Mike MacIsaac's books, papers and presentations

This page contains Mike MacIsaac's publications and presentations related to z/VM and Linux on System z.

Virtualization Cookbooks

These books were written to allow you to quickly install and configure z/VM, install and configure Linux, clone Linux, create appliances and other miscellaneous tasks. Each book,in PDF format, comes with an associated tar file of z/VM REXX EXECs and Linux scripts.

• • The Virtualization Cookbooks  - describe z/VM 6.3, RHEL 7.1, SLES 12 and Ubuntu in 4 volumes:

    • 1 - IBM z/VM 6.3, SG24-8147, July 2015,

      • http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/pdfs/sg248147.pdf

    • Volume 2 - Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1 Servers, SG24-8303, July 2015

      • http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/pdfs/sg248303.pdf

    • Volume 3 - SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12, SG24-8890, Sep. 2015

      • http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/pdfs/sg248890.pdf

    • Volume 4 - Ubuntu Server 16.04, SG24-8354, Sep. 2016

      • http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/pdfs/sg248354.pdf

  • Associated tar file

    • • http://www.vm.ibm.com/pubs/redbooks/sg248147/files/24814701.tgz

  • The Virtualization Cookbook for z/VM 6.3, RHEL 6.4 and SLES 11 SP3, IBM Redbook SG24-8147, October 2013 - describes z/VM 6.3, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6.4 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 SP3

    • Associated tar file

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Virtualization Cookbook for z/VM 6.2, RHEL 6.2 and SLES 11 SP2, July 2012 - describes z/VM 6.2, RHEL 6.2 and SLES 11 SP2 with new section on RACF

    • Associated tar file

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Cloud Computing Cookbook for z/VM 6.2, RHEL 6.2 and SLES 11 SP2, February 2012 - describes z/VM 6.2, RHEL 6.2 and SLES 11 SP2

    • Associated tar file

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Virtualization Cookbook for RHEL 6, IBM Redbook SG24-7932, February 2011 - describes z/VM 6.1 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

    • Associated tar file

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Virtualization Cookbook for SLES 11 SP1, IBM Redbook SG24-7931, January 2011 - describes z/VM 6.1 and Novell/SuSE SLES 11 SP1

    • Associated tar file directory

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Virtualization Cookbook for SLES 11, Feb. 2010 - describes z/VM 6.1 and Novell/SuSE SLES 11

    • Associated tar file

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Virtualization Cookbook for SLES 10 SP2 , IBM Redbook SG24-7493-00, October 2008 - describes z/VM 5.4 and Novell/SuSE SLES 10 SP2

    • Associated tar file directory

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Virtualization Cookbook for RHEL 5.2, IBM Redbook SG24-7492-00, October 2008 - describes z/VM 5.4 and Red Hat RHEL 5.2

    • Associated tar file directory

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Virtualization Cookbook for SLES 10, March 2007 - describes z/VM 5.2 and Novell/SuSE SLES 10

    • Associated tar file

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Virtualization Cookbook for RHEL5 March 2007 - describes z/VM 5.2 and Red Hat RHEL 5

    • Associated tar file

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Virtualization Cookbook Version 2 August 2006 - describes z/VM 5.2 and SuSE SLES 9 SP3, includes chapter 11 on cloning IBM middleware

    • Associated tar file

  • z/VM and Linux on IBM System z: The Virtualization Cookbook for SLES9 , IBM Redbook SG24-6695-01, April 2006 - describes z/VM 5.2 and SuSE SLES 9

    • Associated tar file directory - directory also contains the original "cookbook" SG24-6695-00

Papers

• The Smart Boombox Cookbook, Oct 2021 - how to build a boombox and a software stack that allows music to be played by voice commands

• The Ubuntu Mainframe Cookbook, May 2016 - basic operations for Ubuntu GNU/Linux on the mainframe.

  • Associated tar file - UbuntuMainframeCookbook.tgz

• Using Subversion to maintain Linux and z/VM code, January 2016 - how to set up a subversion server for Linux code, and then extend it to z/VM using open source software 

  • Associated tar file - sampletools.tgz

• Submitting JCL from z/VM or Linux using FTP,  May 2015 - describes how to use the z/OS FTP server's ability to submit JCL jobs from z/VM or Linux.

• Installing a second level z/VM SSI,  Sep. 2014 - describes how to install a two-member z/VM 6.3 Single System Image (SSI) second-level (z/VM running under z/VM).

• Sharing and Maintaining SLES11 SP1 Linux under z/VM using FBA disks, DCSSand an NSS, May 2011 - shows how to use Dis-contiguous Saved Segments (DCSSs) and a Named Saved System (NSS) with the concept of a read-only root file system.

  • Associated tar file

• Sharing and Maintaining SLES 11 Linux under z/VM using DCSSs and an NSS, March 2010 - shows how to use Discontiguous Saved Segments (DCSSs) and a Named Saved System (NSS) with the concept of a read-only root file system.

