Terminal Talk

A lively conversation with Matt Leming, Anthony Papageorgiou, and Dale Lane about Kafka not only running on z/OS, but making the most of it alongside MQ. Additional Reading Material: Anthony's blog post abotu mainframe to kafka options: https://medium.com/@anthonypapageorgiou/from-cobol-to-kafka-ac8cfb96f238 Dale Lane's blog (all things Kafka): https://www.ibm.com/products/event-automation/resources Open Enterprise SDK for Apache Kafka (COBOL, C/C++): https://www.ibm.com/products/open-enterprise-sdk-apache-kafka MQ Connectors: https://github.com/ibm-messaging/kafka-connect-mq-source https://github.com/ibm-messaging/kafka-connect-mq-sink Kafka Connect MQ connectors on z/OS: Overview - https://community.ibm.com/community/user/integration/blogs/amy-mccormick/2023/06/29/unlock-events-in-mission-critical-systems Setup - https://ibm.github.io/event-automation/es/connecting/mq/zos/ Performance - https://community.ibm.com/community/user/integration/blogs/anthony-sharkey1/2023/07/31/ibm-mq-for-zos-933-performance-of-kafka-connectors

Erik Weyler (AKA COBOL Erik) is a Solution architect at SEB. He has not only been an advocate outside of his company, but also focused on helping newer employees understand and use the modern mainframe. In this episode, we get down to the how and the why. Also, sandwich talk. https://github.com/COBOL-Erik/Sudoku-Solver-COBOL

On a mission to spread the word of enterprise computing and the power of running applications on IBM Z, Joris Mertens and Frank van der Wal have been hard at work getting learners all over the world engaged with Code-A-Thons. Listen here for more details, and for the full multimedia experience, visit the one-pager here: https://www.ibm.com/community/z/advocacy/wp-content/uploads/IBM-Z-Xplore-Code-a-thon.pdf

When you beat a game on Super Difficulty, sometimes there's an extra bonus reward or special animation waiting at the end. There's no prize for taking the hard route when it comes to mainframe, so let's make sure we clear out as many hurdles and time sinks as possible at the start of a project. This means getting systems set up exactly the way you'd expect, with the tools you'll need, in an environment that's familiar. The IBM Open Enterprise Foundation for z/OS is a no-cost collection of vetted open source developer tools for z/OS that you can download and have on your systems today. Why? How? I'll let the Mike, Anthony, and Igor spill the details. They also asked that include this absolutely massive list of links: IBM Open Enterprise Foundation for z/OS - https://www.ibm.com/products/open-enterprise-foundation-zos Join the System Z Enthusiasts Discord Server - https://discord.gg/sze z/OS Open Tools - https://zosopentools.org/#/ z/OS Open Tools Github - https://github.com/ZOSOpenTools/ The UNIX Command Line on z/OS : Use It - https://makingdeveloperslivesbetter.wordpress.com/2024/06/25/the-unix-command-line-on-zos-use-it/ The Mainframe Demystified - https://igortodorovskiibm.github.io/blog/

Running the systems that run the world... nobody expects it to be as simple as flipping a light switch, but there are certainly some areas where advancement means simplification. In this episode, we hear from Marcel Mitran about how this is achievable on everyone's favorite computing platform.

Being able to work with the infrastructure of IBM Z as an evolving set of code, which can be reviewed, updated, iterated, and managed the same as a traditional software project opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. It's a task easier said than done, thankfully there are some wonderful people working on this task who are making sure it's done the right way. Details inside.

Datacenters grow, and every so often, they need to move, which is quite possibly the clearest definition of "Easier Said than Done." Now make it 23 datacenters around the world with an IBM Z presence, consolidated down to 4. In this episode, Marianne Serra talks us through how to even start thinking about tackling a problem this size.

We had a packed studio for this one, and there is much to discuss. It's time to get an update into the latest Ansible news, plus some deep diving into some work being led by Jay in the area of automation on z/VM using Ansible. An episode to delight, educate, and inspire anyone interested in working smarter, rather than harder. Ansible for IBM Z Playbook repository: https://github.com/IBM/z_ansible_collections_sample z/VM Ansible collection: https://github.com/IBM/zvm_ansible Ansible for IBM Z collections: https://galaxy.ansible.com/ui/search/?keywords=ibm_z

If you know how to do it, you're probably looking to do it faster. ZOAU is a great set of tools which exists to make many common z/OS system tasks happen with less friction and more user friendliness. In this episode. Anthony Giorgio gives us the info on what we can find, and what we may hope to find in this wonderful piece of software. https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zoau/1.2.x https://www.seven9s.com/

