides businesses with new ways to learn.

Genealogy of COBOL and HLASM

Tracing the roots of the 'Syntacticized Assembler' and other computer generations.

Finding a Home in a z Systems User Group

IBM z Systems groups are everywhere, you just need to know where to look.

Looking at In-Database Analytics

High-performance data transformation on DB2 for z/OS is possible.

Cognitive Computing Comes to z Systems

IBM’s new system provides a revolutionary way to keep up with and act upon data.

Bridging the Distance

Whether in an office or working from home, z Systems programmers/administrators can now work from the next office, building, city, time zone or continent.

Performance Strategy

Exploit in-memory computing on DB2 12 for z/OS to realize gains.

IBM Machine Learning for z/OS

The IBM Machine Learning for z/OS platform can continuously create, train and deploy a substantial volume of analytic models at the source.

Learning Opportunity

Ongoing education a key factor to career success.

A Contained Project

Docker is an open-source project that automates the deploying of Linux applications inside what is known as software containers.

Enterprising Skills

Get, maintain and grow opportunities in IT enterprise computing.

Enhancement Highlights

IBM DB2 12 for z/OS is ready for Hybrid Transactional/Analytical Processing.

Effective Examples

Simplify monitoring console for optimal performance.

The Golden Triangle

An architect has a huge impact on how fast, good and cheap a project is.

Seamless Computing

IBM z/VM's Single System Image feature links systems.

A Modern Solution

IMS Solution Adoption Kits help users with application modernization.

Lessons Learned

More seasoned mainframers advise their younger selves and Generation Z workers.

Successful Skills

Global Training Providers expand training offerings and reach with new programs.

The Best Things in Life Are z

Innovation challenges help bring ideas together to engage creative solutions.

IBM z Systems 101

Get up to speed quickly with hybrid cloud, analytics, digital business and blockchain.

Unnecessary Information

Ensure you have a simple base of statistics before exploiting the Optimizer’s externalization of missing statistics in DB2 11 for z/OS.

Checklists Bring Order Out of Chaos and Enhance Reliability

Systematic procedures help avoid and solve problems.

Threat Protection Team

The IBM X-Force Exchange is a threat intelligence platform that allows users to stay informed and collaborate with peers.

Open Source Programs Spark Innovation in z Systems Analytics

Integrating Spark, DB2 and BigInsights allows users to leverage them effectively.

IBM Redbooks Collaborates With SHARE on Publication

IDCAMS Redpaper focuses on modern issues and tips.

IBM DB2: Taking the Best Data Server on a Transformational Journey

The IBM database product focuses on continuous delivery to give clients updates quicker.

Destination z Takes Off

Destination z celebrates 5 years of being an online z Systems community.

Spotlight on Our Community

Destination z members discuss what the mainframe community means to them.

As Cool as z

The people are key to the mainframe community.

Top Destination z Articles

Variety of content and topics among the most-read articles on the Destination z website.

Make No Mistake

Avoid common DB2 for z/OS RUNSTATS collection mistakes.

Blockchain 101: A Quick Briefing

The shared-ledger technology Blockchain helps digitally track and move assets securely.

A Rewarding z/VSE Community

Fans of the z/VSE system focus on participation and knowledge sharing to build and maintain a user community.

Never Trust a Computer You Can Throw

IBM z Systems offers unmatched security.

Emerging IT Challenges

A Diverse Set of Skills Needed for Technical Roles

An Easier Move

Perform a DB2 11 for z/OS migration easier with z/OS Management Facility.

Mighty Mainframe OS

Let's not forget the mainframe system software sibling: IBM z/Transaction Processing Facility (TPF).

Migration Path

Learn a new approach and prepare for migrating a DB2 system or a DB2 data sharing group with z/OSMF.

Building on Opportunity

Integrate cloud and existing in-house systems.

Develop With Docker

Using the Docker container on the z Systems platform is easy and efficient.

What’s the Heat About Spark?

Spark, the open source cluster-based framework, keeps analytics and data on z Systems and Linux.

Build an IBM DB2 for z/OS Mobile Application With a Stored Procedure

In this post, we'll show how to use a stored procedure to call a standard DB2 for z/OS utility, RUNSTATS, from within a mobile app.

