Meet SUSE Enterprise Linux Server 12

A surprising amount of competition has emerged lately for Linux on the mainframe, but SUSE continues to be among the top of the heap.  With the newest release last fall, SUSE Linux Enterprise 12, should secure its position for some time to come.

SUSE touts SLE 12 as the latest version of its reliable, scalable and secure platform for efficiently deploying and managing highly available enterprise-class IT services in physical, virtual, or cloud environments. New products based on SLE 12 feature enhancements should allow for better system uptime, improved operational efficiency, and accelerated innovation. As the foundation for all SUSE data center operating systems and extensions, according to the company, SUSE Linux Enterprise meets the performance requirements of data centers with mixed IT environments while reducing the risk of technological obsolescence and vendor lock-in.

With SLE 12 the company also introduces an updated customer portal, SUSE Customer Center, to make it easier for customers to manage their subscriptions, access patches and updates, and communicate with SUSE customer support. It promises a new way to manage a SUSE account and subscriptions via one interface, anytime, anywhere.

Al Gillen, program vice president for servers and system software at IDC, said, “The industry is seeing growing movement of mission-critical workloads to Linux, with that trend expected to continue well into the future.” For Gillen, the modular design of SLE 12, as well as other mission-critical features like full system rollback and live kernel patching, helps address some of the key reservations customers express, and should help accelerate the adoption of Linux on z.

It’s about time. Linux has been available on the z for 20 years. Only with the introduction of IBM LinuxONE a couple of years ago has IBM gotten serious about Linux on z.  Around that time IBM also ported the Go programming language to LinuxOne. Go was developed by Google and is designed for building simple, reliable and efficient software, making it easier for developers to combine the software tools they know with the speed, security and scale offered by LinuxONE. Taking it even further, following Apple’s introduction of Swift as the new language for OS X and iOS application development. IBM began partnering with Apple to bring the power of Swift open source programming to the z. This was closely tied to Canonical’s Ubuntu port to the z.

And it didn’t stop there. IBM ported the Go programming language to LinuxOne too. Go was developed by Google and is designed for building simple, reliable and efficient software, making it easier for developers to combine the software tools they know with the speed, security and scale offered by LinuxONE. As expected IBM has contributed code to the Go community.

Then IBM brought Apple’s Swift programming to the party, first to the IBM Watson iOS SDK, which gives developers a Swift API to simplify integration with many of the Watson Developer Cloud services – all of which are available today, and can now be integrated with just a few lines of code. As soon as Apple introduced Swift as the new language for OS X and iOS application development. IBM began partnering with Apple to bring the power of Swift open source programming to the z. This was closely tied to Canonical’s Ubuntu port to the z, which has already been released.

With SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for x86_64, IBM Power Systems, and IBM System SUSE ES 12 has boosted its versatility, able to deliver business-critical IT services in a variety of physical, virtual, and cloud environments. New features like full system rollback, live kernel patching, and software modules increase data center uptime, improve operational efficiency, and accelerate the adoption of open source innovation. ES 12 further builds on SUSE’s leadership with Linux Containers technology and adds the Docker framework, which is now included as an integral part of the operating system.

DancingDinosaur is Alan Radding, a veteran information technology analyst, writer, and ghost-writer. Follow DancingDinosaur on Twitter, @mainframeblog, and see more of his work at technologywriter.com.

GAO Blames Z for Government Inefficiency

Check out the GAO report from May 2016 here.  The Feds spent more than 75 percent of the total amount budgeted for information technology (IT) for fiscal year 2015 on operations and maintenance (O&M). In a related report, the IRS reported it used assembly language code and COBOL, both developed in the 1950s, for IMF and IDRS. Unfortunately, the GAO conflates the word “mainframe” to refer to outdated UNISYS mainframes with the modern, supported, and actively developed IBM Z mainframes, notes Ross Mauri, IBM general manager, Z systems.

