List of Archived Posts

2013 Newsgroup Postings (05/03 - 05/28)

JPMorgan Caught in Swirl of Regulatory Woes
A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
SAS Deserting the MF?
The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
SAS Deserting the MF?
A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
SAS Deserting the MF?
SAS Deserting the MF?
What Makes code storage management so cool?
The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
Colossal Cave Adventure in PL/I
Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
What Makes code storage management so cool?
Old data storage or data base
Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
No Algol for the STRETCH?
What Makes sorting so cool?
What Makes a bridge Bizarre?
The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
What Makes code storage management so cool?
Old data storage or data base
Old data storage or data base
What Makes sorting so cool?
No French for the STRETCH?
Old data storage or data base
What Makes sorting so cool?
What Makes sorting so cool?
What Makes a bridge Bizarre?
The Vindication of Barb
The Vindication of Barb
What Makes code storage management so cool?
What Makes code storage management so cool?
What Makes sorting so cool?
What Makes code storage management so cool?
regulation,bridges,streams
regulation,bridges,streams
Old data storage or data base
The Vindication of Barb
A History Of Mainframe Computing
The Vindication of Barb
The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
What Makes code storage management so cool?
The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
What Makes code storage management so cool?
Goodbye, Lotus 1-2-3
What Makes a bridge Bizarre?
A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
banking fraud; regulation,bridges,streams
Adventures in parallelism: Celebrating 30 years of parallel computing at Argonne
banking fraud; regulation,bridges,streams
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes a bridge Bizarre?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
A Fascinating History of JES2
JES History
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes code storage management so cool?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
NCIS Season Finale
DEC and the Bell System?
DEC and the Bell System?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes code storage management so cool?
The Vindication of Barb
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes code storage management so cool?
'Big four' accountants 'use knowledge of Treasury to help rich avoid tax'
Ireland feels the heat from Apple tax row
What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
What Makes travel Bizarre?
Metcalfe's Law: How Ethernet Beat IBM and Changed the World
Old data storage or data base
How Wall Street Defanged Dodd-Frank
Old data storage or data base
What Makes code storage management so cool?
What Makes code storage management so cool?
Experts: Network security deteriorating, privacy a lost cause
'Big four' accountants 'use knowledge of Treasury to help rich avoid tax'
A Matter of Mindset: Iraq
The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

JPMorgan Caught in Swirl of Regulatory Woes

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: JPMorgan Caught in Swirl of Regulatory Woes
Date: 03 May 2013
Blog: Financial Crime Risk, Fraud and Security
JPMorgan Caught in Swirl of Regulatory Woes
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/jpmorgan-caught-in-swirl-of-regulatory-woes/

sounds a little like ENRON:

J.P. Morgan, U.S. Spar in Energy-Manipulation Case
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304211804577504771673988922.html
JP Morgan Chase faces federal regulatory action: report
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/jp-morgan-chase-faces-federal-105130816.html#xGQCaPD

more from last year

JP Morgan Used "Hedginess" to Engage in Illegal Speculation
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/05/jp-morgan-used-hedginess-to-engage-in-illegal-speculation.html
JPMorgan Potentially Manipulating Energy Markets Using Abusive Bidding Strategies
http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2012/07/03/jpmorgan-potentially-manipulating-energy-markets-using-abusive-bidding-strategies/
Dimon Faces Image 'Nightmare' With Energy Probe at JPM
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-03/jpmorgan-probed-over-potential-power-market-manipulation-1-.html

and ...

Blythe Masters' Crowning Achievement: The Credit Default Swap
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-03/blythe-masters-crowning-achievement-credit-default-swap

from above:
Blythe Masters (her very rare public appearance can be seen here) suddenly finds herself in hot water for, among other things, allegedly lying under oath, obstructing justice and "engaging in a systematic cover up" to "approve schemes" seeking to defraud the states of California and Michigan in electricity trading (Enron flashbacks are more than welcome).

... snip ...

JP Morgan Finally on Regulatory Hot Seat for Widespread Control Failures and Alleged Lying by Blythe Masters Under Oath
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/05/mirabile-dictu-jp-morgan-finally-on-regulatory-hot-seat-for-widespread-control-failures-and-alleged-lying-by-blythe-masters-under-oath.html

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 04 May 2013 10:06:00 -0400
Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> writes:
It's true enough that such machines as the Atlas, the ICL 1900, the DEUCE, the Leo III, the Regencentralen GIER, and even the BESM-6 are conspicuous by their absence, while IBM's later models are somewhat over-represented...

Interestingly enough, the Control Data 6600 was included, but the Cray- I was omitted... and neither Amdahl nor any of the other plug- compatibles was noted.


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#82 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
also posted to ibm-main mailing list and (linkedin) "Old Geek"
http://lnkd.in/8U5Wkj

one might claim that Amdahl's clone was more "IBM 360" than the 3081

Amdahl wanting to do ACS-360
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/acs_end.html

but canceled because it would have advanced computing too fast, endangering IBM's control of the market.

Amdahl leaves and IBM launches into FS ... which was going to completely replace 360 and be completely different. Amdahl does a 360, but at his own company ... the lack of IBM 360 products during the FS period is credited with giving the "clones" market foothold.
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Future_Systems_project
http://gdrean.perso.sfr.fr/papers/promises.html

past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys

After billions of (early 70) dollars, Future System implodes w/o being announced ... and then there is mad rush to get products back into the 360/370 product pipelines.
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm

3033 starts out being 168 remapped to some left-over FS 20% faster chip technology ... followed by 3081 that is still more left-over FS technology ... from above:
The 370 emulator minus the FS microcode was eventually sold in 1980 as as the IBM 3081. The ratio of the amount of circuitry in the 3081 to its performance was significantly worse than other IBM systems of the time; its price/performance ratio wasn't quite so bad because IBM had to cut the price to be competitive. The major competition at the time was from Amdahl Systems -- a company founded by Gene Amdahl, who left IBM shortly before the FS project began, when his plans for the Advanced Computer System (ACS) were killed. The Amdahl machine was indeed superior to the 3081 in price/performance and spectaculary superior in terms of performance compared to the amount of circuitry.]

... snip ...

168 was enhancement to 165 with faster memory technology and better optimization of the 165 horizontal microcode getting avg. machine cycle per 370 instructions down to 1.6 from 2.1. In that sense, the next new (high-end 370) processor after the 165 in 1970 (except for 168 & 3033 increments and 3081 FS left-over) was 3090 in 1986, more than 15 years later.

At the end of the ACS-360 article there is section on features from ACS-360 finally showing up in IBM ES/9000 announced in 1990.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 04 May 2013 11:03:38 -0400
Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:
At the end of the ACS-360 article there is section on features from ACS-360 finally showing up in IBM ES/9000 announced in 1990.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#1 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

announced with es/9000 in 1990 also fiber optic ESCON ... something that had been kicking around POK for a decade or more. The rs/6000 had SLA ... which started out as escon ... but made full-duplex and approx. ten percent faster ... along with significantly cheaper optical drivers.

I had been asked in 1988 to help LLNL standardize some serial technology they had. The rs/6000 engineer that worked on proprietary 220mbit SLA ... wanted to turn around a do a 800mbit version. We convince him to join the FCS standards committee and work on full-duplex 1gbit industry standards (i.e. aggregate 2gbit, 1gbit concurrent in each direction). In effect, could say that by the time ESCON finally made it out the door, it was already obsolete.

This is what we are using for ha/cmp cluster scale-up ... mentioned in this old post about early jan1992 meeting in ellison's conference room
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/95.html#13
other past posts mentioning HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp

The native FCS has complete I/O requests being sent down the outbound path effectively as data ... and then actual data occurring asynchronously ... with minimal end-to-end handshaking latency. This dates back at least to the work I did on HYPERchannel in 1980 for mainframe channel extender (in the case of moving 300 people IMS group to offsite, the local 3270 channel attached terminals worked better over HYPERchannel 1.5mbit/sec link ... the end users saw no difference and the real IBM mainframe channel efficiency improved 10-15%). some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt

Some POK channel engineers eventually become involved and define an extremely heavy-weight layer on top of FCS (that significantly cuts the native throughput of FCS) ... which morphs into FICON.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FICON

for instance from above:
FICON uses two Fibre Channel exchanges for a channel - control unit connection -- one for each direction. So while a Fibre Channel exchange is capable of carrying a command and response on a single exchange, and all other FC-4 protocols work that way, the response to a FICON IU is always on a different exchange from the IU to which it is a response.

... snip ...

recent z196 peak I/O benchmark got 2M IOPS using 104 FICON ... while recent FCS announced for e5-2600 claims over million IOPS on single FCS.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 04 May 2013 11:49:34 -0400
Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:
The native FCS has complete I/O requests being sent down the outbound path effectively as data ... and then actual data occurring asynchronously ... with minimal end-to-end handshaking latency. This dates back at least to the work I did on HYPERchannel in 1980 for mainframe channel extender (in the case of moving 300 people IMS group to offsite, the local 3270 channel attached terminals worked better over HYPERchannel 1.5mbit/sec link ... the end users saw no difference and the real IBM mainframe channel efficiency improved 10-15%). some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#82 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#1 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

Two major people behind cdc6600 are Cray and Thornton; Cray leaves and forms Cray Research (supercomputer) and Thornton leaves and forms Network Systems (that does HYPERchannel).

In 1980, Network Systems wants to release my mainframe channel extender HYPERchannel software support. The people in POK playing with what gets released as ESCON a decade later, get it veto'ed because they are afraid that if its in the market, it might interfere with them being able to get ESCON released.

IBM eventually does a mainframe tcp/ip product ... however, because the communication group is fighting off client/server and distributed computing (in defense of their dumb terminal paradigm and their dumb terminal emulation install base) ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#terminal

they claim that the LAN/channel interface for tcp/ip is under their control ... it gets enormously more expensive and significantly slower ... it has about 44kbytes/sec using nearly full 3090 cpu.

I then do the rfc1044 enhancement to tcp/ip and in some tuning tests between 4341 and cray at cray research, it gets sustained channel throughput using only modest amount of 4341 processor (about factor of 500 times improvement in bytes moved per instruction executed). misc. past posts mentioning rfc1044
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#1044

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 04 May 2013 21:37:07 -0400
Robin Vowels <robin.vowels@gmail.com> writes:
At about 10 paragraphs, it seems somewhat short.

Why not post the entire article here?


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#82 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#1 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#3 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

???

tens of pictures of different computers with 2-4 paragraphs per computer (series of web pages with one computer per page), starts with Harvard Mark I through System z10 EC (article is from 2009)

maybe your browser isn't handling the web page(s)???

??? z10 EC page
The System z10 EC

While this article is supposed to be a history of big computers, this last entry is about a computer that is still being sold today. But it was sold yesterday too, and that's history, right? So, let's and take a look at IBM's biggest and baddest computer on the planet, the System z10 EC.


... snip ...

z196 (next machine after z10) peak I/O benchmark doing 2M IOPS with 104 FICON (ficon is mainframe channel paradigm layer built on top of FCS that significantly reduces throughput compared to base FCS) .... compared to recently announced FCS for e5-2600 blade claiming over million IOPS for single FCS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FICON

... max z196 is 80 processors and 50BIPS, 625MIPS/processor (older z10 has max 64 processors and 30BIPS, 459MIPS/processor; newer ec12 is 101 processors and 75BIPS) ... compared to e5-2600 at 527BIPS (two chips with 8cores/chip, 16processors, 33BIPS/processor, recent new intel technology is claiming to double performance and 12cores/chip, i.e. e5-2600v2 later this year)

z196 (newer than z10) has 14 system assist processors for I/O will handle up to 2.2M SSCH/sec with all SAPs running 100% percent CPU ... but recommendation is to limit SAPs to 70% CPU or 1.5M SSCH/sec. So far, ec12 claims are that it will be able to do 30% more IOPS than z196.

misc. past posts mentioning z196 peak i/o benchmark
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012m.html#4 Blades versus z was Re: Turn Off Another Light - Univ. of Tennessee
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012m.html#13 Intel Confirms Decline of Server Giants HP, Dell, and IBM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012m.html#43 Blades versus z was Re: Turn Off Another Light - Univ. of Tennessee
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012m.html#67 How do you feel about the fact that today India has more IBM employees than any of the other countries in the world including the USA.?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#9 How do you feel about the fact that today India has more IBM employees than any of the other countries in the world including the USA.?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#13 System/360--50 years--the future?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#44 Under what circumstances would it be a mistake to migrate applications/workload off the mainframe?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#46 history of Programming language and CPU in relation to each
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#48 Under what circumstances would it be a mistake to migrate applications/workload off the mainframe?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#70 Under what circumstances would it be a mistake to migrate applications/workload off the mainframe?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#72 Mainframes are still the best platform for high volume transaction processing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012o.html#6 Mainframes are still the best platform for high volume transaction processing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012o.html#21 Assembler vs. COBOL--processing time, space needed
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012o.html#25 Blades versus z was Re: Turn Off Another Light - Univ. of Tennessee
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012o.html#46 Random thoughts: Low power, High performance
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012p.html#12 HCF [was Re: AMC proposes 1980s computer TV series "Halt &Catch Fire"]
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#10 From build to buy: American Airlines changes modernization course midflight
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#6 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#7 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#63 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#68 relative mainframe speeds, was What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#84 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#16 relative mainframe speeds, was What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#4 Oracle To IBM: Your 'Customers Are Being Wildly Overcharged'
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#38 Reports: IBM may sell x86 server business to Lenovo
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#57 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#70 How internet can evolve
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

SAS Deserting the MF?

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From: lynn@GARLIC.COM (Anne & Lynn Wheeler)
Subject: Re: SAS Deserting the MF?
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ibm-main
Date: 4 May 2013 18:53:18 -0700
mellonbill@YAHOO.COM (Bill Johnson) writes:
If they are embracing x86 servers it seems to be a bad move. Isn't IBM trying to sell their x86 business? (to Lenovo) Mainly because the sales are dropping.

all hardware sales ... and x86 has the lowest profit margin, however

I.B.M., Missing Estimates, Falters as Slow Hardware Sales Hurt Revenue and Profits
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/technology/ibm-shares-fall-after-earnings-miss-estimates.html

Lenovo, IBM Talks on Server Deal Said to Break Down
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-02/lenovo-ibm-talks-on-server-deal-said-to-break-down.html
IBM was looking to divest a portion of its business with lower profit as it seeks earnings per share of $20 by 2015, compared with $15.25 last year. The company has had trouble selling its hardware products, with a 17 percent drop in the unit's revenue last quarter.

... snip ...

Stockman in "The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America" ... talks about stock buybacks are a mini-form of LBO, with the executives reaping huge rewards, pg457/loc9844-46:

The leader was ExxonMobil, which repurchased $160 billion of its own shares during 2004-2011. It was followed by Microsoft at $100 billion, IBM at $75 billion, and Hewlett-Packard, Proctor & Gamble, and Cisco with $50 billion each. Even the floundering shipwreck of merger mania known as Time Warner Inc. bought back $25 billion.

... snip ...

goes into lots of detail about executives managing their bonuses tied to stock price via stock buybacks (reduces number of shares so earnings/share goes up).

a little more from stockman, just a little on IBM last decade or so, pg464/loc9995-10000:
IBM was not the born-again growth machine trumpeted by the mob of Wall Street momo traders. It was actually a stock buyback contraption on steroids. During the five years ending in fiscal 2011, the company spent a staggering $67 billion repurchasing its own shares, a figure that was equal to 100 percent of its net income.

pg465/10014-17:
Total shareholder distributions, including dividends, amounted to $82 billion, or 122 percent, of net income over this five-year period. Likewise, during the last five years IBM spent less on capital investment than its depreciation and amortization charges, and also shrank its constant dollar spending for research and development by nearly 2 percent annually.

... snip ...

my biggest quibble with stockman is that he glosses over the rating agencies selling triple-A ratings on toxic CDOs (when they knew they weren't worth triple-A, from congressional Oct2008 hearings). Those triple-A ratings significantly enabled the over $27T done during the bubble ... and that $27T significantly dwarfs many of the other issues he cites. reference to over $27T
Evil Wall Street Exports Boomed With 'Fools' Born to Buy Debt
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2008-10-27/evil-wall-street-exports-boomed-with-fools-born-to-buy-debt

issue is that recently x86 chips makers have said that they are shipping more x86 server chips to the cloud operators ... than are going to brand name server vendors (Dell, HP, IBM, etc) ... it isn't that x86 servers are declining ... the numbers are exploding ... but it is declining market for the brand name vendors. some recent posts mentioning z196 compared to e5-2600 blade (x86 server, staple of large cloud operators).
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#10 From build to buy: American Airlines changes modernization course midflight
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#16 From build to buy: American Airlines changes modernization course midflight
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#17 Still think the mainframe is going away soon: Think again. IBM mainframe computer sales are 4% of IBM's revenue; with software, services, and storage it's 25%
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#5 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#6 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#7 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#8 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#10 FW: mainframe "selling" points -- Start up Costs
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#15 A Private life?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#59 Why Intel can't retire X86
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#60 Why Intel can't retire X86
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#63 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#68 relative mainframe speeds, was What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#84 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#5 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#16 relative mainframe speeds, was What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#4 Oracle To IBM: Your 'Customers Are Being Wildly Overcharged'
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#35 Reports: IBM may sell x86 server business to Lenovo
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#37 Where Does the Cloud Cover the Mainframe?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#38 Reports: IBM may sell x86 server business to Lenovo
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#51 Reports: IBM may sell x86 server business to Lenovo
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#57 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#64 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#70 How internet can evolve
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#72 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#74 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#4 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
Date: 5 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/mGd4j5
and
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#57 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#58 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#61 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#63 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#69 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#72 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#74 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#78 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#80 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

cdc66000 mentioned in this "History of Mainframe Computing"
http://lnkd.in/8U5Wkj
and
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#82 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#1 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#3 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#4 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

Cray and Thornton are largely responsible for 6600; Cray leaves and forms Cray Research (supercomputers), Thornton leaves and forms Network Systems.

above also mentions work on standardization for FCS (an upper layer is created on top of FCS standard that is used for ibm mainframe channels, that significantly reduces throughput of native FCS).

Precursor to "Deep Blue" and "Deep Thought" ... are SP1 and SP2 (no-of-cpus in following refers to number of cpus in each node)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Scalable_POWERparallel
SP1 is announced a couple weeks after cluster scale-up is transferred end-of Jan1992 and we are told we couldn't work on anything with more than four processors. press 17Feb1992 scientific and technical only
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001n.html#6000clusters1
and then press 11May1992 ... caught by surprise by interest in cluster
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001n.html#6000clusters2

this mentions meeting in ellison's conference room early jan1992 proposing 128-system by ye1992 (before we were told we couldn't do it and it is announced for scientific and technical only)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/95.html#13
old email on ha/cmp cluster scale-up
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/lhwemail.html#medusa

There is analogy with big data. The scenario use to be possible to sort data by its value ... and in days of dollars/mbyte ... only have data that had value at least the cost of disk storage. As disk capacity drastically increased ... and price radically dropped ... it was possible to keep enormous amounts of data that had significantly less value. Much of "big data" is brute force extracting additional value from this enormous amount of data (sort of the chess depth of search). 2Tbyte disks are currently going for around $100 (five cents/gigabyte).

Yesterday, there was thread started in ibm-main mailing list "SAS Deserting the MF?"
http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=177103418

SAS High-Performance Analytics software is designed to take advantage of highly distributed, massively parallel processing (MPP) on memory-intensive X86 servers. It has been a big strategic push for SAS over the last two years, as customers demand ever-faster performance.

... snip ...

the thread also has references to recent news items about ibm attempting to sell-off its X86 server business. my post in the thread
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#5 SAS Deserting the MF?

thread also archived here at Google:
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/bit.listserv.ibm-main/8arMpBsojtQ

...

science center ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech

pioneered a number of performance techniques ... including some that later morph into capacity planning; snapshot perforance counters every couple minutes, hot-spot execution analysis, modeling and simulation, workload profiling, analytical system&workload modeling (done in APL) etc.

Some of the APL-based analytical system&workload modeling morphs into the performance predictor available on the (virtual machine based) world-wide sales&marketing support online HONE system ... some past posts mentioning HONE
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hone

customer sales/marketing people could enter customer configuration and workload information and ask "what-if" questions about what happens if there are changes to hardware configuration and/or workload.

A little over a decade ago, I was involved at datacenter that ran 450+K Cobol statement application every night on 40+ max. configured IBM mainframes. The number of mainframes were sized, based on being able to get the all the work done in the overnight batch window.

The had a group of 100 or so people in performance group for the past couple decades involved in the care&feeding of this application ... much of it was various kinds of hot-spot execution analysis.

They had brought in somebody that had obtained rights to a descendent of the performance predictor in the early 90s (in the era that IBM went in the red and was spinning off bunch of stuff), had ran it through APL->C converter and was using it as basis for large datacenter performance consulting business ... and had come up with possibly 7% performance improvement.

One of the other performance analysis that was done at the science center was multiple regression analysis of the snapshot performance data to identity stuff at the macro level (as opposed to the micro level that lots of the other stuff concentrated on). I offered to do multiple regression analysis of the workload activity data. I started out with freebee off the net ... but they got me a PC-based SAS license for larger aggregate data analysis. This uncovered a 14% savings ... it identified a high level function that was accounting for 21% of processing ... involving enormous amounts of highly optimized low level code ... but it was being repeated three times for a specific operation when it should have only been done once. Before I started, I suggested that I should be compensated based on 5% of the savings (aka 14% of over billion dollars in IBM mainframe) ... never happened.

...

more topic drift ... science center had done port of apl\360 to cp67/cms for cms\apl ... eliminating the apl\360 multitasking and swamping support ... and adding large memory operation and API to system services (like being able to do file i/o). This opened things up to large real-world applications ... including business modeling by the Armonk business people (which required some security, cambridge allowed non-employee access to the system ... including students, staff & professors from various institutions of higher learning in the cambridge/boston area; and Armonk had loaded the most valuable corporate asset, detailed customer data).

apl360 allocated new storage location on every assignment statement ... when it reached the end of the workspace ... it would "garbage collect" ... condensing all in-use storage to continuous area. For typical apl\360 16kbyte workspace that was swapped as single unit ... it wasn't big impact. cms\apl workspaces were as large as virtual memory (several mbytes) and demand paged .... even small apl applications could touch every byte of storage in several megabyte virtual memory ... resulting in lots of page thrashing. Part of cms\apl was redoing apl garbage collection to eliminate the enormous page thrashing hit (basically lots more smaller, more frequent garbage collection ... rather than waiting until every byte of the workspace had been touched)

...

This is a Boyd theme from his OODA-loop ... not only is it constant observe, orient, decide and act ... but it is constantly observing from every possible facet & viewpoint ... countermeasure to getting locked into specific mind set.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OODA_loop

In the case of execution hot-spot analysis is myopic observing from a specific point of view ... not being able to see the forest for the trees ...

As I've mentioned before, I use to sponsor Boyd's briefings at IBM ... and even tho John has passed there are regular Boyd get togethers ... including annual sponsored by Marines at Marine Corps Univ. in Quantico.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

SAS Deserting the MF?

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From: lynn@GARLIC.COM (Anne & Lynn Wheeler)
Subject: Re: SAS Deserting the MF?
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ibm-main
Date: 5 May 2013 07:17:31 -0700
PaulGBoulder@AIM.COM (Paul Gilmartin) writes:
"... is killing traditional ..." is a paraphrase of "progress". In the 1950s you might have heard "The electronic computer is killing traditional punched card tabulators." Or in the 1960s "The transistor is killing traditional vacuum tube computers."

This is unpleasant only to those overly invested in the obsolescent technologies. And not all such technological prognostications become reality. Magnetic bubbles. Cryogenic computers. Quantum computers.


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#5 SAS Deserting the MF?

part of the issue is that the x86 server chip makers are saying they ship more x86 server chips to cloud operators than they are shipping to the brand name server vendors ... and those cloud volumes aren't included in the x86 server market numbers (aka cloud x86 servers are larger than the total of brand name x86 server "market").

another part of the issue is that the cloud operators for a decade or so have been claiming they build their own servers for 1/3rd the price of the same servers from brand name x86 server vendors (contributed to huge downward pressure on profit margins in the rest of the market). There is even rumor that some of the brand name vendors have gotten into this extremely low margin business ... assembling x86 components for cloud operations.

when something becomes larger than what is thought to be the major market ... then it may be time to pay some attention.

ibm has $1815 base price for e5-2600 blade (a common x86 server found at cloud operator). it is two 8-core chips for 16 processors and benchmark of 527BIPS or $3.44/BIPS (compared to 80processor z196 at 50BIPS @$28M or $560,000/BIPS); cloud vendors claims of assembling servers at 1/3rd the price of brand name vendors would possibly bring it close to $1/BIPS.

e5-2600v2 with new chip technology due out this year is predicted to be twice the performance and 12cores/chip ... bringing e5-2600 blade to over 1TIPS. There is also references to e5-4600 blade in same form factor with four chips ... which could be well over 2TIPS.

aggregate mainframe sales for the past several years (before the latest decline) has been approx. equivalent to 180 80-processor z196 and @50BIPS comes out to be about 9TIPS/year ... which is less than half a rack of e5-2600 blades.

big cloud operators are building new megadatacenters, each with hundreds of thousands of such blades (and millions of processors).

last year financials had mainframe processors 4% of revenue but total mainframe business (with software, services, etc) was 25% of revenue (and 40% of profit). that has mainframe customers paying ibm avg. of 6.25 times their processor purchase for mainframe operations ... i.e. TCO just to IBM for $28M 80processor, 50BIPS z196 then averages total of $175M or $3.5M/BIPS (compared to possibly $1/BIPS at cloud operations, a factor of 3,500,000 times difference).

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 05 May 2013 16:49:54 -0400
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz <spamtrap@library.lspace.org.invalid> writes:
Why? They both implimented the S/370 architecture.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#82 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#1 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#3 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#4 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

3081 was built out of pieces that were originally intended for Future System ... as opposed to s/370 (while Amdahl's machine was built to be s/370) ... it helps explain the poor 3081 performance in relationship to the enormous number of circuits in the machine (especially compared to Amdahl's machine)
http://www.jfsowa.com/computer/memo125.htm

3081D ... original 3081D was suppose to have both processors running at 5mips (10mips aggregate) ... but some benchmarks came out 20% slower than 4.5mip 3033. the size of the processor cache was doubled for 3081K ... which supposedly improved each processor from 5mips to 7mips (but each 3081d processor was hardly 5mips to begin with).

old email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#email830123
in this post
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#49 vm/370 3081

and
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#email820820
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#email821008
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#email841012
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#email841012b
in this post
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#62 vm/370 3081

mentioning two-processor 3081k to have about 1.5times throughput of single processor 3033up

other posts in above thread:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#68 vm/370 3081
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#70 vm/370 3081

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

SAS Deserting the MF?