IBM z13s Resources

New system helps clients unleash digital innovation, hybrid cloud and security.

Architecting Your Career

Soft skills are necessary for success on the mainframe.

Create an IBM DB2 for z/OS Mobile Application With SQL Statements

Build an IBM DB2 for z/OS mobile application With IBM MobileFirst by using regular SQL statements to retrieve a string ID from the SYSIBM.SYSXMLSTRINGS table.

What the Heck Is JCL and Why Does It Look So Funny?

It’s important to give job control language its due respect helping others.

IBM CICS Team Finds Success by Hiring Young People Eager to Solve Problems

The debate regarding a mainframe skills issue or shortage of workers isn’t new. Various groups have different views on how pending the shortage of skilled workers is, or if there is a shortage altogether. The problem isn’t a mainframe skills issue, but rather a mainframe skills planning issue.

Build an IBM DB2 for z/OS Mobile Application With IBM MobileFirst

Now that we've entered a new era in which we increasingly use our phones and tablets for all types of transactions, mobile access to DB2 for z/OS transactional data is more critical than ever.

Mainframes Have a Long History of Accessibility

With tools, IBM z Systems is inclusive to all.

Community and Communication

z Council groups bring together customers and IBMers to form a two-way street of discussion and learning.

SHARE Adds DevOps Track to Winter Event

New topic to offer helpful tools and tips to enterprise professionals.

Architects and Methodologies

Architects must think in a top-down manner and tackle problems starting with what the “as-is” environment looks like, normally driven by the use of an architectural methodology.

IBM z13 Resources

The newest IBM mainframe, the z13, is announced. Find various resources.

Build an IBM DB2 for z/OS Mobile Application Using IBM MobileFirst

As mobile use increases, needed to access IBM DB2 information becomes more important.

Are Microservices Right for You?

The architectural style addresses today’s challenges of agility and scalability of applications.

Millennials Grow on the Mainframe

People newer to the workforce gain skills through mentors and experiences.

z/OS V2.2 Resources

The newest OS for the IBM z Systems mainframe, z/OS V2.2, is announced.

Project Success

Project management skills and tools help achieve desired outcome.

Mainframe Skills are Always in Style

CompTIA helps IT professionals expand to keep up with the evolving platform.

Training Options

Flexible mainframe education programs are available.

Mentoring 101

What is all this mentoring stuff and why should I care?

Faster Business Insights

IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator on the IBM z13 is built for speed.

Spark's Interactive Scala Shell

Access DB2 data using DB2 Connect JDBC driver and Spark's new DataFrames API.

Best System Programmer Attributes

Mainframers give advice and lessons learned on what helps in the real world.

Special Report: Mainframe Skills

Mainframe clients find help from IBM and others to mitigate the effects of a skills shortage.

Virtualization Today

VMs and LPARs opened doors to testing and increasing utilization of computers.

Coupling Technology: What’s Right for Me?

Desired outcome and choices help determine setup for coupling technology.

The Value of Linux

Many options for Linux add up to value and customization.

A z/OS Security Rosetta Stone

Not all monoliths are mainframes. But they often have a lot in common beyond their size, solidity and endurance, such as information.

The DevOps Transformation

DevOps offers continuous software delivery and new tools for the mainframe.

Simplifying DB2 Migration

Application compatibility makes a DB2 11 upgrade easy.

The People’s Group

SHARE attributes 60 years of success to its members and looks to the event in August.

Digital Business Solutions and Tools

DevOps and Bluemix are among the offerings for IBM digital business solutions and tools.

Virtualization: More than VMs and LPARs

Early enterprise systems virtualization helped programmers work better and faster.

Thinking and Acting Like an Architect

The IT architect uses “top down thinking” to help with projects.

z Systems for Analytics Data—You Move, You Lose

Solutions are available to help save MIPS and money.

IBM Redbooks: z Systems CTO Perspective

Jeff Frey, IBM Fellow and z Systems CTO, shares with IBM Redbooks his insights on the new IBM z13 mainframe and explains how it can enhance your business.

