*BARNEY*
 CAVMEN - Chicago Area
                      VM (and Linux) Enthusiasts

April 26, 2007 Meeting


Final Meeting Agenda:

9:00 AM z/VM Platform Update: Introducing z/VM V5.3
Catch the latest breaking news on z/VM product enhancements. This session will provide you a high-level overview of the new z/VM Version 5.3 product announcement. z/VM V5.3 offers new, leading-edge virtualization capabilities and a pricing model that will help enterprises more easily exploit the on demand capabilities of IBM System z virtualization technology.
The speaker will be Mr. Reed Mullen of the IBM Corporation.
Download Handout
10:30 AM Coffee Break
11:00 AM Comparing System z Virtualization to System p and System x
IBM System z virtualization has a pedigree that spans more than 35 years of innovation, offering significant advantages for hosting virtual server workloads. This presentation will highlight those advantages, and the underlying technology, with a high-level comparison to System p and System x.
The speaker will be Mr. Reed Mullen of the IBM Corporation.
Download Handout
12:30 PM Lunch Break
1:30 PM Administration and Vendor Announcements
1:45 PM Using Hobbit to Monitor Networked Services
Networked machines and services play an ever increasing role in the enterprise. The critical nature of uptime and service levels place an additional burden on the management of these systems. Learn how Hobbit, an open source network services monitor, can help to keep track of uptimes and service levels. We will also explore how network services monitoring goes far beyond a 'ping' test and how Hobbit can be used to watch various aspects of zSeries operating systems.
The speaker will be Mr. Rich Smrcina of VM Assist, Inc.
Download Handout
3:00 PM Coffee Break and Prize Drawing
3:15 PM Managing Multiple Linux Instances on z/VM
When you run Linux as a guest of z/VM, the power and resources of the mainframe are utilized as needed, so you don't have to purchase and maintain separate dedicated hardware for each Linux server. Instead, hundreds of thousands of instances can run on just one z/VM host. Unfortunately, repeatedly creating, configuring and updating Linux instances manually can be tedious and time consuming, and all too often, those who are asked to perform these tasks are Linux staff with limited z/VM experience or z/VM staff with limited Linux experience.

Using the automated instance management feature of Mainstar's "Provisioning Expert for Linux on zSeries" product, a non-Linux or non-z/VM expert can easily create, configure, and maintain many virtual Linux instances under z/VM. You can also:

  • Reduce management costs by eliminating physical footprints
  • Eliminate errors with accurate configuration of Linux instances
  • Centrally view and manage all Linux instances
  • Provide efficient and automated resource utilization
The speaker will be Ms. Shari Killion of Mainstar Software Corporation.
4:30 PM Free-for-All
Members will attempt to answer any reasonable VM or hardware related questions. If you are having a problem and want to find out if others are experiencing it, or you are installing new hardware or software and want to find out what types of problems others have experienced, here is the place to find out.
Members are encouraged to bring ideas for future presentations and speakers to this meeting.


Meeting Location:

This quarter's meeting will be held at the Hewitt Associates 'East Campus' located at 100 Half Day Road, in Lincolnshire, IL. We will meet in the Lower Level Conference Room in Building 98.

If you have not attended a meeting at this location before, or you are not familiar with the area, Click here for additional information on directions, maps, lodging and dining.


Attendance:

We would like to request a count of expected attendees by the Monday before the meeting, so that we may plan appropriately for arranging the facilities, and for refreshments and lunch, should one of the vendors wish to provide them. If you are planning to attend, PLEASE send an E-Mail by that date to CAVMEN@comcast.net with a subject line of "Meeting Attendance".

This is meant to be a facilities planning aid and should not be interpreted as a registration requirement. If you suddenly become available at the last minute, please feel free to attend even if you have not responded.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.