From: lynn@GARLIC.COM (Anne & Lynn Wheeler)
Subject: Re: SAS Deserting the MF?
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ibm-main
Date: 6 May 2013 07:03:17 -0700
sipples@SG.IBM.COM (Timothy Sipples) writes:
I must take issue with the "BIPS" measurement and the cross-architecture comparisons presented in this discussion. They're extremely misleading at best. "MIPS" and "BIPS" are perilous enough within zEnterprise capacity estimations, but they go haywire rapidly when carried elsewhere.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#5 SAS Deserting the MF?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#7 SAS Deserting the MF?

industry standard benchmark dhrystone used for MIPS, BIPS, TIPS ... which is not actual instructions/sec ... but number of iterations/sec scaled to 370/158-3 assumed to be 1MIPS (aka ibm mainframe is used as industry standard baseline for MIPS, BIPS, & TIPS)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_per_second

there is also FLOPS ... floating point operations/sec
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLOPS

other standard benchmarks are SPEC
http://www.spec.org/benchmarks.html

and TPC.
http://www.tpc.org/

In many cases, IBM has hundreds of published, certified industry standard benchmarks ... just none for recent mainframes. recent post discussing subject
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#25 Still think the mainframe is going away soon: Think again. IBM mainframe computer sales are 4% of IBM's revenue; with software, services, and storage it's 25%

other recent posts discussing subject:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#6 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#84 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#88 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#5 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#80 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

basis for comparison, cite any industry standard benchmark for current ibm mainframe.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

SAS Deserting the MF?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@GARLIC.COM (Anne & Lynn Wheeler)
Subject: Re: SAS Deserting the MF?
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ibm-main
Date: 6 May 2013 07:51:42 -0700
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#5 SAS Deserting the MF?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#7 SAS Deserting the MF?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#9 SAS Deserting the MF?

one of the claims about x86 performance increase in BIPS over the past decade has been attributed to competition between multiple vendors producing x86 chips. the other claim is that for the past several x86 chip generations they've gone to RISC cores with hardware layer that translate x86 instructions into RISC micro-ops (for decades, RISC performance has been significantly better than x86, but x86 move to RISC core appears to be negating that difference).

base-line of dhrystone is
370/158-3 1 processor, 1MIPS, (1MIPS/proc)

other numbers approx

370/168-3 1 processor 3MIPS, (3MIPS/proc)
3033 1 processor 4.5MIPS, (4.5MIPS/proc)
3081D 2 processor 10MIPS, (5MIPS/proc)
3081K 2 processor 14MIPS, (7MIPS/proc)


this is recent post discussing reasons for 3081 throughput being much slower than claimed (& 3090 being first "real" new IBM 370 after 168)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#1
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#8

This source has MIPS vendor claims
http://www.roylongbottom.org.uk/mips.htm

3090-600E 6 processor, 89MIPS (17MIPS/proc), 1987
ES/9000-982 8 processor, 408MIPS (51MIPS/proc), 1993
9672 G6 ZZ7 12 processor, 1644MIPS (137MIPS/proc), May1999


the numbers appear to show increase consistent through the generations from the 370/158-3 base ... which is also used as baseline for the industry standard dhrystones benchmark.

older post here in ibm-main looking at last decade or so, from ibm publications & website
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#45

z900, 16 processors, 2.5BIPS (156MIPS/proc), Dec2000
z990, 32 processors, 9BIPS, (281MIPS/proc), 2003
z9, 54 processors, 18BIPS (333MIPS/proc), July2005
z10, 64 processors, 30BIPS (469MIPS/proc), Feb2008
z196, 80 processors, 50BIPS (625MIPS/proc), Jul2010
EC12, 101 processors, 75BIPS (743MIPS/proc), Aug2012


this post
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#1

also discusses killing off acs-360 effort in late 60s because company was worried that it would advance computing technology too fast, threatening the company's control of the market.
https://people.computing.clemson.edu/~mark/acs_end.html

the bottom of the above page discusses acs-360 (from late 60s) features finally showing up in ES/9000 in the early 90s.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 06 May 2013 14:35:14 -0400
Dan Espen <despen@verizon.net> writes:
z/OS still has LPA.

The term for modules that are sharable is reentrant.

Everything in LPA is _not_ mapped into every address space. Just the modules used.


so LPA came up in one of my virtual memory arguments with the POK favorite son batch operating system groups adding paging support to os/360 ... initially for OS/VS2 SVS.

they wanted a page replacement algorithm that approximated LRU ... but they claimed they did some simulation that allowed them to tweak LRU to improve efficiency ... involving selecting non-changed pages before changed pages (avoiding needing to do page write overhead prior to allocating page location for use for reading in replacing page). I told them that it would completely mess up any LRU characteristics.

well into MVS releases ... it dawned on somebody in POK OS/VS2 land that they were selecting high-use, shared LPA virtual pages (aka non-changed) for replacement before non-shared, low-use, private application data pages (aka changed).

past posts mentioning work on page replacement algorithms
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#wsclock

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
Date: 6 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/mGd4j5

The Facebook Special: How Intel Builds Custom Chips for Giants of the Web
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/05/facebook-and-intel/
According to Frankovsky, Facebook has long worked with Intel in an effort to squeeze more performance per watt out of the company's processors. "Early on, we collaborated with Intel on how many cores you could put into a package and what the maximum clock rate you could run those at," he says. This sort of thing, Waxman says, is common among the large "cloud" companies. Some companies, he says, will even request chips with a certain number of "cores" per chip, where each core is basically its own processor, and then ask for a clock speed tuned to that particular number of cores.

.... snip ...

and some other Boyd references: wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyd_%28military_strategist%29
Spinney's tribute to Boyd after his death
http://radio-weblogs.com/0107127/stories/2002/12/23/genghisJohnChuckSpinneysBioOfJohnBoyd.html
in naval institute magazine
http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1997-07/genghis-john
youtube col. john boyd search
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=col.+john+boyd&oq=col.+john+boyd
OODA-loop intelligence web page
http://www.oodaloop.com/

more on Intel next-generation chip technology ... power & power/performance especially important for cloud megadatacenters that are heavily focused on power/cooling as major expense:

Intel unveils low-power SoC architecture: Silvermont; Summary: Intel is aiming to target all of its market segments from smartphones to datacenters with its new low-power SoC: Silvermont.
http://www.zdnet.com/intel-unveils-low-power-soc-architecture-silvermont-7000014949/
"NextGen microarchitecture" approx 3x higher performance "22nm SoC process" approx. 5x lower power

more on silvermont

Intel releases key details of its Atom redesign
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2037549/intel-releases-key-details-of-its-atom-redesign.html

a couple more posts on SAS pivot to x86 mpp/cloud
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#7 .
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#9 .
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#10 .

past posts in thread:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#57 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#58 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#61 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#63 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#69 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#72 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#74 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#78 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#80 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#6 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Colossal Cave Adventure in PL/I

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Colossal Cave Adventure in PL/I
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 07 May 2013 08:42:24 -0400
"Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> writes:
Some nice person from IBM coded the Colossal Cave Adventure in the PL/I programming language. Peter Flass has a copy of the source on his web site:

http://home.roadrunner.com/~pflass/PLI/code/advent.pli

My question is... does anyone know what *data* file to use with this version of the code??? The comments at the beginning about the "database" format looks suspiciously like the description of the regular data file. (Of course, the *code* can be changed without modifying the comments unfortunately...) Compare the opening comment of the PL/I version:


Somebody at TYMSHARE had gotten (original?) fortran from stanford sail pdp10 and moved it to their PDP10 ... and then ported it to their vm370/cms.

I got a version ... I was waiting for tape next baybunch ... but while waiting ... somebody that was at ibm location in the uk near a univ ... got a copy of the tymshare cms version at the univ, walked it across the street to ibm (on internal network) and sent me copy.

I would distribute binary on the internal network ... anybody that showed that they had got all points, I would send source. Somebody in STL did Fortran->PLI port. Then there were all sort of add-ons to both fortran and pli versions for extra points, etc.

None of it made it into any of my archives ... but a few years ago, somebody sent me a complete cms pli distribution. data file starts out (converted to ascii):


1
1       You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building.
1       Around you is a forest.  A small stream flows out of the building and
1       down a gully.
2       You have walked up a hill, still in the forest.  The road slopes back
2       down the other side of the hill.  There is a building in the distance.
3       You are inside a building, a well house for a large spring.
4       You are in a valley in the forest beside a stream tumbling along a
4       rocky bed.
5       You are in open forest, with a deep valley to one side.
6       You are in open forest near both a valley and a road.
7       At your feet all the water of the stream splashes into a 2-inch slit
7       in the rock.  Downstream the streambed is bare rock.
8       You are in a 20-foot depression floored with bare dirt.  Set into the
8       dirt is a strong steel grate mounted in concrete.  A dry streambed
8       leads into the depression.
9       You are in a small chamber beneath a 3x3 steel grate to the surface.
9       A low crawl over cobbles leads inward to the west.
10      You are crawling over cobbles in a low passage.  There is a dim light
10      at the east end of the passage.

... snip ...

some old email (in previous posts on subject)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008s.html#email780321
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006y.html#email780405
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006y.html#email780405b
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007m.html#email780414
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007m.html#email780517
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007o.html#email790912
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010d.html#email790912

similar discussion from 2011
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#35 Colossal Cave Adventure in PL/I

reference mentioning somebody just sent me CMS PLI distribution
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#41 Colossal Cave Adventure in PL/I
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#44 Colossal Cave Adventure in PL/I

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
Date: 7 May 2013
Blog: IBM Historic Computing
Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/05/ibm-5100-tech-time-wrap/
IBM sparked a revolution in personal computing when it unveiled the IBM PC in 1981. But the IBM PC wasn't IBM's first personal computer.

Six years earlier, Big Blue unleashed a machine called the IBM 5100. It wasn't just personal. It was portable -- at least by the standards of the day. It weighed a mere 50 pounds.


... snip ...

IBM 5100 ... work done at the Palo Alto Scientific Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_5100

Note that the Palo Alto Scientific Center also did VM370/CMS APL\CMS and APL microcode assist for the 370/145.

The Cambridge Scientific Center had done port of apl\360 to cp67/cms for cms\apl. There is a really long-winded "The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software" discussion over in "Old Geeks"
http://lnkd.in/mGd4j5

where there is little discussion of cp67/cms and cms\apl

Tektronics tube with IBM logo that plugged into side of 3277. The 3272/3277 still had lots of electronics in the 3277 head ... making the tektronics hack (3277ga) possible (as well as some number of other hacks). Change to 3274/3278 moved a lot of electronics back into the 3274 controller (to save on terminal head manufacturing costs). The change also made response significantly slower and significantly drove up chatter on coax cable. We complained to the communication product group about problem for interactive computing, they eventually came back and said that 3274/3278 design point wasn't interactive computing but "data entry" (computerized card keypunch entry). Later with PC terminal emulation ... 3278 emulation card did uploads/downloads 1/3rd speed of 3277 emulation card (because of significant greater 3278 protocol chatter on the coax).

(direct channel attach) 3272/3277 had hardware response of .086secds, vm370/cms with .11sec system response resulted in .196 (better than quarter sec). 3274/3278 was .53sec hardware response ... making (human) quarter second response impossible (lots of studies from the period about human factor benefits of quarter second response).

I had lots of systems on the west coast at .11second. However, there was a research institution on the east coast that claimed it had best vm370/cms in the world with .2sec system response (for similar workload and configuration). When the difference was pointed out to them, they bluffed.

Lots of the 3277ga were driven by APL

...

That is why I specified direct channel attach in above ... which was the 3272 hardware .086 seconds ... including the controller/channel ... compared to direct channel attach 3274 .53sec (with system response of .11sec ... yielding .196 and .64 respective seen by human ... during the days when lots was being written about quarter second human response)

Note in 1980, STL (now renamed silicon valley lab) was bursting at the seams and they were going to remote 300 people from the IMS group to offsite bldg ... with "remote" 3270 back into STL datacenter ... they tested and found the 19.2kbit/sec "remote SNA links" totally unacceptable ... they were use to vm370/cms direct channel attach ... note that if you were MVS user the whole paradigm is different since MVS tended to have 1sec (or worse) system response ... which somewhat dwarfs the 3272/3274 hardware issue .... it was only an issue for vm370/cms direct channel attach ... which a lot of internal datacenters were using ... including those developing for MVS platforms.

In any case, I got sucked into doing the support for HYPERchannel channel extender ... so they could have channel attached 3270 controllers at the offsite bldg. Even tho there was a T1 (1.5mbit/sec) link involved ... the 300 in the IMS group didn't notice any difference. The issue in the HYPERchannel channel extender was that the whole channel program was downloaded to the remote channel emulator ... eliminating huge amount of the latency and to/fro with standard channel protocol ... which more than offset part of the data transfer was full-duplex T1 for part of the path (i.e. capable of 1.5mbits concurrent in both direction).
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt

As an aside, this came up recently with FICON ... I had been asked in 1988 to help LLNL get some serial stuff they were using through standardization process ... which eventually turns into FCS. Later IBM mainframe channel engineers become involved and defined a layer ontop of FCS that eventually becomes FICON ... but also enormously cuts throughput compared to native FCS. Recently a new feature for FICON was defined that downloads channel program package to the remote end (zHPF/TCW, cutting some of the enormous back&forth channel protocol latency ... something I had done nearly 30yrs earlier for HYPERchannel and was included in the original FCS standarization) ... slightly bringing FICON a little closer to native FCS thruput.

Recently there was z196 peak i/o benchmark done involving 104 FICONs getting 2M IOPS. There was also recent announcement of FCS for e5-2600 claiming over 1M IOPS (for single FCS; aka two such FCS could have higher throughput than 104 FCS with FICON layered on top).

For further topic drift ... HYPERchannel wanted to get rights for my support and release it to customers. At the time, there were some people in POK playing with what would eventually get released at ESCON on ES/9000 more than decade later ... and they got it veto'ed ... because they were afraid if the HYPERchannel support was in the market place ... it might impact their being able to get "ESCON" released. However, by the time ESCON was released, we were about to starting playing with FCS ... making it obsolete.

Some Hursley issue ... because we were also doing HA/CMP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp

... we were also heavily involved in Harrier ... for HA configurations. We then wanted to get Harrier serial standardized so that it inter-operated as fractional FCS (with either copper or fiber-optic) ... but things got confused and Harrier gets standardized as its own proprietary SSA (non-interoperable). Old post on the subject from long ago and far away
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/95.html#13

also mentions meeting in Ellison's conference room in early Jan1992 about doing 128-system HA/CMP cluster scale-up by ye1992. Problem was that end of Jan1992, it gets transferred to IBM Kingston, we are told we can't work on anything with more than four processors ... and a couple weeks later it is announced as IBM's supercomputer (for scientific *ONLY*)

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 07 May 2013 16:53:06 -0400
Peter Flass <Peter_Flass@Yahoo.com> writes:
Lynne has gone into a lot of detail about the rationale for the common area. At the time I didn't realize that this was just a kludge, and thought it was a "feature."

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#11 What Makes code storage management so cool?

aka pointer passing API; for SVS, all of MVT is in single 16mbyte virtual address space ... kernel, subsystems, applications, pointer passing API used for both kernel calls and subsystems calls. SVS->MVS, each application gets 16mbyte virtual address space ... but to make kernel calls work, kernel image occupies 8mbytes of every address space. Problem is that both applications *AND* subsystems now reside in their own virtual address space ... making it difficult for pointer passing API to work for application to subsystem calls.

solution started common segment area ... which was another area mapped into every address space for parameter passing in application to subsystem calls. problem was that it needed to increase somewhat proportional to concurrent activity and number of subsystems. Late in MVS/370 cycle ... common segment (renamed common system area) was pushing 5-6 1mbyte (segments) ... with kernel area at 8mbyte ... it was threatening to reduce address space for apps to 2mbyte (or less); out of 16mbyte.

for some additional topic drift ... early 70s, I do a paged-mapped filesystem for cp67/cms ... along with memory mapping "shared" executable images (in multiple different virtual address spaces), some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#mmap

problem was that lots of CMS relied on OS/360 complilers and assemblers ... which support something called relocatable address constants. These are addresses embedded in executable images that have to be dynamically modified by loader when image is brought into storage for execution (based on the address that the executable is loaded at). This works in os/360 world where file i/o has to completely fetch the image before it can be executed ... and modifying storage (originally non-paged real storage) wasn't issue.

however, it is horrible for memory-mapped operation and needing dynamic modification on load ... undermines using same, shared image, concurrently in multiple address spaces. some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#adcon

tss/360 designed for page-mapped environment had addressed the issue by separating executable image from address location dependent address variables ... the location dependent address variables can be manipulated ... independent of the executable image.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Old data storage or data base

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Old data storage or data base
Date: 7 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/n9V_df

IMS was official database ... original done for apollo program
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Information_Management_System

ramis, nomad, focus were 4th generation done for (virtual machine) cp67-based online service bureaus (early cloud-like operation). and then moved to vm370
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth-generation_programming_language .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOCUS .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomad_software .
http://www.decosta.com/Nomad/tales/history.html .

Codd wrote relational at sjr/bldg.28 and original relational/sql implementation was system/r done on vm370 370/145 in bldg.28. Corporate was all tied up in EAGLE as follow-on to IMS and while they were distracted ... was able to do technology transfer to Endicott to get System/R out as SQL/DS. Later when EAGLE imploded ... there was request about how fast it take to do System/R port to MVS .... which was eventually released as DB2 for decision support ... not dbms transaction. some past posts mentioning system/r
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr

science center was at 545 tech sq on cambridge side of the charles ... did virtual machines, internal network, gml was invented there in 1969 (decade later morphs in iso standard sgml, another decade mophs into html at cern) ... bunch of other stuff ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech

across the bridge ... on the boston side of the charles was mumps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUMPS

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
Date: 8 May 2013
Blog: IBM Historic Computing
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#14 Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977

Late 80s, senior disk engineer got a talk scheduled at the annual, world-wide, internal communication group conference and opened the talk with comment that the communication group was going to be responsible for the demise of the disk division. The issue was that the communication group had strategic responsibility for everything that crossed the datacenter walls and were fighting off client/server and distributed computing trying to protect their dumb terminal paradigm and terminal emulation install base. The disk division was seeing data fleeing the datacenter to more distributed computing friendly platforms with the drop-off in disk sales. The disk division had come up with several products to address the situation, but they were constantly being veto'ed by the communication group. This also contributed significantly to the company going into the red a few years later. Past posts mentioning dumb terminal emulation (& communication group defending its dumb terminal paradigm)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#terminal

When the communication group could not block the release of tcp/ip ... they asserted that they were responsible for the interface controller ... which then became significantly slower and more expensive. Standard product got about 44kbytes/sec sustained using nearly full 3090 processor. I did the enhancement for RFC1044 (hyperchannel) for the next incremental release and in some tuning tests at Cray Research between 4341 and Cray, got sustained channel media throughput using nominal amount of 4341 (possibly 500 times improvement in number bytes moved per instruction executed). past posts mentioning doing RFC1044 support
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#1044

The initial port of tcp/ip to MVS was done by adding simulation for some vm370 API. Later, the communication group contracted with somebody to add tcp/ip support to VTAM. When he initially demonstrated the support, he was told that everybody knows that LU6.2 is much faster than TCP/IP (not the other way around) and he would only get paid for a *correct* TCP/IP implementation.

The 3277 keyboard had bunch of electronics that for the 3278 got moved back into the 3274 controller (cutting manufacturing cost) ... which accounted for some of the increase in protocol chatter & latency. Hacks had been done to the 3277 keyboard electronics to change the repeat key delay and repeat key rate (which was no longer possible with 3278 since the electronics were now back into the 3274).

Also, 3270 architecture was half-duplex which was OK for data entry ... but could get really annoying for interactive computing. One of the issues was if the system was doing a write to the screen the same moment that a key was pressed, it would lock the keyboard. Somebody built a small FIFO character box for the 3277, you unplugged the keyboard from the display head, plugged the FIFO box into the display head and plugged the keyboard into the FIFO box. If screen was being written at same moment as incoming keystroke, the FIFO box would queue the keystrokes until the write was finished ... and then present the keystrokes. Again, with everything moved back to the 3274 this became impossible. It also eliminated being able to plug tektronics head into side of 3278 display.

past post with reference that ANR upload/download rate was three times DFT (in part because of the significant hardware increased latency for each operation)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001m.html#17
past post with pieces of 3272/3274 hardware comparison report from circa 1980 ... (aka 3272 hardware capable of 10-11 simulated screens/sec compared to possibly 2-3 with 3274; with approx 2kbytes/simulated screen)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001m.html#19
past post with excerpt from late 80s reference to MYTE (terminal emulation support) getting 70kbytes/sec with PCCA & PCNET compared to 15kbytes/sec with 3274/TCA (getting almost as fast as 3272/ANR)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005r.html#17

note the MYTE 70kbytes/sec with PCAA&PCNET and 15kbytes/sec with 3274/TCA compares to sustained 1mbyte/sec I got with tcp/ip rfc1044 support between 4341 & cray (limited by the 4341 channel speed).

also I had PC/RT with megapel display in the HYPERchannel (network systems) booth at Interop '88 ... it was in the central courtyard at right angles to the sun booth. trivia: sunday night before start of interop '88 and well into monday morning the floor nets were repeatedly crashing. resolution came shortly before the show opened ... also resulted in standard specification in rfc1122 ... misc. past posts mentioning interop '88
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#interop88

for other tcp/ip & internet trivia ... we were working with NSF and the institutions that were going to be the NSFNET backbone ... some old email https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/lhwemail.html#nsfnet

Grid Computing; Hook enough computers together and what do you get? A new kind of utility that offers supercomputer processing on tap.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/401444/grid-computing/

from above:
Back in the 1980s, the National Science Foundation created the NSFnet: a communications network intended to give scientific researchers easy access to its new supercomputer centers. Very quickly, one smaller network after another linked in-and the result was the Internet as we now know it. The scientists whose needs the NSFnet originally served are barely remembered by the online masses.

... snip ...

originally we were to get $20M to tie together the NSF supercomputer centers, then congress cuts the budget and a few other things happened, finally NSF releases an RFP. Internal politics prevents us from bidding on the RFP. The director of NSF tries to help by writing the company a letter 3Apr1986, NSF Director to IBM Chief Scientist and IBM Senior VP and director of Research, copying IBM CEO) ... but that just makes the internal politics worse (as does references like what we already have running is at least five years ahead of all RFP responses).

We already had operational backbone T1 links ... with some links that are even faster. This is part of reason that NSF RFP specified T1. However, the winning RFP response ... actually only installed 440kbit/sec links (not 1.5m/sec links). Then to sort of comply with the letter of the RFP, T1 "trunks" were installed with telco multiplexors to carry multiple 440kbit/sec links over the T1 trunks.

other internet trivia ... before he died, Postel (internet standards RFC editor) used to let me do part of STD1

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

No Algol for the STRETCH?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: No Algol for the STRETCH?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 08 May 2013 11:55:32 -0400
Peter Flass <Peter_Flass@Yahoo.com> writes:
When a language starts having to be supervised by policemen, it's on the way out.

early 70s, I was in large business meeting in paris ... where somebody from la guade was making presentation. somebody from paris kept interrupting him to correct his pronunciation.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes sorting so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes sorting so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 09 May 2013 11:29:51 -0400
jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> writes:
If you can change any instruction in a sharable segment, you can affect every other user who runs that segment of code. Now think about JIT software which downloads from another site. If it's sharable and got changed, you're now running software which has not gone through the usual vetting that build procedures invoke. Compiling, linking and saveing programs was a form of ensuring that only "good" code got through.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#11 What Makes code storage management so cool?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#15 What Makes code storage management so cool?

original 370 virtual memory architecture had r/o segment protect bit.

cp67/cms had been "protecting" shared pages by complicated hack with 360 storage protect keys ... it required violating virtual machine architecture for virtual machines running with shared pages ... since the PSW key had to be forced to non-zero and shared pages forced to not match PSW key (and non-shared pages had to match PSW key).

for morph to vm370/cms ... things were reorganized to take advantage of the 370 r/o segment protect ... things were running fine on early (internal) 370/145 (which implemented full 370 virtual memory architecture) ... still before product release.

then 370/165 was running into scheduling problems retrofitting virtual memory hardware to the machine. there were escalation meetings about what could be dropped from 370 virtual memory architecture to gain six months in the 370/165 hardware schedule. Eventually several features went on the chopping block ... including segment protect (over loud objections from the vm370 group). as a result, models that had already implemented the full 370 virtual memory architecture had to drop back to the 370/165 subset ... and any products (like vm370/cms) that were using the dropped features ... had to be redone. as a result, vm370/cms had to drop back to the cp67/cms shared page hack with storage keys to protect shared pages.

other recent post on the subject ... with some followup detail:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#31 REFRPROT History Question

later there was activity to add page storage protect bit to 168 ... but internal politics got involved and it went down in flames
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#32 REFRPROT History Question
above includes this old email on topic
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#email800227

...

slightly different story about one-byte patch to kernel memory that nullified security
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#59 Crypto Facility performance
really long winded post ... with some followup on above
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#61 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

from long ago and far away:
https://web.archive.org/web/20090117083033/http://www.nsa.gov/research/selinux/list-archive/0409/8362.shtml

when i was undergraduate and doing lots of work on cp67, the vendor would periodically suggest some things for me to do ... i didn't know about the above referenced guys until much later ... but in retrospect some of the requests may have originated from that community.

i heard one of the issues for them ... besides the inherit security of the virtual machine paradigm was that all source was shipped with product ... and in fact, all maintenance was shipped as source updates. they could code review every line of code as well as all their executables they built from scratch (cp67 and then later vm370).

circa 1980, they asked if they could get the *exact* MVS source that corresponded to all distributed executable pieces. folklore is that the company spent $5M on taskforce studying the issue ... and eventually came back and told the agency that it wasn't practical to determine the exact MVS source that corresponded to any specific distribution.

recent posts mentioning cp67/cms & vm370/cms source maintenance
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#71 New HD
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#84 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#10 'Hacking The Mainframe': What Hollywood Gets Wrong About Its Favorite Tech
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes a bridge Bizarre?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes a bridge Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 10 May 2013 10:29:36 -0400
Dan Espen <despen@verizon.net> writes:
On the contrary, the less you know, the more afraid you are. Ever point out to someone that there's radiation coming out of a CRT?

There's some big money on the nuke side too.


they aren't scared of nuclear ... they are scared because somebody has generated a lot of scare statements (and they don't know enuf one way or another).

Eisenhower in battle with MICC tried to use mutual-assured-destruction to promote diplomacy (as alternative to conflict).

MICC (especially) tried to counter with requirement for enormous defense budget for conflict ... get people scared of nuclear and see if you can transfer to generalized fear ... so enormous big main battle tanks are funded (even tho they don't play in mutual-assured-destruction).

non-nuclear power interests have been able to leverage such fear also ... having significant amounts of money to outspend other factions (both nuclear power as well as environmental) ... significantly downplaying their impact on the environment (causing more health damage than nuclear ever has).

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
Date: 10 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/mGd4j5

part of the big cloud operators has been publishing open specifications so that companies doing "white box" assemblies can build to same specs ... for smaller operations that don't want to have their own in-house staff doing it. another in that genre

Facebook aims to knock Cisco down a peg with open network hardware; Facebook's Open Compute Project to give the world an "open" top-of-rack switch.
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/05/facebook-aims-to-knock-cisco-down-a-peg-with-open-network-hardware/

one of the issues is that big cloud operators are viewing much of their megadatacenters as a cost item (as opposed to profit) .... open standards help increase the volume and bring down those costs ... more than offsetting any possible competitive advantage

Facebook Rattles Networking World With "Open Source" Gear
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/05/facebook_networking/

Amazon's growing threat to HP, Dell and Oracle
http://phys.org/news/2013-05-amazon-threat-hp-dell-oracle.html

from above:
Perhaps most importantly, the AWS business offers the promise of much higher profit margins at a time when Amazon has virtually trained investors to expect ultralow margins on its traditional online retail business. That is considered one of the main reasons behind the company's push to disrupt the cloud computing industry in much the same way it upended markets for books, consumer retail and even tablet computing.

... snip ...

datacenter hardware and daacenter operations is a "cost" for public cloud operations ... commoditizing hardware&operations allows for higher margins &/or lower price in competitive market.

Note that IBM used to rent/lease all its computers. Online (virtual machine based) on-demand service bureaus in the 60s ... one of the biggest issues dealing with the huge variability in online (on-demand) use (low to peak) was allowing the cpu meter (used for rent/lease charges) to come to a stop when the system was idle but still allow system to come to full operation with incoming activity (normally cpu meter ran when ever cpu and/or any channel was busy, gimmick was to have channel program that would pick up incoming characters ... but wouldn't have the channel "busy" when there were no characters). This is analogous to big cloud operators getting server chip vendors to allow power/cooling to drop to zero when chip is idle ... but instantaneously come up to full operation.

After IBM switched from rent/lease to sales ... several companies got into the business of buying computers and rent/lease (aka "3rd party" leasing; different than the online service bureaus). Two major differences now

1) in the early 70s case, the leasing companies still bought the computers from IBM (and the online service bureaus were still using "brand name" mainframes; either directly purchased from IBM or indirectly from leasing company) ... currently big cloud operators are buying the chips directly and bypassing the large brand name server vendors (brand name server vendors are seeing none of the revenue).