Social Media and z Systems: A Personal Journey

Six Groups and Resources for Millennial Mainframers

Many resources and groups are available for mainframers still in school or early in their careers, no matter if they are looking for more training, resources, jobs or a community of like-minded individuals.

Application Review: IBM Interactive Product Catalog

If you've ever wanted to hold a z System server in the palm of your hand or show your family what the computers you work with look like, now's your chance.

Mainframe Security Best Practices

It’s worth the time and effort to develop security habits.

Monitor Mainframe Problems

Resources allow different levels of control to meet different needs.

IBM Redbooks: Stay Informed

IBM Redbooks give you what you need, when and where you need it.

z/OS Releases: Small Changes, Big Improvements

I’ve found many functions over the past several z/OS releases that system programmers may not have realized were there.

IBM Redbooks: IBM z Systems Functional Matrix

This IBM Redbooks publication provides a list of features and functions that are supported on IBM z Systems.

IBM z13 Earthquake Shake Test

IBM goes above and beyond testing z Systems to ensure that the mainframe is ready for any environment it could live in.

Successful BYOD Experience

The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) option is a growing desire of employees and an initiative of importance for many employers.

IBM z Systems Vocabulary 101

A bidirectional dictionary of some of the most frequently used terms in everyday projects.

IBM Redbooks: IBM z13 Configuration Setup

This IBM Redbooks publication presents IBM z13 configuration setup scenarios, and describes implementation examples in detail.

IBM Redbooks: IBM z Systems Connectivity Handbook

This IBM Redbooks publication highlights the z13 I/O components, functions, typical uses, coexistence and relative merits of these connectivity features.

IBM z13: The New Possible

Watch the new film introducing the IBM z13.

Use Career Resources to Grow

There are many different places to better yourself and find like-minded individuals.

IBM Redbooks: IBM z13 Technical Guide

This IBM Redbooks publication is a technical introductory guide that provides information and planning advice about the IBM z13 and its functions, features and associated software support. 



7 Key New Features to the z13 Mainframe

This IBM Redbooks video provides an overview of the seven main features of the new IBM mainframe.

IBM Redbooks: IBM z13 Technical Introduction

Learn about the IBM z13 capabilities, with its secure and resilient cloud-ready infrastructure that can integrate data, transactions and insight, for faster and more accurate business decisions. 



2015 Mainframe Mobile App Throwdown Is on

Submissions from IBM clients and business partners are being accepted through April 12.

Buy One SQL, Get One Free

Simplify SQL statements by writing them to perform more than one operation.

A Big Piece of Cheese?

Interesting analogies help explain the mainframe.

Hadoop’s Presence on the Mainframe

Hadoop on System z is best considered for non-traditional exploration of data that largely originates on the System z platform.

Through the Mobile Lens: Cloud and Analytics on System z

Bringing everything together on System z gives organizations and users the best mobile experience.

Turn Experiences Into Wisdom

Testing, planning and sharing with others helps ensure professional success.

A Dynamic Force

The System z platform is the ‘ultimate virtualized system’ to leverage popular technologies.

Getting Client Accounting Methods Information

With the right knowledge, developers can identify and use the source of remote data access.

Mainframe Work, Then and Now

The issues and transitions mainframers faced in the past help us improve today.

The Right Tools

Be more effective in end-to-end monitoring and management with the best products for the job.

Be an SQL Performance Hero

SQL tricks are usually easy to code, but the challenge is when to use what trick. Let’s examine one of the easiest SQL tricks that will provide the most gain: Code smarter WHERE clauses in the optimal sequence.

DB2 for z/OS Goes Multilingual

In the past three to four years, the term NoSQL has gone from a curiosity to a must-have component for many database development organizations. This time, the technology brings not only a new storage format, but also new languages for communicating from application to database.

A Successful Project

End-to-End Monitoring and Management is Worth the Effort

Leading the Enterprise IT Community

New SHARE president James Vincent looks to keep group as the mainframe resource of record.

Save Money With Mobile

At some point, the volume of mobile transactions is sure to impact your peak workload pricing.

Flexibility Needed During Execution of Data Center Move

Having backup plans and defined roles makes the move easier when surprises arise.

Planning for Data Center Move Is Critical

Clearly defining the steps and outcome before a move, upgrade or build helps ensure a smooth transition to success.

