By the way, z/OS is not the only way to run IBM mainframes.
There's TPF (Transaction Processing Facility) "because a real operating system is too high level and therefore too slow for real transaction processing needs".
Current users of TPF include Sabre, VISA, American Airlines, American Express, HP SHARES (formerly EDS), Holiday Inn, Alitalia, KLM, Amtrak, Marriott International, Travelport, Citibank, Citifinancial, Air Canada, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines and many others.
Mainframes as a lifestyle choice
31–40 of 48 posts
Re: Mainframes as a lifestyle choice
#32What exactly is a "mainframe" in a modern sense? I thought it exclusively referred to old-fashioned big iron. Is it a cluster? Or are we actually talking about quarter-century-old monoliths running ancient, indispensable code?
Aside from embedded systems, mainframes are the natural state of computers. That is, over time, computers tend to converge on either embedded controllers for appliances, or big racks in back rooms doing big calculations.
http://www.winestockwebdesign.com/Essays/Eternal_Mainframe.h...
Plug: I wrote the above.
Re: Mainframes as a lifestyle choice
#33The more i learn about mainframes (and minicomputers) the more i feel that the PC world is basically rediscovering old ideas as ICs become ever more potent.
Not necessarily rediscovering, just re-implementing.
Ha, ha, no.
I worked as a CPU logic designer on several mainframes of different architectures before moving to Sili Valley. The "look what I just invented" arrogance I encountered astounded me. When I said something like: "You know, Seymour Cray invented that around 1959, right?" the cognitive dissonance was more than they could handle -- I was usually ignored. So, no, they aren't re-implementing, they are genuinely re-creating history and being proud of themselves for it.
Re: Mainframes as a lifestyle choice
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not necessarily rediscovering, just re-implementing.
Ha, ha, no. I worked as a CPU logic designer on several mainframes of different architectures before moving to Sili Valley. The "look what I just invented" arrogance I encountered astounded me. When I said something like: "You know, Seymour Cray invented that around 1959, right?" the cognitive dissonance was more than they could handle -- I was usually ignored. So, no, they aren't re-implementing, they are genuinely…
Can you give an example?
Re: Mainframes as a lifestyle choice
#35> Part of the reason I took the job ... because I have a fascination with older computer technology. I was also thinking about going the mainframe route, also because general impression is that the mainframe developer earns big bucks. However, when I started exploring the job offers I was surprised that salaries were not that high at all. So why is that impression still around, and do mainframe developers really earn…
> I was also thinking about going the mainframe route
Me too. Sounds fun. Plus, I liked the 3278 a lot.
Re: Mainframes as a lifestyle choice
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ha, ha, no. I worked as a CPU logic designer on several mainframes of different architectures before moving to Sili Valley. The "look what I just invented" arrogance I encountered astounded me. When I said something like: "You know, Seymour Cray invented that around 1959, right?" the cognitive dissonance was more than they could handle -- I was usually ignored. So, no, they aren't re-implementing, they are genuinely…
Can you give an example?
HTTP form submission and 3270 screens.
Re: Mainframes as a lifestyle choice
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ha, ha, no. I worked as a CPU logic designer on several mainframes of different architectures before moving to Sili Valley. The "look what I just invented" arrogance I encountered astounded me. When I said something like: "You know, Seymour Cray invented that around 1959, right?" the cognitive dissonance was more than they could handle -- I was usually ignored. So, no, they aren't re-implementing, they are genuinely…
Can you give an example?
Hardware hyperthreading. See CDC 6600
Re: Mainframes as a lifestyle choice
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ha, ha, no. I worked as a CPU logic designer on several mainframes of different architectures before moving to Sili Valley. The "look what I just invented" arrogance I encountered astounded me. When I said something like: "You know, Seymour Cray invented that around 1959, right?" the cognitive dissonance was more than they could handle -- I was usually ignored. So, no, they aren't re-implementing, they are genuinely…
Can you give an example?
Having dedicated computers to control peripherals (like a RAID controller or a network card).
To be fair, Atari and Commodore computers already had that.
Re: Mainframes as a lifestyle choice
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ahh, I recall that we ordered an upgrade of the system hardware because we needed 4 more CPUs, and this was accomplished by sending a code that unlocked extra CPUs that had been sitting in our basement all along since the day they installed that system.
IBM do the same for P series as well. You get the privilege of purchasing an 8 core server but you only get the rights to use 4 cores. It's your responsibility to pay IBM when comes the time to be able to use all the 8 cores. Organized crime of sorts... like democracy
Actually, if the prices are pre-agreed, it's a sweet deal. If I have a big box serving my users, being able to enable additional on premises capacity in minutes is nice.
Last time I did it, Dell took several weeks to deliver the new machine.
Re: Mainframes as a lifestyle choice
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
IBM do the same for P series as well. You get the privilege of purchasing an 8 core server but you only get the rights to use 4 cores. It's your responsibility to pay IBM when comes the time to be able to use all the 8 cores. Organized crime of sorts... like democracy
Actually, if the prices are pre-agreed, it's a sweet deal. If I have a big box serving my users, being able to enable additional on premises capacity in minutes is nice. Last time I did it, Dell took several weeks to deliver the new machine.
We didn't try but being speaking with the vendor it seemed that enabling extra cores could take about a week from raising a purchase order to the activation code coming through. Maybe larger customers who run hundreds of these may have a quicker turn around time dealing directly with IBM.
And it's not that IBM deliver an entire server like in your case. For most practical applications, it's merely the case of adding CPUs to the pool of CPUs available to the PowerVM hypervisor. If you need to provision additional memory or IO, that needs to be accounted in as well.
That hypervisor is weird on it's own. It's part firmware part software.
If you have big box serving your users who solely rely on CPU cycles then yes, it's a sweet deal. And consider yourself very lucky if you have users who will immediately see better performance if you throw more CPU cycles at them.