SPARTA News

December 2024

SPARTA President’s Corner

contributed by Randy Springs

This month, we canceled our December 2024 SPARTA meeting because of speaker availability issues.

If you have suggestions for topics or speakers for SPARTA or want to volunteer to speak yourself, please contact Ron Pimblett.

We hope to see you online on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, on Zoom. Watch for meeting information coming your way soon.

Randy Springs
Retired (Truist)

Future Speakers (subject to change)

December 3, 2024 - Cancelled by Speaker Availability issue

January 7, 2025 - No meeting (Happy Holidays!)

February 4, 2025 - TBA by TBD of Unknown

We need ideas and volunteers for future speakers. Presentations don’t have to be fancy, just informative and interesting. Even a 5 or 10 minute talk can start an interesting interaction. Contact Ron Pimblett by phone as noted below.

2024-2025 SPARTA

Board of Directors

Randy Springs - President

Retired (Truist)                  (919) nnn-nnnn

street

Raleigh, NC 27604

Ron Pimblett - Vice President

MDI Data Systems

Land line 613 599 6970

Mobile 613 981 6919

190 Guelph Private

Kanata, ON K2T 0J7

Chris Blackshire - Secretary

Retired (Dell, Perot Systems, Nortel)  (919) nnn-nnnn

street

Durham, NC 27713

Randy Springs - (Acting) Treasurer

Retired (Truist)                  (919) nnn-nnnn

see Randy

Springs earlier

Ed Webb -  Communications Director

Retired (SAS Institute Inc.)  (919) nnn-nnnn

street

Apex, NC 27523

Mike Lockey -  Web Master

Guilford Co. Information Services  336-641-6235

201 N. Eugene St.

Greensboro, NC 27401

Meetings

Coronavirus Change: All meetings for the foreseeable future will be held online at 3 p.m. via the Zoom App. The link to meeting is sent to SPARTA Mailing list within 24 hours of the meeting time for security reasons. Stay safe.

Meetings are scheduled for the first Tuesday evening of each month (except no meeting in January), with optional dinner at 6:15 p.m. and the meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m.

These monthly meetings usually are held at LabCorp’s Center for Molecular Biology and Pathology (CMBP) near the Research Triangle Park (see last page). Take I-40 to Miami Boulevard and go north. Turn right onto T.W. Alexander Drive. Go about a mile or so. Then turn right into LabCorp complex and turn Left to the CMBP Building (1912 T.W. Alexander Drive). In the lobby, sign in as a visitor to see Bill Johnson. Bill will escort you to the conference room.

Call for Articles

If you have any ideas for speakers, presentations, newsletter articles, or are interested in taking part in a presentation, PLEASE contact one of the Board of Directors with your suggestions.

Newsletter e-Mailings

The SPARTA policy is to e-mail a monthly notice to our SPARTA-RTP Group. The newsletter is posted to the website about five (5) days before each meeting so you can prepare. The SPARTA distribution List is maintained by Chris Blackshire; if you have corrections or problems receiving your meeting notice, contact Chris at chrisbl@nc.rr.com.

August 2024 “CBT Tape” Shareware Online

The directory and files from the latest CBT tape V507 (dated August 7, 2024) are available from www.cbttape.org.

If you need help obtaining one or more files, contact Ed Webb (see Board of Director’s list for contact info).

Minutes of the November 5, 2024 Meeting

• The November 5, 2024 meeting was called to order at 3:00 PM by Randy Springs, the SPARTA President.

• The November 5, 2024 meeting was cancelled because of speaker availability issues.

• This Forty-fifth (April 2020 to November 2024) virtual SPARTA meeting was held via the Zoom Software.

• Fifteen (15) people were present at the virtual meeting.

• The business portion of the meeting followed the presentation.

• The meeting started at 3 PM to accommodate the speaker's availability.

OLD BUSINESS

• The minutes of the October 1, 2024 meeting as published in the November 2024 Newsletter were approved.

• The minutes of the last meeting as published were approved.

• The October 31, 2024 Treasurer's report as published in the November 2024 Newsletter was approved. As of October 31, 2024, the current balance is $805.46.

