It’s the dog days of summer, but the mainframe is never stagnant. Just look at the platform’s 60 years of ground-breaking performance and evolution. At SHARE Kansas City, technologists from various industries and regions will eat famous barbecue, listen to jazz, learn new skills, and share their knowledge, tricks and tips for securing, managing, and optimizing the mainframe.
Mainframe Performance Enhancement: Then and Now
Scott Chapman, CIO at Enterprise Performance Strategies Inc., Creators of Pivotor®, will share the evolution of mainframe advancements over the last 60 years in his session, “60 Years of Pushing Performance Boundaries with the Mainframe” on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 5 p.m. Some of the mainframe’s features that were introduced in the 1960s, but not necessarily exploited at that time, included multi-processors introduced in 1965, the out-of-order instruction execution that debuted on the IBM System/360 Model 91 in 1964, and the processor cache memory that debuted in 1968. Chapman says, “These are just a few things that were introduced in the 1960s that are still extremely important for performance today.”
He explains that in 1965 dual processor machines were introduced but it took time for hardware and software to mature to a point where multiple processors were the norm. “Of course, today, it’s rare to find a machine with two or fewer enabled processors, and machines with dozens are not unusual,” says Chapman.
NASA used the IBM System/360 Model 91 with out-of-order instruction execution, but the function didn’t show up again in mainframe until the ES/9000 in 1991. Now, Chapman points out that “it’s a critical piece of how processors continue to deliver improved performance despite the clock speeds being relatively stagnant.” Unlike out-of-order instruction execution, processor cache memory became the norm more quickly, and it was key to processor performance. “The significant cache redesign on the z16 shows IBM’s commitment t to think ‘out of the box’ to drive performance improvements,” says Chapman.
According to Chapman, the mainframe debuted quite a few performance functions before industries were ready to fully utilize them. But over time, computing performance has only sped up, and he plans to demonstrate how some of those “older” functions apply today.
Data Access Ensures High Performance
Performance is key to any business operation, but so too are data access with APIs and Db2. Isabelle Reyes, IBM zStack technical sales specialist, will walk attendees through a hands-on lab on how applications interact with Db2 for z/OS data in her session, “REST Easy: Enable Db2 for z/OS Data with APIs” on Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 2:30 p.m. Reyes indicates that RESTful APIs allow for easy and standardized communication between applications and across organizations. “RESTful APIs take advantage of HTTP and JSON formatting, and as they become more widespread, their powerful impact increases,” she says. “Db2 for z/OS can natively use REST services to unleash Db2 data for the API economy while using usual SQL statements and Db2 stored procedures. z/OS Connect allows for even more access to the capabilities provided by RESTful APIs. Overall, these capabilities allow users to extend their reach across the IBM Z platform, unleashing your Db2 data for a hybrid cloud strategy using modern technologies.”
Many businesses use REST services outside of Db2 for z/OS because they believe that when systems record data and store it in Db2 for z/OS, it cannot be accessed across different platforms. Reyes says, “This is not true, and this is when Db2 native REST services can be leveraged to interact with Db2 data.” She also adds that businesses can run into challenges when REST services from different platforms try to access Db2 beyond Db2’s native REST capabilities. “In this scenario, the z/OS Connect API Editor can map a Db2 POST method to the appropriate RESTful method. With Db2 native REST services and tooling within z/OS Connect, distributed developers can use industry standard communication protocols to access Db2. This helps to provide a seamless approach that is familiar to end users,” Reyes explains.
These hands-on labs will cover Db2 for z/OS native REST and z/OS Connect integration for accessing Db2 native REST services. In the first lab, Reyes says that attendees will learn how quickly Db2 stored procedures and SQL statements can be enabled as REST services, and support REST interaction for web, mobile, and cloud applications. In the second lab, users will learn how to develop and administer APIs using the z/OS Connect Designer. Reyes adds, “Attendees will learn how easily web and mobile applications can access Db2 data on z/OS and information from other subsystems, how z/OS employs modern technology, and how RESTful APIs are an industry-wide standard that opens up new opportunities for application communication.”
Securing the Mainframe Ensures Performance
The mainframe has always been a highly-securable platform, and Kenneth Stine, IBM Z technical specialist, will share how to use two new features on IBM’s z16 — Flexible Capacity and Validated Boot for z/OS — during his session, “Exploring Cyber Resiliency on the IBM z16” on Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 3:45 p.m. Attendees will learn about these features, how they can be used, and how to implement them.
Flexible Capacity is an effective tool for cyber resiliency, according to Stine. “It allows for new ways to design and manage high availability and disaster recovery environments. It allows clients to move capacity and applications between systems both within a data center and between data centers,” he explains. “The big advantage of flexible capacity is proactive avoidance; clients can use flexible capacity even if there isn’t a true disaster.” Stine adds, “This allows them to have greater control of risk and allows for more extensive disaster recovery testing.”
Validated Boot for z/OS is a solution that uses digital signatures to provide an initial program load-time check that validates that initial program load (IPL) data is intact, not tampered with, and originated from a trusted source. It also enables detection of unauthorized changes to software executables. “Validated Boot for z/OS provides clients with a trusted source when IPLing a system, providing them with peace of mind,” says Stine.
With security a top priority at every business, Stine believes that these new tools on the z16 platform help customers respond to government regulations, secure their platforms, and bolster system resiliency. Attendees will learn how to implement these features, and they are encouraged to share their experiences in using Validated Boot for z/OS.
SHARE Executive Director Brian Langerman shares his enthusiasm for SHARE Kansas City.
SHARE Kansas City has 300 technical sessions offering real-world education for the mainframers of today. Like the platform has always been, the mainframe of the future is looking forward to your next business adventure.
Don’t miss out on expanding your mainframe skills and furthering your career. Register for SHARE Kansas City today.
Serena Agusto-Cox has more than 20 years of editorial experience and six years of experience writing about mainframe and information technology. She interviews and crafts forward-looking and engaging technical updates related to the mainframe ecosystem, highlights the experiences of thought-leaders in the community, and shares important updates to technical education and training.