A Renaissance for Tape

After decades of experience with tape, IT organizations continue to struggle with the technology. The latest generation of IT professionals, raised on virtual tape, are unfamiliar with physical tape. “Tape gets a bad rap today,” says Jon Toigo, principal, Toigo Partners International, at the IBM Edge2014 conference in May.

Building the Best Shape for Your Cloud

Since there are many rich features in the IBM Cloud Management Suite for System z, it is important to use them to shape a cloud service for your community of users that makes it effective to use and attractive to consume. Also, it should be done in a way that aligns with the IT culture of your company.

Join the Computer Artifacts Contest

We want to see what artifacts the Destination z community has. We are looking for the most unique and the oldest artifacts, and will award a $50 prepaid Visa card to the first place winner in each category.

Dealing With the Uncertainty of Big Data Security

With the amount of data being produced, we need to figure out how secure is secure enough.

Cloud Coverage for the Mainframe

Many in IT are coming around to the value proposition of running a cloud service on System z.

Matching Mobile With the Mainframe

How customers now go about their daily lives fuels the rise in the demand for transaction processing at high volume and continuous availability. It would be too simple to say that the System z platform is the best fit for this growth.

Cherished Computer Memories

Holding on to keepsakes can teach us about a certain time in computing and help us relive our experiences.

Holding on to History

We've all seen technologies come and go. Some vanished too soon, good riddance to others. It's always interesting learning computing/career artifacts people have.

Growth Accelerates in Africa

IBM sees potential in the African market, and is investing time and resources in the continent.

Service on System z

Software as a Service provides companies with the authorization to use software or services for a period of time like a rental instead of the traditional model in which companies must buy the software, build the server, install the operating system, install the software and customize it to meet the company business and needs.

Turn Challenges Into Opportunities

Mainframes—and Mainframers—Can Learn From the Past and One Another

New Product Makes Cloud Accessible

During the 50th anniversary celebration of the mainframe, IBM announced on April 8 new cloud and mobile offerings, increased security, and big data and analytics solutions.

Solutions Move Forward with System z

IBM System z Solution Editions were introduced to demonstrate that running new workloads on System z is both technically viable and cost-effective. These bundles provide competitive bottom-line pricing satisfying diverse requirements.

The New Mainframe Normal

Welcome to the new mainframe normal. It assumes a new style of computing that encompasses mainframe and distributed systems and mobile and social workloads running alongside traditional mainframe workloads.

50 Years of Improvement and Innovation

In a few months the mainframe turns 50. And what this means to IT buyers is that when you buy a mainframe, you’re buying 50 years of continuous improvements in performance and in manageability. A great example of these types of improvements can be found in one of the mainframe’s operating systems, z/OS.

Advice on How to Thrive in Your Career

Author Denise Kalm shares advice and an excerpt from her new book, "Career Savvy: Keeping and Transforming Your Job."

IBM Business Process Manager Can Improve Business Agility

An introduction to the concept of a process hub that uses IBM Business Process Manager and leverages IBM z/OS quality of service and collocation with systems of record to automate straight-through processing at the core of an enterprise for enhanced business agility.

Bringing New Workloads to System z

This article is part one of a two-part series on IBM solution editions for System z.

The Mainframe Magna Carta

While the Mainframe Charter promises ongoing system innovation, value and community, Statements of Integrity provide real-world assurance that critical z/OS and z/VM exposures are promptly remedied.

Rethinking Mainframe Security

The new mainframe security maturity model shouldn’t be that different from what a competent System z shop should have been doing all along. The difference will be an expanded scope to include mobile, cloud, social and all the new ways users interact with the mainframe; expanded automation; and more analytics.

Cloud Covered With System z

For IBM customers who want to learn how to address these challenges and gain a better understanding of cloud computing and the capabilities that System z, zEnterprise and the IBM Software brands offer them, an updated free online course is available for download at The Value of Cloud Computing on System z.

SPOC 2: Connecting the Dots

Want to try the different types of IMS SPOCs in your shop but aren't sure where to start? Let’s delve into what a SPOC environment looks like: its components, setup and usage.

Virtually Secure?

