On Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:43:34 +1000, Shane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>> ("Whitespace" is free.)
>
>For the majority (all ???) of the customers I deal with, whitespace is
>an opportunity to screw down the cap, and save bucks.
>
>The (second ???) age of the dinosaurs is coming to an end for all but the
biggest and strongest.
>Sad but apparent.
>They may be back, and pissed, but for how long appears debatable, even to
their most fervent proponents.
Hey, I do deal in financials. Keep in mind, the mindset of the mainframe
replacing everything is outlandish. But where it makes sense, it is indeed the
most economical platform. Dealing with IT Finance folks in the industry has
shown the $$$$ case needs to be made and the financial model (spreadsheet)
will decide the winner. I have saved big time dollars and it has paid off.
The idea of consolidating an important application onto a z9 whether you want
to do the web serving in z/OS or Linux is an interesting idea. The recent
problems of NaviSite which put 165K web sites out of action for a week when
they had to DR from Baltimore to Andover, MA for 850 servers. Today
strategic applications can run all on a z9 and use replication to have it all
at
the DR site in minutes. The cost to do it is a fraction of the cost my fellow
Windows Brethren spend to do the same thing.
Serving content on the mainframe is not expensive as one thinks. Serving
means I/O's and not CPU. Indeed if one puts a CPU intensive application on
the web, then yes it costs CPU.
My contention all along is I am just another Server (Enterprise Server) on the
network as are all the Windows, Linux Intel, PC's, etc. Put what makes sense
over on z/OS or Linux on z and put the rest where ever. In the end, add up
the costs and see what the spreadsheet says.
As far as security. this is the same for Windows, if one makes it not secure,
it
will not be. The z/OS security is proven over the years and so far "Defense in
Depth" as provided solid security on zLinux implemented with a few
inexpensive products. Have turned away streams of the young ones who do
Pen-testing all they want; leaving as frustrated as they can be and scratching
their heads.
Just because the mainframe is not the only game in town as it was in the
1970s and 1980s does not mean it is dead. There is a place for it and not the
one of long ago. But the place is secure. True the SYSPROG gurus are no
longer Gods as we were once, but more like workers where the good ones
stand out from the ordinary ones.
jim
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