Intro Enterprise Quiz 1 & 2

List the three major types of storage used by z/OS

(i) DASD (direct access storage device) volumes (ii) tape cartridges (iii) Virtual tape or virtual disk. (Virtual tape and virtual disk storage are high-capacity and relatively inexpensive disk storage attached storage devices that emulate tape volumes or one larger disk storage volume)

How does z/OS differ from a single-user operating system? Give two examples.

(i) process large workloads (ii) can allow thousands of user transaction concurrently

If a fixed block physical is 1000 bytes long and the records are recorded in blocks of 10, how long is each fixed length record (i.e. what is the logical record length)?

100 bytes

What's the most accurate definition of a Network Interface Card (NIC)?

A NIC is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to a network.

What is a partitioned dataset?

A PDS is a collection of sequential datasets called members.

A z/OS catalog is:

A dataset used to store location information about other datasets

Which is the best definition of a console as it pertains to Mainframe?

A user interface to a server, for example, the interface provided on a personal computer.

Which customer enterprises would likely be interested in the System z On/Off Capacity on Demand feature?

A) Customer enterprises that would like to deploy new applications with temporary extra capacity C) Customer enterprises that would like to pilot new applications with temporary extra capacity D) Customer enterprises with a need for predictable short term capacity growth E) Customer enterprises with a need for unpredictable capacity growth B) All of the above

How would you characterize the physical size of a mainframe computer (not including its I/O (or peripheral) equipment)?

About the size of a large refrigerator

List a few characteristics of enterprise computing systems?

Automated billing systems. Payment processing. Email marketing systems. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

What's an example of a real-time transaction?

Bank account balance query

Name the two broad categories of workload likely to be found running on a mainframe. ANSWER Explanation for E â€" these are applications, not workloads

Batch and online transaction processing

Which IBM transaction processing monitor provides rapid high-volume transaction processing?

CICS (Customer information control system)

What are the three main objectives of system security?

Confidentiality, integrity, and availability

All of the data that can be read or written without moving all of the read/write heads of a disk device (DASD) is referred to as:

Cylinder

Typical z/OS "middleware" would include

Database software and web server software

What is a dataset? What types of data sets are used on z/os?

Dataset refers to a file that contains one or more records. A record is the basic unit of information used by a program running on z/OS. Types of datasets: (1) Partition Dataset (PD and PD-E) (2) Sequential Dataset (SD and SD-E) (3) VSAM

What is a DASD volume?

Datasets in Z/OS are organized into DASD volumes. They are used of storing datasets.

What's the best definition of an LDAP?

Defines a standard method to access and update information in a directory.

Since its introduction in 1964, the IBM mainframe has

Evolved and in many ways leads in delivering modern computing technologies

A block of central storage is called a --------

Frame

What does GDPS stand for?

Geographically Dispersed Parallel Sysplex

The concept of blocked data or blocking has to do with:

How data is physically arranged on a storage device

What is the difference between byte stream file system and record-oriented file system?

In a byte stream file system, files are just a collection of sequential streams of bits, and there is a special character to tell the computer where a line (or record) ends and the next one begins. In a record-oriented file system, files are organized on the disk into separate records. With record-oriented files, you explicitly define the sizes and attributes of your records, so there is no need for a special end line character, which helps conserve system resources

What is “virtual†about virtual storage?

It gives the illusion that the system has more storage than it has physically.

What is a sequential dataset?

It is a data structure for storing data in z/os. It consists of one or more records.

Mainframes are most extensively used by what type of businesses?

Large corporations

Many z/OS system programmers who have worked with z/OS for a long time still refer to it using its original (old) name:

MVS

A System z technique whereby several programs appear to execute concurrently is called

Multiprogramming

Multiprocessing means running several processors simultaneously (available to the operating system and applications). What does multiprogramming mean?

Multiprogramming is running of more than one program simultaneously on the same processor.

A programmer has 40 sequential data sets. The 40 datasets collectively represent a program that will be used by a business. Which z/OS dataset type should the programmer use to store the datasets?

One PDS

What z/OS application changes are needed to work in a Parallel Sysplex?

One or more CFs (coupling facilities)

A block of virtual storage is called a --------

Page

What's an example of a batch process?

Payroll

The z/OS acronym RAS stands for

Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability

Which system component decides the allocation of system resources?