Mainframe operations can certainly be affected by mobile security threats to a company's IT system. Enter service virtualization—an especially useful tool for developers that are building complicated mobile apps that integrate deep into an enterprise's IT system.

Migration Misconceptions

Moving off the mainframe is not an easy task and shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s frequently a multi-year, multi-million-dollar effort fraught with risk.

Strolling Down Memory (Core) Lane

It’s instructive to tour real-world and virtual computing museums, lovingly created and maintained by generations of professionals—many of whom designed, built and used the equipment written about and displayed.

The Much-Maligned Mainframe

In moving away from the mainframe, many companies create a monster: a tangled mess of technologies and best-of-breed packages that don’t work together and threaten to overwhelm the organization with its cost and complexity.

IBM Extends zEnterprise Capabilities

The IBM zEnterprise BC12 is designed to be the entry point into enterprise computing for mid-sized organizations that are seeing growth in a variety of workloads. It provides availability, performance and security in data analytics, consolidation, virtualization, cloud solutions and mobile applications.

Good Question

As part of IBM’s strategy for mainframe simplification and modernization, the User Experience team has studied the needs of our end users, both experienced and entry-level users. Resulting solutions have included: z/OS Management Facility, CICS Explorer, and IBM Explorer for z/OS V2.1.

Don’t Believe the Myths

Misconceptions and myths persist—like the idea that few mainframes remain in use today. The reality is SHARE represents more than 20,000 individuals from nearly 2,000 companies.

Social Business on System z

For most mainframe data center managers, social business is barely on the radar screen. Yet, it offers a rich collaboration and social environment—combined with security and the other strengths of System z.

Breaking Through CPU Roadblocks

The Warning Track implementation on the zEC12 and the Blocked Workload Support in z/OS provide mechanisms to clear lower-priority work out of the way without violating z/OS priority dispatching to any great extent.

Facing an APAR-rent Problem?

The star—and start—of the show is the APAR, from which many other terms follow. An APAR (that is, IBM agreeing a problem exists and assigning a tracking number for it) can result from elaborate customer debugging, a simple “It’s broken” report, or customer/IBM collaboration to research, recreate and document problem details.

Never-Mind the Gap

zNextGen is doing its part in bridging the gap and erasing the differences between younger mainframe professionals and the veterans. This way, both groups can learn from each other and, ultimately, keep up the level of interest in mainframe careers.

Mainframe Meets MobileFirst

IBM isn’t the only vendor working the System z mobile market. MobileFirst, however, might be the most comprehensive.

Tip of the Iceberg

IBM zAware is a program designed to automatically assist in mainframe troubleshooting by analyzing minute details in systems logs as well as other data relevant to systems and application performance to isolate problems and help discover the cause of anomalous behaviors.

Don't Reinvent Mainframe Wheels

No matter whether called conventional wisdom, best practices or wisdom of the ages—if not formalized, documented, preserved and passed on through generations of mainframers, lessons painfully learned are diluted and lost.

Big Data Demands Big Iron Skills

The effects of a mass exodus from the mainframe ranks could affect a number of computing trends, not the least of which is big data.

Warning Track

First implemented on the IBM zEnterprise EC12 processor, Warning Track helps maximize physical CPU utilization without causing the so-called “short engine” effect.

Making Mobile Manageable

As every business is populated by consumers, the mobility wave washing over enterprise computing is a foregone conclusion. Sessions at SHARE in San Francisco reflected this sense of urgency for mainframers.

Don't Leave Your Successors Adrift

The mainframe community largely wants to protect its enterprise-computing legacy. So it's important to facilitate generational transition with documentation and staff overlaps.

What Is Flash Express?

Included in last year’s announcement of the zEnterprise EC12, IBM introduced the optional Flash Express. So, what is Flash Express? It’s all about using solid-state drives to improve the performance of certain mainframe tasks.

Class Act

To help customers understand how the mainframe is an ideal platform for business analytics, IBM offers a free online course, “The Value of Business Analytics on System z.”

More MVS Jiu Jitsu

Formerly, adding more real memory increased the cost of UIC Update, but now it decreases as more memory is added—another real Jiu Jitsu solution, turning the enemy’s strength to your own advantage.