Mainframes-mobile in the cloud courtesy of Compuware

The GAO repeatedly used “mainframe” to refer to outdated UNISYS mainframes alongside the latest advanced IBM Z mainframes.  COBOL, too, maintains active skills and training programs at many institutions and receives investment across many industries. In addition to COBOL, the IBM z14 also runs Java, Swift, Go, Python and other open languages to enable modern application enhancement and development. Does the GAO know that?

The GAO uses the word “mainframe” to refer to outdated UNISYS mainframes as well as modern, supported, and actively developed IBM Z mainframes. In a recent report, the GAO recommends moving to supported modern hardware. IBM agrees. The Z, however, does not expose mainframe investments to a rise in procurement and operating costs, nor to skilled staff issues, Mauri continued.

Three investments the GAO reviewed in the operations and maintenance clearly appear as legacy investments facing significant risks due to their reliance on obsolete programming languages, outdated hardware, and a shortage of staff with critical skills. For example, IRS reported that it used assembly language code and COBOL (both developed in the 1950s) for IMF and IDRS. What are these bureaucrats smoking?

The GAO also seems confused over the Z and the cloud. IBM Cloud Private is designed to run on Linux-based Z systems to take full advantage of the cloud through open containers while retaining the inherent benefits of Z hardware—security, availability,  scalability, reliability; all the ities enterprises have long relied on the z for. The GAO seems unaware that the Z’s automatic pervasive encryption immediately encrypts everything at rest or in transit. Furthermore, the GAO routinely addresses COBOL as a deficiency while ISVs and other signatories of the Open Letter consider it a modern, optimized, and actively supported programming language.

The GAO apparently isn’t even aware of IBM Cloud Private. IBM Cloud Private is compatible with leading IT systems manufacturers and has been optimized for IBM Z. All that you need to get started with the cloud is the starter kit available for IBM OpenPOWER LC (Linux) servers, enterprise Power Systems, and Hyperconverged Systems powered by Nutanix. You don’t even need a Z; just buy a low cost OpenPOWER LC (Linux) server online and configure it as desired.

Here is part of the letter that Compuware sent to the GAO, Federal CIOs, and members of Congress. It’s endorsed by several dozen members of the IT industry. The full letter is here:

In light of a June 2018 GAO report to the Internal Revenue Service suggesting the agency’s mainframe- and COBOL-based systems present significant risks to tax processing, we the mainframe IT community—developers, scholars, influencers and inventors—urge the IRS and other federal agencies to:

• Reinvest in and modernize the mainframe platform and the mission-critical applications which many have long relied upon.
• Prudently consider the financial risks and opportunity costs associated with rewriting and replacing proven, highly dependable mainframe applications, for which no “off-the-shelf” replacement exists.
• Understand the security and performance requirements of these mainframe applications and data and the risk of migrating to platforms that were never designed to meet such requirements.

The Compuware letter goes on to state: In 2018, the mainframe is still the world’s most reliable, performant and securable platform, providing the lowest cost high-transaction system of record. Regarding COBOL it notes that since 2017 IBM z14 supports COBOL V6.2, which is optimized bi-monthly.

Finally, about attracting new COBOL workers: COBOL is as easy to work with it as any other language. In fact, open source Zowe has demonstrated appeal to young techies, providing solutions for development and operations teams to securely manage, control, script, and develop on the mainframe like any other cloud platform. What don’t they get?

DancingDinosaur is Alan Radding, a veteran information technology analyst, writer, and ghost-writer. Follow DancingDinosaur on Twitter, @mainframeblog, and see more of his work at technologywriter.com.