• Call For Articles: Articles are needed for this newsletter. If you would like to write an article for this newsletter, please contact Ed Webb. Keep in mind that you don't really need to write the article, it can be an article that you read that you want to share with the membership.

• The SPARTA Web page is available at this site: http://www.spartanc.org. Please send any comments or suggestions about the Web page to Mike Lockey. Be sure to check the Web page every once in a while to see any new or changed information.

• 2024 meeting dates, Future Speakers and Topics (subject to change based on internal politics, budget, the weather):

If you have suggestions about speakers and topics, contact Ron Pimblett.

• The next SPARTA monthly meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday, December 3, 2024.

• The annual dues have been suspended (motion passed in the March 2021 monthly meeting).

• Thanks to Randy Springs for online hosting the September meeting via Zoom.

• There are currently about 100 people on the SPARTA e-mail distribution list.

• Send any e-mail address changes to Chris Blackshire so he can update the SPARTA distribution List. The SPARTA meeting notices are being sent via a simple distribution list maintained by Chris.

• Randy Springs is looking for a new Treasurer volunteer. He projects about 2 hours per month is needed.
- Contact Randy if you are interested.

• Randy Springs has setup a SPARTA group on LinkedIn. Please join.

• There was discussion about a possible 2024 in-person meeting, depending on vaccinations and room availability. Stay tuned.
- Randy will contact Bill Johnson to determine the LabCorp meeting place status.
- Jay Hall will look into using a NCSU Centennial Campus room.

NEW BUSINESS

• There was significant discussion about how to increase attendance at SPARTA meetings. After discussing ending SPARTA given lack of participation, the attendees decided to keep trying for another six months.

• We will continue meeting virtually for now with a future in-person meeting date TBD. Stay tuned.
• The Business portion and the meeting ended about 4:10 P.M.

• The Presentation started at 3:12 PM after attendee introductions.

• Presentation Topic: Customizing z/OSMF Using Plugins

By Jerry Spencer of DTS Software LLC

• Agenda
• Download The IBM Sample Plugin
• Install The IBM Sample Plugin
• Overcome My Personal Issues
• Understand The IBM Sample Plugin
• Create Your Own Plugin
• Wrap Up

• Presentation Access - See Below for a full outline of the presentation.

See the SPARTA webpage for all recent presentations including this September one with the presentation notes.

• Contact Info:
Speaker: Jerry Spencer
DTS Software
4350 Lassiter at North Hills Ave #230
Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone: 919-833-8426 x 0165
E-mail: jerry@DTSsoftware.com
Web site: https://www.dtssoftware.com

• The presentation and questions/answers ended about 4:00 P.M.
• The November 5, 2024 monthly meeting ended about 4:12 P.M. after a short business meeting.

Treasurer’s Report for November 2024

contributed by Randy Springs

The balance in the account is $805.46 as of November 31, 2024.

SPARTA Financial Report
11/01/2024 through 11/30/2024

Items of Interest

SPARTA Schedule and Menu for 2024

contributed by Chris Blackshire

Dec 3, 2024 BarBQ

SHARE Announces Keynote Sessions for Its March 2025 Conference

contributed By Ed Webb

SHARE Washington, D.C., is set to be an event like no other! Not only will you have access to 300+ technical sessions offering in-depth education on essential mainframe topics, but you’ll also have the opportunity to hear from two groundbreaking keynote speakers who will inspire and motivate you in today's competitive industry.

SHARE is proud to announce Tom Koulopoulos as our opening general session keynote and Shakirah Hill Taylor as our Women in IT event keynote speaker. Learn more about both keynote presentations below and be sure to register by Jan. 10 to secure your seat and the best savings! "

Mainframe Education, Free Trials, FAQs, and Videos

Contributed by Chris Blackshire

Using Google search for learning mainframe online free and mainframe computer videos, I see these results. Hope you find these useful.

"Mainframe Education
https://www.ibmmainframer.com/

Our mission is to deliver completely free online mainframe tutorials and connecting every Mainframe programmers across the globe in a single platform for Learning, Knowledge Sharing, Job opportunity and Discussion.