Returning to the show are Python and Open Source Experts Joe Boston and Chad McIntyre. Keeping up to date on how Python on IBM Z is advancing and improving is important, and we've got an episode chock full of info. From packages to ports, AI to Flask, it's time to refresh that knowledge. Auto-Generated Transcript (may not be 100% accurate) Frank Welcome to the Terminal Talk podcast on mainframe and mainframe related topics. Jeff Frank Hi, Frank, It's really nice to meet you. I'm Jeff. Frank And with us today, we have two very important guests. We have Chad MacIntyre, who is the lead for Python and U.S., and Joe Basson, who is the lead for Open Source NZ. And so both of these guys have been on the podcast before. You probably remember the great episodes that they did. Mm hmm. We wanted to kind of get together and hear about what's been happening since the last time they went on. Yeah, some good. Jeff Sounds good to me. Frank You feel so engaged as the important thing. Jeff At least I'm not drawing this time. Frank Yeah. So last time Jeff actually created a doodle of me that was maybe not the most complimentary. So it really felt like it was. It was with me, so. Joe Yeah, I saw that, though. It was probably about the best Jeff could do, though, don't you think? Well, I. Frank Thought about the. Jeff Worst and not the. Frank Worst. I'm going to make it my I'm my profile picture for the company. Jeff For those in the room. Frank And that's why. Jeff I sent it to you, Chad. So you can see it, too. Frank Okay. So let's start I think we'll start with the Python stuff, because some of that was has really changed quite a bit since last time we talked and. So, Chad, you want to talk about, you know, your adventures since the last time we talked to you? Chad Certainly, Frank. So we've definitely been through a lot of growth and expansion, I would say, and exciting things going on in the Python universe. And just to kind of bring everybody up to speed in terms of some of the important things that are happening there. You know, Joe's on the call today for I'd say probably one of the things that's been troublesome. The most troublesome for everybody on the python front and those consuming packages. So you know, we'll get into that as we go down the line. So there's good news there. And the other one that everybody, I think from day one of release was asking was the question, you know, can Python run on Zips? And then the answer to that question was certainly no for quite a long time and has now changed within the last couple of months, too. Yes. So that's a very exciting development. And we're seeing a lot of people really interested in adopting Python workflows and running those things on the Atlas machines. Beyond that, you know, we've been doing our work to keep up with the community. So, you know, we're it's it's core to our mission to make sure that we've got the latest and greatest python supported on the platform. But not only that that we're making it take advantage of those special things that Z has to offer. Right. So in the latest release, 311, we've added support right within Python to take advantage of the enterprise data compression accelerators, accelerators. And so this is a nice feature because you get it for free, right? You don't have to do anything to kind of code to it or take advantage of it. If you've got them in there enabled, it will just work with Python. So lots of great work and lots of great developments on the Python side, and that's just a teaser from there. Frank Well, in Python 311, across the board was a better performing python. Are we seeing that on the U.S.? Chad Absolutely, yeah. So there's been some terrific work done in the community to rework some of the guts of the python the python implementation specifically to perform better. And so, you know, this was a concerted effort by the community to take a look at, you know, what are Python workflows, how do they run and why are we here, how can we do better at running them? And so there was a whole kind of re-organization and a breaking down of byte codes and stuff like that that happened in The Interpreter. And the question is, does that pan out into Z? And absolutely, it does pan out into Z. So this is kind of an across the board thing in terms of performance benefits. So I don't want to go into quoting numbers or things of that nature. But on the Net Corp performance benchmarks, we're definitely seeing benefits that match what the community was seeing there. Frank Yeah. So how long before Python takes over the Z OS world? Chad Oh, can I defer that one to Joe? Frank No. Joe It already has. Frank Happened. Joe We just don't know yet. Chad Exactly. I think it's it's one of those things where the roots are already there. It's just a matter of time for this time the show is. Frank Well, and that's that to me, a big part of this. And I kind of want both of you guys will weigh in on this. But in my perspective, though, the python work tha

Always good to hear Steven's informed thoughts on where the platform is headed, how to get others along with us, and just where to find motivation. Lots to digest in this episode, so you might need to drive around the block a few extra times to fit it all in! https://www.seven9s.com/ https://www.ensono.com/

Nuts and Bolts vs Ones and Zeroes. Who really makes the world go around? It gets feisty on this one when Frank and Ray go toe-to-toe discussing their favorite part of our favorite platform.

Getting resolution on an ever-evolving platform requires ever-evolving solutions. In this episode, we talk with the Team Lead for z/OS & USS Support, John Shebey, about what it takes to optimize problem resolution on such a demanding system.

