IBM Z Mainframe VTL End Of Support (EOS): A Problem Or Opportunity?

For ~20 years, since 1996 when IBM announced their IBM TotalStorage Virtual Tape Server Model B16 (3494-B16), typically known as the VTS, followed by the StorageTek (Oracle) Virtual Storage Manager (VSM) in 1998, there has been evident IBM Mainframe VTL innovation and product line refreshes, offering a granularity of offerings for all users, regardless of size.  The consolidation of the IBM Mainframe VTL marketplace in the ~2017-2019 period is notable.  IBM have consolidated their options to the high-end TS7760, retiring their TS7720 and TS7740 models. Similarly, Oracle have also delivered significant performance and enhancements to their VSM offering, where the latest VSM 7 delivers significant resource when compared with the VSM 6 and older predecessors (NB. The VSM 6 platform replaced the proprietary VSM 5 platform with Sun servers & Sun JBOD disk storage).  Similarly, EMC have consolidated their DLm offerings to the DLm8500, retiring their DLm1000, DLm1020, DLm2000, DLm2100, DLm6000 and DLm8000 models.

A high-level review of the mainstream market place offerings, namely EMC DLm8500, IBM TS7760 and Oracle VSM 7 demonstrates Enterprise Class VTL solutions, delivering significant availability, capacity and performance capabilities, mandatory for the higher echelons of IBM Z Mainframe user.  Conversely, it follows that such attributes and associated cost become somewhat of a concern for the small to medium sized IBM Mainframe user.  When any product becomes End Of Support (EOS), End Of Life (EOL) or even End Of Marketing (EOM), the viability and associated TCO becomes a consideration.  Typically, there are several options to address such an issue:

  • Do nothing (because we’re decommissioning the IBM Mainframe sometime soon)
  • Secure a long-term support contract (E-g. 3-5 years) ASAP, to reduce increasing support costs
  • Perform a technology refresh to the latest supported supplier offering
  • Review the marketplace and migrate to a more suitable supported solution

Only the incumbent IBM Mainframe VTL user can decide the best course action for their organization, but from a dispassionate viewpoint, reviewing these respective options generates the following observations:

  • Do nothing: The cost of doing nothing is always expensive. The perpetual “we’re moving away from the IBM Mainframe in the next 3-5 years” might have been on many “to-do” lists, for decades”!  The IBM Mainframe platform is strategic!
  • Long-term support contract: This delays the inevitable and potentially generates data availability challenges, as the equipment ages and potentially becomes more unreliable, with limited or expensive OEM support.
  • Technology refresh: In theory, the best option, upgrading the incumbent technology to the latest offering. In this instance, the cost might be significant for the small to medium sized user, as EMC, IBM and Oracle no longer offer “entry to medium-sized” solutions.
  • Migrate: By definition migration is perceived as introducing risk, migrating from a tried and tested to a new solution. However, generally the best products come from suppliers with a focus on their flagship solution, as opposed to a large company, with many offerings…

The IBM Mainframe VTL marketplace does include other suppliers, including FUJITSU, LUMINEX, Visara, naming but a few, and one must draw one’s own conclusions as to their respective merits.  What is always good is a new marketplace entrant, with a credible offering, a different approach or demonstrable expertise.

Optica Technologies is a privately held technology company headquartered in Louisville, Colorado, USA. Optica have been providing high-quality data centre infrastructure solutions since 1967. Optica has been an IBM strategic partner since 2002 and has received the most extensive IBM qualification available for third party solutions. Optica products have been successfully deployed in many major enterprise data centres worldwide.

The Optica Prizm FICON to ESCON Protocol Converter designed to enable IBM mainframe customers to invest in the latest System Z platforms (I.E. zEC12/zBC12 upwards), while preserving the ability to connect to critical ESCON and Bus/Tag device types that remain.