2) i don't believe the leasing companies in the 70s were majority of the market. server chip manufactures are saying they are now shipping more chips directly to the cloud operators than to the brand name server vendors ... which doesn't even show up in the "server market" numbers (various of the cloud operators have been claiming they build more servers than any one of the brand name server vendors).

In the early 70s ... IBM wasn't as concerned about the 3rd party leasing companies ... since the computers were still purchased from IBM ... and they helped with ibm mainframe customer base transitioning from IBM rent/lease to sales (there is still some amount of 3rd party leasing going on). The current cloud operators are more equivalent to customers moving to a completely different vendor platform ... since there is *NO* revenue flow to the brand name vendors.

Note that 1) lots of services being done on large cloud operations are for customer facing service operations ... and places like AWS can provide lower latency to those customers than nearly all but the largest of in-house operations 2) the large cloud operations have done significant work on minimizing all kinds of latency.

re: latency; for the fun of it ... I just did x-country ping ... east coast to west coast and back ... avg. latency (elapsed time) is .086seconds. traceroute shows 15 hops over (and 15 hops back) through at least three different internet service providers.

from recent topic drift in 5100 discussion in (closed linkedin) IBM Historic Computing ... talks about direct channel attached 3272 & 3274 controller latency ... archived here:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#14 ..
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#17 ..

references this old post with portions of 1980 report comparing direct channel attached 3272 controller with direct channel attached 3274 controller
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001m.html#19 ..

where 3272 direct channel hardware was (also) .086sec and (some highly optimized) system response was .11seconds for total seen by the user of .196seconds (today's ping time includes host software time at remote end). 3274 direct channel attached controller increased the .086secs to .530 seconds ... so it was impossible to get quarter second response. lots of us complained bitterly about the 3274 ... but there were lots of people that didn't ... especially the majority of TSO users who never saw system response any better than 1sec. (so hardware degradation from .086sec to .53sec, they wouldn't notice ... and any SNA involvement enormously increased it further).

past posts in thread:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#57 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#58 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#61 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#63 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#69 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#72 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#74 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#78 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#80 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#6 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#12 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 11 May 2013 11:12:29 -0400
jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> writes:
Sigh! But the corporate culture was data bases. This is vastly different from DEC; we didn't do large data base processing well.

when we were doing ha/cmp & cluster scale-up
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp

besides working with various national labs and other institutions on numeric intensive and scientific ... we were also looking at commercial scale-up. IBM's mainframe databases weren't portable ... so we were working with the four primary RDBMS vendors that had products that ran on both unix and vax/cluster.

I did a cluster global lock manager with API similar to vax/cluster that made the moving of their vax/cluster support over to unix (already their implementations had huge amount of commonality). Some of the RDBMS vendors had strong feeling on how to improve the vax cluster operations ... combined with their suggestions and long background in mainframe loosely-coupled operation *AND* DBMS ... for example past posts mentioning original relational/sql
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr

... it was fairly straight-forward to make a lot of improvements. example is this reference to early jan1992 cluster scale-up meeting in ellison's conference
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/95.html#13

misc. old email on cluster scale-up (both technical/scientific and commercial)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/lhwemail.html#medusa

so within hrs after the last email in above (end jan1992), the cluster scale-up is transferred and we are told we can't work on anything with more than four processors. This is major motivation in deciding to leave in 1992. This is also when company went into the red ... major contributing factor was the stranglehold that the communication group had on datacenters (fighting off client/server & distributed computing, trying preserve their dumb terminal paradigm and their dumb terminal emulation install base) ... some past references
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#terminal

we previously worked with some armonk hdqtrs policy people on positioning ha/cmp against other vendor high available products. after we left, one of the armonk hdqtrs policy people got tasked trying to widen the market for mainframes by getting all the non-mainframe RDBMS vendors to do mainframe ports ... and he would ask us to sit in on the conference calls (with some of the heads of these RDBMS companies) ... to help translate between IBM/mainframe-speak and open-system terminology.

A common refrain, declining the offer, was the scaling support and regression testing for a mainframe 300 disk drive configuration would cost significantly more than the resulting (incremental) revenue (they were already in their ROI sweet spot, mainframe support would be negative ROI ... including they would be competing with incumbent mainframe DB2)

note however, as i've mentioned before vm/4300s competed against vax/vmx in the low&mid range market. old vax sales numbers:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002f.html#0

4300s sold similar numbers as vax/vms into that market ... the big difference was that there was large corporate orders of several hundred 4300s at a time ... sort of the leading edge of the distributed computing tsunami. some old 4300 email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/lhwemail.html#4341

the internal network had been larger than the arpanet/internet from just about the beginning until sometime late '85 or early '86.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet

arpanet had been limited by requirement for permission from central authority and requirement for IMP. at the time of 1jan1983 great switch-over to tcp/ip internetworking, there were approximately 100 IMPs and 255 connected "hosts" ... while the internal network was well on its way to passing 1000 (in large part because of the explosion in 4300 machines on the internal network). later on, the internet included workstations&PCs as network nodes ... while they were still restricted to dumb terminal emulation on the internal network.

In the late 80s, the internal network also fell prey to being forced to SNA/VTAM ... which also would significantly hurt its ability to dynamically grow and expand.

BITNET/EARN was educational network ... sponsored/supported by the company and used technology similar to that used on the internal network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#bitnet

bitnet then moved to tcp/ip ... which the internal network would have been much better off doing also (rather than sna/vtam).

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Old data storage or data base

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Old data storage or data base
Date: 11 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/n9V_df
and
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#16 Old data storage or data base

ISAM and CKD were 60s technology ... trade-off between (abundant) i/o resources and limited real storage. it was possible to have the data structure index layed out on disk and write channel programs that moved through the structure using multi-track search and/or self-modifying i/o operations.

cyl/track position was access with BBCCHH and seek and seek-head channel commands. then it was possible to search a whole cylinder for specific record characteristics (key, data). Channel command could read location specific &/or record characteristic information that was then used by later channel command in the same channel program. This would consume enormous channel, controller, and disk resources with minimal processor and real storage requirements.

The trouble was that by the mid-70s, the trade-off was starting to invert, i/o was becoming scarce resource while processor & real storage was increasing enormously. I would start writing email & tomes on the issue. A report I did in the early 80s claimed that disk i/o relative system throughput had declined by an order over a period of 15yrs (disk i/o had gotten 3-5 times faster, while the rest of the system got 50times faster). Some disk division executive took exception and assigned the division performance group to refute my claims. After a couple weeks, they came back and effectively said that I had slightly understated the problem. Their analysis was then respun and turns into SHARE (ibm user group) session on optimizing disk throughput.

An similar example is that in the 70s, the IMS development group in STL would argue that System/R (original relational/sql implementation, DB2 precursor) doubled the disk space requirement (for relational index, compared to IMS having direct pointers) and increased disk i/o by factor of 4-5 to get a record (separate I/Os to process the relational index). By the 80s, cost of disk space had come down significantly (negating the incremental index space cost) and processor real storage had increased significantly (caching the indexes, minimizing the additional index I/O overhead). some past posts mentioning system/r
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#systemr

The counter-argument was IMS efficiencies significantly increased the administrative overhead and constrained the flexibility (compared to RDBMS). In general, hardware cost was coming down and the resources for care&feeding of IMS were becoming more expensive and scarce (RDBMS would be able to move into lower-value operations that couldn't justify the relative increasing IMS related costs).

recent long-winded post in a.f.c. discussion ISAM, CKD, and multi-track search
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#50 .
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#74 .

late 70s, large national retailer with large loosely-coupled operation ... but all sharing same application library PDS with 3cylinder directory on 3330 ... online stores would dynamically load applications all out of the same library. Peak load, throughput across the whole country bogged down to 2applications/second. Issue was multi-track search of PDS directory took avg. of 1.5cyls ... first search was full cyl at 1/3second (19 revolutions @ 3600rpm) and the 2nd was half cyl. at 1/6second ... followed by member load ... 1/2second elapsed time (during the multi-track searches, device and shared channel&controller, were locked) ... aka the maximum application rate for the aggregate of the large number of stores across the whole country was 2/sec. some past posts mentioning CKD, FBA, multi-track search, etc
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#dasd

I had offered MVS FBA support and get off the multi-track paradigm ... but they said that I needed $26M business case (documentation, training, education, etc) with incremental new disk sales (couldn't use lifetime savings) ... *AND* people were buying CKD as fast as they could make it ... so any FBA support would just turn into same amount of FBA (no incremental new revenue). some past posts getting to play disk engineer in bldgs. 14&15
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk

A totally separate thing I did for the IMS group ... besides consulting on DBMS ... in 1980, STL was bursting at the seams and they were moving 300 from the IMS group to offsite bldg. They tried "remote 3270" but found it horribly unacceptable. I then got con'ed to do channel extender support so that local channel attached 3270 controllers could be put at the remote bldg. Part of the support was downloading the device channel program to a channel emulator at the remote site. This violated original channel architecture and negated stuff like ISAM was doing with its fancy channel programs ... but dramatically improved the I/O throughput (couldn't be used for some of the more outrageous channel programs). some past posts mentioning channel extender & other high-performance stuff
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt

1988, I'm asked to help LLNL standardize some serial stuff they are doing ... which in the early 90s morphs into fibre channel standard ... included is support for i/o programming downloading ... running asynchronously ... that dramatically increases i/o throughput. Later POK channel engineers get involved and define a layer ontop of FCS that drastically cuts the native throughput that eventually morphs into FICON (enforcing some of the old mainframe channel architecture rules). Recent z196 peak I/O benchmark is 2M IOPS with 104 FICON (layered on top of 104 FCS) ... compared to recently announced native FCS for e5-2600 claiming over 1M IOPS (i.e. two such FCS would have higher throughput than 104 FICON). We were using FCS for HA/CMP cluster scale-up ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp

Note that sometime in the last decade, they added zHPF/TCW support to FICON ... which comes slightly closer to the native FCS being able to download channel programs to the remote end ... minimizing a lot of latency in the standard processing (and similar to what I did in 1980 for channel extender) ... zHPF/TCW claims throughput increase of (only) 30% (compared to original FICON).

The peak z196 doesn't mention whether it was done with or w/o zHPF/TCW ... if peak z196 was done w/o zHPF/TCW ... then the peak I/O benchmark with zHPF/TCW might reduce the number of required FICON by 30% ... from 104 to 73 ... still a long way from the two referenced for native FCS (and it is still possible that the peak z196 i/o benchmark *WAS* done with zHPF/TCW, in which case it would the 104 FICON compared to two native FCS).

There are other long-standing compatibility issues preserving all the mainframe legacy baggage. peak z196 is with maximum number of system assist processors (14) ... which claims that 100% SAP processor utilization at 2.2M SSCH/sec ... and recommendation that normal operation should have SAP processor utilization limited to 70% (aka 1.5M SSCH/sec). A combination of SSCH processor overhead cycles, the ancient CCW channel programming paradigm, and simulating CKD DASD (even tho there hasn't been any real CKD DASD manufactured for decades), exacts heavy penalty on mainframe.

Note that maximum z196 configuration is 80 processors and 50BIPS (aka 625MIPS/processor). ec12 max. configuration is 101 processors and 75BIPS (50% increase in aggregate processing and 743MIPS/processor). However, ec12 documentation says to expect only 30% improvement in dbms and i/o intensive throughput (less than the aggregate processor throughput increase)

SJR computer science had vm370 370/145 for doing system/r development. the SJR datacenter had 370/195 running MVT ... there was use from all over ... in some cases job turn-around could be several weeks to a couple months. Palo Alto had vm370 370/145 and found that if they did some checkpointing stuff ... a job that took a few hrs of 370/195 could have several week turn-around ... they would setup to run offshift on their vm370/145 ... running at 1/30th speed of 370/195 ... but still possible to get turn-around faster than sjr/195

SJR adds vm370 370/158 to the datacenter ... and eventually the 370/195 is replaced with 370/168 running MVS ... all the 3330 dasd strings are physically connected to both processors ... but there is operational rule that MVS packs will never be mounted on vm370 3330 dasd string. One day it happens and within 5 minutes that there are huge irate calls from cms users about the response going all to ... aka the i/o programs to that one mvs pack was locking up the shared controller needed by vm370 to get to all the cms data areas. vm370 operators demand that the MVS operators immediately move the pack ... they decline ... saying they will wait until offshift.

vm370 group spins up a specially optimized, one pack VS1 system on a "MVS" drive and start some of its own i/o programming ... bringing MVS to its knees (significantly improving CMS response) ... optimized VS1 running on a loaded vm370/158 can outperform a MVS/168. The MVS operators agree to immediately remove the MVS pack from the vm370 string ... if the VS1 pack is moved off the MVS string.

While the 370/195 was still in bldg.28, across the street in bldg.15 ... they get an brand-new engineering 3033 for dasd testing. Now I have vm370 systems running on all the bldg. 14&15 370 systems. They had previously been doing all their testing stand-along, machines prescheduled 7x24 around the clock. They had once tried running MVS hoping to enable multiple concurrent testing ... but found that MVS had 15min MTBF in that environment. I offer to rewrite the I/O supervisor to make it bullet proof and never fail, enabling concurrent, ondemand testing ... significantly improving productivity.

In any case, bldg14&15 are running online service in the spare cycles left over from concurrent testing of development hardware (testing taking 1-3% of percent of cpu). The disk engineers are running "air bearing" simulation on the 370/195 (part of designing thin film heads for 3380s) ... and even with priority access getting week or two turn-around for 1-2hr simulation. we get "air bearing" simulation moved over to bldg15 vm370 3033 ... its only 4.5mip processor compared to 370/195 10mip ... but it can get multiple 2-4hr turn arounds a day (compared to week or two they were getting on 370/195).

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Old data storage or data base

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Old data storage or data base
Date: 12 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/n9V_df
and
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#16 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#23 Old data storage or data base

see wiki entry for more details
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Information_Management_System
for more on vern
http://vcwatts.org/ibm_story.html
at this web site
http://vcwatts.org/
tribute on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x98hgieE08o&noredirect=1

when Gray was leaving SJR for Tandem ...he was palming stuff on me ... including working with early system/r customers and DBMS consulting with IMS group (unrelated to above story about doing 3270 channel attach controller channel extender for the IMS group). old email reference:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007.html#email801006 .
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007.html#email801016 .

for other DBMS drift ... reference to tribute to Gray at Berkeley
https://web.archive.org/web/20080616153833/http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/IPRO/JimGrayTribute/pressrelease.html

from above:
Gray is known for his groundbreaking work as a programmer, database expert and Microsoft engineer. Gray's work helped make possible such technologies as the cash machine, ecommerce, online ticketing, and deep databases like Google. In 1998, he received the ACM A.M. Turing Award, the most prestigious honor in computer science. He was appointed an IEEE Fellow in 1982, and also received IEEE Charles Babbage Award.

... snip ...

Jim responsible for ACID properties and TPC benchmarks
https://www.tpc.org/information/who/gray5.asp

from above:
On January 28, 2007, Jim was lost at sea. At the time he disappeared, Jim was a Technical Fellow at Microsoft and previously a researcher at Digital, Tandem, IBM and AT&T. His work on database and transaction processing systems included RDB, ACMS, NonStop SQL, Pathway, System R, SQL/DS, DB2, and IMS-Fast Path. He was editor of the Performance Handbook for Database and Transaction Processing Systems, and co-author of Transaction Processing: Concepts and Techniques, widely regarded as the bible of transaction processing

... snip ..

Another Gray story ... before he disappeared, he had con'ed me into interviewing in Redmond for Chief Security Architect ... the interview stretched out over a couple of weeks ... but we never came to agreement on a number of issues.

semi-related to IMS-Fast Path ... long ago and far away, my wife was con'ed into going to POK to be responsible for loosely-coupled architecture (aka shared system complexes); while there she developed Peer-Coupled Shared Data architecture. She didn't stay long, in part because of very little uptake of her architecture (not until SYSPLEX and Parallel SYSPLEX, except for IMS hot-standby). Another problem contributing to her not staying long was constant skirmishes with the communication group, who were trying to force her into using SNA/VTAM for loosely-coupled coordination. misc. past posts mentioning Peer-Coupled Shared Data architecture
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#shareddata

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes sorting so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes sorting so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 12 May 2013 10:00:01 -0400
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz <spamtrap@library.lspace.org.invalid> writes:
McCarthy tageted a lot more than the arts, e.g., Army, State Department. In fact, it was his going after the Army that caused Eisenhower to care.

in fact, Ike leverage his vice president in dealing with McCarthy

Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World pg56/loc701-5:
The vice president, Richard Nixon, who had his own history as a Red baiter and could talk to McCarthy, was dispatched to the Senate. McCarthy told Nixon he had two speeches prepared about Bohlen, and had not used "the real dirty one." 18 Dulles called Bohlen back to his office. The White House would stand by him, he informed Bohlen.

... snip ...

pg133/loc1753-57:
Instead, McCarthy, in his reckless way, made the mistake of attacking the US Army. For four years, McCarthy had blackened reputations and ruined careers, hounding government employees, even blameless ones like Chip Bohlen. Pouncing on a slightly pink army dentist named Dr. Irving Peress, McCarthy started wailing, "Who promoted Peress?" and began investigating his commanding officer, General Ralph Zwicker, denouncing him as "not fit to wear the uniform" and possessing "the brains of a five year old child."

... snip ...

goes on to talk about how white house then orchestrated McCarthy's collapse behind the scenes.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

No French for the STRETCH?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: No French for the STRETCH?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 12 May 2013 10:12:22 -0400
Stephen Wolstenholme <easynn@googlemail.com> writes:
It can't have been that long ago as email is not that old. 1970ish. It didn't exist when I was at school.

old thread
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011h.html#44 OT The inventor of Email - Tom Van Vleck
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011h.html#49 OT The inventor of Email - Tom Van Vleck

and from last year:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012d.html#38 Invention of Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012h.html#49 The Invention of Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012h.html#51 The Invention of Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012h.html#55 The Invention of Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#22 The Invention of Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#33 The Invention of Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#36 The Invention of Email

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Old data storage or data base

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Old data storage or data base
Date: 12 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/n9V_df
and
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#16 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#23 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#24 Old data storage or data base

watts tribute on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x98hgieE08o&noredirect=1

other silicon valley lab folklore. it was originally going to be called the coyote lab ... after practice of naming for the closest post-office. However shortly before it was to open ... there was a demonstration in washington dc by organization of working ladies from san francisco known as coyote (spring vacation and had taken the kids to DC that week, it was also just before the smithsonian air and space museum opened). there was then quick activity to rename it the santa teresa lab (after the closest cross street).

i use to walk or ride my bike to sjr ... and would periodically ride my bike between sjr (bldg. 28 on main plant site ... bldg. no longer exists) and STL (now silicon valley lab) ... little over 6miles

Note, later research moves out of bldg. 28 up the hill to the new almaden bldg. pictures of almaden
http://www.ajnordley.com/IBM/Air/ARC/index.html
pictures of stl/svl
http://www.ajnordley.com/IBM/Air/SVL/index.html
and pictures of the san jose plant site (before the disk division was sold off and several of the bldgs. demolished, including bldg. 28)
http://www.ajnordley.com/IBM/Air/SSD/index.html

more recent satellite image of the plant site ... several bldgs. now just brown empty lots
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=5600+Cottle+Rd,+San+Jose,+CA&hl=en&ll=37.247872,-121.79894&spn=0.01609,0.010321&sll=38.804821,-77.236966&sspn=4.032128,2.642212&oq=5600+cottle+rd,&hnear=5600+Cottle+Rd,+San+Jose,+Santa+Clara,+California+95123&t=h&z=16

satellite of STL/SVL:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=555+Bailey+Ave.+San+Jose,+CA+95141&hl=en&ll=37.195008,-121.748359&spn=0.005693,0.00258&sll=38.804821,-77.236966&sspn=4.032128,2.642212&hnear=555+Bailey+Ave,+San+Jose,+Santa+Clara,+California+95141&t=h&z=18

another view, STL/SVL is lower left off Bailey ... intersecting Santa Teresa blvd (diagonal across middle), Coyote post office is on Monterey rd (old "101", runs parallel to Santa Teresa) ... upper middle.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Coyote,+CA&hl=en&ll=37.206543,-121.742077&spn=0.032198,0.020642&sll=37.207705,-121.742678&sspn=0.032197,0.020642&t=h&hnear=Coyote,+Morgan+Hill,+Santa+Clara,+California&z=15

and plant site upper left middle with STL/SVL lower right (shows lots of plant site has been plowed under)
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Coyote,+CA&hl=en&ll=37.241535,-121.774864&spn=0.128732,0.082569&sll=37.207705,-121.742678&sspn=0.032197,0.020642&t=h&hnear=Coyote,+Morgan+Hill,+Santa+Clara,+California&z=13

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes sorting so cool?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes sorting so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 12 May 2013 15:25:36 -0400
JimP. <pongbill127@cableone.net> writes:
Info on Pilgrims doesn't mention they persecuted other colonials in nearby colonies.

aka ... they weren't against religious persecution ... they just wanted to be the ones doing the persucuting.

for other drift, recent posts that mention British originally tried to emulate the spanish and plunder/exploit the natives ... sending over wrong mix for Jamestown ... and the local natives didn't cooperate ... and the colony almost expired
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012e.html#31 PC industry is heading for more change
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012f.html#32 Back to the future: convict labor returns to America
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012f.html#84 How do you feel about the fact that India has more employees than US?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012h.html#15 Imbecilic Constitution
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012k.html#7 Is there a connection between your strategic and tactical assertions?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012l.html#17 Cultural attitudes towards failure
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012m.html#29 Cultural attitudes towards failure
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012m.html#34 General Mills computer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012o.html#71 Is orientation always because what has been observed? What are your 'direct' experiences?

recent evidence is that Jamestown had to resort to cannibalism to survive.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/science/evidence-of-cannibalism-found-at-jamestown-site.html

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes sorting so cool?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes sorting so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 12 May 2013 16:29:33 -0400
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#25 What Makes sorting so cool?

McCarthy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy

lots of stuff including

Truman's Secretary of Defense George Catlett Marshall was the target of some of McCarthy's most vitriolic rhetoric. Marshall had been Army Chief of Staff during World War II and was also Truman's former Secretary of State. Marshall was a highly respected General and statesman, remembered today as the architect of victory and peace, the latter based on the Marshall Plan for post-war reconstruction of Europe, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. McCarthy made a lengthy speech on Marshall, later published in 1951 as a book titled America's Retreat From Victory: The Story Of George Catlett Marshall. Marshall had been involved in American foreign policy with China, and McCarthy charged that Marshall was directly responsible for the loss of China to Communism. In the speech McCarthy also implied that Marshall was guilty of treason;[44] declared that "if Marshall were merely stupid, the laws of probability would dictate that part of his decisions would serve this country's interest";[44] and most famously, accused him of being part of "a conspiracy so immense and an infamy so black as to dwarf any previous venture in the history of man."[44]

... and ...
This abuse of Zwicker, a battlefield hero of World War II, caused considerable outrage among the military, newspapers, civilian veterans, senators of both parties and, probably most dangerously for McCarthy, President Eisenhower himself.[75] Army Secretary Stevens ordered Zwicker not to return to McCarthy's hearing for further questioning.

... and ...
Early in 1954, the U.S. Army accused McCarthy and his chief counsel, Roy Cohn, of improperly pressuring the Army to give favorable treatment to G. David Schine, a former aide to McCarthy and a friend of Cohn's, who was then serving in the Army as a private.[77] McCarthy claimed that the accusation was made in bad faith, in retaliation for his questioning of Zwicker the previous year.

... snip ...

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes a bridge Bizarre?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes a bridge Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 12 May 2013 18:05:37 -0400
mausg writes:
Aammonium nitrate is used as explosive in South African mines. In pure form it is not for sale in Ireland, just as CAN, (Calcium Ammonium Nitrate). Even unobvious things like flour dust, in the right proportion in the air can be explosive (Example from Texas, years ago).

re:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_elevator#Elevator_explosions

original "no smoking" signs around gas pumps and grain elevators

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The Vindication of Barb

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: The Vindication of Barb
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 10:03:50 -0400
brian <fake@fake.nz> writes:
Crypto was treated as munitions. There was the famous T-shirt with a 3-line perl RSA program on it, that could not legally be exported from the US.

in the 80s, I discovered that there was 3-kinds of crypto, those they don't care about, those you can't do, and those you can only do for them.

in hsdt ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt

with T1 and fast speed links ... also working with some of the institutions and organizations that would eventually make up NSFNET backbone ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet

links on internal network were all required to be encrypted ... mid-80s there were claims that the internal network had more than half of all link encryptors in the world ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet

off-the-shelf T1 encryptors were really expensive and finding faster encryptors was really hard (almost forced to run telco multiplexors with multiple T1 links, each having their individual encryptors). I got involved in design for much faster encryptor ... that was DES adapted for packet (aka could resynch on packet boundary) ... would support 1-3mbyte/sec ... and cost less than $100 a board (was also working on board supporting Reed-Soloman FEC running at similar speed ... fortunate to have an engineer who had done a lot of the work on Reed-Soloman when he was Reed's graduate student)

The crypto group in the company then claimed that couldn't make/use the boards because it severaly compromised DES encryption (mostly because of provision for being able to resynch on packet boundary). I spent 3months learning enough of the right words to convince them that rather than much weaker than standard DES, it was actually much stronger than standard DES. It was somewhat hollow victory since they then said I could make as many boards as I wanted to, but there was only one customer in the world for the boards (address somewhere in maryland).

some old crypto related email from the period ... mentions that software DES runs at about 150kbytes/sec on 3081k processor ... would need both processors in 3081k dedicated to handling a single full-duplex T1 line ... also has discussion of proposal to do PGP-like public key implementation ... a decade before PGP
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/lhwemail.html#crypto

misc. past posts mentioning realizing there was 3-kinds of crypto:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#87 New test attempt
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#86 Own a piece of the crypto wars
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#43 What is "timesharing" (Re: OS X Finder windows vs terminal window weirdness)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009p.html#32 Getting Out Hard Drive in Real Old Computer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010i.html#27 Favourite computer history books?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010o.html#43 Internet Evolution - Part I: Encryption basics
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010p.html#19 The IETF is probably the single element in the global equation of technology competition than has resulted in the INTERNET
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011g.html#20 TELSTAR satellite experiment
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011g.html#60 Is the magic and romance killed by Windows (and Linux)?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011g.html#69 Is the magic and romance killed by Windows (and Linux)?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011h.html#0 We list every company in the world that has a mainframe computer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011n.html#63 ARPANET's coming out party: when the Internet first took center stage
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011n.html#85 Key Escrow from a Safe Distance: Looking back at the Clipper Chip
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012.html#63 Reject gmail
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#70 Operating System, what is it?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012k.html#47 T-carrier
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#1 IBM Mainframe (1980's) on You tube

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The Vindication of Barb

Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: The Vindication of Barb
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 10:19:52 -0400
Peter Flass <Peter_Flass@Yahoo.com> writes:
Until laser printers came in, more so than dot-matrix printers, you were limited by the characters your printer could generate. I believe the 2741 could type 88 different characters. Occasionally people played games switching typeballs (AFAIK) or printed accented characters by overprinting, but this was enough of a pain that most people wouldn't bother unless there was some major requirement. The laser printer's ability to print anything really opened up the field.

a lot of the 3800 font stuff for script was originally done to support changing typeballs with 2741 ... as well as pause to change ribbon; some amount of final copy involved swapping out fabric ribbon and replacing with fresh film ribbon (as well as changing typeball).

script was port of ctss runoff to cp67/cms at the science center in the mid-60s ... misc. past posts mentioning science center
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech

then in 1969, GML was invented at the science center (letters chosen because they are the first letters of the inventors' last names) ... and GML processing was added to script. another decade, and GML morphs into ISO standard SGML. misc. past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#sgml

recent references mentioning RUNOFF/script heritage ... back to PDP-1 around 1962
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011c.html#73 IBM and the Computer Revolution
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011h.html#49 OT The inventor of Email - Tom Van Vleck
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011j.html#37 First Website Launched 20 Years Ago Today
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012.html#64 Has anyone successfully migrated off mainframes?