Getting skills on Z is discussed almost as frequently as Z itself, and with good reason! The jobs are out there, they need to be filled, but it takes the right type of person and the right type of education to bring it all together. There is perhaps none better to discuss this topic than COO of Interskill, Darren Surch. Learn more about Interskill's offerings at interskill.com To see some of the courses that Jeff is featured in, visit learn.ibm.com

Being back in the studio means we can finally get the band back together. In this episode, we've got Gary Puchkoff and Allison Moshier to tell us how z/OS Container Extensions have advanced since we last chatted, and to give us a peek of the direction of things to come.

Standing in for the now-possibly-unbanned Peter Enrico, Scott Chapman is in the virtual studio to give us a fresh batch of insight into how IBM Z users can get the most from their systems. We learn that sometimes exceeding your goals is *not* a good thing, and that recompiling code to take advantage of new features isn't always as simple as hitting the big green "recompile" button. Learn more at https://www.pivotor.com

The Go language has emerged as a leading language for server-side and cloud applications, DevOps automation tools, and so much more. Like all good things, it has come to z/OS, and may just be what you're looking for to extend existing methods into a new direction. Bill O'Farrell and James Tang are here to walk you through all of the questions you never knew you had about the Go language. Go on z/OS download - https://www.ibm.com/account/reg/us-en/signup?formid=urx-49659 Product page (Demos on "Resources" tab) - https://www.ibm.com/products/open-enterprise-sdk-go-zos IBM Documentation - https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/sdk-go-zos Go on z/OS community - https://community.ibm.com/community/user/ibmz-and-linuxone/groups/topic-home?CommunityKey=6fb961a9-1e24-42c4-ad73-6a4a6b799f8a

SDSF is, to many, the part of ISPF that lets you manage jobs and fire off the occasional command, but not many truly appreciate its journey and just how deep those hooks go into the core of the OS. Ken Jonas and Rob Scott stop by this episode to shed some insight into SDSF and what the future may hold for such a powerful tool.

In order for Z continue to run the world, we need a world around for it to run. Recent efforts in Sustainability are designed to lessen the impact of computing on our own natural resources, as well as making better decisions with regards to modern workloads. There's lots to discuss, and Dustin Demetriou is going to lay it all out for you on this new episode of Terminal Talk.

It's time to rethink your storage model. Don't worry, nobody is saying throw everything into the cloud, rather TCT is a new offering allowing for a whole new tier of storage which leverages the cloud storage provider of your choice. That's about the extent of my Storage knowledge, so if you want to know more, hit play and listen to Robert Gensler tell us all about Transparent Cloud Tiering.

VTOC. Know it. Use it... Love it? If you're putting data on volumes, you're using a Volume Table of Contents to keep track of what's where, and like most things in Z, knowing just how that information gets put to use can help aid in performance and reliability. Let the experts, Kevin Miner and Mike Koester take us through the importance of this oft-overlooked aspect of storage management.

When you think of DevOps, your mind probably fills with visions of mobile apps, some middleware applications, maybe a backend service or two, but probably not machine firmware and millicode. Brenton is here to change that thinking, telling us all about how implementing DevOps at all levels can help teams get more done with greater efficiency.

The processor powering the next generation of IBM Z and LinuxONE machines has some seriously impressive tech inside. From caching structures that keep response times down, to even more speciality engines built around AI, to even more security enhancements, Telum has much to offer. The research and collaboration that went into bringing all of this to life deserves some airtime as well, and we've got Dr. Christian Jacobi, Distinguished Engineer, IBM Z Hardware Development Systems to tell us why Telum is grabbing the industry's attention, how it all came together behind the scenes, and how its technology will benefit Z and LinuxONE users around the world. Read more here: https://www.ibm.com/blogs/systems/ibm-telum-processor-the-next-gen-microprocessor-for-ibm-z-and-ibm-linuxone/ Anandtech Article: https://www.anandtech.com/show/16924/did-ibm-just-preview-the-future-of-caches

For testers, there's just never enough time, and being thorough without pushing back release dates is a constant struggle. With some very clever test architecture, and just heaps of pure genius, PJ Catalano and team have been able to get a jump on testing some big features in new hardware without sacrificing quality. Get a peek into the world of Enterprise System Test in this episode.

You've gotta stay on top of your installed software, and the right approach can make all the difference. World renowned software install/management/upgrade expert Marna Wanna (and co-host of the other mainframe podcast, Mainframe, Performance, Topics) joins us to shed some light on what it takes to keep current without adding drama to an already-busy workload.

