To try and answer the OP's questions: Support: pretty much on your own wrt IBM, there are forums, and you can get general advice about the z/OS, sub-systems and applications in places like here of course. In any case as it cannot legally be used for real workload, support shouldn't really be so much of an issue.
Identical to lpars: sort of, mostly. You can run up a z/VM and host multiple z/OS's or other z/VM's. You can run coupling facility code and simulate a sysplex. You can run Linux for z, either in a z/VM or bare metal. I might be wrong (it's been several years since I had my hands on one), but IIRC they don't simulate the varying CPU types a true System Z can have installed, so no ZIIP/ZAAP or IFL as such. There are several connectivity options, simulated CTC and other types of comms links (not my area of specialisation so I cannot recall the details) so you can have a network of them talking to each other. Security: They run real z/OS, and subsystems - CICS, DB2, WAS, etc etc - so they have RACF (though the ADCD z/OS software bundle supplied with them has a RACF database that is insecurely configured - this has been the case for many years though). Of course the z/OS is hosted as an application running under Linux, so you have to consider the Linux security implications also. It is an easy way to get some workload off the production z/OS box yes. I personally don't think the support overhead is much of an issue - I used one for years and was happy with it, it's stable and just works. Someone else also suggested that it was difficult to put together yourself - I disagree, after upgrading it with every z/OS release for a few years I got very slick and putting together a new one, and would have it built from scratch and all the z/OS stack installed in an afternoon. As has been said before, it's basically IBM's answer (and not a bad answer either) to the alternative emulators that once existed in the market such as MP3000, Flex-ES, PSI or Hercules390 and it's built using a very similar approach and technology. Hoe this helps - cheers, Mike ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