Mainframe Tutorials, Articles, Videos on TSO/ISPF, JCL, COBOL, VSAM, Db2, CICS, IMS-DB, IMS-DC, REXX, and Easytrieve.

Mainframe examples on JCL, COBOL, and Db2

Python Tutorials on Python3x, Pandas, and Django.

There is a list of mainframe jobs on their portal with nice search options."

How to Practice Mainframe for free?
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-practice-mainframe-free-pratul-gautam

Step 1: Create an IBMid

To get started with the IBM Z mainframe free trial, you'll need to create an IBMid account. If you already have an IBMid account, you can skip this step.

To create an IBMid account, visit the IBMid registration page and follow the instructions to create a new account. You'll need to provide some basic information like your name, email address, and country of residence.

Step 2: Register for the IBM Z mainframe free trial

Once you have an IBMid account, you can register for the IBM Z mainframe free trial. Visit the IBM Z Trial website and click the "Register Now" button to get started.

Follow the instructions to provide your contact information and agree to the terms and conditions of the trial. You'll also need to select the trial duration, which can range from 3 to 90 days.

Step 3: Access the IBM Z mainframe system

After you've registered for the IBM Z mainframe free trial, you'll receive an email with instructions on how to access the system. The email will include a link to the IBM Z Trial system console and login credentials.

Once you have the login credentials, you can log in to the IBM Z mainframe system and start exploring its features and capabilities. You'll have access to a wide range of tools and applications that you can use to practice and improve your mainframe skills.

Step 4: Learn and practice

The IBM Z mainframe free trial provides a great opportunity to learn and practice mainframe skills in a real-world environment. You can explore the system, run applications, and work with data to gain hands-on experience with the IBM Z mainframe platform.

By following these simple steps, you can register for the trial and start exploring the IBM Z mainframe system today.

Boost your mainframe skills for free (Planet Mainframe)
https://planetmainframe.com/2022/05/boost-your-mainframe-skills-for-free/

Questions and Answers

Q: Does anyone still make mainframes?
A: The IBM mainframe is still around. They are used in banking, finance, insurance, military, and medicine. At their core, mainframes are high-performance computers with large amounts of memory and processors that process billions of simple calculations and transactions in real time.

Q: Is mainframe technology easy to learn?
A: Mainframe programming is not easy as it deals with very big systems like insurance or banking. On a scale of 1-10, I will rate it as 8, but once we study basics and with experience, we can feel it becoming easier.

Q: What has replaced mainframe?
A: Mainframes are still used by many enterprises as vast data storage repositories. Although personal computers and cloud-based distributed systems have taken some market share away from mainframes, this data for the most part remains difficult and expensive to access and manipulate.

Q: Does mainframe require coding?
A: Programming Language Proficiency
Proficiency in programming languages specific to the mainframe environment is a prerequisite for mainframe developers. These include COBOL, Assembler, PL/I, and Java.

Q: What are the advantages of mainframe?
A: Mainframe computers offer a number of advantages, including high processing power, scalability, reliability, and security. Although they can be expensive to purchase and maintain, they can also be very cost-effective for organizations that need to process large amounts of data.

Q: What are some disadvantages of mainframe computer?
A: Main Disadvantages:
One of the prominent drawbacks of mainframes is their cost. Hardware and software for mainframes are clearly expensive. Secondly, mainframe hardware occupies more space than other computers. Finally, one needs high-end skills to work with mainframe computers.

Q: What are the advantages of mainframe over server?
A: Mainframes handle much more data.
An example: if you assume that a typical database on a commodity server might be able to handle 300 transactions per second, that works out to around 26 million per day—a large number but far short of the billions of transactions that mainframe databases can support.

Q: What are the 7 characteristics of a mainframe computer?
A: Features and functions of mainframe computers
1. High processing power.
2. Multiprocessing capabilities.
3. Strong security.
4. Large memory and storage capacity.
5. Ability to support several peripheral devices simultaneously.
6. Ability to support many users simultaneously.
7. Ability to run numerous applications simultaneously.

Q: Are mainframes being phased out?
A: In conclusion. The future of mainframe technology is bright. Despite the rise of other computing platforms, the mainframe remains a critical technology for many large businesses and government agencies.