What happens when you try and mix core Z tasks with modern automation frameworks? Turns out you get a robust system for getting those basic tasks done quicker, and in a way that enables much greater integration into other tooling. In this episode, we talk with The Michaels from Ensono, and hear how they leverage Ansible with z/OS to make things run smoother, just by aligning workloads, and in a single-digit matter of months. Truly inspiring. Learn more at https://www.ensono.com and https://www.ansible.com/integrations/infrastructure/ibm-zos

In this "Back to School" episode, we learn all about Messaging, as in the process of sending/requesting logic and/or data on a computer platform, NOT passing notes in the back of class, and more specifically MQ, the specific middleware supported just about anywhere, but most importantly on Z. Professors Matt Sunley and Matt Leming walk us through the business and technical side of this powerful side of enterprise applications. Learn more at: https://www.ibm.com/products/mq Sound Effects provided by ProSoundEffects / Pond5 Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Alongside the dizzying array of processors, I/O adapters, power management and networking hardware, nestled up in a far corner of the z15 sits a pair of servers with perhaps the most important job in the world; starting everything up. The Support Element (SE) and Hardware Management Console (HMC) give you all the controls needed to manage your Z resources, including LPARS, power management, and loading microcode. In our first ever "Back to School" episode, Fred Bader introduces us to this all-important part of the IBM Z data center. Back to School episodes are made with absolute beginners in mind. We will keep making regular episodes, where we dive deep into technologies, but we wanted something that newbies could jump onto without feeling overwhelmed. Seasons pros just may learn a thing or two as well! So don't worry, we didn't fire Old Man Charlie or anything :) Sound Effects provided by ProSoundEffects / Pond5 Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Rich and Randy are avid advocates of Z, but also know that the real magic happens when people can benefit from it without needing to know a whole lot about the tech underneath. That's the case with the most recent pivot towards serverless computing, and what this episode is all about. This episode is a good peek into what it takes to blend cutting edge tech with the expected levels of capacity and availability. Make sure to stay tuned towards the end for some extremely solid career advice from the guys.

For many, Python is just _the way things get done_, and having it available on z/OS alongside so many other great languages, subsystems and features helps make the platform more accessible than ever. Hear straight from Chad McIntyre, IBM Open Enterprise Python for z/OS Dev Lead, on just how important this effort is, why now, and how you can be best positioned to meet the needs of today's Python developers. Knowledge Center - https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSCH7P_3.9.0 Marketplace - https://www.ibm.com/products/open-enterprise-python-zos MRS (external pax download) - https://www-01.ibm.com/marketing/iwm/platform/mrs/assets?source=swg-ibmoep

Before software goes into production, it needs to be tested, and "It looks good to me" just isn't good enough. To ensure maximum coverage is attained, testing tools and frameworks are the way to go, and in this episode, we hear from Will Yates and Michael Baylis about how the Galasa Project helps them ensure solutions pass all the right tests. https://galasa.dev

If you were able to open up a data set without knowing the volume it's on by heart, thank Catalog. This often-overlooked but absolutely necessary component of z/OS deserves a deeper look, and Stephen Branch is here to spell out all of the interesting bits, as well as explaining some data set basics for the new learners. Definitely an educational and insightful episode.

It's been a while since we last got a deep dive into IBM z/OS Container Extensions, and there's much to discuss. Terminal Talk Top Tier Listener Anthony Giorgio is on the scene with an action-packed look at the what, how, and why of this wonderful new addition to IBM Z's bag of virtualization tricks. Anthony's got both hands on the pulse of these latest developments, and we think there will be a lot of folks taking advantage of that 90 day trial by the end. IBM Systems Mag: Rapid Containers: Improving zCX Runtime Performance https://ibmsystemsmag.com/IBM-Z/9/2020/rapid-containers-zcx 90 Day Trial: https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSLTBW_2.4.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r4.izso100/izso100_zcxtrial.htm IBM Systems Mag: What's the IBM z/OS Container Extensions trial feature? : https://ibmsystemsmag.com/IBM-Z/07/2020/z-os-container-extensions-trial Learn more here: https://www.ibm.com/support/z-content-solutions/container-extensions/

The strengths of IBM Z have always been apparent in critical business applications, and as more and more businesses look to use cloud technology as part of their day-to-day operations, there is a great opportunity for Z to demonstrate its value once again. In this episode, we talk with Tom McPherson, Vice President of Platform Services, IBM Cloud Infrastructure, about the role IBM Z plays in making the most powerful and resilient cloud offering out there.

Maybe it's because nobody wanted to get on another web conference, or maybe we just like the sounds of our own voices... or maybe this year's Master the Mainframe is so much different and exciting that it's worth talking about for nearly 45 minutes. No matter the reason, in this episode, we talk about the changes and challenges that went into the technical end of Master the Mainframe 2020. If you're interested, just sign up at masterthemainframe.com (available through January 17, 2021).