other past posts mentioning 3800 laser printer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000e.html#1 What good and old text formatter are there ?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001b.html#50 IBM 705 computer manual
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001n.html#31 Hercules etc. IBM not just missing a great opportunity...
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002d.html#8 Security Proportional to Risk (was: IBM Mainframe at home)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002g.html#52 Spotting BAH Claims to Fame
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002k.html#42 MVS 3.8J and NJE via CTC
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002m.html#50 Microsoft's innovations [was:the rtf format]
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003k.html#45 text character based diagrams in technical documentation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003k.html#52 dissassembled code
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004c.html#1 Oldest running code
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004d.html#13 JSX 328x printing (portrait)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004g.html#17 Infiniband - practicalities for small clusters
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004g.html#18 Infiniband - practicalities for small clusters
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005b.html#25 360POO
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005f.html#48 1403 printers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005f.html#52 1403 printers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005k.html#58 Book on computer architecture for beginners
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005l.html#0 Book on computer architecture for beginners
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006n.html#0 The System/360 Model 20 Wasn't As Bad As All That
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006n.html#4 The System/360 Model 20 Wasn't As Bad As All That
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006p.html#44 Materiel and graft
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006p.html#49 Materiel and graft
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008d.html#51 It has been a long time since Ihave seen a printer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#15 Code Page 1047 vs 037 - Green card confusion
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#79 Book: "Everyone Else Must Fail" --Larry Ellison and Oracle ???
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010c.html#24 Processes' memory
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010c.html#69 Apple iPad -- this merges with folklore
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010c.html#74 Apple iPad -- this merges with folklore
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010c.html#85 Apple iPad -- this merges with folklore
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010d.html#2 Apple iPad -- this merges with folklore
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010d.html#23 Apple iPad -- this merges with folklore
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010d.html#60 LPARs: More or Less?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010h.html#57 IBM 029 service manual
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010p.html#18 Rare Apple I computer sells for $216,000 in London
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010p.html#60 Daisywheel Question: 192-character Printwheel Types
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#84 If IBM Hadn't Bet the Company
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011g.html#19 program coding pads
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011g.html#26 program coding pads
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012e.html#77 Just for a laugh... How to spot an old IBMer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012e.html#95 Burroughs B5000, B5500, B6500 videos
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012e.html#97 Just for a laugh ... How to spot an old IBMer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012g.html#18 VM Workshop 2012
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012l.html#25 X86 server
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#55 Dualcase vs monocase. Was: Article for the boss

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 10:34:44 -0400
Peter Flass <Peter_Flass@Yahoo.com> writes:
My pet peeve is that so much software isn't Rexx-aware. Having used XEDIT on VM, it seems that a lot of problems could be very easily solved by creating a good Rexx interface to various pieces of software.

early days of rexx ... while it was still rex and hadn't yet been released to customers ... I wanted to demonstrate power of rexx ... and decided on demonstration to re-implement (vm370) IPCS in rexx. The original was large thousands of assembler instructions. My objective was the rewrite would take less than half time over 3month period, have 10 times the function (and with some slight of hand) run 10 times faster. I got done early and so started doing library of automated analysis that examined storage for various kinds of common failure modes.

it eventually came to be used by nearly all the datacenters and most of the customer support PSRs. I thot that IBM would also release it as replacement for standard product (and since it was during the middle of the OCC-wars, it would be released with full source) ... but for whatever reason that never happened. I did get permission to give talks at user group meetings at various user group conferences ... and shortly afterwards ... other implementations also started appearing.

misc. past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#dumprx

as an aside ... the service processor for the 3090 started out being a highly customimozed version of vm370/cms running on 4331. later the 3090 service processor morphed into a pair of 4361s (3092). since a old, unsupported vm370 release 6 was being used ... the 3092 group had to provide their own support and relied heavily on dumprx. old email referencing the 3092 wanting to ship dumprx as part of 3092 and make it available in the field that way:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010e.html#email861031
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010e.html#email861223

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 10:59:39 -0400
jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> writes:
I consider general DP as managing data bases. IBM refused to listen to customers who wanted heterogeneous communications; IBM insisted on homogeneous networks. DEC was willing to talk to any gear which could send and/or receive signals. That's why DEC got ahead in 1970 and behond.

it was not only homogeneous communication ... but specifically vtam/sna with its paradigm of controller for dumb terminals ... and later dumb terminal emulation (and protecting the dumb terminal emulation install base).

i've mentioned several times in the past ... trying to get 2702 terminal controller to do something for cp67 ... that it wouldn't quite do ... big motivation for univ. starting clone controller project with interdata/3; subsequently four of us get written up as being responsible for some part of the clone controller business .. some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#360pcm

in early 70s, clone controller business is claimed to be major motivation for "Future System" ... which included such a high level of integration with controllers that it significantly raises the bar for clone business. reference quote in this post
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#57 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
from article here:
https://www.ecole.org/en/session/49-the-rise-and-fall-of-ibm

claims after FS failed ... the communication group attempted to perpetrate the FS objectives in the vtam/ncp (sna pu5/pu4) coupling. misc. past FS posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys

rolling forward to the late 80s ... A senior disk engineer gets talk scheduled at internal, world-wide, annual communication group conference and opens the talk with statement that the communication group was going to be responsible for the demise of the disk division. the issue was that the disk division was starting to see downturn in disk sales with data fleeing the datacenter to more distributed computing friendly platforms. The issue was that the communication group had strategic "ownership" of everything that crossed datacenter walls, and everything the disk division came up with to address the problems, the communication group veto'ed (part of their attempts to protect their dumb terminal install base and fighting off client/server and distributed computing). This significantly contributed to the decline of the company and going into the red in the early 90s. misc. past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#terminal

the communication group was also involved in preventing us from bidding on the NSFNET backbone ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#nsfnet

and forcing the internal network to convert to sna/vtam in the late 80s (actually was non-sna up until then) instead of tcp/ip ... some past internal network posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet

as part of blocking bidding on NSFNET backbone and converting internal network to sna/vtam ... the communication group was spreading a lot of mis-information internally ... even claims that the NSFNET backbone could be SNA/VTAM. old email with some of the SNA/VTAM misinformation regarding NSFNET backbone
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#email870109
old email regarding misinformation converting internal network to SNA/VTAM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006x.html#email870302
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011.html#email870306

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes sorting so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes sorting so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 11:38:16 -0400
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz <spamtrap@library.lspace.org.invalid> writes:
Or who want to hear a different religion. How many fundamentalist Baptist would be happy if their children were forced to pray to Mary? How many Catholics would care for a nice traditional denunciation of "The Whore of Babylon"? One man's religion is another man's blasphemy; people should make their own choices and not have them forced on them or be forced to fund them.

There's also the question of whether entangling church and state inevitably corrupts the religion; there is strong evidence that it does.


there are recent news items about new directive reminding everybody about not pushing specific religions in the military ... air force academy seems to have had quite a bit of the problem.

my wife's father graduates from west post in the 30s and then gets graduate degree from Berkeley. in the 40s, he is command of 53rd armored engineer battalion ("thundering herd", 8th armored division). I've scanned some amount of his stuff, includes division booklet put out when they were at camp polk ... before going overseas ... includes picture/page of men attending religious service.

he then gets command of 1154th engineering combat group, i've found and scanned WW2 status reports at the national archives ... some past posts:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010o.html#66 They always think we don't understand
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010p.html#10 OODA in highly stochastic environments
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011l.html#52 An elusive command philosophy and a different command culture
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012.html#25 You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012c.html#51 How would you succinctly desribe maneuver warfare?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012j.html#11 a clock in it, was Re: Interesting News Article
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012j.html#16 a clock in it, was Re: Interesting News Article
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012l.html#54 Singer Cartons of Punch Cards
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#60 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?

part of one of the 1154th status reports:

On 28 Apr we were put in D/S of the 13th Armd and 80th Inf Divs and G/S Corps Opns. The night of the 28-29 April we cross the DANUBE River and the next day we set-up our OP in SCHLOSS PUCHHOF (vic PUCHOFF); an extensive structure remarkable for the depth of its carpets, the height of its rooms, the profusion of its game, the superiority of its plumbing and the fact that it had been owned by the original financial backer of the NAZIS, Fritz Thyssen. Herr Thyssen was not at home.

Forward from the DANUBE the enemy had been very active, and an intact bridge was never seen except by air reconnaissance. Maintenance of roads and bypasses went on and 29 April we began constructing 835' of M-2 Tdwy Br, plus a plank road approach over the ISAR River at PLATTLING. Construction was completed at 1900 on the 30th. For the month of April we had suffered no casualties of any kind and Die Gotterdamerung was falling, the last days of the once mighty WEHRMACHT.


... snip ...

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 12:28:38 -0400
"Charlie Gibbs" <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> writes:
"It's a floor wax _and_ a dessert topping!" -- SNL

It wasn't an either/or situation with IBM. They offered both big RDBMSes _and_ card-oriented batch processing - and not all sites did both.

I was jealous of DEC's ease of interfacing almost any sort of communications equipment. Mainframe communication protocols and sofware were a nightmare of complexity; they were designed for sending files across the continent, not messages across the room.


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#34 What Makes code storage management so cool?

you could go to lab stuff like 1800, system/7, and later series/1.

this is reference to one of the baby bells doing NCP emulation on series/1 ... but adding lots of support for non-IBM interfaces
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/99.html#67 System/ 1?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/99.html#70 Series/1 as NCP (was: Re: System/1 ?)

i got involved to turn it out as an official ibm product ... first on series/1 and then ported to rios (risc/801) ... all the feature/function was starting to bump up to some series/1 limitations (but was still significantly better than "real" 37x5 boxes). I thot I had brick wall regarding all the internal politics and funding issues ... isolated project from communication group efforts ... but they managed to get it killed ... in a way that can only be described as truth is stranger than fiction (I had already lined up orders from the largest 37x5 customers ... first yr revenue totally covered all costs of turning out as product).

and recent long winded discussion over in (open linkedin) "Old Geeks" on IBM dbms stuff:
http://lnkd.in/n9V_df

some of my posts also archived here
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#16 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#23 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#24 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#27 Old data storage or data base

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

regulation,bridges,streams

Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: regulation,bridges,streams
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 14:56:19 -0400
Morten Reistad <first@last.name> writes:
Which has lead to the requirement from Visa/MC et.al that the card is never to leave your sight. They bring the terminals to the tables instead. Having the card out-of-sight now qualifies for a replacement card, probably invoiced to the store that did it.

larger ROI for real crooks to compromise regular POS terminals, network, and/or backend transaction systems.

early 90s (20yrs ago), there were cases of waiters with their own skimmers inside their jacket ... with recorders ... at end of their shift, they would upload over internet to accomplices on the other side of the world, who would make counterfeit cards and be out on the street using them within a couple hrs of your visit to the restaurant. however, this was small scale stuff ... on the order of couple dozen or so a night ... not the millions or tens of millions that you get in a some of the breaches (but since then there have been a lot more exploits where the skimming is being done by standard terminal that has been compromised).

again 20yrs ago ... there was criminal enterprise that compromised an ATM cash machine manufacturing company ... installing recording devices that could be interrogated wirelessly. they recorded information of tens of thousands of ATM cards for making counterfeit cards. they carefully performed the fraudulent transactions attempting to obfuscated the source of the compromise (since law enforcement would confiscate and shutdown the machines, and invalidate account numbers for all cards used at those machines). law enforcement noticed suspicion pattern of fraudulent transactions (with counterfeit cards) at ATM hundreds of miles away ... and setup stake-out ... and caught some of the low-level individuals. within hr or two of when the individuals were arrained in court, the pattern of fraudulent transactions changed (law enforcement complained that their lawyers mush have notified the rest of the group). It took longer to trace it back to specific compromised ATM machines ... and supposedly never did find all of the ATM machines that had been compromised.

some of the characteristics are reminiscent of the recent data breach resulting in $45M haul from ATM machines.

For banks in cyber heist, how to get their money back?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/12/net-us-usa-crime-cybercrime-liability-idUSBRE94B04Y20130512
Because the sums were large and such attacks are relatively new, the two Middle East banks hit in a $45 million ATM heist face an uncertain path in trying to recover their losses, financial, insurance and legal experts say.

... snip ...

Turns out the mechanics of using the internet to distribute the information for making counterfeit cards ... and the sophistication of the pattern of fraudulent transactions (to minimize source of compromise and shutting off all accounts from the same source) ... isn't new, its (at least) 20yrs old.

as an aside ... type of exploit was looked at by the x9a10 financial standard working group in the mid-90s ... for which countermeasures were developed (x9a10 had been given the requirement to preserve the integrity of the financial infrastructure for *ALL* retail payments).

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

regulation,bridges,streams

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: regulation,bridges,streams
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 15:23:27 -0400
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#37 regulation,bridges,streams

... and

Why $45M in Stolen Cash Still Won't Get Rid of Hackable ATM Cards
http://www.wired.com/business/2013/05/hackable-atm-cards/

from above:
By the time the astonishing heist was under way, the difficult work of hacking prepaid debit card accounts and stripping the withdrawal limits was long done. After that, coding the magnetic stripes on the backs of plastic cards with the hacked account numbers was no big deal. Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said conspirators in the global scheme, which netted $45 million from ATMs around the world, were able to use gift cards, old hotel keys, expired credit cards -- anything with a magnetic stripe on the back.

... snip ...

aka once they had the information ... then they could use just about anything with magstripe on it.

notice that one of the countermeasures developed was a chip ... but there were lots of short-comings in the design. there was presentation at cartes2002 on the subject ... this is old summary (gone 404 but lives on at wayback machine) ... see end of the trip report:
https://web.archive.org/web/20030417083810/http://www.smartcard.co.uk/resources/articles/cartes2002.html

about it being trivial to create YES CARD using information from compromised terminal.

problem was that there was large pilot deployment in the US about that time ... and after this came out ... all evidence of the pilot appeared to evaporate w/o a trace. It seems to contribute to reluctance of repeating such a deployment.

about the same time, law enforcement at "ATM Task Force" meeting gave a much more detailed description of YES CARD ... and somebody in the audience made the observation that they managed to spend billions of dollars to prove that chips were less secure than magstripe (it turns out that a counterfeit YES CARD could continue to be used long after the account had been deactivated). some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subintegrity.html#yescard

in some countries where it has been deployed, the associations have helped motivate merchants to install the necessary equipment by reducing their costs ... they manage to convince the government that when such chipscards are used in transactions ... the burden of proof in disputes is reversed (instead of the merchant/bank having to prove the individual actually did the transaction, the individual has to prove they didn't do it).

a couple years ago, I was contacted by an legal representative of an individual involved in such a case in the UK. They were disputing they performed the ATM transactions ... however it was up to the individual to produce the ATM surveillance video showing they hadn't done it ... and the bank was saying they couldn't find the video (in the US the bank would have to produce the surveillance video to prove the individual had done it).

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Old data storage or data base

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Old data storage or data base
Date: 13 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/n9V_df
and
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#16 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#23 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#24 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#27 Old data storage or data base

univ. had 709/1401 combination, 1401 did tape<->card-reader,printer,punch ... and tapes manually moved between 1401&709 ... where jobs ran tape->tape under 709 ibsys; student fortran jobs ran around one second elapsed time.

ibm sold univ. a 360/67 (to replace 709/1401) for tss/360 ... but with all the tss/360 problems, it spent nearly all the time as 360/65 running os/360. student fortran moved to (3-step) fortgclg taking well over a minute. eventually HASP is installed ... but student fortran is still over half minute.

starting with MFT-11, I start doing carefully crafted stage-2 sysgens. sysgen is assemble of stage-1 40-60cards ... which punches a box of cards for stage-2, mostly iehmove/iebcopy statements to populate PDS members on fresh disk packs. I rearrange all the cards in stage2 sysgen to make sure linklib and svclib are closest files to vtoc (minimize arm seek) and move/copy of highest used members are done first .... places highest used members closest to the front of the file & the PDS directory (minimize arm seek) as well as at front of the PDS directory (minimize multi-track search of PDS directory for member load). I get elapsed time for student fortran down under 13 seconds, almost three times better than "vanilla" system generation. Part of the issue is student 3-step fortgclg is almost all job scheduler repeated 3times ... and a great deal of job scheduler is open/close which involves dragging a whole slow of 2kbyte modules from svclib thru the svc transient area (and repeatedly searching svclib pds directory for the same modules an enormous number of times).

jan1968, (virtual machine) cp67 is installed at the univ ... but still only useable for me to play with on the weekends, most of the time the machine still runs as 360/65. during spring and summer of 1968 I rewrite substantial portions of cp67, significantly cutting path lengths. I/O queuing is FIFO; I change to ordered-seek queuing (about doubling thruput of each disk for normal workloads). I also add ordered chained requests for page requests. there was a 2303 fixed-head drum ... with head per track ... that was about 4mbytes and transferred at 300kbyte/sec. univ. had a 2301 fixed-head drum that was effectively the same but treated four physical tracks as single logical track, transferring data from four heads in parallel at 1.2mbytes/sec; it had 1/4th as many tracks, but each track was 4times larger. cp67 did FIFO single 4k page at a time ... having avg. rotational delay for every transfer ... peaked out at about 80/sec. I took complete queue in single channel program ordered for optimal rotational transfer and could get very close to 270/sec (aka full 1.2mbyte/sec).

old post with part of presentation I gave at Aug1968 SHARE user group meeting
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/94.html#18 CP/67 & OS MFT14

most of it is about significant reduction in CP/67 pathlength running MFT14 in virtual machine ... but there is also some about the custom os/360 stage2 sysgens.

note that it wasn't until univ. installed Waterloo's WATFOR that student job workload finally got better than 709 throughput; WATFOR was single job step that batched compile&execute for multiple student jobs in single operation.

the univ. library had gotten a ONR grant to do an online catalog and part of the money went to 2321 datacell. the effort was also selected to be one of the betatest sites for the original CICS product ... and I got tasked with supporting/debugging the deployment. Turns out there were some number of bugs because of some CICS code that had expected a specific combination of BDAM options ... and the library was using a slightly different set of BDAM options. misc. past posts mentioning CICS &/or BDAM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#cics

Part of CICS throughput was it became its own sub-operating system ... it would get big block of resources at startup as well as open all needed files ... and then it would do all necessary operations ... depending on as few OS/360 operations as possible. This became a limitation later on because it couldn't take advantage of things like multiprocessor operation ... I've seen datacenters run over 100 concurrent CICS instances on a single system ... in order to utilize the resources available. After a long wait, CICS eventually gets multiprocessor support. Lots of CICS history here ... gone 404 but lives on at wayback machine:
https://web.archive.org/web/20050409124902/www.yelavich.com/cicshist.htm

multiprocessor support finally 2004
https://web.archive.org/web/20041216073419/http://www.yelavich.com/history/ev200402.htm

from above:
In the early days of CICS (1968-1980) CICS Development determined that hardware and operating systems of the period were limited in terms of the cycles and storage needed to support high volume, online, real time transaction processing. CICS devised its own facilities for task dispatching, storage management and program management which demonstrated greater efficiencies than using native operating system facilities for similar functions.

... snip ...

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The Vindication of Barb

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: The Vindication of Barb
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 16:52:02 -0400
Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@sometimes.sessile.org> writes:
Perhaps early on, but in my earlish days with PC-class machines there was all sorts of fuss. I recall dissemination of stronger crypto software being problematic in the early 90s, with short breakable length keys being okay (56 bit rings a bell) but longer ones being forbidden. Lotus Notes was a poster child of this, and I'm sure HTTPS was affected too amongst other things.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#31 The Vindication of Barb

recently mentioned in this post
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#22 What Makes code storage management so cool?

this reference to early jan1992 meeting in Ellison's conference room on ha/cmp cluster scale-up
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/95.html#13

and end of jan1992, after scale-up is transferred, we decide to leave. two other people mentioned at the same meeting also leave and join small client/server startup where they are responsible for something called commerce server. We are brought in as consultants because they want to do payment transactions on the server; the startup has also invented this technology called "SSL" they want to use; the result is now frequently called "electronic commerce".

as part of the effort, we have to map out SSL technology for payment business process ... we also have to do some end-to-end walk-thrus ... including the operations calling themselves "certification authorities" ... that are selling SSL digital certificates. past posts discussing SSL digital certificates
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subpubkey.html#sslcert

we also come up with several requirements for the deployment and use of SSL ... some of which are almost immediately violated and contributed to various of the exploits that continue to this day.

there are also lots of industry meetings about what level/strength encryption that can be used ... and we also get sucked into the industry "key escrow" meetings (i.e. stronger encryption can be used if the keys are registered and available to gov. agencies and legal authorities).

as a result of having done "electronic commerce" ... in the mid-90s, we get invited to participate in the x9a10 financial standards working group ... which has been given the requirement to preserve the integrity of the financial infrastructure for all retail payments. we do end-to-end threat and vulnerability studies and eventually come up with the x9.59 financial transaction standard ... some references:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/x959.html#x959

in part because of being involved with past issues related to encryption ... and in part because the enormous numbers of business processes that require financial transaction information ... x9.59 solution is to slightly tweak the current paradigm ... and eliminate the requirement to hide (and/or encrypt) the financial information ... purely relying on public key technology for strong authentication (but eliminating any requirement for encryption for information hiding). x9.59 doesn't eliminate skimming and/or breach vulnerabilities ... but it eliminates the ability for crooks to use the information for fraudulent financial transactions (and therefor any risk related to such skimming and/or breaches). Now since the largest use of SSL in the world today ... is this earlier stuff for "electronic commerce" and hiding payment transactions information, X9.59 no longer requires the information to be hidden ... and therefor eliminates the major use of SSL in the world today. past posts mentioning x9.59
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subpubkey.html#x959

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

A History Of Mainframe Computing

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: A History Of Mainframe Computing
Date: 13 May 2013
Blog: IBM Historic Computing
first part of thread reposted from ibm-main mailing list and a.f.c.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#82 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#1 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

more on 17mbyte/sec ESCON already obsolete when it was released in the early 90s with es/9000. some discussion
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#3 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

mid-80s, 3090 offered vector facility to play in scientific/technical. problem was that lots of VF applications also required huge amount of data (and data i/o).

E/S center in kingston had several floating point FPS boxes ... which also have 40mbyte/sec disk arrays, past reference
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000c.html#61 TF-1
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_Point_Systems

also have 3090VF ... but nothing close to handling 40mbyte/sec disk arrays. Note also, high-end arrays were 40disks, 32data+8parity, @3mbyte/sec per disk, comes to 96mbyte/sec transfer

LLNL is major instigator for getting Cray 100mbyte/sec half-duplex channel (sort of like ibm channel but 30+ times faster) standardized as HIPPI.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIPPI

To really sell into this market, 3090 also needs to support HIPPI. The only thing fast enough in the 3090 to handle HIPPI is the extended store bus ... but there is no i/o programming interface, just 4k copy to/from instructions. Part of extended-store address space is carved out for HIPPI interface, that uses PC-like peek/poke paradigm for getting data to/from HIPPI (but using 4kbyte expanded store move instructions to do the peek/poke).
http://publibz.boulder.ibm.com/cgi-bin/bookmgr_OS390/BOOKS/DZ9AR004/D.1.8?SHELF=EZ2HW125&DT=19970613131822

discussion of HIPPI for 3090 (and es/9000) and restriction can only be transfers of multiples of 4k (aka expanded store design)
http://www.danzig.jct.ac.il/tcp-ip-lab/ibm-tutorial/3376c53.html

About the same time, LLNL starts pushing for standardizing its serial technology (in 1988 I'm asked if I can help them) ... eventually comes out as FCS with 1gbit/sec full-duplex (2gbit/sec aggregate).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre_Channel

Early 90s, RS/6000 has both HIPPI and FCS boards ... old reference to early Jan92 meeting discussing FCS for cluster scale-up.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/95.html#13

Some of the engineers also had taken the original technology (that eventually is released as ESCON) and makes it full duplex and about 10% faster along with using much less expensive drivers (i.e. 220mbit/sec full-duplex, 440mbit/sec aggregate) ... which is also available on RS/6000 as "SLA".

other recent posts mentioning 3090:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#10 SAS Deserting the MF?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#17 Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#33 What Makes code storage management so cool?

for other drift ... person responsible for 801/risc ... wants me to help him with disk r/w head that can span 16+2 tracks ... doing read/write in parallel for 48mbyte/sec transfer ... some old email discussing 3380 disk characteristics and the 16+2 proposal
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006s.html#email871122 ..
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006s.html#email871230 ..

this is similar ... but different to 2301 fixed-head drum which transferred four heads/tracks in parallel ... single track was 300kbyte/sec, four in parallel was 1.2mbytes/sec, mentioned in this recent Old Geeks "Old data storage or data base" discussion
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#39

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The Vindication of Barb

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: The Vindication of Barb
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 23:24:54 -0400
Andrew Swallow <am.swallow@btinternet.com> writes:
DES encryption was strong enough to protect money transfers but not strategic military secrets. Which is why banks used it.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#31 The Vindication of Barb
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#40 The Vindication of Barb

military secrets (the encrypted information) are suppose to be protected for 30yrs or something (claim is that hollywood wants 50yrs DRM protection, longer/more protection than military secrets).

much of financial crypto is more like authentication ... having knowledge of the key can enable being able to perform new fraudulent transactions ... changing key and/or account number is countermeasure

financial DES was "strengthened" with triple-DES (x9.52)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_DES

x9 also did dukpt (derived unique key per transaction) as countermeasure against brute force attack
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derived_unique_key_per_transaction

attacker gets encrypted transaction tries all possible keys to decrypt the message ... when finally reconizable message is found, they now have the encrypting ... in standard single key scenario they could inject fraudulent financial transactions in the network. however, in dukpt ... all they have is the key for that specific transaction and the contents of that one transaction. every transaction and every key requires its own brute force attack.

in dukpt scenario ... brute force attack only needs to take somewhat longer than lifetime of the transaction. in military secrets scenario ... brute force attack needs to take longer than the required lifetime of the encrypted information.

if brute force DUKPT DES 56bit can be done in 24hrs, then 30yr needs another 14 bits ... if brute force DUKPT DES 56bit can be done in 1hr then 30yr needs another 18bits. Add several more bits assuming hardware gets faster (in some predictable manner) ... during the 30yr period. Say after 15yrs, the key still has to protect for additional 15yrs ... but the hardware might be 1000 times faster (10bits) or million times faster (20bits)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brute-force_attack

DES brute force machine
http://www.cryptography.com/technology/applied-research/research-efforts/des-key-search.html

disclaimer: i have a souvenir chip from the machine

attack on AES 5times faster than straight brute-force
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/19/aes_crypto_attack/

hollywood DRM only wants twice as long as military secrets ... single additional bit ... but hardware may get billion times faster during the additional interval ... possibly another 30bits.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
Date: 14 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/mGd4j5

Facebook's open source data center
http://opensource.com/life/13/5/facebook-open-data-center

The other side ... is that computer and public facing services may have little to do with the primary corporate business ... outsourcing to cloud can have it done much better than "in-house" skills and free up resources to concentrate on primary corporate objectives. Can corporate ROI be larger with the resources&skills applied to mainstream corporate business.

After the IBM big downturn going into the red in the early 90s, Gerstner "resurrected" the company (and reversed the effort that had reorganized the company into the "baby blues" in preparation for breaking up the company) by redirecting company focus on services and outsourcing

Rivals Microsoft and AWS engage in joint development project for cloud computing
http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240183853/Rivals-Microsoft-and-AWS-engage-in-joint-development-project-for-cloud-computing
Facebook plans globe-spanning hardware deployment
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/10/facebook_global_hardware/
Penguin Computing to make Open Compute servers
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/10/penguin_computing_open_compute_servers/
Google's cloud dumps custom Linux, switches to Debian
http://www.linuxtoday.com/high_performance/googles-cloud-dumps-custom-linux-switches-to-debian.html

Why I'm ready to ditch my dedicated server and move to the cloud; Summary: Servers are big boxes of stuff just waiting to break. Over the weekend I got to play network administrator, and the experience has convinced me it's time to get rid of my dedicated server and move everything to hosted services.
http://www.zdnet.com/why-im-ready-to-ditch-my-dedicated-server-and-move-to-the-cloud-7000015279/

After big decline in IBM mainframe market during the 90s .... IBM mainframe market for the past decade has remained relatively stable with little competition. This possibly accounts for z196 processor price per BIPS at $560,000 and total mainframe revenue is 6.25 times mainframe processor revenue (avgs $3.5M/BIPS) ... and 40% of total profit (while mainframe processor is only 4% of total revenue).

