On 12/14/2013 12:21 PM, retired mainframer wrote:
:>: -----Original Message-----
:>: From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On
:>: Behalf Of Ed Jaffe
:>: Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2013 8:40 AM
:>: To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU
:>: Subject: Re: SMP/E RECEIVE ORDER and Internet Delivery Questions
:>:
:>: On 12/14/2013 7:59 AM, Paul Gilmartin wrote:
:>: > On Sat, 14 Dec 2013 06:37:56 -0800, Ed Jaffe wrote:
:>: >> Direct download to z/OS is the only way to fly! As a matter of
:>: >> principle, I refuse to let z/OS products or service touch any other
:>: >> platform or media.
:>: >>
:>: > An interesting contrast to reports of other enterprises which as a
:>: > matter of principle refuse to let z/OS touch the Internet.
:>:
:>: I find that astonishing! It's like tying one hand behind z/OS' back!
:>:
:>: Internet connectivity is practically *required* to service other
:>: operating systems. If our RHEL systems on any server (including System
:>: z) don't connect to RedHat and signal the AOK, the red flags start
:>: flying! And, if service is not regularly applied to those systems,
:>: ominous warnings start accumulating...
:>:
:>: Most "mainframers" agree that z/OS has an image problem - thought by
:>: many to be an old, creaky operating system that simply can't compete
:>: against newer alternatives. The paranoid "Luddites" that refuse to level
:>: the playing field, by allowing z/OS to leverage modern service
:>: deployment technologies used by those alternatives, aren't just hurting
:>: themselves - they're hurting the platform as a whole...
For us it is not a question of image but of mandated security. We have
"administrative" systems (mostly PCs and Suns) for email, payroll, etc
connected to the internet and the company intranet. But all of our
"mission" systems (Suns, PCs, one z10) are connected to a private internal
network and absolutely nothing external. And it's not merely myopic
corporate policy (we have enough of that) but a matter of federal regulation
from multiple countries.
The extra measures required to allow internet connections are way to onerous
for the meager benefit of automatic service downloads. Vendors, including
IBM, send us z10 compatible media for voluminous quantities such as new
versions. The burden of using admin PCs to download smaller quantities,
copying to write protectable media, uploading to mission PCs, and
transferring to z/OS is really quite minor in the overall scheme of things.
Especially if you are a 'retired mainframer', I suspect. ;-)
--
Kind regards,
-Steve Comstock
The Trainer's Friend, Inc.
303-355-2752
http://www.trainersfriend.com
* We are going out of business effective 30 December, 2013
* To purchase a set of our training materials at terrific prices,
check out our Going Out Of Business Sale:
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