Cross-posted to the IBMVM, Linux-390, and IBM-MAIN discussion lists.
The 2014 VM Workshop will be conducted at North Carolina A&T State University, in beautiful Greensboro, NC for 2.5 days from about 9AM Thursday June 26, through ~about~ 2PM Saturday, June 28. For more details, see: http://www.vmworkshop.org/2014 Last year, the IBM "z/VM Installation and Migration"; and "Linux on System z Installation" hands-on labs were very popular; they will be repeated for 2014. Additional hands-on labs are being planned, or have already been submitted for consideration (we're only just getting started). For these additional hands-on labs, free client software will be installed on each lab attendee's own laptop, connecting them to a z/VM 6.3.0 system running on Vicom Infinity's zBC12. Potential new 60-90 minute hands-on Labs still in need of a volunteer creator/presenter include: * CMS Administration Boot Camp. * XEDIT for the Novice. * Your own hand-on lab ideas (propose one or more!) Some other "Desired Sessions" we'd like to see presented include: * VMSES/E Introduction (SERVICE, PUT2PROD, and BEYOND...). * z/VM: Where Do I Start? (Configuring: IBM's z/VM, IBM and ISV products, and common free utility tools recommendations). * Virtualization Comparisons v. z/VM; Pros and Cons (e.g. LPAR, VMWare, KVM, Xen, Wind River, etc.). * Your own session ideas (propose one or more!) Many sessions presented since the VM Workshop 're-animation' 3 years ago have been 'vendor' sessions. Some of those described vendor products, while some have been general interest sessions; most were terrific. Yet, the description of the original VM Workshop at http://www2.marist.edu/~workshop/ relates: "The VM Workshop is an annual event which is essentially an "immersion program for systems programmers". It is 3.5 days of intensive discussion and presentations about the VM operating system and related subjects. The Workshop began in 1977 as an alternative to the more formal (and expensive) conferences such as SHARE and Guide. Over the years, it has remained a completely grass-roots effort, with its organization being handled by volunteers from various colleges, universities and corporations. Its emphasis is on participation and the exchanging of ideas and information." After a too-long 12 year respite following 1998's VM Workshop, a grass-roots effort in 2011 re-animated the VM Workshop as a low-cost 2.5 day conference for the "modern era", including "Linux on System z" as a key topic. Those VM systems programmers of the past freely shared their personal experiences with the VM system, tools they had written, solutions that they had discovered, clever ways to do things that everyone has to do, and much more. A key point of the original VM Workshop was "Its emphasis is on participation and the exchanging of ideas and information." The z/VM and Linux on System z Community really needs your personal, non-professional, real-life-experience volunteer sessions now, too. Please take a moment to think about something you have done, written, or learned from which you think others may benefit. It does not have to fill up the whole 60 minutes (we'll merge smaller ideas into a single hour session), and it certainly does not need to be a polished, professional presentation. You won't find a more welcoming audience anywhere else, remember: it's all about we, who do the actual technical work, the "VM Community", exchanging our ideas, real-life experiences, and useful hints and tips. With what are you struggling? Reply here with other session ideas or Open Panel Discussions that you would like to see presented. Your thoughts may inspire others to suggest additional valuable session topics. The VM Workshop Volunteer Committee will sort through the posted ideas, adding those that fit into a "Desired Sessions" list, and seek speakers (preferably: you) to meet popular needs. Besides all those, and any new session ideas others may come up with, we plan to hold a ""Stump the Old-timers Q&A Session", and informal evening "End of Day" discussions in the dorm building "commons" areas. These are intended as a friendly "Free Fire Zone" where those too shy or intimidated by z/VM or Linux on System z may feel comfortable asking any question in the midst of welcoming folks who have already "been there, done that". Session presentation idea proposals (even if the session materials have not yet been created) can be submitted at: http://www.vmworkshop.org/2014/sessionproposal Note: before you can submit a session, you need to logon to your old account at http://www.vmworkshop.org/2014 -or- click on "Create new account" on that page - accounts are free. If you have forgotten your password, you may request a new password there, too. The Session Proposal web page is expected to remain open only until about May 1. Don't dawdle! :-) Volunteers need time to sort through the submissions, and fit those that apply into the limited 2.5 days of session slots. Thanks! Mike Walter 2013/2014 VM Workshop Chairman ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