The non-mainframe server has increasing competition and the cloud operators now account for more non-mainframe servers than the non-cloud market. The public cloud also has lots of competition. The claims are that competition has been significant factor in the big improvement in non-mainframe server features, performance, and price/performance (e5-2600 at 527BIPS and possibly around $1/BIPS at cloud operations compared to z196 at 50BIPS and $3.5/BIPS).

Competition and dramatic improvement in price/performance has contributed to cloud focus power&cooling costs in their large megadatacenters ... at possibly $1/BIPS ... pwoer&cooling has become a significant large percentage of total cost of operation ... (compared to ibm mainframe at $3.5M/BIPS ... mainframe costs would have to come down by a factor of million times for power&cooling to become a similar percentage of operational costs).

The next prediction is possible move to ARM from x86 for large cloud operations ... individual ARMs aren't as powerful as high-end x86 servers ... but their cost/BIPS is lower. They are also smaller ... so it is possible to have equivalent amount of processing power in same floor space at lower cost/BIPS. A major issue in this non-mainframe server area is that little or none of the hardware characteristics bleed through to the application level; it is one of the reasons for being able to demo large cloud applications on mainframe platforms (although there is major difference between showing functional operational and being able to close the price/performance gap between $3.5M/BIPS and $1/BIPS).

At around $1/BIPS, it may be true that the price/BIPS decline in this market starts to level off ... although the size of the cloud market can be powerful motivation for new innovation (competition and size of the cloud market has driven lots of the x86 server chip innovation over the last decade). One of the approaches has been to get 100 simpler x86 cores on a chip rather than 8-12 increasingly complex x86 cores. The simpler x86 cores are more comparable to ARM ... so it may still be possible to get another factor of ten drop in price/BIPS.

The counter expectation is the buzz about migration off PCs and laptops to smartphones and tablets ... which are increasingly tightly integrated cloud devices ... which will provide for increasing cloud demand. It is still a long way from the payup for mainframe at $3.5M/BIPS.

past posts in thread:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#57 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#58 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#61 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#63 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#69 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#72 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#74 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#78 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#80 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#6 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#12 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#21 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 14 May 2013 11:00:28 -0400
jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> writes:
It's amazing how people would rather eat the seed corn than change to contour tilling. How did we manage to get anything shipped?

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#34 What Makes code storage management so cool?

as FS was failing ... and the communication group was in the process of formulating SNA/VTAM (including enormous VTAM/NCP interface complexity as possible countermeasure to clone controllers) ... my wife was co-author of "peer-to-peer networking" (AWP39 in IBM internal documentation ... aka "architecture white paper" ... for example AWP164 was the specification for APPN). The communication group viewed anything (internal or external) that wasn't SNA/VTAM as competition (also communication group had so co-opt the term "networking" to apply to dumb terminal communication, it was necessary to include the "peer-to-peer" qualification).

later she was con'ed into going to POK to be in charge of loosely-coupled architecture (mainframe "cluster") where she did Peer-Coupled Shared Data architecture ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#shareddata

she didn't remain long ... in part because of poor uptake (except for IMS hot-standby ... wasn't until SYSPLEX and parallel SYSPLEX) ... but also frequent skimishes with the communication group attempting to force her into using SNA/VTAM for loosely-coupled system coordination.

for other topic drift ... recent references to ESCON (at 17mbyte/sec) and being obsolete by the time it shipped
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#3 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
similar post in (linkedin closed) "IBM Historic Computing"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#14 Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
and (lineding open) "Old Geeks"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#41 A History Of Mainframe Computing

above references mainframe channel in comparison with HIPPI, SLA, FCS. IBM was half-duplex at 3mbyte/sec compared to HIPPI at 100mbyte/sec. email from long ago and far awsy, about the kingston engineering & scientific lab.

Date: WED, 07/22/87 10:42:42 PDT
From: wheeler

re: paging costs; i don't know of any real studies of the nature you give as examples. other factors need to be taken into consideration --- 370 has very poor I/O interface to paging DASD ... as a result bottlenecks can quickly occur with the whole system being throttled by trying to shove all those pages thru a very small pipe to DASD, the resulting economics may show the whole system configuration waiting on DASD (i.e. DASD can be viewed as a system service, rather than a system cost ... if it helps the overall system to perform better, some people are viewing IS centers purely as costs ... and want to cut both hardware & people from IS ... even tho IS provides a service that supposedly allows other people work more efficiently).

In general, more memory up to some bus length restrictions is probably cheaper for pages than DASD I/O ... but a large part of that is the bad 370 channel I/O architectue (both hardware & software) bottleneck --- rather than just pure component costs.

Engineering&science center in IBM Kingston has something like 20 FPS machines, a 3090 (w/vector) and a 4381. The FPS machines provide something like 1.5gflop aggregate crunch power. They were looking to see how 3090 could be intergrated into the configuration. One thot was as a DASD front-end and application scheduler. The 3090 has 128mbytes of memory and lots of 3mbyte channels for DASD I/O. However, the FPS boxes have memory boards @ 512mbyte (max. of 4 boards per machine, 2gbytes) and local DASD with a 40mbyte data transfer rate.

Using the 3090 as DASD front-end would require dragging data off DASD at the terrible slow rate of 3mbyte/sec ... and then transfering a 2nd time @ 3mbyte/sec over another channel to the FPS box (effective rate of 1.5mbyte/sec ... unless some fancy overlapping was done). The FPS box can get 512mbyte of data off its local dasd in a little over 12 seconds while the best that could be (reasonably) done w/3090 would take 170 seconds.

One might consider writing programming support to use the FPS boxes as electronic paging stores ... and/or intelligent paging caches.
... snip ... top of post, old email index

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
Date: 14 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/mGd4j5

the megadatacenters are running hundreds of thousands of systems (chips) and millions (and tens of millions) of processors (cores). whether there is 10cores/chip or 100cores/chip in such a configuration can be the difference between 500,000 blades and 50,000 blades. Some amount of current generation x86 chip complexity and size are features that aren't heavily used in cloud environment. So individual simpler core may not have significantly less throughput than the larger more complex cores.

Facebook stretches ARM chips in datacentre tests
http://www.zdnet.com/facebook-stretches-arm-chips-in-datacentre-tests-7000004707/

above says that delay in more production use of ARM chips is introduction of 64bit ARM arriving this year.

Facebook covets core-heavy ARM SoCs
http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4405195/ARM-SoCs--flash-don-t-match-Facebook-s-needs
The Real Reason ARM Will Menace Intel in the Data Center
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/05/hp-arm-memcached-chip-paper/
Crowdsourcing data center hardware design; Facebook's Open Compute Project is breaking the mold on multiple fronts
http://ww.datacenterdynamics.com/focus/archive/2013/03/crowdsourcing-data-center-hardware-design
ARM Powered Servers: 2013 is off to a great start & it is only March!
http://blogs.arm.com/smart-connected-devices/903-arm-powered-servers-2013-is-off-to-a-great-start-it-is-only-march/
ARM Muscles In on Intel's Dominance in Datacenters
http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2013-01-28/arm_muscles_in_on_intel_s_dominance_in_datacenters.html
Calxeda: We're Still in the Moonshot ARMs Race
http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2013/04/09/calxeda-were-still-in-the-moonshot-arms-race/

As an aside ... somebody that helped me with original CMSBACK (that later morphs into workstation datasave, ADSM and now TSM) ... some old email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/lhwemail.html#cmsback

left and started doing lots of consulting for large chip houses in silicon valley. One of his major customers was running (at the time) vm370 on 3081. My former co-worker had taken the mainframe AT&T C language port ... fixed lots of bugs and significantly improved generated code performance ... and was using it to port lots of industry chip tools to CMS.

The company also had lots of SGI high-end graphic workstations supporting chip design ... and he was in the process of adding ethernet support to interconnect the 3081 and the SGI machines. The local rep stopped by and asked him what he was doing ... and he explained putting in ethernet support. The local rep suggested that he should instead be doing Token-Ring ... or otherwise the company might find that the 3081 support and maintenance could suffer. I immediately got a call and had to listen for an hour as he used 4-letter words to describe the company. Next morning the engineering EVP called a press conference to announce they were moving off the 3081 to ten sun servers.

for other topic drift ... post in (long widened, linkedin closed "IBM Historic Computing") discussion about by the time ESCON (17mbyte/sec) was released with es/9000 in the early 90s ... it was already obsolete
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#41

in 1980, when I did the channel extender support (for the IMS group) and the vendor wanted to release the support to customers, the engineers in POK (playing with the technology that eventually released as ESCON more than decade later) ... get it vetoed ... because they were worried that if it was in the market place ... it would make it more difficult for them to get ESCON out the door.

also a little followup in a.f.c.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#44

some of this also plays out in this "Old Geek Registry" "Old data storage or data base" discussion
http://lnkd.in/n9V_df

Data centers show signs of 'green fatigue'; Success stories from cutting-edge firms such as Google and Microsoft are causing a backlash at less capable data centers
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/060113-intel-kicks-off-haswell-shipments-270363.html
Data centers show signs of 'green fatigue'
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2038715/data-centers-show-signs-of-green-fatigue.html

past posts in thread:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#57 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#58 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#61 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#63 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#69 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#72 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#74 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#78 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#80 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#6 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#12 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#21 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#43 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 14 May 2013 17:32:37 -0400
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz <spamtrap@library.lspace.org.invalid> writes:
The change from sequential processing to random processing was massive.

recent references that it took years for student fortran jobs on os/360 to get back to the througput of 709 tape-to-tape
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#24 Is Microsoft becoming folklore?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#39 Old data storage or data base

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Goodbye, Lotus 1-2-3

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Goodbye, Lotus 1-2-3
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 09:15:07 -0400
Goodbye, Lotus 1-2-3; Summary: IBM is shutting the doors on Lotus 1-2-3, the software program that made the IBM PC and Microsoft household name
http://www.zdnet.com/goodbye-lotus-1-2-3-7000015385/

Note: VisiCalc:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VisiCalc

... trivia: Frankston was at (cp67 spinoff, virtual machine based) IDC in Waltham.

Lotus 1-2-3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_1-2-3

from above:
The Lotus Development Corporation was founded by Mitchell Kapor, a friend of the developers of VisiCalc. 1-2-3 was originally written by Jonathan Sachs, who had written two spreadsheet programs previously while working at Concentric Data Systems, Inc.

... snip ...

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes a bridge Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes a bridge Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 14:19:15 -0400
Dan Espen <despen@verizon.net> writes:
Real estate taxes do pay for roads.

Around here we have municipal roads, county roads, toll roads and interstate.


there has been lots of stuff about the states having diverted road use taxes from highway trust funds to the general fund and used for other purposes. then when it comes time to do road repair and other stuff ... then they have lots of publicity about having to raise taxes for road work.

this goes along about lack of infrastructure spending (in part because lots of tax money being siphoned off) resulting in eliminating civil engineering courses/programs at univ ... because lack of students due to the lack of jobs&infrastructure projects ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011p.html#91 Has anyone successfully migrated off mainframes?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012.html#44 Who originated the phrase "user-friendly"?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#11 The PC industry is heading for collapse
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#43 Where are all the old tech workers?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#47 Where are all the old tech workers?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012c.html#63 The Economist's Take on Financial Innovation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012f.html#67 Cartons of Punch Cards
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012g.html#30 24/7/365 appropriateness was Re: IBMLink outages in 2012
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012g.html#48 Owl: China Swamps US Across the Board -- Made in China Computer Chips Have Back Doors, 45 Other "Ways & Means" Sucking Blood from US
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012h.html#31 How do you feel about the fact that today India has more IBM employees than US?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012h.html#77 Interesting News Article
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#6 Good article. Friday discussion type
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012k.html#36 Race Against the Machine
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012k.html#40 Core characteristics of resilience
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#29 Jedi Knights
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012o.html#3 OT: Tax breaks to Oracle debated

some of the infrastructure stimulus funds went to foreign firms because lack of qualified US firms

past posts that road design is based on 18wheeler use and that cars and light truck use have no effect ... aka road use taxes on cars and light trucks is basically being used to subsidize heavy trucking.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/99.html#23 Roads as Runways Was: Re: BA Solves Y2K (Was: Re: Chinese Solve Y2K)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003i.html#17 Spam Bomb
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004i.html#23 New Method for Authenticated Public Key Exchange without Digital Certificates
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#68 Historian predicts the end of 'science superpowers'
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#25 dollar coins
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010m.html#61 Idiotic cars driving themselves
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011n.html#80 A Close Look at the Perry Tax Plan
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011n.html#83 A Close Look at the Perry Tax Plan

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 14:44:10 -0400
Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:
z196 (next machine after z10) peak I/O benchmark doing 2M IOPS with 104 FICON (ficon is mainframe channel paradigm layer built on top of FCS that significantly reduces throughput compared to base FCS) .... compared to recently announced FCS for e5-2600 blade claiming over million IOPS for single FCS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FICON


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#82 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#1 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#3 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

Fibre Channel (FCS)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre_Channel
Scalable Coherent Interface
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalable_Coherent_Interface
some recent refs (including mainframe ESCON was obsolete by the time it was released in early 90s with ES/9000)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#14 Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#23 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#41 A History Of Mainframe Computing

In 1988, I had been asked to help LLNL standardized FCS. In 1990, I was also pulled into SCI (scalable coherent interface, another fiber-optic serial standard, was being pushed for higher I/O than FCS as well as memory bus operation) ... being pushed by Gustavson out of SLAC. SCI then shows up in memory bus for Convex (HP risc), SGI (MIPS risc), Sequent (i486), and Data General (i486). Later we do some consulting at Convex, SGI, and Sequent (later HP buys Convex and IBM buys Sequent)

the cluster scale-up being transferred and being told we couldn't work on anything with more than four processors, contributed significantly to the decision to leave later that year. recent references
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#22 What Makes core storage management so cool?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#40 The Vindication of Barb
past posts mentioning ha/cmp
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp

much of my career I was told that I had no career and couldn't expect promotions, also that top technical positions were quite political in the corporation and I had managed to offend quite a number of executives. In the earlier 80s, I was told that they refused to make me IBM Fellow, but then some of the Fellows provided funding and project support behind the scenes; I was even included in discussions about creation of the STSM level. some of this was explained as the significant IBM corporate culture change to make no waves and sycophancy that occurred as FS was failing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys

from annals of "truth is stranger is fiction" ... after my last day, I get a letter at home saying I was promoted to STSM. Past posts referencing the after-the-fact promotion
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010l.html#74 CSC History
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010q.html#50 I actually miss working at IBM
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011c.html#87 A History of VM Performance
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012k.html#26 How to Stuff a Wild Duck

from long ago and far away ... part of departing "goodby" message (my ftp/anon had shadow of all sorts of things, lots of standards meetings and notes as well as internet RFCs, drafts and other documents), "DSD" refers to the mainframe division:

Date: Jul 22 18:50:37 1992
From: wheeler
Subject: departure

wheeler.losgatos.ibm.com ftp/anon repository is shutdown.

i made 3-4 postings to convex forum on chaste tools disk with respect to sci, etc.

fyi, attached is summary/overview of DSD/executive presentation on clustering that i gave in hudson valley a week ago monday.

+++++ Lynn Wheeler - rip 31jul92

xxxxxxxxxxxxx reference xxxxxxxxxxxx

Four Tier Asynchronous Computer Model

• super-scalar asynchronous operation
• tightly-coupled SMP operation with weakly-ordered or relaxed memory consistency
• loosely-coupled multiprocessing with high-performance, light-weight I/O programming model
• networked clusters

. information contained here-in is non-proprietary and taken from widely available public domain literature

------------------------

<... snip lots of detail ...>

------------------------

1Q93 Design Point

• single board 4-way SMP
• super-scaler 400mips aggregate
• shared L2-cache, 1meg or larger
• hardware SMP parallelism assists
• interleaved 500mbyte memory
• multiple Fibre Channel Standard full-duplex attachments
• I/O processing off-loaded and pipelined
• FCS-switch fully-meshed interconnect for inter-processor communication as well as I/O device attachment
• IO.INTensive = 520mbyte/400mips
. 3-4 1gbit FCS links (@200mbyte) per board
. for 25% IO.INTensive substitute quarter-speed FCS
• between one and 24-32 4-way SMP boards in a box
. 4-128 processors in a box
. 400 to 12,800 mips in a box
. SMP boards interconnected with FCS in LCMP-cluster
• one or more boxes in a LCMP-cluster
. FCS interconnect, I/O attachment and switches
• no-single-point-of-failure
• high-performance configurable intelligent RAID controllers

------------------------ 1Q94 Design Point

• single board 4-way SMP
• super-scaler 1000mips aggregate
• shared L2-cache, 4meg or larger
• hardware SMP parallelism assists
• interleaved 1gbyte SCI memory attachment
• between one and 24-32 4-way SMP boards in a box
. 4-128 processors in a box
. 1,000 to 32,000 mips in a box
. SMP boards using multiple 1gbyte SCI connections for n-way cache coherency across whole box
• multiple FCS full-duplex attachments
• FCS-switch for processor interconnect and device attachment
• IO.INTensive = 1.3gbyte/1000mip
. 7-8 1gbit FCS links (@200mbyte) per board
. some combination of 1gbyte SCI IO link and 1gbit FCS links
• LCMP-clusters created with two or more SMP boxes
. LCMP box boundaries for failure isolation.
. FCS interconnect, I/O attachment and switches
. SCI I/O attachment, switches, and rings
• long distance (2km & above) gbit FCS interconnect for geographically separated, disaster survivability operation


... snip ... top of post, old email index

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
Date: 14 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/mGd4j5

IBM divulges private cloud progress in an infographic; Summary: IBM eats its own dogfood, reports significant cost savings and more customer interactions with private cloud.
http://www.zdnet.com/ibm-divulges-private-cloud-progress-in-an-infographic-7000015386/

IBM System x M4 Servers Deliver Compelling Performance and Energy Efficiency
http://www.techrepublic.com/whitepapers/ibm-system-x-m4-servers-deliver-compelling-performance-and-energy-efficiency/32889141?promo=999516&cval=whitepapers

from above:
The M4 generation of IBM System x servers, featuring Intel E5-2600 processors, brings compelling benefits to datacenters, even where existing servers are a just few generations old. Processor technology has progressed rapidly in the last five years. Not only has the performance of processors improved dramatically, but energy efficiency has also made a sharp leap as well. What this means is that IT managers should reassess all of the servers they currently have in their datacenters. Older servers may be paid for, but they can also be quietly costing money through excessive energy usage, management complexity, downtime, and server sprawl. Don't let your precious IT dollars slip away.

... snip ...

One of the things sustaining the mainframe market is the enormous amount of activity related to financial settlement in the overnight batch window ... much of which dates back to the 60s ... and is mostly obsolete. In the 90s, there was billions spent on parallelization on killer macros for straight through settlement (issue was that globalization was increasing workload that could be done in the overnight batch window ... as well as shortening the length of the window); aka real-time transaction runs to completion rather than being queued for final completion in overnight batch settlement.

Unfortunately they were using some off-the-shelf technology that increased overhead by a factor of 100 compared to cobol batch ... totally swamping any anticipated throughput improvements with the killer micros ... and the efforts went down in flames. They hadn't bothered to do any speeds&feeds calculations ... and even when they were provided with the calculations ... they chose to ignore them.

Since that time there has been enormous amounts of throughput work on parallel RDBMS operations on non-mainframe platforms (100 systems or more) by all the RDBMS vendors (including IBM). Straight-through processing implemented on such platforms easily handle the current workload as well as any significant increases. Recent demos of such implementations were met with comments that many of the institutions still have executives bearing deep scars from the earlier efforts in the 90s ... and they are now extremely risk adverse (and such institutions wouldn't be trying again until new generation of executives come on board). This financial market segment can handle the million times mainframe processing cost multiplier (compared to technologies like e5-2600) before attempting a repeat of the 90s.

recent posts referencing straight through processing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#42 Professor Coffee Hits a Nerve at SEC
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#42 COBOL will outlive us all
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#84 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#57 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#6 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 09:44:40 -0400
"brad" <noise@comcast.net> writes:
ISTM there is plenty of credit to go around. Bush screwed us with his give-away to big pharma in Medicare Part D.

cbs 60mins segment on medicare partd identified 18 congressional members/staff (from majority party) responsible for getting it passed ... and afterwards all 18 had resigned and on drug industry payroll.

Story is Eisenhower goodby speech was warning about MICC ... but he then shortens to military-industrial complex. Equivalent is PRCC ... pharmaceutical-regulatory-congressional complex ... recent long-winded item on PRCC from yesterday
http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2013/05/15/ranbaxy-fraud-lipitor/

CBO in 2010 had report that (mostly after congress allowed fiscal responsibility act to expire in 2002, requiring spending match tax revenue, partd was first major spending legislation after allows fiscal responsibility act to expire), tax revenue was cut by $6T (compared to baseline which had all federal debt retired in 2010) and spending increased by $6T (compared to baseline) ... for a $12T budget gap. Another report had DOD budget increase was a little over $2T of that $6T increase ... A little over $1T for the two wars and another $1T+ couldn't show what it was used for (for years DOD has been given exemption to law requiring all federal agencies be able to pass a financial audit ... and when, if ever, DOD might be able to pass a financial audit continues to be pushed into the future). Besides DOD funds in the two wars ... other agencies have spent huge amounts in the two countries ... including references to possibly $16B in large pallets of shrink-wrapped $100 bills disappearing.

comptroller general in the middle of last decade would include in speeches that nobody in congress was capable of middle school arithmetic (for what they were doing to the budget) and that medicare part-d comes to be a long-term $40T unfunded mandate that totally swamps all other budget items.

The original justification for going into Iraq last decade included that it would cost $50B ... recent estimates has the price tag pushing $5T (including long-term veterans benefits) ... a 100 times increase.

The dirty politics in NCIS season finale
http://www.cbs.com/shows/ncis/

sure sounds a lot like "Classified Woman"
https://www.amazon.com/Classified-Woman-The-Sibel-Edmonds-ebook/dp/B007XY8INW/
and "Extreme Prejudice"
https://www.amazon.com/EXTREME-PREJUDICE-Terrifying-Patriot-ebook/dp/B004HYHBK2/

both by women caught up by duplicity surrounding 9/11.

wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibel_Edmonds
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Lindauer

recent posts mentioning part-d
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#56 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#94 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#97 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#20 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#89 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#16 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?

recent posts mentioning Iraq price-tag went up 100 times
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#84 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#48 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#54 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#59 The Madness of King George Revisited
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#89 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#32 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#50 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#51 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#53 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#56 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#64 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#68 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#83 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#65 Linear search vs. Binary search

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 10:25:50 -0400
Peter Flass <Peter_Flass@Yahoo.com> writes:
I've now read several books by American soldiers and marine who served there. Despite the losses, they uniformly say that what we were doing was worth while.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#51 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

my son-in-law 1st tour in iraq was fallujah 2004-2005 during the worst of the fighting there (daily foot patrols with lots of fire fights) ... which showed up in US press a bit.

his 2nd tour was 2007-2008 after the surge and all the press about things had gotten a lot better ... it was in Baqubah ... this account of that tour has it much worse than Fallujah "Battle for Baqubah: Killing Our Way Out"
https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Baqubah-Killing-Our-ebook/dp/B007VBBS9I
some also here:
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/index.php?option=com_content

accounts were that some drop-off in fighting was because of bribes/tributes payed to not fight ... but it picks back up after the bribes/tributes stop coming. with the final bill for Iraq looking to push $5T (100 times original claim) ... its not likely that the American taxpayer is going to continue providing the source of funds for those bribes/tributes (and lots of corruption and skimming by US corporations).

The Iraq War "Surge" Myth Returns
http://consortiumnews.com/2013/01/17/the-iraq-war-surge-myth-returns/

Yes, Iraq Is Unraveling
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/05/15/yes_iraq_is_unraveling

Iraq Reconstruction Cost U.S. $60 Billion, Left Behind Corruption And Waste
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/iraq-reconstruction_n_2819899.html
Learning From Iraq A Final Report From the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction
http://www.sigir.mil/learningfromiraq/index.html

Afghanistan: Key Oversight Issues
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-218SP

fro above:
The U.S. strategic goal for Afghanistan is to defeat and prevent the return of al Qaeda and its affiliates. Since fiscal year 2002, U.S. costs reported for U.S. military, U.S. diplomatic, and reconstruction and relief operations in Afghanistan have been over $500 billion. Given U.S. strategic goals and the level of U.S. resources expected to support Afghanistan in the future, GAO has identified a number of key issues for the 113th Congress to consider in developing oversight agendas and determining the way forward in Afghanistan. Significant oversight will be needed to help ensure visibility over the cost and progress of these efforts.

... snip ...

recent posts mentioning Baqubah:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#86 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#30 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#38 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#5 Lessons Learned from the Iraq War
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#79 As an IBM'er just like the Marines only a few good men and women make the cut,

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 12:08:03 -0400
Patrick Scheible <kkt@zipcon.net> writes:
We've been attacked! We must do something! Invading Iraq is something, therefore we must invade Iraq!

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#51 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#52 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

reports are that new administration started plans for iraq evasion as soon as it took office (some of the neocons even before) ... well before 9-11; misc. recent posts mentioning neocons and/or Team B
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#5 Lessons Learned from the Iraq War
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#20 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#49 What Makes bank regulation and insurance Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#54 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#56 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#76 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#5 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#7 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#30 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#53 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 13:47:22 -0400
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#51 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#52 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#53 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Eisenhower's goodbye speech was warning about the MICC, including the pentagon/airforce had tried to use claims about the "bomber gap" to justify 20% increase in DOD budget to build massive numbers of additional B52s. the important thing about U2 was Eisenhower was able to use cia u2 photo recon to debunk the MICC "bomber gap" claims.

roll forward and the newcons/team-b are trying to greatly inflate threat analysis supporting massive MICC spending. Colby, head of the CIA wouldn't go along; Ford dismisses him and replaces him with somebody that would go along (Bush1; claims that this is significant factor in trend getting cia analysis to conform with administration politics). later several of the necon/team-b members show up last decade in Bush2 administration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_B

from above:
In 1975, PFIAB members asked CIA Director William Colby to approve the initiative of producing comparative assessments of the Soviet threat. Colby refused, stating it was hard "to envisage how an ad hoc independent group of analysts could prepare a more thorough, comprehensive assessment of Soviet strategic capabilities than could the intelligence community."[11] Colby was removed from his position in the Halloween Massacre; Ford has stated that he, himself, made the decision alone,[12] but the historiography of the "Halloween Massacre" appears to support the allegations that Rumsfeld had successfully lobbied for this.[13]

... snip ...

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

banking fraud; regulation,bridges,streams

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: banking fraud; regulation,bridges,streams
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 14:20:48 -0400
hancock4 writes:
How were they able to access the bank accounts' main records in the database to change the withdrawal limits? Doesn't that require a bank employee to do it?

Are PINs stored in the magstripe? (I hope not!)


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#37 regulation,bridges,streams
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#38 regulation,bridges,streams

Yes, It's Possible To Steal $45M From ATMs Around The World In Just A Few Hours
http://consumerist.com/2013/05/10/yes-its-possible-to-steal-45m-from-atms-around-the-world-in-just-a-few-hours/

from above:
According to the authorities, hackers worked their way into bank databases and erased withdrawal limits on pre-paid debit cards and made up their own access codes. Then that data would be loaded onto any old plastic card with a magnetic stripe, even a hotel key card could work.

... snip ...

possibly substituting the same PIN for every card ... in feb. they got $40M in 10hrs with 36,000 transactions (avg. $1111/transaction) ... they possibly also have to deal with ATM per transaction limits.

