The NeverEnding story
Andrew (Andy) McCandless
Technology Consultant & Founder ?? IBM Champion 2023, 2024 & 2025
In this edition
The Problem of Orphan Data ?? Mainframe Tape Storage - new record ?? The history of s/360 to Linux ?? IBM z Day ?? IBM Champions - Swag bag ?? IBM z Datathon ?? DevOps meets Mainframe ?? ?Meet the Mentors ?? New mainframe hire ?? ? Just For Fun - privacy??
Intro
Holiday memories: The NeverEnding story
Inspired by my childhood in the UK and one film I somehow managed to never watch despite it appearing to be on TV every summer in the UK, I went with the title of 'The NeverEnding story'.
With the title inspiring me I will be 'sharing a nod to nostalgia', with some stories showing how our Mainframe and the technology we use has continued to evolve.
The Problem of Orphaned Data
I wasn't sure if this story should be in the mainframe section or my general section as the problem of orphan data is not new, or unique to the mainframe and is a problem that is growing with the move to the Cloud.
Mainframes are renowned for their ability to store large amounts of data and being able to access that data. IMS, for example, has, for many years, been able to store huge amounts of data and access the records in that data very quickly. It’s what made IMS so popular with financial institutions and other organizations.
Often data that has become orphaned can become a compliance risk, it can add processing time to backups and can lead to reputational risk.
Why did the very well written story from Trevor Eddolls catch my eye, now that Share Nola has finished my attention has turned towards preparing for GSE UK.
The article from Trevor in planet mainframe struck a chord with me, I thought it might be interesting to share a mainframe story that is a becoming a problem with Migrations & Modernisations projects.
Working from home in the mini-heatwave that has hit the UK, I have been reviewing a slide deck for one of the products I support which performs data discovery (XINFO) and will be presented at GSE UK later this year by one of my customers.
It was spooky timing and I had to check the date as I know that LinkedIn now shares articles which are tailored to individual interests, in this case this was this an old article, in fact although this is an old problem it is a new article.
?? ?? You can find a link to the post via Georges Kopp available here:
Q. Did you sing "The sun will come out tomorrow"?
Mainframe Tape Storage
Then & Now
In my previous edition of the mainframerz newsletter I shared how you can store data on the cloud, this time I wanted to offer an alternative method of storage and revisit the classic Tape storage and take the story up to the latest developments in storage.
I have chosen as my starting point the 1950's and a tape device manufactured by Remington Rand later to become UNIVAC this first tape device was capable of storing in 1950 a whopping 224kb of data.
In the latest announcement made by IBM it is now possible to store over 50TB of data on one tape cartridge.
I recall in my youth when we got excited when the average home computer would be able to store the entire Encylcopedia Brittania and we were amazed.
If like me you have been occupied by occupying your children over the school holidays, you may appreciate a trip back to your childhood days.
Q. So how much storage is 50TB roughly?
The official announcement was made this week and I have shared the story of the worlds highest data storage capacity.
For completeness the record in 2020 for tape storage was set at 580TB and was demonstrated by IBM & Fujifilm which at the time was mighty impressive in terms of performance gain.
You can read the full story below:-
The history of s/360 to Linux
By Nico Boehr & Claudio Imbrenda
I recently watched a talk given by Nico Boehr & Claudio Imbrenda on the history of the s/360 to Linux, the talk starts in the 1950's and fits in nicely with my story on tape storage.
This talk will dig into the long history of the IBM mainframe world. We will explain how it started, why it was successful at the time, how it evolved, why it has all these strange features, and what it looks like today. We will also give some insights into the operating systems and how they evolved with the architecture, and how mainframes eventually learned to run Linux.
?? ?? A slide deck to accompany the presentation is available here:
?? ?? You can watch the YouTube video here:
IBM z Day
18 October 2023 | 8AM – 5PM ET
Whilst my fellow Mainframerz Meetup team and myself return from holiday, I can share another event which is taking place later in the year that might be of interest.
IBM Z Day is a free 1-day enterprise computing virtual conference for anyone and everyone! Hear the latest about IBM Z and LinuxONE, and join our lineup of global thought leaders who will highlight industry trends and innovation spanning Hybrid Cloud, AI, Quantum-safe security, and more!
Why not tag a friend and let them know by re-sharing this newsletter and including the hash tags: #ibmzday on Oct 18th! Dive into sessions on #hybridcloud, #AI, & #quantum-safe, & take your tech skills to new heights. Don’t miss out, register NOW:
?? ?? ibm.biz/ibmzday-2023
Meet the Mentors
Introducing Lezlie Browder
If you have are new to the mainframe and are looking for your first role or information or help on switching roles and would like to ask a mainframe mentor for help, or find out how they can help you.
Proven IT Practitioner for multiple sectors from Wallstreet to non-profits.? Always contributing to all-things-tech from hands-on coding in COBOL to Python.?
This summer awarded: IBM Zowe Concepts Badge, Rockstar VIP, IBM Mainframe Mentor and MentorsInTech Certifications.