The next generation zVT Virtual Tape Node (VTN) exploits the latest Intel server technology, delivering outstanding performance, resiliency and scalability to serve a broad range of IBM Z customers. Each zVT VTN is modular and packaged efficiently with (2) FICON channels in an industry standard 2U rack format. The zVT VTN supports up to 512 3490/3590 Virtual Tape Drive (VTD) resources, delivering ~500 MB/S performance for the typical IBM Mainframe tape workload. As per some of the architectural design characteristics of the IBM Z Mainframe server (I.E. z13, z14), the zVT VTN server is enabled for operation in warmer environments than traditional data centres and engineered for extreme conditions such as high humidity, earthquakes and dust. To support the diversity of IBM Z Mainframe customer environments, from the smallest to largest, the flexible zVT solution is available in three different formats:

  • zVT 3000i: for IBM Mainframe users with more limited requirements, the fully integrated zVT 3000i model leverages the same Enterprise Class zVT VTN, incorporating 16 Virtual Tape Drive (VTD) resources and 8 TB of RAID-6 disk capacity, delivering 20 TB of effective capacity via the onboard hardware compression card (2.5:1 compression). The fundamental cost attributes of the zVT 3000i make a very compelling argument for those customers on a strict budget, requiring an Enterprise Class IBM Mainframe storage solution.
  • zVT 5000-iNAS: the flagship zVT 5000-iNAS solution is available in a fully redundant, high availability (HA) base configuration that combines (2) VTNs and (2) Intelligent Storage Nodes (ISNs). The entry-level zVT 5000-iNAS HA offering incorporates 512 (256 per VTN) Virtual Tape Drive (VTD) resources, delivering ~1 GB/Sec performance, 144 TB RAW and ~288 TB of effective capacity using a conservative 4:1 data reduction metric. zVT 5000-iNAS can scale to a performance rating of ~4 GB/Sec and capacity in excess of 11 PB RAW.
  • zVT 5000-FLEX: For IBM Mainframe users wishing to leverage their investments in IP (NFS) or FC (SAN) disk arrays, the zVT 5000-FLEX offering can be configured with (2) 10 GbE (1 GbE option) or (2) 8 Gbps Fibre Channel ports. Virtual Tape Drive (VTD) flexibility is provided with VTD options of 16, 64 or 256, while onboard hardware compression safeguards optimized data reduction.  Enterprise wide DR is simplified, as incumbent Time Zero (E.g. Flashcopy, Snapshot, et al) functions can be utilized for IBM Mainframe tape data.

In summary, Optica zVT reduces the IBM Mainframe VTL technology migration risk, when considering the following observations:

  • Technical Support: With 50+ years IBM Mainframe I/O connectivity experience, Optica have refined their diagnostics collection and processing activities, safeguarding rapid problem escalation and rectification, with Level 1-3 experts, located in the same geographical location.
  • Total Cost of Acquisition (TCA): zVT is a granular, modular and scalable solution, with a predictable, optimized and granular cost metric, for the smallest to largest of IBM Mainframe user, regardless of IBM Z Operating System.
  • Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Leveraging from the latest software and hardware technologies and their own streamlined support processes, Optica deliver world class cradle-to-grave support for an optimized on-going cost.
  • Flexibility: Choose from an all-in-one solution for the smallest of users (I.E. zVT 3000i), a turnkey high-availability solution for simplified optimized usage (I.E. zVT 5000-iNAS) and the ability to leverage from in-house disk storage resources (I.E. zVT 5000-FLEX).
  • Simplified Migration: A structured approach to data migration, simplifying the transition from the incumbent VTL solution to zVT. zVT also utilizes the standard AWSTAPE file format, meaning data migration from zVT is simple, unlike the proprietary AWS file formats used by other VTL offerings.

In conclusion sometimes End Of Support (EOS) presents an opportunity to review the incumbent solution and consider a viable alternative and in the case of an IBM Mainframe VTL, for the small to medium sized user especially, having a viable target option, might just allow an organization to maintain, if not improve their current IBM Mainframe VTL expenditure profile…

The IBM Mainframe: A Several Year Hardware Refresh Cycle?

Typically a new generation of IBM Mainframe server is released every three years or so, along with a number of function and performance upgrades.  In 2003, IBM released their Mainframe Charter that included a statement:

IBM lowered MSU values incorporated in the z990 microcode by approximately 10 percent, resulting in IBM software savings for IBM zSeries software products with MSU-based pricing.  These reduced MSUs do not indicate a change in machine performance. Superior performance and technology within the z990 has allowed IBM to provide improved software prices for key IBM zSeries operating system and middleware software products.