An ‘A’ Takes Effort

When facing an audit, learn what’s being audited. Review documents auditors will use before they arrive. That will avoid surprises and prepare you better.

The Jiu Jitsu of Reduced Preemption

The innovative dispatching approach called reduced preemption was extremely effective when it was introduced, and today’s systems of 10 or more processors couldn’t even run without it.

Career Advice

No matter where you are in your mainframe career—new arrival or seasoned veteran—here are career-preservation tips for 2013 and beyond.

Search for SPOC

In the world of IMS, SPOC stands for Single Point of Control, and it’s a function of the IMS Common Service Layer that simplifies IMSplex management.

‘Never Say No to a Challenge’

With 53 percent of the vote, Philip Yeo’s mainframe advice dominated the field in the latest IBM Destination z Tips and Techniques Challenge. The Destination z community forum, the contest asked mainframers to share their best mainframe advice for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card and an IBM Heritage T-shirt.

No Free Lunch

Chargeback can impose discipline on resource consumption, influence user behavior in desired directions, provide ROI data on initiatives and justify allocating costs to paying customers. And accumulating cost/billing figures aids user budgeting, which allows better data center workload and configuration planning.

Voting Deadline Extended!

The voting deadline has been extended to Nov. 11 in the second Destination z Tips and Techniques contest—which asked Dz members to share their best mainframe advice.

Speedier Solutions

As overall and component reliability has improved, you may occasionally face issues in areas in which you’ve not previously needed to diagnose or report problems. A positive mindset and a few simple practices will usually resolve what’s wrong.

The Mobile Revolution

“Part of the challenge of mobile computing is describing the issues and opportunities,” says Ray Sun, SHARE marketing director. “And we believe SHARE as an organization has the experience and insight to lead the discussion of where mobility meets the mainframe and beyond to the whole of enterprise computing.”

Inside Information

Even though the mainframe is known for security, there's always a risk that an employee—maliciously or by mistake—will threaten an installation's interests. Therefore, comprehensive security requires detecting and defeating insider threats.

Big Opportunities in Big Data

Big data was a big focus at the recent SHARE conference in Anaheim, Calif. Event organizers devoted two days of conference content to a Big Data Spotlight with a concentration of sessions designed to address the “most pressing big data questions and concerns” of its community.

The Changing Face of Mainframe Computing

“For the first time, there are four generations in the workforce,” said keynote speaker and best-selling author Jason Dorsey at the August SHARE conference in Anaheim, Calif.

Securing it All

As a first step, mainframe security administrators can put stringent controls and safeguards in place for mobile devices. They should then participate in discussions and dialogue to help build best practices.

Mainframe Goes Mobile

The proliferation of mobile devices and the number of transactions that consumers are ringing up through them will have subtly and profound impacts on the mainframe.

Ready, Set, Mobile!

A growing expectation among employees is the ability to use their own mobile devices for basic productivity tasks. Increasingly, they expect to be able to access sensitive corporate data via their smartphones.

Take 2—The Destination z Challenge!

What’s the best mainframe career advice you’ve ever received? Share it on the Destination z forum page for a chance to win an IBM Heritage T-shirt and a gift card.

Safe Travels

Proof-of-concept (POC) demonstration projects can blaze a trail, doing something on a small scale, for the first time, but perhaps changing basic assumptions and potentially influencing an industry or the world.

Learn, Collaborate and Share

Welcome to the Destination z community site, which offers a one-stop shop for everything related to IBM System z.

The Truth Will Set You Free

Anyone who's worked with mainframes has heard cringe-worthy comments about them: misconceptions, misinformation, misunderstandings, etc. While it's tempting to ignore such nonsense, doing so doesn't serve your career, employer or the mainframe community.

And the Winner Is …

BYOD Joins the Mainframe Party

BYOD is an irresistible trend. So it's worth exploring to learn what it can provide—not necessarily to economize but to make it secure, integrate it into mainstream IT and avoid costly technology dead ends.

Get out the Vote

Voting is now underway for the first Destination z Tips and Techniques contest. Out of nearly 40 entries, our expert panel selected three finalists. Now Destination z members have until May 18 to vote for their favorite.

