I've been remiss in not posting this sooner on IBM-Main. I recently
purchased Rational Development & Test (RD&T) from IBM, a product which
allows anyone to run z/OS on Intel hardware. That's right, anyone. You
do not have to own any big iron. Any high-schooler, college kid, z/OS
professional, etc. can order this product and run z/OS on a PC
platform. For ordering details, go to this link:
http://www-03.ibm.com/software/products/en/ratideveandtestenviforsystz
There are two main pricing options, about 9K for the perpetual license
with 15%/yr service renewal, or about 4K for a yearly fixed-term
license. I chose the 9K option because I am definitely in this for the
long haul.
Before you start screaming "That's too expensive", take a look at what
it costs for a yearly Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscription:
http://www.visualstudio.com/products/how-to-buy-vs
That's right folks, depending on your level of MSDN, z/OS is extremely
competitive with MSDN from a price standpoint. You all know that I've
never been shy about criticizing IBM when I disagree with them. I've
been advocating for 15 years to create a Personal Use license for z/OS.
Well folks, IBM came through for us, and they came through big time.
RD&T IS the z/OS Personal Use license. Anyone can now run z/OS in the
comfort of their own home. I've been running z/OS V1R13 on my own PC at
home now for about 4 months, and I couldn't be happier with it. For
those of you saying, "I can't afford it", my response would be "how can
you not?". This is our livelihood, our careers. The investment you
make in RD&T is an investment in your future.
If you go through with the order, you will need to take one additional
step that is not yet well-documented (IBM is fixing that). After
purchasing RD&T, you will have what's called a Passport Advantage
account. You'll need to sign on to that and process an order for
Physical Media. This will order the USB license key dongle necessary to
run RD&T on the zPDT emulator, and will also provide you a set of DVD's
for the RD&T install. You can also download the RD&T software if you
wish to begin installation immediately. The part number for the USB
license key is: BA16UML. After ordering the physical media, you should
have it within a day or two via 2-day air. Please let me know if you
have any issues with ordering RD&T, and I'll do what I can to assist.
You will also need a reasonable PC, and a Linux distribution to run on
it. I got an Asus system with an i7 (6 core) processor, 16GB memory,
10GB Ethernet, 2 1TB hard drives for about 1K. Be sure to turn off
hiperthreading in the BIOS, as that can cause CPU loops. For the Linux
distribution, I recommend OpenSUSE (http://www.opensuse.org/en/), which
is now fully-supported by IBM, or you can go with a supported package
like RedHat or Suse. I run the Gnome desktop, but you can choose KDE if
you like. After installing Linux, you would then unload the z/OS
volumes, install the RD&T software (the zPDT emulation layer), enable
your license key, and IPL. z/OS on your own home PC!
I firmly believe that RD&T is a game-changer. It addresses so many of
the needs discussed here in the past, recapturing mind share, making
z/OS prevalent, addressing the skills shortage in a truly meaningful
way, and assuring the future of the z/OS platform well into the 21st
century. I'll be posting more about RD&T in the future. In the
meantime, I'd recommend you go buy RD&T, or start budgeting to buy
RD&T. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Regards,
Tom Conley
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