Q: What language do mainframes use?
Common business-oriented language, or COBOL, is a popular mainframe language often used to complete administrative work. According to the IBM website, C++, C, SQL, Java, Assembler, L/I, C, REXX, JCL, and CLIST are also common mainframe languages.

Q: Is COBOL difficult to learn?
A: How difficult is COBOL? In essence, COBOL is very easy to learn. Currently, COBOL is one of the most English-based languages. This means that you can quickly become familiar with its functions just by speaking the language.

Q: What language will replace COBOL?
A: Some companies choose to convert the COBOL code to more modern programming languages, such as Python, Java, or Cobalt. But translating a procedural language such as COBOL, to an object-oriented language such as Python, Java, or Cobalt presents its own challenge.

Q: What OS do mainframes use?
A: In addition to z/OS, four other operating systems dominate mainframe usage: z/VM, z/VSE™, Linux for System z®, and z/TPF. z/OS, a widely used mainframe operating system, is designed to offer a stable, secure, and continuously available environment for applications running on the mainframe.

Q: What makes mainframe unique?
A; Mainframe vs Server: What Makes Mainframes Different?
A key distinguishing feature of mainframes is that they are typically powered by mainframe-specific applications written in languages like COBOL. They also run their own operating systems, like z/OS. It is difficult to move mainframe-native workloads to commodity servers.

Q: What is a fun fact about mainframe?
A; Originating in the mid-20th century, mainframes represented the pinnacle of computing power, capable of handling complex calculations and large-scale data processing tasks. These beasts handled all the heavy-duty computing tasks, and they soon became synonymous with reliability, scalability, and performance.

Q: Is mainframes a good career?
A: The rules of supply and demand come into play here. High demand drives the need for mainframe skills, but there is a low supply of skilled professionals as employees retire. As a result, a career in mainframe technology can be quite lucrative.

Q: How much do mainframe programmers make?
A: How much does a Mainframe Programmer make? The estimated total pay for a Mainframe Programmer is $144,605 per year, with an average salary of $110,116 per year.

Some Interesting, Educational, and Fun Videos:

Big Iron: The Mainframe Story

What are Mainframes?

History of IBM mainframe operating systems

Mainframes, how they work and what they do

I Tried to Break a Million Dollar Computer - IBM Z16 Facility Tour!

Mainframe Myths Debunked in 5 Minutes

IBM Z Mainframe Tutorial for Beginners (54 Min)

Here's What Happens When an 18 Year Old Buys a Mainframe

The "Mainframe Kid" (Connor Krukosky at SHARE)

Should you enter the Mainframe world in 2023?

Careers in Mainframe Development

Basics of Running COBOL / JCL and Checking Output on IBM Mainframe

WCS x IBM Z Mainframe Workshop (Western Cyber Society)

Videos on JCL, REXX, and other Fundamentals

Welcome to the new home of Cheryl Watson’s Tuning Letter.
See: Publications, Cheryl's List, Articles, Presentations.

Humor

Wit and Wisdom continued

contributed by Ed Webb

One test of good manners is to be able to put up with bad ones.
If you look like your passport photo, you need the trip.
Happiness is not doing what you like, it’s liking what you do.

A man is about as big as the things that make him angry.
Bad habits are like comfortable beds...easy to get into, but hard to get out of.
It is better to give than to lend, and the cost is about the same.

Membership Information

Don’t Forget the Next SPARTA Meeting

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Time: 3 p.m.

Location: Online

Information about access to our online meeting will be sent to our e-mail list by Tuesday, December 3.

Free Food before meeting: Your Food at Your Home

Program:

XXXX

Speaker:

YYY of ZZZZ

SPARTA Corporate Sponsors:

November 2024 Presentation outline

• Presentation Topic: Cancelled Because of Speaker Issues

By Jerry Spencer of DTS Software LLC

The presentation minutes are shorter than usual as you can watch the entire recorded presentation on the SPARTA website.

• Agenda
• Download The IBM Sample Plugin

• Download The IBM Sample Plugin

The presentation and questions and answers ended about 4:00 PM and the meeting ended at 4:12 PM after a short business meeting.