A Joint Assault on the Mainframe Hardware Market
by Hesh Wiener

Two companies are about to launch a joint assault on IBM's mainframe processor market. Platform Solutions has built a series of large-scale computers that can load and run software written for the System z9 and its antecedents. T3 Technologies will incorporate PSI's technology in a line of midrange IBM-compatible mainframes. While these new processors might not break IBM's grip on the mainframe base, they could well inspire IBM to make substantial changes in its mainframe technology. READ MORE >

Top Mainframe Stories and Vendor Announcements

(TechWorld) If you are the vice president of virtualization, does that make you a virtual VP? (Think of the money saved there!) But for the real answers, here's Rich Lechner, IBM's VP of Virtualization. In this Q & A session, Lechner talks about why people are interested in this technology, where it is today, where it's headed, and what IBM's role will be. READ MORE >

(ComputerWorld) IBM's support of Linux distributions could be thought of as one for the money (Red Hat) and two for the show (Novell). And if Big Blue is getting ready to support a third distribution, there's speculation that it could be Red Flag Linux, the biggest Linux distribution company in China. You can bet IBM is very interested in China, and mixing Red Flag with Big Blue could lead to the color of money. READ MORE >

(SearchDataCenter) Spiraling energy costs, with no end in sight, have lead some experts to the conclusion that within five years it will cost more to power servers than it costs to buy them. But surprisingly this horror story may have a happy ending for the mainframe. Jim Stallings, general manager of IBM's System z division, says saving on the light bill is just one reason mainframe revenues are bright. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

September 26 -- Atlanta - IBM is hosting a WebSphere seminar designed for System z technical professionals, including application development management, application developers, and application architects. These seminars provide in-depth knowledge of WebSphere and the tools to implement a service oriented architecture. Topics include defining business models that reduce inefficiencies, integrating core application assets for reuse, running mixed application types and workload patterns, and generating advanced user interfaces for core applications. LEARN MORE >

October 10 -- Webinar - Putting CICS in the heart of your SOA implementation means assessing applications and optimizing performance. This session will cover CICS TS 3.1 migration considerations and tools featuring products such as CICS Configuration Manager, CICS Interdependency Analyzer , CICS Performance Analyzer and CICS VSAM Transparency. The presentation begins at 11 a.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

October 20 & 21 -- Chicago, Illinois - The Network and Systems Professionals Association annual conference, NaSTEC, features educational tracks on large systems/mainframes, distributed systems, and professional development and includes 24 total sessions. Topics include IT compliance, TCP/IP network health checks, and security, as well as others. LEARN MORE >