Global network of hackers steals $45M from ATMs
http://www.newstimes.com/news/crime/article/Global-network-of-hackers-steals-45M-from-ATMs-4504719.php

from above:
The first federal study of ATM fraud was 30 years ago, when the use of computers in the financial community was growing rapidly. At the time, the Bureau of Justice Statistics found nationwide ATM bank loss from fraud ranged from $70 and $100 million a year.

... snip ...

random unrelated recent email referencing los gatos lab
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#email920722
in this post
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#49 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

and past posts mentioning ATM machine work at Los Gatos lab ... as well as during the early years the magstripe standard was also managed out of Los Gatos lab
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aadsm10.htm#bio6 biometrics
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aepay10.htm#5 I-P: WHY I LOVE BIOMETRICS BY DOROTHY E. DENNING
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002g.html#55 Multics hardware (was Re: "Soul of a New Machine" Computer?)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002m.html#45 Wanted: the SOUNDS of classic computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003k.html#3 Ping: Anne & Lynn Wheeler
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004p.html#25 IBM 3614 and 3624 ATM's
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004p.html#26 IBM 3614 and 3624 ATM's
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006q.html#5 Materiel and graft
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006r.html#9 Was FORTRAN buggy?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006u.html#40 New attacks on the financial PIN processing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006x.html#9 Plurals and language confusion
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006x.html#14 IBM ATM machines
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007l.html#47 My Dream PC -- Chip-Based
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007s.html#7 ATMs
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008s.html#25 Web Security hasn't moved since 1995
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009.html#37 Graphics on a Text-Only Display
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009e.html#6 ATMs At Risk
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009e.html#51 Mainframe Hall of Fame: 17 New Members Added
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009f.html#39 PIN Crackers Nab Holy Grail of Bank Card Security
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009g.html#25 New standard for encrypting card data in the works; backers include Heartland
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009h.html#44 Book on Poughkeepsie
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009h.html#55 Book on Poughkeepsie
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009i.html#71 Barclays ATMs hit by computer fault
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009i.html#75 IBM's 96 column punch card
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009j.html#1 Is it possible to have an alternative payment system without riding on the Card Network platforms?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009j.html#48 Replace the current antiquated credit card system
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009m.html#52 Online banking: Which bank is the most secure?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009m.html#65 European Banks Warned: Brace for Rise in Cash Machine Fraud
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009m.html#67 European Banks Warned: Brace for Rise in Cash Machine Fraud
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009m.html#74 ATMs by the Numbers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009q.html#78 70 Years of ATM Innovation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010d.html#7 "Unhackable" Infineon Chip Physically Cracked - PCWorld
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010d.html#21 Credit card data security: Who's responsible?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010f.html#27 Should the USA Implement EMV?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010f.html#61 Handling multicore CPUs; what the competition is thinking
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010h.html#76 Software that breaks computer hardware( was:IBM 029 service manual )
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010k.html#12 taking down the machine - z9 series
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010m.html#13 Is the ATM still the banking industry's single greatest innovation?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010m.html#52 Basic question about CPU instructions
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010n.html#59 Question: Why Has Debit Grown So Quickly?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010o.html#40 The Credit Card Criminals Are Getting Crafty
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010o.html#46 The Credit Card Criminals Are Getting Crafty
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010o.html#50 The Credit Card Criminals Are Getting Crafty
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010p.html#2 Fun with ATM Skimmers, Part III
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#11 Credit cards with a proximity wifi chip can be as safe as walking around with your credit card number on a poster
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#54 Credit cards with a proximity wifi chip can be as safe as walking around with your credit card number on a poster
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012g.html#51 Telephones--private networks, Independent companies?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012j.html#38 The Conceptual ATM program
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#1 IBM Mainframe (1980's) on You tube
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#17 "JP MORGAN SAW ITSELF AS ABOVE THE REGULATORS" Do you agree?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Adventures in parallelism: Celebrating 30 years of parallel computing at Argonne

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Adventures in parallelism: Celebrating 30 years of parallel computing at Argonne
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 14:57:40 -0400
Adventures in parallelism: Celebrating 30 years of parallel computing at Argonne
http://www.anl.gov/articles/adventures-parallelism-celebrating-30-years-parallel-computing-argonne

from above:
Again, Argonne was at the forefront. Building on its experience with parallel computing, the laboratory acquired an IBM SP -- the first scalable, parallel system to offer multiple levels of I/O capability (the speed to read and write data) essential for increasingly complex scientific applications

... snip ...

also in this Old Geek discussion
http://lnkd.in/33VPZk

SP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Scalable_POWERparallel

recent post mentioning above
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#6 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

reference to meeting early jan1992 in ellison's conference room on ha/cmp cluster scale-up
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/95.html#13
other email from period on cluster scale-up
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/lhwemail.html#medusa

within hrs of last email above, end of jan1992, cluster scale-up is transferred and we are told we can't work on anything with more than four processors (major motivation in decision to leave). it is then shortly announced as IBM supercomputer ... press item from 17feb1992 ... for scientific and technical ONLY
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001n.html#6000clusters1
then later press article 11May1992, company caught by SURPRISE
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001n.html#6000clusters2

misc. other recent posts on ha/cmp cluster scale-up
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#19 Where Does the Cloud Cover the Mainframe?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#29 Delay between idea and implementation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#32 Delay between idea and implementation
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#38 Reports: IBM may sell x86 server business to Lenovo
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#45 Reports: IBM may sell x86 server business to Lenovo
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#57 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#61 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#70 How internet can evolve
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#80 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#14 Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#22 What Makes code storage management so cool?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#23 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#40 The Vindication of Barb
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#41 A History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#49 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

banking fraud; regulation,bridges,streams

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: banking fraud; regulation,bridges,streams
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 22:13:47 -0400
"Simon Brown" <sb@kigfr.com> writes:
Not in the sense that the PIN can be obtained from the magstripe. All that's in the magstripe does is allow an offline ATM to validate the PIN.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#37 regulation,bridges,streams
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#38 regulation,bridges,streams
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#55 banking fraud; regulation,bridges,streams

3624
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3624

from above:
The IBM 3624 was a late 1970s second-generation automatic teller machine (ATM), a successor to the IBM 3614. Designed at the IBM Los Gatos lab, the IBM 3624, along with the later IBM 4732 model, was manufactured at IBM facilities in Charlotte, North Carolina and Havant, England until all operations were sold to Diebold, tied to the formation of the InterBold partnership between IBM and Diebold.

... and ...
One of the most lasting features introduced with the 3624 was the IBM 3624 PIN block format used in transmission of an encrypted personal identification number (PIN). The PIN functions, with an early commercial encryption using the DES algorithm, were implemented in two modules - BQKPERS and BQKCIPH - and their export controlled under the US export munitions rules.

... snip ...

recent mention of DES
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#31 The Vindication of Barb
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#42 The Vindication of Barb

Personal identification number
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_identification_number

from above:
IBM 3624 + offset

To allow user selectable PINs it is possible to store a PIN offset value. The offset is found by subtracting natural PIN from the customer selected PIN using modulo 10.[7] For example, if the natural PIN is 1234, and the user wishes to have a PIN of 2345, the offset is 1111.

The offset can be stored either on the card track data,[8] or in a database at the card issuer.

To validate the PIN, the issuing bank calculates the natural PIN as in the above method, then adds the offset and compares this value to the entered PIN.


... and ...
In 2002 two PhD students at Cambridge University, Piotr Zielinski and Mike Bond, discovered a security flaw in the PIN generation system of the IBM 3624, which was duplicated in most later hardware. Known as the decimalization table attack, the flaw would allow someone who has access to a bank's computer system to determine the PIN for an ATM card in an average of 15 guesses.

... snip ...

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 17 May 2013 10:19:24 -0400
Peter Flass <Peter_Flass@Yahoo.com> writes:
There was a long period before the war where he could have hopped on a plane, escaped to some country that wouldn't extradite him and enjoyed at least a large part of the hidden billions he had stashed away. I think we would have been happy enough to see him go that we wouldn't have pursued him too hard. He wanted power more than anything, in the end more than his life. It's sad, too, because he could have saved Iraq from a whole raft of problems.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#51 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#52 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#53 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#54 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

note that he was heavily supported by past administrations ... especially during the iraq/iran war ... and he apparently thot that he could go into kuwait with impunity.

one account has sat. photo recon showing iraq marshaling forces for the kuwait invasion, the white house was notified ... and the administration responded by saying that iraq wouldn't do any such thing and the analyst raising the alarm was discredited. it wasn't until the same analyst raised the alarm that forces were being marshaled on the saudi border that things got moving.

lots of the details of the US administration support for Iraq during the 80s were scheduled to be released in 2001 (under Presidential Records Act) ... then the new president signs an executive order keeping them classified
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#53 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?

other recent posts/threads mentioning Iraq
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#16 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#28 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#45 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#86 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#30 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#5 Lessons Learned from the Iraq War

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 17 May 2013 10:50:06 -0400
Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:
one account has sat. photo recon showing iraq marshaling forces for the kuwait invasion, the white house was notified ... and the administration responded by saying that iraq wouldn't do any such thing and the analyst raising the alarm was discredited. it wasn't until the same analyst raised the alarm that forces were being marshaled on the saudi border that things got moving.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#58 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

note that Boyd's Desert Storm plan had Iraqi army captured and disarmed ... but right at the end, they stopped and the Republican Guard was allowed to escape.

since then there has been various comments attributing the administration bowing to saudi pressure to let the Republican Guard escape.

since desert storm was more preemptive action to prevent invasion of saudi arabia ... that seems to be unlikely. it is much more likely that there are lots of interests in both saudi arabia and iraq ... and desert storm was more to keep them from battling each other.

misc. past posts & web references mentioning Boyd
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 17 May 2013 14:24:26 -0400
"Simon Brown" <sb@kigfr.com> writes:
We know they have not accomplished anything with the invasion of Afghanistan, whatever they claim.

recent from today:

Afghanistan For Real: This Is What Winning Looks Like -- Article, Full Length Movie Online, and Book
http://www.phibetaiota.net/2013/05/berto-jongman-afghanistan-for-real-this-is-what-winning-looks-like-article-full-length-movie-online-and-book/

references

This Is What Winning Looks Like -- My Afghanistan War Diary
http://www.vice.com/vice-news/this-is-what-winning-looks-like-full-length

from above:
The US and British forces are preparing to leave Afghanistan for good (officially, by the end of 2014), and my time in the country over the last six years has convinced me that our legacy will be the exact opposite of what Allen posits -- not a stable Afghanistan, but one at war with itself yet again. Here are a few encapsulated snapshots of what I've seen and what we're leaving behind.

... snip ...

and

The Definitive Account of the Afghanistan War
http://www.noworseenemy.com/

above includes review by Bing West, former US assistant SECDEF and author of "No True Glory" ... "A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah"
https://www.amazon.com/No-True-Glory-Frontline-ebook/dp/B0067A909E/

from above:
The Marines had planned to slip into Fallujah "as soft as fog." But after four American contractors were brutally murdered, President Bush ordered an attack on the city--against the advice of the Marines. The assault sparked a political firestorm, and the Marines were forced to withdraw amid controversy and confusion--only to be ordered a second time to take a city that had become an inferno of hate and the lair of the archterrorist al-Zarqawi.

... snip ...

a little (Fallujah) inter-service rivalry ... there were some Army references to fire fights that the Marines didn't stick around for.

I mention upthread, that despite various claims to the contrary ... things seem to get worse in Iraq ... this reference has 2007-2008 Baqubah worse than Fallujah
https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Baqubah-Killing-Our-ebook/dp/B007VBBS9I/

other past posts mentioning Baqubah:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012h.html#21 The Age of Unsatisfying Wars
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#2 Interesting News Article
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#8 Interesting News Article
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#64 Early use of the word "computer"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012l.html#54 Singer Cartons of Punch Cards
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012m.html#49 Cultural attitudes towards failure
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#86 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#30 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#38 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#5 Lessons Learned from the Iraq War
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#79 As an IBM'er just like the Marines only a few good men and women make the cut,

recent posts in this thread:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#51 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#52 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#53 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#54 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#58 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#59 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes a bridge Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes a bridge Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 17 May 2013 17:53:43 -0400
hancock4 writes:
But an awful lot of general fund resources have been used to pay for the construction, maintenance, and operation of major highways.

Don't forget highways require considerable public safety costs to deal with accidents, and those costs are almost always paid for general taxes, not road taxes.

Also, highway bonds are usually government backed and have low interest rates as opposed to private sector bonds.

When a road is expanded, the land used often comes off the tax base, forcing a tax hike. The benefits do not necessarily accrue to those paying the taxes, indeed, some may suffer losses from increased highway congestion.


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#48 What Makes a bridge Bizarre?

there was case in cal. where the public utility commission (PUC) authorized rate increase for PG&E .... part of it was to keep brush&trees cleared from power lines ... instead PG&E was diverting the funds to pay executive bonuses and not doing any brush and limb clearing. there was a brush fire that burned several bldgs. that started from powerline electric spark as a result of brush clearing ... and PG&E was held liable (since they had taken responsibility for the brush clearing with the petition for additional rate increase for the purpose).

except for get out jail free cards for public officials ... any traffic accidents & deaths as a result of diverting highway trust funds and resulting lack of road maintenance should subject the responsible parties to prosecution.

there have been cases the past couple years where some roads&highways have been privatized ... i wonder how they are treating legal liability for proper maintenance

when they were building the new 101 highway in south bay ... coyote valley citizens group convinced the state that it should only be four lanes for the ten miles through coyote valley; it was six lanes north of coyote valley in south san jose and six lanes south of coyote valley. The six->four going north in the morning was a horrendous choke point as was the four lane stretch all the way through coyote valley ... and it reversed in the evening going south. The coyote valley citizens committee had claimed that the six->four lanes would reduce the congestion through coyote valley ... but it had the exact opposite effect ... making congestion significantly worse. There was the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars aggregate loss by the additional commute time every day and additional tens of millions by the state when it finally got around to retrofitting the coyote valley section to six lanes (compared to what it would have been to make it six lanes to begin with). is anybody held responsible????

past posts mentioning highway 101 through coyote valley
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003i.html#25 TGV in the USA?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004c.html#31 Moribund TSO/E
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005.html#25 Network databases
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007e.html#34 Is computer history taught now?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#68 Historian predicts the end of 'science superpowers'
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009i.html#63 64 Cores -- IBM is showing a prototype already
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009n.html#16 Mainframe Hall of Fame: Three New Members Added
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011c.html#46 If IBM Hadn't Bet the Company
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012.html#84 Where are all the old tech workers?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#11 The PC industry is heading for collapse

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 17 May 2013 19:42:48 -0400
Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_B

from above:
In 1975, PFIAB members asked CIA Director William Colby to approve the initiative of producing comparative assessments of the Soviet threat. Colby refused, stating it was hard "to envisage how an ad hoc independent group of analysts could prepare a more thorough, comprehensive assessment of Soviet strategic capabilities than could the intelligence community."[11] Colby was removed from his position in the Halloween Massacre; Ford has stated that he, himself, made the decision alone,[12] but the historiography of the "Halloween Massacre" appears to support the allegations that Rumsfeld had successfully lobbied for this.[13]

... snip ...


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#54 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

recent article with picture of Rumsfield with Ford

On Afghanistan, Benghazi and Critics: Donald Rumsfeld's leadership ABCs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2013/05/15/on-afghanistan-benghazi-and-critics-donald-rumsfelds-leadership-abcs/

past post
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#53 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?

reference to 2001 executive order preventing release of presidential papers called for under Presidential records act ... and reference to US support of Iraq ... including video of Rumsfield with Saddam

United States support for Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_support_for_Iraq_during_the_Iran-Iraq_war

above includes:
Professor Noam Chomsky says the only country to have been granted the "privilege" of attacking a U.S. warship and getting away with it, other than Israel in 1967, is Saddam Hussein's Iraq.[43]

... snip ...

also references:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/index.htm

above has significant amount of information

post mentions warnings about massing forces for evasion of Kuwait being discredited
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#54 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

told in this book:

Long Strange Journey
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Strange-Journey-Intelligence-ebook/dp/B004NNV5H2

past posts referencing book:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012m.html#70 Long Strange Journey: An Intelligence Memoir
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#10 Jedi Knights
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#38 Jedi Knights
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#83 Protected: R.I.P. Containment
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012o.html#9 OT: Tax breaks to Oracle debated
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#78 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 10:05:35 -0400
Peter Flass <Peter_Flass@Yahoo.com> writes:
Sounds like Benghazi. I don't know why we bother having field agents when obviously the fat-assed bureaucrats in DC have a much better idea of what's "really" going on. They could just pull out their crystal balls and generate the intelligence.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#58 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#59 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#62 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

early on there was small number of reports that benghazi was a CIA location/operation ... only with the thinnest of state dept. cover.

U.S. officials: CIA ran Benghazi consulate
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/11/02/US-officials-CIA-ran-Benghazi-consulate/UPI-44771351839600/
The real scandal of Benghazi
http://mobile.seattletimes.com/story/today/2021007906/
Benghazi blunder: CIA opts for CYA
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/benghazi_blunder_cia_opts_for_cya_Keeszzytqnhl8I6iKXSJ3L

since then there is increasing references to benghazi was a cia station ... as well as the militerizing of the CIA ... decreasing focus on intelligence gathering and major spike in numbers of private army black operators

reference to benghazi the largest cia station in north africa
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/05/17/benghazi-petraeus-and-the-cia/

one could attribute the lack of awareness back in lots of washington (on what was going on in benghazi) to lots of secrecy, obfuscation and misdirection ... all part of cia station ... and lack of sufficient security part of trying to maintain that cover. the level of secrecy, obfuscation and misdirection then contributes to confusion in other agencies and most of washington. Subsequent inconsistencies ... then is cia trying to maintain some cover story ... when one after another is exposed being inconsistent with facts.

one could possibly explain decline in CIA back to replacing Colby with Bush1 ... increasingly forcing CIA intelligence to be inline with administration policies ... which would increasingly devalue real professional intelligence skills and promote party line conformity
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#54 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

CIA Loses Official Cover Site in Benghazi -- No Plan B + RECAP
http://www.phibetaiota.net/2012/09/mini-me-cia-loses-official-cover-site-in-benghazi-no-plan-b-recap/

from above:
CIA is incompetent at clandestine and covert operations. This has been known since at least 1992, but has only become more and more evident since 9/11. CIA is not only addicted to official cover as a simple bureaucratic solution totally at odds with its mission, it is demonstrably incapable of learning how to do non-official cover.

... snip ...

Its not clear then various factions aren't out to make political points by spinning Benghazi publicly ... when they knew that explanations would be inconsistent ... because hardly anybody was being told the real story ... but afterwards everybody is told to stay away from any implication that it was a CIA station.

Benghazi Attack disrupted Major CIA Operation: Attack allegedly directed against "CIA Operatives and Contractors"
http://www.globalresearch.ca/benghazi-attack-disrupted-major-cia-operation-attack-allegedly-directed-against-cia-operatives-and-contractors/5305935

the spectre of devaluing professional skills and firing people when they don't conform to some party line ... harkens back to Boyd's To Be or To Do:

"There are two career paths in front of you, and you have to choose which path you will follow. One path leads to promotions, titles, and positions of distinction.... The other path leads to doing things that are truly significant for the Air Force, but the rewards will quite often be a kick in the stomach because you may have to cross swords with the party line on occasion. You can't go down both paths, you have to choose. Do you want to be a man of distinction or do you want to do things that really influence the shape of the Air Force? To be or to do, that is the question." Colonel John R. Boyd, USAF 1927-1997

From the dedication of Boyd Hall, United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. 17 September 1999


... snip ...

lots of people tried to directly fire Boyd ... but frequently cooler heads would prevail because his contributions far outweighed problems with him not toeing some bureaucratic party line
http://radio-weblogs.com/0107127/stories/2002/12/23/genghisJohnChuckSpinneysBioOfJohnBoyd.html
and
http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1997-07/genghis-john

misc past posts and URLs referencing Boyd
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

A Fascinating History of JES2

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: A Fascinating History of JES2
Date: 18 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/YzVS6A

A Fascinating History of JES2
http://www.share.org/p/bl/et/blogid=9&blogaid=238

from above:
From the perspective of long time SHARE volunteer and JES expert Jack Schudel, I pass along this interesting and entertaining article from Jack about the history of JES2/3; the names, the color orange, songs and buttons at SCIDS, and of course, the pioneers.

... snip ...

At the univ. I installed HASP on MFT9.5 ... it cut elapsed time for student fortran jobs in half (still took longer than 709 ibsys tape-to-tape). recent long winded post in this "Old Geek" discussion
http://lnkd.in/n9V_df
also archived here
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#39

disclaimer: my wife served a stint in the early JES group ... she was catcher for ASP->JES3 and was co-author of JESUS design ... JES Unified System ... the best of JES2&JES3 that neither customer set could live w/o (for all sorts of reasons, JESUS never happened). she then went on to serve a stint in POK in charge of loosely-coupled architecture.

various archived posts mentioning HASP, JES, NJE/NJI, etc
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

JES History

From: lynn@GARLIC.COM (Anne & Lynn Wheeler)
Subject: Re: JES History
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ibm-main
Date: 18 May 2013 08:00:01 -0700
I took liberty of x-posting URL to (linkedin open) "Old Geeks"
http://lnkd.in/YzVS6A
and (linkeding closed) "IBM Historic Computing"

note that NJE/NJI ... used left over entries in the 255 entry psuedo unit record table to define network nodes ... typically around 160 ... however the internal network had relatively early exceeded 200 nodes ... forcing JES2 to purely boundary nodes (JES2 would trash traffic where the origin and/or the destination nodes didn't appear in its table).

fortunately the internal network was based on rscs/vnet which also had a very clean layered architecture ... as a result it was relatively trivial to implement a wide variety of drivers ... including ones that simulated NJE. This was used to great advantage in JES2 because the implementation had jumbled together job control fields and network layer field ... and JES2 systems at different release levels ... that talked directly to each other ... would frequently result in taking down/crashing the whole MVS system. It then became responsibility of internal VNET/RSCS to have a whole library of JES2 drivers ... and it became the responsibility of VNET/RSCS to start the JES2 driver ... talking directly to a JES2 system ... to convert all JES2 headers to the format exactly required by that specific JES2 system release (as countermeasure to different JES2 systems at different release levels constantly crashing each other). There is the infamous case of Hursley MVS systems crashing because of files arriving from San Jose MVS JES2 system ... and the local Hursley VNET/RSCS system being blamed ... because it wasn't correctly converting the header fields (as countermeasure to JES2 systems at different release levels crashing each other).

Prior to December 1976 ... VNET/RSCS wasn't going to be announced as product ... because it was in the wake of Future System failure and POK was in the process of convincing corporate to kill the vm370 product and transfer all the people to POK to work on MVS/XA. JES2 NJE wasn't going to be announced because it had to be charged for ... and requirement was customer charges times the forecast had to cover the costs ... and there was no customer forecast times any price that covered the JES2 NJE costs (company was still adapting to 23Jun69 unbundling announcement where non-kernel software was being charged for). A deal was then cut to make a joint JES2/NJE plus RSCS/VNET product announcement. RSCS/VNET total product costs was so small and the forecast was so large ... that it would have been possible to ship at $30/month and still meet all product pricing requirements. As a result, a joint product announcement at $600/month ... resulted in joint revenue that covered joint costs (in effect RSCS/VNET revenue was subsidizing the JES2/NJE product announce).

trivia: the internal network was larger than the arpanet/internet from just about the beginning until late 85 or early 86. by the time JES2/NJE got around to supporting 999 nodes, the internal network was over 1000 nodes and by the time JES2/NJE extended to 1999 node support, the internal network was over 2000 nodes.

misc. past posts mentioning internal network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet
misc. past posts mentioning Future System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys
misc. past posts mentioning HASP, JES2, NJE/NJI, etc
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#hasp

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 14:39:03 -0400
mausg writes:
Not mentioned much, the US retains one of the largest military bases in the world in Bagdad. The present Iraqi governemnt is Shia based, resented in the Sunni areas, (generlly the West and North). The oil industry is in the hands of multinationals, basically, the US with token outsiders. (One of the suspeccted reasons for the war was that Saddam was selling oil without using dollars).

According to some of Cheneys recent remarks, Dick was basically in charge, with GWB nodding agreement as Dick made plans)>(analogy with Ludendorff-Hindenburg in WW1). The elections were basically dodgy, former Baath(Saddam) members were not allowed to go fforward.


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#51 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#52 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#53 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#58 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#59 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#60 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Iraq, Destabilized Further by Syria, Update
http://www.phibetaiota.net/2013/05/nightwatch-iraq-destabilized-further-by-syria-update/

from above:
The momentum towards sectarian war in Iraq might have been stopped by political reforms that provided for more equitable power sharing with the Sunni political parties. The al Maliki government, instead, treated Sunni political protestors as terrorists and Baathists.

Now the time for compromise appears to have passed. One ripple effect of the fighting in Syria is that Sunni groups in Iraq have become emboldened to fight the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad.


... snip ...

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 20:05:35 -0400
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#63 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

It's Time To Discuss The Secret CIA Operation At The Heart Of The Benghazi Scandal
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-secret-cia-mission-in-benghazi-2013-5

above includes reference:

Analysis: CIA role in Benghazi underreported
http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/15/analysis-cia-role-in-benghazi-underreported/

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 08:45:41 -0400
jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> writes:
Were you running the OS you were developing when you were moving files? We did.

In our shop we didn't usually move a file. It was usually lots of files, like a whole OS' worth. It was easier and faster to move a disk pack which you have verified has all the files you need.


at CSC, I added to the process of building production cp67 system backup tape ... normally the 80x80 card image of the TXT (output of assembler) with BPS stand-alone loader was written to tape. This image could be booted and the first thing it did was write a (bootable) core image to disk.

Running this in virtual machine had more time and access to all the files ... so I just added to the process to append all the source (& utilities) that was used to create the TXT files for the bootable image. A new system build was also its own backup tape.

this was some of the old tape/files i lost when the Almaden datacenter had operational problem and randem tapes were being mounted as scratch (write) tapes. over the years I had copied selected of these tapes from 1600bpi to 6250bpi and then to 3480 cartridges. when Melinda was looking for the original cp67/cms multi-level source update ... i was able to pull it off one of these backup tapes (fortunately just prior to all the tapes being wiped out). some old email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#email850906b
in this post
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#48
and
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#email850906
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#email850908
in this post (which also discusses the Almaden datacenter operational problem)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#42

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 09:09:44 -0400
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#54 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#58 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#63 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

on of the current problems is that there is no Ike & CIA U2 ... or Colby to really debunk a lot of what is coming out of DOD.

DOD fighting over returning to 2007 budget level:

Tracking CINCellulite
http://nation.time.com/2013/05/17/tracking-cincellulite/

references GAO report:
http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/654638.pdf

recent article on moving to light-weight (& lower cost) SOF ... especially when there aren't any prospects of large military slug-fests on the horizon
http://armedforcesjournal.com/2013/05/13294727
army looking for a role in pivot to the pacific
http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.com/2013/05/pentagon-future-wars-will-be-dictated.html
other SFO article
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/05/sofic-2013/
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-rise-of-jsoc-in-dirty-wars-2013-4

ongoing attempts at debunking budget item that is projected to eventually reach trillion dollars and analysis that it will never meet any of its stated requirements
http://elpdefensenews.blogspot.com/2013/05/quick-leap-quickstep-quick-sand.html
http://elpdefensenews.blogspot.com/2013/05/little-of-what-navy-says-about-f-35-can.html
http://elpdefensenews.blogspot.com/2013/05/operationbovine-f-35-pr-tour-at-fort.html

even Stockman weighs in on MICC budget items

The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Deformation-Corruption-Capitalism-ebook/dp/B00B3M3UK6
pg693/14862-64:
As indicated earlier, the markers of irrational perpetuation of senseless military spending are everywhere: the DOD budget continues to modernize M1 battle tanks each year when there is no real need for most of the 9,000 ultra-lethal tracked machines we already have.

