:LinuxPlanet: The Ultimate Install Fest: Linux on the IBM System/390
LinuxPlanet: The Ultimate Install Fest: Linux on the IBM System/390 Jul 31, 2000, 12 :28 UTC (0 Talkback[s]) (3294 reads) (Other stories by Scott Courtney)
"...It is a scene that's been repeated endlessly, all around the world. Only this time there is a
slight problem: the company mainframe won't fit in the back seat!"
"By now just about everyone involved with Linux knows that, among its many other ports, Linux
is now available for IBM System/390 (S/390) mainframe systems (seen in the accompanying
photo). If you have ever had the fun of installing it on an S/390, you know that the first time
through the process it can be quite daunting. From the beginning, there is a gap in terminology.
If you are a mainframe administrator, you know all about how to allocate DASD and LPARs, how
to set up IUCV and SNA communications, and how to IPL a few VMs--but the concept of
grepping the stdout of sed sounds like line noise to you! If, instead, you come from the UNIX
side of the house, the same logic applies but in reverse. The problem with putting Linux on a
mainframe is that you really need to know both UNIX-like commands and mainframe
administration."
"To help alleviate the knowledge gap, IBM engineers and management in Germany came up with
the idea of a Linux for S/390 "Install Fest" which would work almost like the local install fests
that are run by LUGs around the world. The leader of the Install Fest project is Alex Stark,
Manager of Linux for S/390 Design and Development. At 35, Stark has the enviable job of
leading the team that develops new code for Linux on S/390 hardware. Stark's team of 25
developers are fully dedicated to the Linux on S/390 effort, and they saw this project as a way
to get closer to the customer and to learn how to improve the installation process. At the same
time they hope to spur even more interest in the Linux for S/390 port, which has already seen
over four thousand downloads."