Resource manager

A System z technique that allows multiple simultaneous operations of two or more programs under the control of one copy of z/OS is called

SMP (symmetric multiprocessing)

Two distinguishing characteristics of mainframe computing are:

Secure and highly available

A block of auxiliary storage is called a -------

Slot

Mainframe memory is also referred to as:

Storage

Virtual address format and the how to determine the the RX, SX, PX, and BX components form a given 64 bit virtual address.

Study this

Which mainframe component is attached to the central processor complex and used for monitoring and operating a system?

Support element

What z/OS interface enables programs to use authorization services to control access to resources?

System authorization facility

Tell in one line each, what is (a) System z (b) z/OS (c) z/VM ?

System z is a large scale computer system or mainframe computer built by IBM. z/VM is a base virtual machine building s/w (software) that is installed on top of the h/w (hardware). z/OS is a 64-bit operating system for a mainframe computer within a z/VM.

Which mainframe job/role would you expect to perform software customization, capacity planning and performance tuning?

Systems programmer

Which operating system option provides interactive time sharing from remote terminals?

TSO (Time sharing option)

Two common z/OS units of work are:

Tasks and SRBs

The "360" in the name "System/360" is a reference to what?

The 360 degrees of a compass

List several defining characteristics of the z/OS operating system.

The address spaces in z/OS provide system security using private and common ares. Provides data integrity for its large number of users. Can manage a large number of concurrent batch jobs. The security extends to system functions, simple files, applications, resources, user profiles and so on. Allows multiple communications subsystems such as multiple TCP/IP operation at the same time. Manage large I/O configurations such as thousands of disk drives, tape libraries, and terminals.

Why does the power needed for a traditional COBOL application not have a linear relationship with the power needed for a new Java application?

The power of a system is often linked to the cost of software licensing. The power needed to run a COBOL application does not have a linear relation to that of running a new Java application because the cost of adding a new Java application increases non-linearly.

An enterprise is about to upgrade an older System z server to the latest technology mainframe. This enterprise has a program that was witten 20 years ago, is still in use, and the source code for the program is no longer available. What should the enterprise expect relative to the old program when the server upgrade occurs?

They should expect that the program will run without any changes

What are the differences between loosely coupled systems and tightly coupled systems?

Tightly coupled systems contain multiple processors (CPUs) that are connected by channels. They have access to a centrally shared memory or may participate in a memory hierarchy with both local and shared memory. Loosely coupled system has multiple stand-alone units/processors interconnected via high speed communication systems.

A number of non-mainframe computer systems are available today which claim to be "mainframe like" or provide the same value as mainframes.

True

The S/360 eliminated several problems that were inherent in computers that preceded it including: the inability to upgrade to a larger computer, proprietary and incompatible peripheral interfaces, and the ability to run both engineering and commercial work on the same computer.

True

The death of the mainframe has been greatly exaggerated.

True

What z/OS application changes are needed for it to work in an LPAR?

Type 1 hypervisor

What is the difference between a UNIX file and Z/OS dataset?

Unix files are store as text files or binary files. Text files are sequence of bytes separated by carriage return. Binary files are stored as a sequence of binary words. In Z/OS, datasets are stored as logical records. Executable modules are stored undefined records.

Characteristics of an online transaction are:

Uses a small amount of input data and demands a fast (usually less than one second) response

What does VSAM stand for?

Virtual Storage Access Method

What role does workload management play in a z/OS system?

Workload management manages the processing of workloads in the system according to the business goals. It manages the use of system resources such as processor and storages to achieve throughput (optimal use of the system), response and turnaround time.

Which z/OS component is used for managing workload distribution, workload balancing, and distributing resources to competing workloads?

Workload manager

What might a typical IBM Z Mainframe environment consolidate?

a. CPU b. Cooling c. Network adapters d. All of the above

List several differences and similarities between the z/OS and UNIX operating systems.

differences: UNIX z/OS (i) boot the system IPL the system (ii) Files and directories Sequential datasets and . partitioned datasets (iii) bytes oriented format record format similarities: Run application in Java, C, COBOL, and soon Both systems allow data stored in memory to be shared among processes. Both systems have the concepts of virtual memory managements.

What is the meaning of Enterprise Systems?

large-scale application software packages that support business processes, information flows, reporting, and data analytics in complex organizations

Which two operating systems are the most prevalent operating systems running on System z mainframes?

z/OS and Linux for zSeries