... snip ...

other recent posts mention tanks:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#5 Lessons Learned from the Iraq War
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#46 As an IBM'er just like the Marines only a few good men and women make the cut,
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#20 What Makes a bridge Bizarre?

and other recent posts mentioning Stockman:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#3 What Makes a thread about the European debt crisis Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#4 What Makes a thread about the European debt crisis Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#5 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#13 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#23 What Makes weapons control Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#30 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#36 Fed proposes annual assessments for large financial companies
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#48 How to Cut Megabanks Down to Size
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#49 As an IBM'er just like the Marines only a few good men and women make the cut,
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#63 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#5 SAS Deserting the MF?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

NCIS Season Finale

From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: NCIS Season Finale
Date: 20 May 2013
Blog: Google+
re:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/102794881687002297268/posts/FjPwVgfGKVr

The dirty politics in NCIS season finale
http://www.cbs.com/shows/ncis/
sure sounds a lot like "Classified Woman"
https://www.amazon.com/Classified-Woman-The-Sibel-Edmonds-ebook/dp/B007XY8INW/
and "Extreme Prejudice"
https://www.amazon.com/EXTREME-PREJUDICE-Terrifying-Patriot-ebook/dp/B004HYHBK2/
both by women caught up by duplicity surrounding 9/11.

recent article that also refers to "Classified Woman"

Why Was a Sunday Times Expose on an Al-Qaeda Leader's Ties to the the US Government Spiked? Al Qaeda: Enemy or Asset?
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/05/20/al-qaeda-enemy-or-asset/

past posts mentioning "Classified Woman" and/or "Extreme Prejudice"
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012d.html#57 Study Confirms The Government Produces The Buggiest Software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012e.html#70 Disruptive Thinkers: Defining the Problem
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012n.html#83 Protected: R.I.P. Containment
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#51 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

DEC and the Bell System?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: DEC and the Bell System?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 12:18:04 -0400
Peter Flass <Peter_Flass@Yahoo.com> writes:
The PDP-11 was introduced in 1970. The IBM Series/1 didn't come out until 1976 (according to Wikipedia). The Series/1 was a good box, but obviously too late for AT&T. Besides, although I haven't compared them in detail it's possible that IBM hobbled the Series/1 so as not to cut in to their mainframe business, or at least there might have been a perception of such.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#36 What Makes code storage management so cool?

mentions 1800, system/7 and series/1.

there is joke that the officially released system for series/1 was some number of old kingston os/360 MFT developers retiring to Boca and attempting to recreate MFT as RPS ... a heavy weight and very slow implementation

folklore is that summer physics grad. student at San Jose Research first did EDX
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Series/1

another major user of series/1 was one of the credit card financial networks.

after IBM bought ROLM ... ROLM did a large series/1 order (a full years manufacturing capacity) and series/1 became hard to come by.

i was getting funding for various parts of HSDT ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#hsdt

with T1 and faster speed links. None of the 37x5 boxes supported anything faster than 56kbit ... the last mainframe controller to even support T1 was the 2701 ... and customers were starting to have problems keeping the (in some cases 20+yr old) boxes in service

however, there was a special, custom series/1 "Zirpel" card done by FSD for gov. contracts. one of the strings for some of the HSDT funding ... was that I also be able to demo series/1 w/zirpel cards running at T1 ... which met that I had get some series/1 boxes.

it turns out that a former co-worker at IBM was then at ROLM running dataprocessing operations (and responsible for all the equipment orders) ... and I had to do a little horse-trading ... to get a couple of their series/1 allocation.

that activity was orthogonal to the later series/1 activity trying to turn out a series/1 ncp/vtam emulator (done by one of the baby bells) as a product. other recent references:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#57 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#58 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#61 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#43 IBM 7070 Question

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

DEC and the Bell System?

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: DEC and the Bell System?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:05 -0400
John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> writes:
You couldn't easily use the 1130 for realtime work. Its big brother the IBM 1800, which was program compatible and much faster and had better I/O was a fine realtime system but was very expensive.

One of the things that DEC did right was to make it easy to attach random stuff to their computers. The I/O buses were simple, and you could build interfaces from the same kinds of modules used to build the computers.


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#71 DEC and the Bell System?

random trivia ... a 360 channel attach 2250m1 controller & display was around $100k .... a 2250m4 was also around $100k ... a 2250/1130 combo.

univ. had 2250m1 attached to the 360/67 ... lincoln labs had done a 2250m1 library for cms. I took it and interfaced it to the cms editor ... so I could play with 2250

science center
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#545tech

and the person responsible for the internal network
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet

had ported spacewars from pdp1 to the 2250m4/1130 ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000b.html#67 oddly portable machines
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000g.html#24 A question for you old guys -- IBM 1130 information
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001b.html#71 Z/90, S/390, 370/ESA (slightly off topic)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001f.html#13 5-player Spacewar?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002i.html#20 6600 Console was Re: CDC6600 - just how powerful a machine was
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002j.html#22 Computer Terminal Design Over the Years
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002o.html#17 PLX
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002p.html#29 Vector display systems
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003m.html#14 Seven of Nine
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003o.html#10 IS CP/M an OS?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004d.html#45 who were the original fortran installations?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004f.html#32 Usenet invented 30 years ago by a Swede?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005e.html#64 Graphics on the IBM 2260?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005k.html#22 Where should the type information be?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005u.html#4 Fast action games on System/360+?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006e.html#28 MCTS
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006n.html#41 Tek 4010, info and prices
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008r.html#62 PC premiered 40 years ago to awed crowd
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010d.html#74 Adventure - Or Colossal Cave Adventure
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011g.html#45 My first mainframe experience
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011m.html#49 CMS load module format
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011n.html#9 Colossal Cave Adventure
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011o.html#21 The "IBM Displays" Memory Lane (Was: TSO SCREENSIZE)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012d.html#38 Invention of Email
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012f.html#6 Burroughs B5000, B5500, B6500 videos
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#77 Spacewar! on S/360

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 18:33:38 -0400
Deadliest attacks in Iraq since US troop pullout
http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/deadliest-attacks-in-iraq-since-us-troop-pullout-1.221725?utm_source=feedburner

other recent posts mentioning Iraq:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#16 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#28 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#45 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#86 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#30 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#38 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#40 How to Cut Megabanks Down to Size
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#44 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#48 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#49 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#59 The Madness of King George Revisited
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#80 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#89 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#93 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#5 Lessons Learned from the Iraq War
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#21 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#32 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#50 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#51 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#53 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#56 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#64 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#65 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#68 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#76 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#78 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#79 As an IBM'er just like the Marines only a few good men and women make the cut,
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#83 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#5 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#53 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#69 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#51 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#52 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#53 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#58 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#59 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#60 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#62 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#66 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 09:26:55 -0400
Dan Espen <despen@verizon.net> writes:
So a brutal Sunni (Saddam) took control, and killed, tortured, did whatever he wanted. But there was a general peace in the country except for a couple of wars Saddam started and a couple of uprisings.

supported by ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_support_for_Iraq_during_the_Iran-Iraq_war

from above:
On June 9, 1992, Ted Koppel reported on ABC's Nightline, "It is becoming increasingly clear that George Bush, operating largely behind the scenes throughout the 1980s, initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam's Iraq into the power it became",[5] and "Reagan/Bush administrations permitted -- and frequently encouraged -- the flow of money, agricultural credits, dual-use technology, chemicals, and weapons to Iraq."[6]

... snip ...

a lot of information on much of the above was to be released in 2001 under the "Presidential Records Act" until bush2 signed an "Executive Order" keeping it classifed ...
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#53 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?

getting more convoluted, some computer related playing role
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_OfficeVision
in
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Contra
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contras
several articles recently about Montt's conviction of genocide
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/05/21/rios-m21.html

from above:
It is also an open secret that the Rios Montt's regime was part of a string of puppet dictatorships, military and civilian, that carried out policies dictated by the US government, in this case, the administration of Ronald Reagan. With the overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship and the installation of a Sandinista government in neighboring Nicaragua, the bloodbaths multiplied. ... snip ...

other participants included Team B
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_B

from above:
In 1975, PFIAB members asked CIA Director William Colby to approve the initiative of producing comparative assessments of the Soviet threat. Colby refused, stating it was hard "to envisage how an ad hoc independent group of analysts could prepare a more thorough, comprehensive assessment of Soviet strategic capabilities than could the intelligence community."[11] Colby was removed from his position in the Halloween Massacre; Ford has stated that he, himself, made the decision alone,[12] but the historiography of the "Halloween Massacre" appears to support the allegations that Rumsfeld had successfully lobbied for this.[13]

... snip ...

Team B objective has been characterized as maximizing MICC funding & Perpetual War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_war

from above (including Boyd and many of his acolytes)
Some people, such as the following authors, have inferred, insinuated, or suggested that entering a state of perpetual war becomes progressively easier in a modern democratic republic, such as the United States, due to the development of a relationship network between people who wield political and economic power also owning capital in companies that financially profit from war, lobby for war, and influence public opinion of war through influence of Mass media outlets that control the presentation for the causes of war, the effects of war, and the Censorship of war: (1) "The Iron Triangle: Inside the Secret World of the Carlyle Group" (2004) by Dan Briody; (2) "The Pentagon Labyrinth: 10 Short Essays to Help You Through It" (2011) an anthology by nine authors who are Pierre M. Sprey, George Wilson[disambiguation needed], Franklin C. Spinney, Bruce I. Gudmundsson, Col. G. I. Wilson, Col. Chet Richards, Andrew Cockburn, Thomas Christie, and Winslow T. Wheeler; (3) "Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex" (2010), by William D. Hartung; ... ... snip ...

past posts & URLs referencing Boyd
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html

misc. recent posts mentioning Perpetual War &/or some of the above
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#26 Cultural attitudes towards failure
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#57 How to Cut Megabanks Down to Size
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#16 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#28 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#54 NBC's website hacked with malware
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#31 Bank Whistleblower Claims Retaliation And Wrongful Termination
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#54 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#5 Lessons Learned from the Iraq War
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#16 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#20 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#21 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#32 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#38 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#43 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#50 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#51 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#53 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#54 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#62 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#67 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#5 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#14 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#30 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#60 As an IBM'er just like the Marines only a few good men and women make the cut,

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 10:07:42 -0400
jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> writes:
We didn't do that. The collecting of files for each tape was the job of an entire group. they serviced all PDP-10 groups and were the go-between us and SDC. The group started with a software engineer running it. Over the years, it devolved into mostly wage class 2 thinking types. I finally proved that an engineer had to be involved in the planning of distribution. Release Engineering could do the work but the engineer was needed to decide what bits and how they should flow into Release Engineering and onto the distribution media. There finally was a requirement for a packaging plan for each major distribution.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#68 What Makes code storage management so cool?

at the time, I was the only one involved in producing production cp67 systems at the science center ... in addition for "release engineering" for internal datacenters ... and well as validation & regression testing. I've mentioned before various internal datacenters was moving to vm370, the internal cp67 datacenters started to drop off. it was also during this period that lots of 370 related stuff was suspended in favor of future system activity (I continued working on 360/370 during the period, even periodically ridiculing future system) ... misc. past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#futuresys

old email getting some part-time help from two BU co-op students in conversion from cp67 to vm370 ... and producing csc/vm for internal distribution:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006v.html#email731212
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#email750102
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#email750430

with csc on 4th flr and multics on 5th flr ... we would periodically kid each other. I've mentioned that it would be fair to compare the total number of multics installed with the total number of vm370 customer installs or even the total number of vm370 internal datacenters. However, I've compared that the total number of multics systems that ever existed in the history of the world ... were almost as many as the number of internal vm370 datacenters running my csc/vm.

after failure of FS there was mad rush to get stuff back into the 370 product pipelines ... which contributed to the official development group picking up various pieces of csc/vm for product distribution. it also contributed to deciding to release other parts of my csc/vm as the "resource manager" (separate kernel component and guinee pig for starting to price for kernel software) ... some past posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#fairshare

CSC was classified as part of the field ... and there was program that priced software products by field locations ... the developer(s) got the first month's rental of each sale (and some of CSC members had gotten revenue as part of shipping various software applications). A week or two before the release of the Resource Manager, CSC was reclassified as a hdqtrs location and members were no longer eligible for the program). The resource manager was priced at $895/month and almost immediately went to 1000 customers ($895,000) ... I even offered to forego my regular salary to be allowed to participate.

Standard vm370 product had monthly customer distribution release tape called "PLC" ... which had all integrated changes&fixes released that month (both executables and full source updates). They tried to get me to do a concurrent release of the resource manager ... integrated with the standard product "PLC". I convinced them that since I was the only person involved in the Resource Manager ... including doing extensive performance regression tests for every release (something that even the official development group didn't do) ... as well as having a lot of other responsibilities ... I couldn't turn out a Resource Manager PLC more than once every three months. Final regression before initial release of Resource Manager involved over 2000 automated tests that took over three months elapsed time to run. For incremental PLCs ... I would do a set of 100-200 tests. Misc. past posts mentioning automated benchmarks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#benchmark

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The Vindication of Barb

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: The Vindication of Barb
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 10:29:41 -0400
scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
As I understand it, fault tolerance was a huge design criteria in MVS and successors. Pre-condition/post-condition checking in most OS routines, a large amount of research into software fault tolerance techniques, et. alia.

I'm sure Lynn can elaborate.


"RAS" ... reliability, availability, serviceability

I could tell my engineering lab story ... some past posts getting to play disk engineer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#disk

After moving to SJR ... they let me wander around other locations in San Jose area. One of the places were disk engineering development and product tests ... bldgs. 14&15 across the street from SJR, bldg 28 ... recent sat. photos show bldgs14&15 still standing but bldg.28 is plowed under ... recent post with image URL
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#27 Old data storage or data base

at the time, they had several mainframes being scheduled 7x24 around the clock for stand-alone development testing. at one point they had tried running MVS for concurrent testing ... but found MVS had 15min MTBF in that environment (requiring manual re-ipl/reboot). I offered to rewrite I/O supervisor to be bullet-proof and never fail ... which greatly improved productivity since they now had on-demand, anytime, concurrent testing. I then did an internal document describing all the work ... and made the mistake of mentioning the MVS 15min MTBF ... which brought down the wrath of the MVS group on my head.

(I've characterized before that) the MVS group would have gotten me fired if they could have figured out how ... but they did try and make my life unpleasant ... including squashing a corporate award for the engineering work

for a little more topic drift ... recent mentioning doing 2000 benchmarks taking 3months elapsed time
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#75 What Makes code storage management so cool?

it was too rich even for IBM. nobody else went to that level of detail ... and it has become less & less so over the years.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 09:12:30 -0400
Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> writes:
I dunno about the USSR. That was after Lenin died. Trotsky did get killed eventually, though Trotsky's defeat by Stalin was gradual over a period of years.

re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#51 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#52 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#53 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#58 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#59 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#60 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#62 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#66 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#69 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#73 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#74 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

for other drift, "The Wars for Asia, 1911-1949" mentions that during ww2, 3/4s of german military resources went against USSR and 2/3rds of japanese military resources were on mainland china ... significantly reducing what the rest of the allies had to face.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#10 The Knowledge Economy Two Classes of Workers

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 09:36:39 -0400
Peter Flass <Peter_Flass@Yahoo.com> writes:
Sounds like the Scots and the Irish. Glorious defeats.

BBC had program on genocide by English ... in the case of the Scots ... those they didn't kill off were disposesed ... leaving immigration about the only option. it did juxtaposition tales about all the Scots volunteering for military service during WW1 ... with military service was nearly the only option left for those that didn't immigrate.

there are also references that after ww1, it was the English that developed the technique of airplanes straffing civilian populations in Iraq ... several online references to this 2003 WSJ article (search web for quotes if you don't have access)
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB104802384328857700,00.html

To suppress later rebellions by Iraq's Kurds, the British invented the technique of strafing civilian rebels from the air. As for Gen. Maude, he succumbed to cholera eight months after he reached Baghdad. ... snip ...

some number of history books reference that without all the Scottish immigrants influencing the American form of government ... the US would have a government that looked more like England (no bill-of-rights, etc). past references:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007o.html#51 EZPass: Yes, Big Brother IS Watching You!
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009e.html#72 The Watches Guy
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009m.html#53 August 7, 1944: today is the 65th Anniversary of the Birth of the Computer
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009n.html#9 Existence of early 360 software ( was Re: Continous Systems Modelling Packa
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009q.html#60 Did anybody ever build a Simon?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011l.html#13 Scotland, was Re: Solving the Floating-Point Goldilocks Problem!
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012c.html#22 You can't do the math without the words
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012f.html#2 Did they apply Boyd's concepts?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012f.html#84 How do you feel about the fact that India has more employees than US?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012h.html#15 Imbecilic Constitution
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#85 Naked emperors, holy cows and Libor
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012k.html#7 Is there a connection between your strategic and tactical assertions?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012l.html#13 Cultural attitudes towards failure
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012o.html#71 Is orientation always because what has been observed? What are your 'direct' experiences?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#21 What Makes weapons control Bizarre?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 09:46:29 -0400
jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> writes:
Wouldn't another person or group, who/ich didn't have an incentive of money, be more objective to do the tests and packaging for shipping?

Your procedures to get something sounds almost incestuous compared to the way we did things :-).


re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#75 What Makes code storage management so cool?

it was being shipped out of the science center ... 4th flr of 545 tech sq ... had less than 40people total.

also, as part of guinee pig for starting to charge for kernel software ... I had to spend a lot of time with legal & business people on kernel software charging policies.

note that standard organization was purely oriented to failure-like testing ... a lot of the benchmarking was verifying performance related characteristics. standard product organizations rarely did any detailed performance validation ... they were going to do the minimum necessary to get it out the door.

official development groups could have hundreds of people doing such thing ... but not on the 4th flr. the mechanics of duplicating material and documentation and actual keeping track of what customers had bought what ... and who needed to be shippped what ... was PID ... all I had to do was ship single copy to PID with appropriate identifier ... and they handled all the rest.

however, for the first year ... I was also 2nd & 3rd (etc) level support. customers reporting any problem with contact first level support ... but nearly everything on the resource manager would then be referred to me.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

'Big four' accountants 'use knowledge of Treasury to help rich avoid tax'

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: 'Big four' accountants 'use knowledge of Treasury to help rich avoid tax'
Date: 22 May 2013
Blog: Financial Crime Risk, Fraud and Security
'Big four' accountants 'use knowledge of Treasury to help rich avoid tax'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/apr/26/accountancy-firms-knowledge-treasury-avoid-tax

One issue would be if they knew beforehand that the legislation would result in loopholes ... either because they helped design the loopholes ... or they withheld knowledge that the legislation would result in loopholes (aka collusion). This is significantly different than uncovering the loopholes long after the fact.

In the US there is analysis of the benefit of flat-tax ... not because of any direct benefits of the flat-tax ... but it would result in reducing 72,000 page taxcode to 400 pages ... the claim is the current complexity of the taxcode costs 6% of GDP ... which would be recovered by going to simpler taxcode. However, the predictions are that this is unlikely to happen since by far the largest piles of money spread around capital hill tend to be related to tax matters and tax loopholes (contributing significantly to claims that congress is the most corrupt institution on earth).

"A desire to protect the oppressed"???? the more common scenario is that there is as much as $30T hidden offshore ... in large part of from extremely corrupt officials and executives plundering their countries.

£13tn hoard hidden from taxman by global elite -- Study estimates staggering size of offshore economy -- Private banks help wealthiest to move cash into havens
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jul/21/global-elite-tax-offshore-economy

Wealth doesn't trickle down -- it just floods offshore, research reveals' A far-reaching new study suggests a staggering $21tn in assets has been lost to global tax havens. If taxed, that could have been enough to put parts of Africa back on its feet -- and even solve the euro crisis
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jul/21/offshore-wealth-global-economy-tax-havens

question is how much of the attention on large internet companies is misdirection from other more egregious activity

David Cameron warns overseas territories on tax; Prime Minister David Cameron has urged British overseas territories to "get their house in order" and sign up to international treaties on tax.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22592662

for the fun of it .... Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free
https://www.amazon.com/Web-Debt-Shocking-Truth-System-ebook/dp/B0057IS4RQ/

spends quite a bit of time on reform of the monetary system can fund gov. operations w/o requiring income taxes.

that still leaves all the rest of fraud & manipulation that goes on by the too-big-to-fail ... like libor and nearly free license to money launder for terrorists and drug cartels

This goes along with the jokes about SEC fines that even when they are hundreds of millions (and repeated consent degrees that are violated time after time) ... that they are such a small percentage of the actual amounts involved ... they come to be viewed as small cost of doing business .... steal enough money and you never have to go to jail.

Supposedly Sarbanes-Oxley was passed based on the claim that it would prevent future ENRONs and WORLDCOMs ... and that both executives and auditors would do jail time for invalid public company financial filings. Possibly because even GAO didn't believe SEC was doing anything ... it started doing reports of fraudulent public company financial filings ... even showing increase after Sarbanes-Oxley (and nobody doing jail time). There was joke seen on the internet: "ENRON was dry run and worked so well that it has become institutionalized".

EU tax: Barroso urges full automatic exchange of data
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22599324

Tax evasion costs EU states 1tn euros ($1.3tn; £0.85tn) a year, more than was spent on healthcare in 2008.

... snip ...

above mentions ongoing senate hearings ... however big part of the claim that congress is the most corrupt institution on earth involves its sale of tax loopholes ... with another claim about the paying congress for tax loopholes has by far the largest ROI of all possible business investments. In the past couple years it would appear that congress has been paying attention to these articles along with seeing the enormous amount of money for businesses as a result of the loopholes ... that congress is trying to come up with a way of changing loopholes from a one time payment to re-occurring payment every year ... if possible even a percentage of the resulting windfall to businesses.

some of the commentary going on during the hearings was implying that the special interests paying for the loopholes (and in numerous cases actually drafting the wording for the loopholes) were totally unrelated to the special interests using the loopholes ... which seems in direct contradiction to the articles about businesses buying loopholes carries the highest ROI for any business investment.

a few years ago (I think) CBS(?) was covering an annual economic conference. part of the broadcast was a a group of economists sitting around discussing the benefits of flat-tax. they had two major points ... unrelated to any direct flat-tax benefits. one was that it would eliminate the selling of tax loop-holes, the major contributor to congress being considered the most corrupt institution on earth. another was tax loop-holes are the major contributor to tax code being enormously complex and 65,000 pages (at the time) ... dealing with complexity costing significant part of GDP; flat-tax would cut the code back to 400-500 pages, the simplification would gain a direct 3% in GDP and another 3% gain in GDP with decisions being based on business rather than tax-code. semi-humorously, they mentioned that the major entity lobbying against the elimination of tax loop-holes was Ireland.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Ireland feels the heat from Apple tax row

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Ireland feels the heat from Apple tax row
Date: 22 May 2013
Blog: Google+
re:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/102794881687002297268/posts/KYcjqEhGXMq

Ireland feels the heat from Apple tax row
http://news.yahoo.com/ireland-feels-heat-apple-tax-row-122525452.html

a few years ago (I think) CBS(?) was covering an annual economic conference. part of the broadcast was a a group of economists sitting around discussing the benefits of flat-tax. they had two major points ... unrelated to any direct flat-tax benefits. one was that it would eliminate the selling of tax loop-holes, the major contributor to congress being considered the most corrupt institution on earth. another was tax loop-holes are the major contributor to tax code being enormously complex and 65,000 pages (at the time) ... dealing with complexity costing significant part of GDP; flat-tax would cut the code back to 400-500 pages, the simplification would gain a direct 3% in GDP and another 3% gain in GDP with decisions being based on business rather than tax-code. semi-humorously, they mentioned that the major entity lobbying against the elimination of tax loop-holes was Ireland.

past posts referencing the flat-tax discussion:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009e.html#53 Are the "brightest minds in finance" finally onto something?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009h.html#20 China's yuan 'set to usurp US dollar' as world's reserve currency
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009i.html#13 64 Cores -- IBM is showing a prototype already
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010d.html#48 search engine history, was Happy DEC-10 Day
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010j.html#88 taking down the machine - z9 series
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010l.html#69 Who is Really to Blame for the Financial Crisis?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010m.html#73 Idiotic programming style edicts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010p.html#14 Rare Apple I computer sells for $216,000 in London
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010p.html#74 TCM's Moguls documentary series
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011.html#46 What do you think about fraud prevention in the governments?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011d.html#18 The first personal computer (PC)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011g.html#8 Is the magic and romance killed by Windows (and Linux)?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011i.html#20 Happy 100th Birthday, IBM!
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011k.html#4 Geithner, Bernanke have little in arsenal to fight new crisis
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011k.html#18 What Uncle Warren doesn't mention
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011k.html#73 Who was the Greatest IBM President and CEO of the last century
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011l.html#68 computer bootlaces
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#70 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#87 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#69 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#80 'Big four' accountants 'use knowledge of Treasury to help rich avoid tax'

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

Refed: **, - **
From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 23 May 2013 10:56:33 -0400
jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> writes:
The Iraqi war morphed into a civil war. Extremists are also taking over in the other countries which ousted their regime.

more like it was always there ... US press just spent more time reporting Iraqi war ... also public has very short memories ... doesn't even remember Iraq/Iran war ... with US providing major support to Iraq ... and then Iran/Contra affair ... basically selling weapons to both sides (and supporting genocide regimes in the western hemisphere).

recent posts
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#51 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#52 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#53 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#58 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#59 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#60 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#62 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#66 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#73 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#74 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#78 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes travel Bizarre?

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes travel Bizarre?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 23 May 2013 11:06:06 -0400
jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> writes:
I thought so, too. but there were news items about how companies found it to be cheaper than long-haul trucking. I don't hear as much about long-hauling as I used to when I was growing up.

Railroads were in troulbe during the 50s and 60s; maybe even the 70s.


penn-central diverting annual maintenance budget to large executive bonuses, etc

past posts mentioning first moving to boston area in 1970 and commuting via B&M ... commuter speed limit was 5mph in some areas and still had derailments (old timers on the train talked about when speed limit had been 70mph through the same area) ... track railroad ties you could stick your finger into ... there was area out around acton referred to as boxcar boneyard because of all the derailments and resulting debris just left there.
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002o.html#12 Home mainframes
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003i.html#41 TGV in the USA?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004e.html#7 OT Global warming
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005o.html#28 Penn Central RR computer system failure?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005o.html#29 Penn Central RR computer system failure?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005o.html#36 Penn Central RR computer system failure?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007p.html#14 Newsweek article--baby boomers and computers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009i.html#62 Urban transportation

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Metcalfe's Law: How Ethernet Beat IBM and Changed the World

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From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Metcalfe's Law: How Ethernet Beat IBM and Changed the World
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 24 May 2013 09:53:34 -0400
Metcalfe's Law: How Ethernet Beat IBM and Changed the World
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/netsp/metcalfes-law-how-ethernet-beat-ibm-and-changed-the-world.html

also these linkedin discussions:
http://lnkd.in/64yKEh
and
http://lnkd.in/xJrYGh

The (IBM) Dallas E&S center came out with publication comparing T/R and Ethernet .... conjecture they had used early 3mbit Ethernet before "listen before transmit" from early 70s compared to mid-80s 16mbit t/r (nearly 15yr time dislocation). At the time of the E&S publication ... Almaden new bldg which had been heavily wired with CAT4 for T/R ... saw higher aggregate LAN throughput and lower latency with 10mbit Ethernet (on the CAT4) than 16mbit T/R (aka effective 16mbit T/R aggregate throughput was less than half media throughput, in part because of the token passing latency)

Disclaimer: in late 70s, my wife was co-inventor on (IBM) token-passing patent.