  • Associated tar file

• Sharing and maintaining RHEL 5.3 Linux under z/VM, Sept. 2009 - describes how to create a read-write and a read-only cloning and maintenance system under z/VM 5.4 and RHEL 5.3

  • Associated tar file

• Sharing and maintaining SLES 10 SP2 Linux under z/VM, July 2009 - describes how to create a read-write and a read-only cloning and maintenance system under z/VM 5.4 and SLES 10 SP2

  • Associated tar file

• Concocting 500 Virtual Linux Servers in Three Days, Jan. 2009 - describes one process to create 500 Linux systems on two LPARs

• Sharing and maintaining Linux under z/VM, IBM Redpaper REDP-4322, Feb. 2008 - describes z/VM 5.3 and SLES 10

  • • Associated tar file

Presentations

Presentations from user group meetings and technical conferences.

• • Lessons Learned From Private Cloud on z/VM and zLinux

    • MVMUA, Oct. 2018, NYC, NY

  • Making your life easier with automation

    • MVMUA, Oct. 2016, NYC, NY

  • The Power of RESTful APIs

    • VM Workshop, June 2016, New Brunswick, NJ

  • Maintaining z/VM code on Linux

    • MVMUA, Jan. 2016, NYC, NY

  • Migrating live Linux and z/VM systems to new DASD

    • VM Workshop, June 2015, Binghamton, NY

  • z/VM and Linux administration in a no-root environment

    • SHARE, March 2014, Anaheim, CA

  • Introducing FDRPASVM: A Solution for Non-disruptive Migration of z/VM and Linux on System z Disk Volumes

  • Mz - Managing z

  • Automating Oracle on System z

    • VM Workshop, June 2013, Indianapolis, IN

  • The Virtualization Cookbook

  • Mz - Managing z

    • SHARE, July 2013, Boston, MA

    • Automating Oracle on System z

  • Linux Council Meeting, March 2013, Jersey City, NJ

    • • Automating Oracle Database Resiliency on System Z Linux

  • SHARE, March 2012, Atlanta, GA

    • • The Cloud Computing Cookbook: The Hypervisor (z/VM) Side

      • The Cloud Computing Cookbook: The Linux Side

  • MVMUA meeting, July 2009, Sharing and maintaining Linux under z/VM

  • System z Expo, Oct. 2008, Sharing and Maintaining Linux under z/VM

  • System z Expo, Oct. 2008, Systems Management of Linux under z/VM and LPAR

zoom 

zoom (zystems object-oriented management) is a free, open-source, lightweight set of Linux bash scripts and corresponding documentation that provide both a command line and a Web interface for systems management of z/VM and Linux. 

zoom is available on SourceForge at:

    https://sourceforge.net/projects/system-zoom/files

The RESTful API is a great mechanism for driving a regression test. To improve code quality a regression test has been written and is being employed. A sample script and input file have been added.  See regrtest and regrtest.input in the /usr/local/share/zoom/ directory.

I hope this helps the community.

consolez

consolez is a package for z/VM and zLinux that enables teams to get proper access to z/VM console data and certain commands.  Here are some charts, the code in two formats, a document and a README:

• • consolez.pptx - charts describing it

  • consolez-0.94.tgz - the code in compressed tar format

  • consolez-0-94.s390x.rpm - the code in RPM format

  • consolez.pdf - a document describing it

  • consolez.README.txt - the README in the tar file

REXX EXECs and XEDIT macros

Copies of REXX EXECs from various publications are also listed here for easy download.

• • CHPW630.XEDIT - An XEDIT macro to change passwords in a z/VM 6.3 USER DIRECT file

  • COPYDISK.EXEC - Copy a disk trying FLASHCOPY and if that fails using DDR

  • CPFORMAT.EXEC - Wrapper around CPFMTXA to format a series of volumes

  • GREP.EXEC - Similar to Linux grep

  • RM.EXEC - Wrapper around ERASE that allows wildcards

  • SSICMD.EXEC - Run a CP command on all SSI members in the cluster

  • WC.EXEC - Similar to Linux 'word count'

  • ZVMTOOLS.VMARC - REXX EXECs and XEDIT Macros

Note: These are text files in ASCII. Download them to your desktop or workstation, then FTP them to z/VM as text. They should be converted to EBCDIC with the correct record format.

Linux shell scripts

Copies of shell scripts that might be useful.

• • lsvols.sh - List how Linux volumes are being used by processing /etc/fstab

  • submit - Send a JCL job to z/OS from Linux using FTP

Links:

• • z/VM developer pages

  • Resources for Linux on z/VM

Speaker design

A topic other than computers, I have dabbled with designing and building speaker systems:

• A small "2.1" system with Smith Horns

  • A pair of "back-loaded folded horns"

• RasPi boombox