That, plus IBM has an easier time marketing and selling its other UNIX solutions. Our IBM sales people have tried to sell packages that run on zLinux but management is not comfortable with it. It will take a while for the pendulum to swing, but in the meantime they cite the average age of the mainframe support staff and the difficulty of replacing them.
Our zLinux support is clustered within the mainframe group, unlike our other open systems that have their own specific teams. Working within that reality, it's important to have good communications with UNIX and Linux experts across the organization and elsewhere. We rely much more heavily on the network and the networking staff (LDAP, databases, etc.) than we ever did running just old mainframe applications, and resolving problems quickly requires good coordination between the various players. We also rely heavily on z/OS for encrypted DASD backups and file level Linux backups, so there are some additional recurring costs, and again team coordination between z/VM and z/OS. There is a lot to learn, shake out, and get comfortable with. We are taking very small steps, but our stuff stays up for many months at a time which is something very few others in the open systems arena can claim. Some folks are fascinated by the lack of physical infrastructure when they ask about the locations of presumably big servers. But I agree it's tough to rally support for something when certain key people continue to downplay or refuse to see the benefits. Ray Mrohs -----Original Message----- From: Linux on 390 Port [mailto:LINUX-390@VM.MARIST.EDU] On Behalf Of Jonathan Quay Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2012 8:44 AM To: LINUX-390@VM.MARIST.EDU Subject: Re: z/Linux and z/OS There are a lot more hurdles to overcome in a zLinux POC than just technical ones. We as technicians can create a bright, shiny new infrastructure that can stand on its hind legs and dance. But somebody's got to eventually stroke a check for a big number to IBM. For that to happen, you have to have an engaged IBM sales team who can fight the battles of organizational inertia, the business case, budget constraints of mainframes vs. incremental investments in intel platforms, and the CIO who fancies himself a "forward thinker" (i.e. anti-IBM). That's a lot to ask of the current woefully understaffed IBM sales and marketing organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@vm.marist.edu with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information on Linux on System z, visit http://wiki.linuxvm.org/
