We have had DVD-based delivery 2011 for z/OS platform PTFs and products.
So, we're not quite 20 years behind z/VM (smile).
Also, it's not that writing a *different* format would be that
difficult, but that *adding* a format would be nontrivial. That
requires ordering and process options to be created in all the service
ordering portals, and then AWSTAPE support in the appropriate places to
read the DVD. Also, of course, it requires optical hardware that can be
z/OS-attached. At this point in the projected remaining lifetime for
optical media, I can't justify adding a new format, and converting from
one to another would be quite disruptive to customers, who would have to
be able to consume the new one.
Gary Eheman wrote:
I have quite enjoyed reading this thread in the digest version over the last
few days.
For historical accuracy, I wanted to point out that service delivery on optical
media from IBM is something that I personally was involved with in with IBM
sofware delivery back in 1998-1999. Customers could first order service from
IBM and request that the delivery media be CDROM instead of tape in early 1999.
Preventive service (RSU) for VM could be ordered from IBM on CDROM in January
1999. Not sure why it could not be trivial for z/OS, but it, frankly, was
trivial for VM. In March 1999, corrective service could be ordered on CDROM.
So this really is not some new problem for IBM service delivery. Been there,
done that, got the T-shirt. Though the web page about ptf service on CDROM
media was up for year into the 2000 decade, it is no longer up on the VM
website. You can still find it on the web archive wayback machine:
https://web.archive.org/web/20040822203309/http://www.vm.ibm.com:80/service/vmcd.html
I found a hard copy on my book shelf of the IBM S/390 Bulletin Issue 24 April
1999 which had an article on page 14 about the availability of service on
CDROM. These bulletin documents which were produced out of Boeblingen by the
S/390 division in both glossy hardcopy and pdf format contained articles of
interest for the entire S/390 product line were available in pdf format for
download, but I cannot find them online any longer.
I reckon that z/OS might finally exploit service delivery on optical media on
demand one day, a mere 20 years later than VM first did it. I see little
reason to reinvent the optical media wheel for service delivery, and I concur
with John Eell's observation that optical media's days are numbered. This
problem was solved at IBM long, long ago. Putting an emulated tape metadata
file format on that media, whether OMA/2 or AWS, or a different metadata format
should be trivial if it is really required. Emulated tape is not difficult. In
our products at FSI, emulated tape was even extended across the Internet in
encrypted format. Others have done it, too. The only way to avoid corrective
service delivery is to write perfect code the first time to eliminate the need
for corrective service. Good luck doing in that.
<snip>
--
John Eells
IBM Poughkeepsie
[email protected]
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