The video below is a short extract from a chat I held recently with Mainframe mentor Lezlie Browder and she is available via the Mainframerz newlsetter comments for any questions you may have.
Mainframe new hire challenges
Introducing Steven Mitsch
Are you considering a move to work as a Mainframer, would you like to know more about the training and challenges faced as a mainframe new hire.
Steven is a mainframe new hire who is based in America looking for his first mainframe role as an apprentice.
IBM Champions
Swag bag goodies
Previously in the mainframerz newsletter, I discussed the steps needed to become an IBM Champion, the various activities and support you can offer that can help you in becoming accepted. I think this is captured very well by Libby Ingrassia and I have lifted a few of her words to summarise the program below:
Each year, IBM selects individuals who are both experts in IBM products and extraordinary advocates for those products to become IBM Champions. Individuals may nominate themselves or they may be nominated by colleagues, community members, or IBMers. Selection committees that may include product managers, representatives across geographies, and Lifetime IBM Champions have reviewed all the nominations from this fall, as well as reviewed the advocacy work from last year’s IBM Champions, and have selected the very best to join the IBM Champions class of 2023. ?
I wanted this time to share a few of the benefits I personally feel that you can gain from becoming an IBM Champion:-
Lastly you get the opportunity to choose some really great 'swag' and you have a list of gifts you can choose from and these are all good quality.
Hoodies, T-shirts, drinks bottles in fact the list was surprisingly large to choose from and all of the items are branded and great quality. I will use all of the items and may model the badges or hoody at GSE UK at some point.
In my household the USB cable will be like gold dust as they either break or disappear so this one will stay in my work bag.
Just a reminder to keep an eye out to join and don't be afraid to apply, you are joining a great community of IBM Champions.
IBM z Datathon
Datathon theme: Tech for good
Are you a student? Are you looking to take place in a tech datathon where you could win $1000 1st prize.
The Shooting Stars Foundation is organizing an IBM Z event! Join us for the IBM Z Datathon 2023, set to reshape the tech world.
?? Mark your calendars for a game-changing event on October 21, 2023!
?? Embrace the "Tech For Good" movement.
?? Join us from anywhere in the world, as it's an online event.
?? Calling college students from every corner of the globe!
No Experience Required, and registration is completely free!
If you would like to find out more, please visit the post from Rituraj Mahato which is here:
DevOps Meets Mainframe!
?? Dive into this illuminating video
A big shout out to my friend David Staudacher who runs some great groups on LinkedIn which you can find in the Links at the bottom of the newsletter.
I wanted to share a link to a video that David has shared through his 'Mainframe Products & Services: Announcements, Events, Training, Promotions, Blogs, etc' group.
DevOps Meets Mainframe! ?? Dive into this illuminating video that explores the fascinating synergy between these two realms:
? The DevOps ecosystem – including DevSecOps and more – all geared towards fostering collaboration.
? Uncover how cloud-native development thrives on Git, while the mainframe relies on library managers. Discover the immense potential of harmonizing traditional mainframe systems with contemporary DevOps practices! ???"
?? ?? To view more posts and announcements from the group click here:
?? ?? To dive into the video click here:
?? Just for fun {mainframe & non-mainframe}
Zoom into a problem
Many of us if not all of us will use video conferencing tools such as Microsoft Teams, Goto Meeting or Webex among other products and I wanted to share a story that caught my eye.
Adam Matysiak shared a story about the changes in the small print that zoom sought to introduce, If you read the article which has even more concerning information it's not good, it appears they may have back pedalled due to a public backlash.
In the recent update to their terms and conditions (on the 7th of August), Zoom has included the following two paragraphs in section 10.2:"
You consent to Zoom's access, use, collection, creation, modification, distribution, processing, sharing, maintenance, storage of [ the content you share in meetings ] [for any purpose, including training AI models]".
"... you hereby unconditionally and irrevocably assign to Zoom ... and your end users to unconditionally and irrevocably assign to Zoom all right, title, and interest in and to [ the content you share in meetings ], including all Proprietary rights... "
?? ?? You can read the full story here:
Online safety bill (UK)
Matthew Gooding at Tech Monitor has shared another interesting story, which affects the UK.
The government appears to have backed away from a confrontation with WhatsApp and other providers of encrypted messaging services by making amendments to controversial provisions in its Online Safety Bill legislation, which would've required messaging platforms to build in back-door access into their systems for use by law enforcement officers seeking to crack down on harmful content.
The proposals have been widely criticised by tech industry figures for posing a threat to both security and privacy, and now the government says they will only be enacted as part of the bill once technology is invented that enables this to be carried out securely. Some doubt this will ever happen.
?? ?? You can read more about this by visiting the post from Matthew here:
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Technology Consultant & Founder ?? IBM Champion 2023, 2024 & 2025
1 年Teal Mentorship If you are not familiar with a TEAL mentorship, can I offer the link below which has a lot more about how the matched mentor/mentee operates https://ito-engineering.screenstepslive.com/s/ito_fase/a/1113212-mentor-tips