Staying Connected While Working Remotely

While telecommuting has been discussed widely for years, rarely has it been practiced successfully. Consider these tips to address cultural and technical stumbling blocks.

3V: Velocity, Variety and Volume

To put big data into perspective, organizations look to analytics tools to address three factors: velocity, variety and volume.

IBM Doubles Down on Big Data Analytics

IBM has invested heavily in big data analytics, spending more than $14 billion on more than two-dozen analytics-related acquisitions over the past five years. It expects to generate $16 billion in revenue by 2015, according to published reports.

Destination z Tips and Techniques Challenge

IBM Destination z wants your expertise! Submit a mainframe-related tip or technique in our community forum for a chance to win the first Destination z Challenge.

Tell IBM What You Think

IBM is actively soliciting System z user reviews. Customers who bought System z products are invited to write reviews and leave ratings on the product and their experience.

Building a Better Backup Strategy

Because operating without reliable backup risks corporate health and can be a profoundly career-limiting move, the most fundamental resolution for mainframe professionals is ”backup, backup, backup.” But beyond that, some may ask where to start and what to do?

Mobility’s Impact on the Mainframe

Mention the word “mainframe,” and you’re apt to conjure up images of monolithic systems humming along reliably and dependably in the background of modern data centers.

Resolve to Keep Your Mainframe Secure in 2012

Whether Santa just brought you a zEnterprise System or your workload is happily humming along on a previous technology generation, the arrival of a new year is always a good time for mainframers to review and renew essential security resolutions.

The Big Deal About Big Data

Realizing big data’s vast potential requires organizations to understand the value of the large volumes of data they generate and process, and act upon it.

Enhancing Server and Storage Synergy

In October, IBM announced additional zHPF enhancements intended to make it applicable to a larger percentage of client workloads, improving System z scale and resilience.

Performance Management Isn't Rocket Science

I continue to be amazed by the mystique and astounding complexity attributed to the job of assuring business workload performance requirements are met.

Addressing the IT Skills Shortage

Despite predictions of doom and gloom, collaborative efforts among businesses, universities, vendors and independent industry organizations will forestall any IT skills shortfall.

Smart Optimization Assessments

The IT Systems Rationalization or Scorpion study produces a set of prioritized recommendations to assist a client in defining a new server-optimization strategy, identifies a more highly optimized alternative enterprise and/or distributed-server architecture, and evaluates the cost and benefits of those alternatives.

Out of the Spotlight

High Performance Fiber Connectivity (FICON) for System z (zHPF), an enhancement to the z/Architecture, FICON interface architecture and device architectures has been continually improved upon, albeit without much fanfare.

A Mainframe at Your Fingertips

Whether you’re a mainframe customer looking to create a sandbox environment or an independent software vendor (ISV) seeking to delve deeper — IBM System z Personal Development Tool (zPDT) can meet your needs.

BPM Customized for the Mainframe

New z/OS-specific software release, Business Process Manager Advanced, reaffirms IBM's commitment to the mainframe platform.

A Mainframe for the Masses

Even though the entry price is lower, the zEnterprise 114 is nevertheless a mainframe-caliber system that’s just as capable as its bigger counterparts when it comes to workload processing, security and reliability.

Old Iron, New Markets

The mainframe entices customers in emerging economies.

A New Dawn

IBM Rational Software takes mainframe applications and development to a new level

Your Final Destination z

IBM Vice President Ray Jones—a founding force behind Destination z—talks about how the community was conceptualized and initially delivered, its evolution, and his vision for its future.

Growing the Mainframe

The majority of students are unaware of what an IBM System z mainframe is, much less how important the computing platform is to industry and to their daily life. They don’t realize the future employment opportunities for those who pursue an education that includes mainframe topics.

Academic Initiative Helps Students Embrace IBM System z

For IBM clients, ISVs and Business Partners with an interest in the future of the System z platform, the IBM Academic Initiative System z program offers a wealth of resources

Cloudy, With a Chance of Mainframe

"Cloud computing" is one of the hottest terms being bandied about today.

Reports of Its Death Are Greatly Exaggerated

The world was supposed to end on May 21, according to a crazy fringe radio personality and his followers.