IBM InterCONNECT 2016 as Cloud Fest for App Dev

IBM spent the last week of February announcing a constant stream of Cloud deals that focused mostly on various aspects of App Dev. All IBM software is now enabled for private, public and hybrid cloud.  It announced expansion of Bluemix public, dedicated, and local services, IoT and the Weather Company, a growing suite of cognitive APIs for Watson, and hybrid object storage. These should be no surprise to DancingDinosaur readers who have seen a steady trickle of IBM Cloud announcements for months. Let’s sample just a few:

IBM senior VP Robert LeBlanc and VMware COO Carl Eschenbach

For DancingDinsosaur, this announcement: IBM and VMware Announce Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Enterprise Hybrid Cloud Adoption, was the most eyebrow raising. IBM and VMware have jointly designed an architecture and cloud offering that will enable customers to automatically provision pre-configured VMware SDDC environments, consisting of VMware vSphere, NSX and Virtual SAN on the IBM Cloud. With this SDDC environment in place, customers will be able to deploy workloads in this hybrid cloud environment without modification, due to common security and networking models based on VMware. This appears intended to encompass SoftLayer too as just another new application environment.

Apple’s Swift development language adds more developer news: IBM to Bring Swift to the Cloud to Radically Simplify End-to-End Development of Apps. IBM has become the first cloud provider to enable the development of applications in native Swift, unlocking its full potential in radically simplifying the development of end-to-end apps on the IBM Cloud. This announcement is the next phase of its roadmap to bring Swift to the Cloud with a preview of a Swift runtime and a Swift Package Catalog to help enable developers to create apps for the enterprise.  DancingDinosaur, a former wannabe developer, is a fan of Swift as well as node.js and Go. Where were all these nifty tools when I was younger?

Watson is another longtime favorite of DancingDinosaur: IBM Announces New and Advanced Watson APIs on the Cloud. New and expanded cognitive APIs for developers that enhance Watson’s emotional and visual senses will further extend the capabilities of the industry’s largest and most diverse set of cognitive technologies and tools.  IBM is also adding tooling capabilities and enhancing its SDKs (Node, Java, Python, and the newly introduced iOS Swift and Unity) across the Watson portfolio and adding Application Starter Kits to make it easy for developers to customize and build with Watson. All APIs are available through the IBM Watson Developer Cloud on Bluemix.

And just in case you didn’t think these weren’t enterprise-class announcements: IBM and GitHub Form Strategic Partnership to Offer First GitHub Enterprise Service in Dedicated and Local Hybrid. IBM and GitHub plan to deliver GitHub Enterprise as a dedicated service on Bluemix to customers across private and hybrid cloud environments. By working with IBM Cloud, developers can expect to learn, code and work with GitHub’s collaborative development tools in a private, environment with robust security capabilities. GitHub and IBM, through this strategic partnership, aim to advance the development of next generation cloud applications for enterprise customers.

IBM WebSphere Blockchain Connect – A new service available to all WebSphere clients is designed to provide a safe and encrypted passage from their blockchain cloud to their enterprise. Starting immediately, enterprises currently using IBM’s on-premises software can tap these new offerings as an on ramp to hybrid cloud, realizing immediate benefits and new value from their existing investments. Blockchain is just one part of a series of tools intended to make it easier for developers to unlock the valuable data, knowledge and transaction systems. Also coming is fully integrated DevOps tools for creating, deploying, running and monitoring Blockchain applications on IBM Cloud that enables the applications to be deployed on IBM z Systems.

Blockchain still may be unfamiliar to many. Recognized most as the technology behind bitcoins, it should prove particularly valuable for IoT systems by providing a mechanism to securely track any of the various things. It enables what amounts to trustless transactions by eliminating the need for an intermediary between buyers and sellers or things and things. For those who want open trustworthy IoT communications without relying on intermediaries blockchain could provide the answer, facilitating the kind of IoT exchanges people have barely begun to imagine could be possible.

Finally, IBM Unveils Fast, Open Alternative to Event-Driven Programming through the Bluemix OpenWhisk platform, which enables developers to quickly build and link microservices that execute software code in response to events such as mouse clicks or receipt of sensor data from an IOT device. Developers won’t to need worry about things like pre-provisioning infrastructure or operations. Instead, they can simply focus on code, dramatically speeding the process.

DancingDinosaur is Alan Radding, a veteran information technology analyst and writer. Please follow DancingDinosaur on Twitter, @mainframeblog. See more of his IT writing at technologywriter.com and here.