Getting comfortable in z/OS takes a considerable amount of discovery. There are constructs and commands unlike anywhere else, which makes the learning curve somewhat daunting. Mike Fulton, IBM Distinguished Engineer for IBM Z Application Foundation is working to change that with IBM Z Open Automation Utilities. Now, leveraging some new capabilities in USS, users can manage jobs, files, and core Z functionality with simple commands right from their shell. Even better, this plus Python enabled that Ansible thing you've been hearing so much about. It's probably time to evolve your z/OS Stack. Linkage: IBM Z Open Automation Utilities Announcement Mike's Blog - ZOAU Introduction Welcome / Getting Started w/ ZOAU

Behind the scenes, but bathed in light, FICON connects powerful mainframe systems to massive storage devices. Encoded within that light lives some of the world's most important data which needs to get to their destination quickly. How do you get security without sacrificing speed? Give a listen to this week's episode with Chris Colonna: FICON Channel Firmware Execution Lead

It was a dark quiet night, just like this one, when a series of Linux guests running under z/VM suddenly gave up the ghost. Those in charge knew it was time to bring in the big guns. With Chief Sleuth Emily Hugenbruch hot on the case, and a deep bench of talent providing backup, this was one defect that got de-commissioned. Big thanks to Jim Ground for providing the atmospheric background music. Book him for all your children's parties.

You never know what's going to bring COBOL to the forefront of people's thoughts, but here we are. Jessielaine Punongbayan,Senior Mainframe R&D Engineer at Broadcom Inc., has made a name for herself over the years as a Systems Programmer and COBOL coder, but has recently been making waves with a series of posts on Medium.com highlighting ways that mainframe usage can be modernized, reinvented, and quite frankly, made more appealing to programmers who haven't grown up around Z systems. In this talk, we find out what drew Jessielaine to mainframe, what's on the agenda for Zowe, how she envisions the future of the technology, and what people can do to get started right now. Medium.com posts - https://medium.com/@jessielaine.punongbayan Zowe.org - https://www.zowe.org Open Mainframe Project COBOL Course - https://www.openmainframeproject.org/projects/coboltrainingcourse

When it comes to keeping data safe, there's no such thing as too many options. In this episode, Eli Dow gives us a peek into how it all works, how it will help us from a personal and business standpoint, and how you can get started today. Learn more here: https://fhe-website.mybluemix.net Get the toolkit here: https://github.com/IBM/fhe-toolkit-macos

Live from Fort Poole, we welcome Chris Poole to talk about the latest in protecting valuable business applications and data, IBM Kuberenetes Service and Hyper Protect

At the intersection of transactions, security, and business logic sits Blockchain. Hard to think of a better platform than IBM Z to stand this up and leverage the already-impressive capabilities of the platform. Rebecca Gott, DE for Blockchain on IBM Z

You don't go from Waterfall to Agile overnight, but real meaningful change requires a driving force to maintain momentum. In this episode, Dave Jeffries, VP of z/OS Development talks about making strides in modernizing mainframe development

The hits just keep on coming, and in another huge step forward for Z, you now have the option of using Ansible for automation of z/OS applications. Curious why all the fanfare? Let Dan Jast, Offering Manager for Ansible on z/OS fill in the blanks.

From humble beginnings come great things. It's up to you to figure out if we're talking about the show, mainframes, or today's extra-special guest, IBM Z General Manager, Ross Mauri. Happy 100 Episodes, let's keep this going!

It should come as no surprise that important applications need rock-solid code. COBOL, being a language specifically designed for highly-precise transactions at high scale delivers just that, and Tom Ross is the perfect guest to tell us about it.

What's new with Zowe? A whole lot! If you haven't been paying attention, it's worth hearing what's been going on with everything, and there's nobody better to do it while keeping you entertained than Joe Winchester.

We don't need to tell you this, but designing an IBM Z system is no simple turn of the crank. Rhonda Sundlof has a wealth of experience from a variety of areas that help deliver the fantastic systems you know today. Something for everyone in this episode.

Our last episode with Mark Brooks was such a hit, we thought we'd follow it up with a deeper look at GDPS, the technology that keeps Z going through even the toughest of situations. Stephen Anania is your guide, prepare to dive in.

Parallel Sysplex on IBM Z allows for some pretty amazing things in the areas of reliability, performance, serviceability and more. The technology enabling this certainly warrants a deeper look, and fortunately we have Mark Brooks to demystify it for us.