This terminology was named by some as the “Technology Dividend” where put simply, when upgrading IBM Mainframe servers, users would benefit from a ~10%+ software price versus performance benefit.  However, the z10 server model was the last IBM Mainframe series that benefitted from this hardware CPU chip related performance benefit.  Subsequent IBM Mainframe models have compensated for this slowing of hardware performance increase, by compensating with AWLC and AEWLC pricing models.  Therefore, unless your business has an absolute need for the “latest and greatest” IBM Mainframe server hardware, the realm of possibility exists that your business can extend the useful and cost efficient lifetime of your IBM Mainframe asset beyond the typical three year period…

As we all know, with every IT platform, there is a strong correlation between server hardware and associated Operating System.  Arguably the IBM Mainframe server has the best compatibility attribute, where there are many server hardware and Operating System interoperability scenarios.  A recent Statement Of Direction (SOD) for z/OS states:

Going forward, IBM intends to make new z/OS and z/OSMF releases available approximately every two years. Such a schedule would be intended to provide you with sufficient time to plan for new releases and to leverage them for the most business value. In addition, beginning with z/OS Version 2, IBM plans to provide five years of z/OS support, with three years of optional, fee-based extended service (5+3) as part of the new release cadence. Beginning with z/OSMF Version 2, IBM also plans to provide five years of z/OSMF support. However, similar to z/OSMF Version 1, optional extended service is not planned to be available for z/OSMF Version 2.

In addition, in z/OS V2.1, IBM plans to further leverage enhancements in the current IBM mainframe servers and storage control units. z/OS V2.1 is planned to IPL only on System z9 and later servers. Also, z/OS Version 2 is planned to require 3990 Model 3 (3990-3), 3990 Model 6 (3990-6), and later storage control units.

In attempt to simplify this scenario, in theory an IBM Mainframe customer could benefit from 5 years z/OS Version 2 support, with an IBM z9 or newer server.  In addition, this support could be extended for a further 3 years, for an extended service fee.  Therefore, from a software support perspective, there are no tangible cost considerations for extending the asset life of an IBM Mainframe from a 3 to 5 year cycle.

We must then consider the End of Marketing (EOM), also known as Withdrawal From Marketing (WDFM) and End Of Service (EOS) life cycles for the IBM Mainframe Server (Hardware).  Once again, when compared to other non-Mainframe platforms, the IBM Mainframe Server demonstrates an arguably unparalleled support cycle, where in the last 20 years or more, an average of 4.2 years sales and service, supplemented by an additional average of 7.1 years additional service applies.  Once again, as per z/OS Operating System support, the realm of possibility exists for extending the typical 3 year hardware refresh cycle to 5 years or longer.

When considering IBM Mainframe server hardware provision and support, there is one subtle difference that is not necessarily obvious, especially for those organizations that refresh their IBM Mainframe server every 3 years or so.  Clearly and stating the obvious, only IBM or a highly certified IBM System z Business partner can supply a latest generation IBM System z server or field upgrade option.  Conversely, there are a higher number of certified organizations that can provide IBM Mainframe hardware support services, allowing for a competitive and healthy 3rd party market for these services.  Additionally these companies also maintain inventories of equipment and have access to Microcode and Firmware upgrades that offer a possibility for performing field upgrades of EOM/WDFM servers.  One such company with a longevity and good track record of providing these value-added IBM Mainframe services from The United Kingdom is Blue Chip Customer Engineering.  As per any other competitive market place, arguably each and every IBM Mainframe user might consider obtaining a comparative hardware support services quotation for their business, whether they’re using the current latest and greatest IBM System z server model, or a slightly older (E.g. 4-8+ Years) model.

In conclusion, there are always options for the cost savvy business to reduce costs.  In the IBM Mainframe environment, soft capping via standard IBM Defined Capacity (DC) or Group Capacity Limit (GCL) function is an option, intelligent soft capping via a 3rd party product such as zDynaCap might be an option, or leveraging from the latest Absolute Capping IBM feature also applies.  Moreover, exploring the 3rd party hardware support services market might prove to be a very simple and commercial exercise that could decrease IBM Mainframe TCO, while extending asset life accordingly.