IBM RS/6000 had a similar but different problem. For its precursor, PC/RT, the workstation division had done its own 4mbit T/R card (for PC/RT AT-bus). Corporate hdqtrs directed the workstation division that it had to use PC microchannel cards for the RS/6000 (microchannel bus, and couldn't do their own cards). The PC microchannel 16mbit T/R card design point was 300+ stations all sharing the same 16mbit bandwidth doing terminal emulation. As a result, the 16mbit T/R microchannel "per-card" throughput was less than the PC/RT 4mbit T/R card (this is separate issue from aggregate 16mbit T/R LAN being less than 10mbit Ethernet) ... making a PC/RT server with 4mbit T/R card faster than an RS/6000 server with a 16mbit T/R card (a non-IBM vendor 10mbit Ethernet microchannel card would be significantly faster than both the PC/RT 4mbit T/R card as well as the PC 16mbit T/R card)

Bob Metcalfe on Why Ethernet is Called Ethernet
http://www.internetnews.com/infra/bob-metcalfe-on-why-ethernet-is-called-ethernet.html
Ethernet turns 40 years old today- The Inquirer
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/feature/2269647/ethernet-turns-40-years-old-today
As Ethernet turns 40, some seek to take it to the cloud
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9239496/As_Ethernet_turns_40_some_seek_to_take_it_to_the_cloud
As Ethernet turns 40, some seek to take it to the cloud
http://www.infoworld.com/d/networking/ethernet-turns-40-some-seek-take-it-the-cloud-219243
Ethernet Turns 40
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/05/23/1654230/ethernet-turns-40
20 milestones in Ethernet's first 40 years; Reviewing the highlights of Ethernet's first four decades
http://akamai.infoworld.com/slideshow/102582/20-milestones-in-ethernets-first-40-years-219285
Terabit Ethernet Is in Your Future
http://www.eweek.com/networking/terabit-ethernet-is-in-your-future/

recent posts mentioning Metcalfe &/or Ethernet
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#7 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#31 Ethernet at 40: Its daddy reveals its turbulent youth
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#32 Ethernet at 40: Its daddy reveals its turbulent youth
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#33 Ethernet at 40: Its daddy reveals its turbulent youth
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#34 Ethernet at 40: Its daddy reveals its turbulent youth
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#40 Ethernet at 40: Its daddy reveals its turbulent youth
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#56 Dualcase vs monocase. Was: Article for the boss
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#59 Dualcase vs monocase. Was: Article for the boss
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#27 Ethernet at 40: Its daddy reveals its turbulent youth
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#83 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#33 IBM Spent A Million Dollars Renovating And Staffing Its Former CEO's Office
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#76 IBM Spent A Million Dollars Renovating And Staffing Its Former CEO's Office
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#45 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Old data storage or data base

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Old data storage or data base
Date: 25 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/n9V_df
and
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#16 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#23 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#24 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#27 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#39 Old data storage or data base

ISAM was 60s ... heavily used CKD architecture ... 60s trade-off of I/O resources against scarce processor capacity and processor memory ... structure could all be out on disk and data structure that was searched by convoluted channel program ... and even modifying the channel program on the fly during execution.

This was big problem for virtual machine CP67 ... since channel programs required real addresses ... when the virtual machine did SIO ... CP67 had to simulate it by decoding the virtual machine channel program and building a copy in real storage that substituted real addresses for virtual addresses. Some of the ISAM convoluted channel programs gave CP67 fits.

The move of the other os/360 operating systems to 370 virtual memory faced the same problems. OS/360 access methods executed in application space building necessary channel programs and then doing EXCP (svc0) to do the SIO for channel program execution. The initial move of MVT to virtual memory was OS/VS2 Release 1 (SVS ... single virtual storage). It was initially done on 360/67 with some code cribbed into the side of MVT to build a single 16mbyte virtual address space and a little bit of code to handle page interrupts and do page I/O. The majority of the MVT code changes was cribbing CP67's CCWTRANs into EXCP processing for the building of channel program copies.

By the mid-70s, the IO channel - processor resources trade-off was starting to invert and convoluted channel programs (and CKD) were becoming obsolete ... performance was much better with straight-forward channel programs built from data structures cached in processor memory. This is in addition to the heavy penalty that convoluted channel programs represented for EXCP processing creating copies of channel programs with real addresses for actual execution.

The CKD convoluted channel program architecture also placed a heavy performance penalty on channel processing ... since the 60s CKD architecture allowed a CCW to modify the immediate following CCW ... channel processing specification required purely serial, one-at-a-time CCW execution ... the following CCW couldn't even be fetched until the current CCW had finished processing. This resulted in lots of serialized latency delays between channel I/O processing having to wait until the previous CCW had finished execution before the next CCW could be fetched from processor memory.

Upthread I mention doing channel extender support in 1980, allowing IMS group being moved offsite and they being able to have local channel attached 3270 controllers (they found the standard product remote 3270 intolerable), this violated basic underlying channel program architecture ... since the complete channel program was preloaded to the remote location. It wouldn't work with any convoluted channel programs where a CCW would modify a following CCW (in the same channel program) ... since the change would show up in the processor memory but wouldn't show up in the copy that had been initially downloaded.

Having to support strict/serialized channel processing architecture for convoluted channel programs was one of the reasons that ESCON was already obsolete by the time it was released in the early 90s with ES/9000

part of the upthread mention in 1988 being asked to help LLNL standardize what becomes FCS ... was allowing a complete I/O request to be downloaded to the remote end concurrent with the initial I/O request start. That eliminated lots latency with back&forth processing for I/O request ... sending an I/O request initiation included everything to perform the I/O request at the remote end ... the dual simplex 1gbit/sec transfer then run asynchronously at full media transfer speed ... eliminating all of the end-to-end mainframe channel program protocol chatter latency. This was in place at the time 17mbyte/sec ESCON ships. Later FICON layers the channel program chatter latency penalty on top of native FCS ... significantly cutting throughput (compared to native FCS).

other recent posts mentioning ESCON:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#6 Is Microsoft becoming folklore?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#16 relative mainframe speeds, was What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#3 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#14 Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#41 A History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#44 What Makes code storage management so cool?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#45 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#49 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

How Wall Street Defanged Dodd-Frank

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From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: How Wall Street Defanged Dodd-Frank
Date: 25 May 2013
Blog: Financial Crime Risk, Fraud and Security
How Wall Street Defanged Dodd-Frank; Battalions of regulatory lawyers burrowed deep in the federal bureaucracy to foil reform.
http://www.thenation.com/article/174113/how-wall-street-defanged-dodd-frank

Josh Rosner on How Dodd Frank Institutionalizes Too Big to Fail
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/05/josh-rosner-on-how-dodd-frank-institutionalizes-too-big-to-fail.html

from above:
Rosner focuses on Articles I and II of Dodd Frank and describes how their plans to deal with resolving large firms has only made matters worse. It' s key to understand that these two sections are somewhat at odds with each other. Dodd Frank peculiarly provides for two ways to wind up systemically important firms. Title I says they should prepare for bankruptcy. They need to clean up how they are organized and make sure activities fit or can be mapped into legal entities and prepare living wills, which are plans for how they would wind themselves up. But confusingly, banks can also be "resolved" which is more like "rescued with a little pain inflicted on investors" under Title II. Title II provides for a second way to deal with stressed financial firms, which includes having the government provide what amounts to debtor-in-possession financing while the bank is restructured. This, sports fans, is what is otherwise known as a bailout.

... snip ...

Deja Vu on the Hill: Wall Street Lobbyists Roll Back Finance Reform, Again
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/deja-vu-on-the-hill-wall-street-lobbyists-roll-back-finance-reform-again-20130521
Bank Lobbyists Writing the Rules for Wall Street
http://www.pogo.org/blog/2013/05/bank-lobbyists-writing-the-rules-for-wall-street.html
Banks' Lobbyists Help in Drafting Financial Bills
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/banks-lobbyists-help-in-drafting-financial-bills/

Are Treasury and the Fed at Odds Over Big Banks? Treasury Secretary Lew keeps hands off as Wall Street giants grow larger.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/are-treasury-and-the-fed-at-odds-over-big-banks-20130524

from above:
But at his 2010 Senate confirmation hearing to become head of Office of Management and Budget, Lew also indicated that he didn't consider the deregulation of Wall Street to be a "proximate" cause of the financial crisis --an answer that put him at odds with his boss, who declared as a presidential candidate in 2008: "It's because of deregulation that Wall Street was able to engage in the kind of irresponsible actions that have caused this financial crisis."

... snip ...

Gretchen Morgenson on Why Banks Are Still Too Big To Fail
http://billmoyers.com/segment/gretchen-morgenson-on-why-banks-are-still-too-big-to-fail/

from above:
Dodd-Frank set up a system to unwind troubled institutions when they become troubled. But it requires regulators taking a really firm stand against large, politically-interconnected, and powerful companies ... I just think it's too easy to put the taxpayer on the hook and bail these people out

... snip ...

Most of the comments are that the regulators have been "captured" (along with lots of revolving doors, many of the regulators coming from the industry they are to regulate and/or heading to the industry). This also bleeds over into congress being considered the most corrupt institution on earth ... considering the leverage they have on the whole regulatory process.

In 2009, there was press about IRS going after 52,000 wealthy Americans involved in (illegal) tax evasion. In 2011, there was press that congress was cutting the IRS budget for investigating/prosecuting tax evasion (even though this was area where the amounts being recovered, hugely exceeded the cost of the recovery). And this is separate from the issue of congress selling tax loopholes making many forms of tax evasion legal.

a few years ago there was some TV coverage of an annual economic conference. part of the broadcast was economists discussing the benefits of flat-tax. they had two major points ... unrelated to any direct flat-tax benefits. one was that it would eliminate the selling of tax loop-holes, the major contributor to congress being considered the most corrupt institution on earth. another was tax loop-holes are the major contributor to tax code being enormously complex and dealing with complexity costing significant part of GDP; flat-tax simplification would gain a direct 3% in GDP and another 3% gain in GDP with decisions being based on business rather than tax-code. semi-humorously, they mentioned that major entity lobbying against the elimination of tax loop-holes was Ireland.

current public hearings aren't turning up anything new, conjecture is congress wants to reform special interest one time payments for tax loopholes to something more like annual payments to congress by special interests for the tax loopholes (even the simple fact of holding public hearings can significantly increase money flowing into congress).

past posts mentioning Dodd-Frank
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010m.html#62 Dodd-Frank Act Makes CEO-Worker Pay Gap Subject to Disclosure
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011f.html#86 Bank email archives thrown open in financial crash report
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011i.html#48 Happy 100th Birthday, IBM!
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011k.html#43 I don't work for IBM and I don't make promises I can't deliver on
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011o.html#83 The banking sector grew seven times faster than gross domestic product since the beginning of the financial crisis and Too-Big-to-Fail: Banks Get Bigger After Dodd-Frank
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011p.html#34 21st Century Management approach?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011p.html#63 21st Century Management approach?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#54 The New Age Bounty Hunger -- Showdown at the SEC Corral
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012c.html#5 Too big not to fail
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012c.html#39 Greek knife to Wall Street
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012c.html#54 PC industry is heading for more change
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012d.html#16 IBM cuts more than 1,000 U.S. Workers
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012e.html#86 CISPA legislation seen by many as SOPA 2.0
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012g.html#12 JPM LOSES $2 BILLION USD!
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012g.html#16 Psychology Of Fraud: Why Good People Do Bad Things
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012g.html#56 Why Hasn't The Government Prosecuted Anyone For The 2008 Financial recession?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012h.html#64 Monopoly/ Cartons of Punch Cards
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012l.html#48 The Payoff: Why Wall Street Always Wins
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#71 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#73 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#45 What Makes bank regulation and insurance Bizarre?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Old data storage or data base

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Old data storage or data base
Date: 25 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/n9V_df
and
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#16 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#23 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#24 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#27 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#39 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#85 Old data storage or data base

upthread mention getting tasked with supporting/debugging original CICS product beta-test library online catalog effort that was CICS/BDAM implementation. mid-90s we get to go into NIH national library of medicine ... was BDAM implementation with their own monitor. turns out two of the people that had done the original implementation (about the same time I was involved with the univ. library project as undergraduate) were still there.

Design was medical knowledge was indexed in 80 or so different categories (author, subject, topic, keywords, etc). Each index item had a record built from the BDAM record numbers of the corresponding articles. Boolean AND&ORs searches were done with merge and intersect of the article BDAM record numbers. NIH had already encountered problem with boolean search issues with massive number of things by the early 80s ... that the web search engines were going to start encountering in the late 90s.

Part of NLM was UMLS ... the (ontology and taxonomy) mesh & hierarchy of terms that was used to classify medical knowledge (each term would have a corresponding record of all the BDAM record numbers of the corresponding articles). By the early 80s, there was starting to be growing number of professional librarians skilled in searching NLM ... the holy grail was finding magic combination of terms that resulted in only few hundred items ... frequently searches were bi-model zero responses or hundreds of thousands of responses ... with only minor change in search swinging between the two extremes. The "Grateful Med" interface starting in the early 80s ... by default .... didn't return the actual responses ... just the number. "Grateful Med" was used to try a large number of query variations until there was a response that had greater than zero but less than thousands.

While the NLM BDAM design resulted in incredibly fast response to individual queries ... it was still very human intensive ... professional librarian taking 2-3days elapsed time to come up with useable search response.

...

also mid-90s ... we were brought in to large airline res system to look at 10 impossible things they couldn't do. ACP/TPF based ... still using disk lookup paradigm from the 60s ... however lots of master stuff was then being maintained on DB2 ... and ACP/TPF stuff periodically rebuilt from the DB2 version. Route finding was prebuilt database of most common origin/destination pairs. one of the problems was for all possible commercial flts in the world, the database size exploded beyond manageable limits.

I had just come off a project migrating an internal 50k statement vs/pascal VLSI layout from rs/6000 to other vendor platforms (IBM coming off going into the red was moving to COTS for lot of chip tools ... which included handing off some number of internal tools to commercial chip tool companies). It turns out that the complete OAG (all commercial flt segments for every airline in the world) could fit in processor memory (with a little work on information representation) ... and dynamically calculate the possible origin/destination flt possibilities in less pathlength than a TPF DBMS lookup. At the time, demonstrated that it was possible to handle the routes lookup for the whole world on ten rs/6000 590s by changing from DBMS paradigm to calculate paradigm. Ten yrs later it would fit on smartphone.

I had returned after a month with the new paradigm implementation. It turns out it wasn't what they actually wanted ... they had nearly thousand people supporting existing paradigm ... and the changed paradigm eliminated all of those positions. The new paradigm ran 100 times faster than the DBMS lookup. Also typical agent operation involved three different queries ... and was also able to collapse all three into a single query (by doing additional processing). The new single query then only ran ten times faster than any of the previous queries ... but only needed 1/3rd as many (also eliminating a lot of specialized agent skill in threading together the correct query sequence).

misc. past posts mentioning UMLS &/or NLM:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/94.html#26 Misc. more on bidirectional links
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001i.html#27 History of Microsoft Word (and wordprocessing in general)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001j.html#1 Off-topic everywhere [was: Re: thee and thou
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001m.html#51 Author seeks help - net in 1981
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002g.html#3 Why are Mainframe Computers really still in use at all?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002h.html#0 Search for Joseph A. Fisher VLSI Publication (1981)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002l.html#53 10 choices that were critical to the Net's success
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002o.html#45 XML, AI, Cyc, psych, and literature
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002o.html#50 XML, AI, Cyc, psych, and literature
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004e.html#53 c.d.theory glossary (repost)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004f.html#7 The Network Data Model, foundation for Relational Model
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004l.html#52 Specifying all biz rules in relational data
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004n.html#47 Shipwrecks
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004o.html#67 Relational vs network vs hierarchic databases
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004p.html#0 Relational vs network vs hierarchic databases
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005.html#23 Network databases
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005c.html#41 Oldest active information system
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005d.html#57 Thou shalt have no other gods before the ANSI C standard
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005j.html#45 Where should the type information be?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005j.html#47 Where should the type information be?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006e.html#34 CJ Date on Missing Information
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007l.html#27 John W. Backus, 82, Fortran developer, dies
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#80 Book: "Everyone Else Must Fail" --Larry Ellison and Oracle ???
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#6 Yet another squirrel question - Results (very very long post)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#74 Speculation ONLY
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009.html#44 Lawyers & programming (x-over from a.f.c discussion)
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009m.html#88 Continous Systems Modelling Package
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009o.html#38 U.S. house decommissions its last mainframe, saves $730,000
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009q.html#25 Old datasearches
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010e.html#9 Adventure - Or Colossal Cave Adventure
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010j.html#73 IBM 3670 Brokerage Communications System
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010o.html#10 Boyd & Beyond 2010, review at Zenpundit
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010o.html#39 Compressing the OODA-Loop - Removing the D (and maybe even an O)

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virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 26 May 2013 15:22:38 -0400
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz <spamtrap@library.lspace.org.invalid> writes:
Maybe DEC software couldn't provide error counts for an individual job, but IBM software can, at least in the OS/360 -> z/OS line. I don't recall what the DOS/360 -> z/VSE and CP-67 -> z/VM lines do.

cp67 didn't have real erep ... but starting with vm370 it did ... in fact various of the unix ports to mainframe ... field engineering mandated running under vm370 in order to have erep (hardware errors recording on behalf of the virtual machine) ... aka adding mainframe erep to unix port was several times larger effort than the straight-forward port.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

What Makes code storage management so cool?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: What Makes code storage management so cool?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 26 May 2013 15:25:38 -0400
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz <spamtrap@library.lspace.org.invalid> writes:
The IBM 7-track tape drives had CCW codes for controlling, e.g., parity, density. You couldn't sell a tape drive that wasn't compatible, so Potter had no real choice.

aka ... q&d port of the (internal) gcard ios3270 to html
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/gcard.html#21

from above:


I/O Command Codes Magnetic-Tape


+-----------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Write 01 | Sense 04 | | Write Tape Mark 1F | Request Track-in-Error 1B | | | Erase Gap 17 | | Read Forward 02 | | | Read Backward 0C | Mode Set 2 (9-track) | | | 800 BPI CB | | Backspace Block 27 | 1600 BPI C3 | | Backspace File 2F | 6250 BPI (3420) D3 | | Forward Space Block 37 | | | Forward Space File 3F | Sense Reserve (3420) F4 | | | Sense Release (3420) D4 | | Rewind 07 | | | Rewind Unload 0F | Loop Write-to-Read (3420) 8B | | | Set Diagnose (3420) 4B | | Data Secrity Erase (3420) 97 | Diagnostic Mode Set (3420) 0B | +-----------------------------------+------------------------------------+

Magnetic-Tape Density--Parity---DC----Trans---Cmd Mode-Set-1 200 odd on off 13 (7-Track) off off 33 on 3B even off off 23 on 2B

556 odd on off 53 off off 73 on 7B even off off 63 on 6B

800 odd on off 93 off off B3 on BB even off off A3 on AB Density--Parity---DC----Trans---Cmd
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

Experts: Network security deteriorating, privacy a lost cause

From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: Experts: Network security deteriorating, privacy a lost cause
Date: 27 May 2013
Blog: Information Security
Experts: Network security deteriorating, privacy a lost cause; One suggestion: 'Don't armor the sheep, hunt the wolves'
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/24/network_security_is_bad_and_its_going_to_get_worse/

...

This was the argument against auto safety, bumpers, safety glass, crush zones, head rests, seat belts, air bags, guard rails, etc. Part of the issue is that even with chicken coops and fences keeping the wolves out ... any of the chickens can actually morph to a wolf. The lack of security has been there all along ... it isn't that the security gets worse ... its that the exploits may get worse (and/or may be publicized)

...

The big news in data breaches is the ones involving financial transaction information repositories where the crooks can leverage the information for fraudulent financial transactions. We were tangentially involved in the (original) cal. data breach notification law. The issue is that security measures are normally taken in self interest ... the problem was that the entities having the breaches weren't at risk for the fraudulent financial transactions ... and therefor little or nothing was being done; it was hoped that publicity from the notifications might motivate breach countermeasures (as well as allow the individuals at risk for fraudulent financial transactions take action like closing their accounts).

Also, in the mid-90s we were invited to take part in the x9a10 financial standards working group which had been given the requirement to preserve the integrity of the financial infrastructure for *ALL* retail payments. We did detailed, end-to-end, threat and vulnerability studies (including the breach issues). As a result we developed some metaphors:

security-proportional-to-risk ... the value of the financial transaction information to the merchant is the profit from the transaction possibly a couple dollars (to the processor possibly only a few cents). The value of the transaction information to the crooks is the account balance/credit-limit. As a result the crooks can afford to outspend the defenders (merchants/processors) by a factor of a hundred times or more.

dual-use ... the information in transaction logs needs to be kept completely confidential and never divulged (as countermeasure to crooks using the information for fraudulent transactions). at the same time the information is required in dozen of business processes at millions of locations around the planet. We've commented that because the diametrically opposing requirements, the even if the planet were buried under miles of information hiding encryption ... it still wouldn't prevent/stop information leakage.

What x9a10 did was to author the x9.59 standard that slightly tweaked the paradigm and eliminated the dual-use characteristic ... crooks could no longer leverage previous transaction information for fraudulent financial transactions. It also eliminated the risk from breaches (as well as skimming & evesdropping attacks)... it didn't eliminate breachs (or skimming & evesdropping) ... but it eliminated the risk of crooks being able to use the information for fraudulent transactions (and therefor the motivation for crooks to perform such operations ... aka the information was no longer worth hundreds of times more to the crooks than the merchants or processors).

Businesses Trusted Despite Recent Data Breaches
http://www.cioinsight.com/security/slideshows/businesses-trusted-despite-recent-data-breaches/

... note that since the cal. state data breach notification legislation, many other states have passed similar legislation. At the federal level, in the same period, there have also been several data breach notification bills ... about evenly divided between those similar to the original cal. state legislation and those that would effectively eliminate any notification. (and preempt state requirements for notification).

as an aside ... long ago and far away, we had been brought in as consultants to small client/server startup that wanted to do payment transactions on servers ... they had also invented this technology called "SSL" they wanted to use; the result is now frequently called "electronic commerce". Now the major use of "SSL" in the world today is this earlier work we had done for "electronic commerce" .... to hide the transaction information (as countermeasure to crooks being able to use the information for fraudulent financial transactions). The x9.59 tweak to the paradigm ... eliminating the requirement to hide such transaction information ... then also eliminates the major use of "SSL" in the world today.

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

'Big four' accountants 'use knowledge of Treasury to help rich avoid tax'

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: 'Big four' accountants 'use knowledge of Treasury to help rich avoid tax'
Date: 27 May 2013
Blog: Financial Crime Risk, Fraud and Security
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#80 'Big four' accountants 'use knowledge of Treasury to help rich avoid tax'

GBP100bn lost in tax avoidance by individuals; People using tax havens have deprived governments worldwide of GBP100bn in revenue, enough to end extreme poverty twice over, according to new figures published today by Oxfam.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/tax/10071507/100bn-lost-in-tax-avoidance-by-individuals-Oxfam.html

Apple Has Been Dodging Taxes In Ireland For More Than 32 Years
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-avoiding-taxes-in-ireland-2013-5

from above:
The committee revealed that Apple's Irish companies, some of which are not tax resident in any jurisdiction, allowed the group to pay no tax on much of its overseas earnings in recent years.

... snip ...

misc past posts mentioning Ireland lobbying against elimination of (US) tax loopholes
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009i.html#13 64 Cores -- IBM is showing a prototype already
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009p.html#31 Opinions on the 'Unix Haters' Handbook
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010j.html#88 taking down the machine - z9 series
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010o.html#59 They always think we don't understand
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010p.html#14 Rare Apple I computer sells for $216,000 in London

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

A Matter of Mindset: Iraq

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: A Matter of Mindset: Iraq
Date: 27 May 2013
Blog: Facebook
re:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#16 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#28 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#86 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#30 A Matter of Mindset: Iraq

another article for the 10th anniv of Iraq Invastion: The Victory of the Noble Lie; The Neocons Won
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/03/29/the-neocons-won/

Tony Blair and Iraq: The damning evidence; Secret testimony to Chilcot Inquiry by British intelligence shows former PM 'accepted Libya was a bigger threat'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tony-blair-and-iraq-the-damning-evidence-8563133.html

In "Prophets of War" ... one of the scenarios MICC had to maintain quarterly profits after the fall of Soviet Union, was expanding NATO to include former Soviet block countries ... requiring them to buy compatible arms (from US weapon merchants) underwritten by USAID. In one of the rounds of NATO expansion, candidate countries were told that it would boost their case (to join NATO) if they voted in the UN for the Invasion of Iraq

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2003 to 2005 (Thomas E. Ricks)
https://www.amazon.com/Fiasco-American-Military-Adventure-ebook/dp/B004IATD6U/

Talks about overlap with the players between Desert Storm and the last decade ... however, he doesn't talk about the same players going back to Team B ... Colby being replaced with Bush1 in the mid-70s ... because the CIA wouldn't get in line with the MICC analysis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_B
Eisenhower was able to debunk MICC claims with CIA U2 photo recon. The Colby firing was getting CIA inline with MICC. He also doesn't talk about Team B supporting Iraq in Iran/Iraq war
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_support_for_Iraq_during_the_Iran-Iraq_war
Then it turns out that US is arms merchant to both sides
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Contra_affair
lots of details were to be released in 2001 under the Presidential Records Act when the new president signs executive order keeping them classified.
http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/president-who-eviscerated-presidential-records-act-relying-on-his-presidential-library-to-boost-his-legacy

other recent posts mentioning Team B:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#5 Lessons Learned from the Iraq War
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#20 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#54 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#56 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#76 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#7 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#30 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#53 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#53 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#74 What Makes collecting sales taxes Bizarre?

--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970

The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

Refed: **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **, - **
From: lynn@garlic.com
Subject: The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
Date: 27 May 2013
Blog: Old Geek
re:
http://lnkd.in/mGd4j5

A big issue in the processor rate increase is that when the latency to main memory (cache miss) is expressed in terms of processor cycles .... it is on the same order of magnitude as 1960s latency access to disk (when measured in number of 360 processor cycles).

For decades RISC processors have had big performance advantage over x86 because RISC processors had pioneered out-of-order and speculative execution as compensation for the increasing "penalty" for accessing memory (cache miss when measured in number of processor cycles) ... aka effectively trying to treat instructions as independent tasks and allowing them to execute concurrently (slightly analogous to 1960s CICS tasking).

Another technique is hyperthreading ... having the execution units feed from two (or more) different instruction streams. Disclaimer, I was actually involved in something similar for the 370/195 (in the mid-70s ... that never shipped to customers) Basically simulating two processor machine and having two independent instruction streams feeding common set of execution units. The issue was that the peak processing of the 195 pipeline was rarely achieved, most codes running at half 195 peak ... having two such instructions streams had better chance of keeping execution units fully occupied.

Note however, the past several generations of x86 server chips have moved to RISC cores with hardware layer that translates x86 instructions into RISC micro-operations ... largely mitigating the performance advantage that RISC processors have had over x86 server chips. Part of this degree of innovation has been attributable to competition between multiple vendors producing x86 chips.

Even the last two generations of mainframe have done something similar ... much of the performance increase from z10 to z196 and then from z196 to ec12 has been attributable to increasing adoption of risc-like out-of-order execution, branch prediction and speculative execution.
z10, 64 processors, 30BIPS, 469MIPS/proc
z196, 80 processors, 50BIPS, 624MIPS/proc (33% increase)
ec12, 101 processors, 75BIPS, 743MIPS/proc (20% increase)


by comparison x86 server chip blade (2chip, 8core/chip)
e5-2600, 16 processors (32 threads), 527BIPS, 33BIPS/proc

recent articles are the next x86 server chip generation (that is about to be released) will double the per processor performance (100% increase) or 66BIPS/proc ... as well as 10-12 cores per chip. A two chip might have 24cores (instead of 16) and 1584BIPS rating ... and rumored four chip might have 48cores and a 3168BIPS rating (3168BIPS would be the equivalent of forty-two 101 processor ec12 at 75BIPS & 743MIPS/proc).

past posts in thread:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#57 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#58 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#61 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#63 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#69 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#72 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#73 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#74 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#78 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#80 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#6 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#12 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#21 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#43 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#45 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#50 The cloud is killing traditional hardware and software

other recent posts mentioning e5-2600:
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#10 From build to buy: American Airlines changes modernization course midflight
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#16 From build to buy: American Airlines changes modernization course midflight
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013.html#17 Still think the mainframe is going away soon: Think again. IBM mainframe computer sales are 4% of IBM's revenue; with software, services, and storage it's 25%
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#5 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#6 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#7 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#8 mainframe "selling" points
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#10 FW: mainframe "selling" points -- Start up Costs
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013b.html#15 A Private life?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#59 Why Intel can't retire X86
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#60 Why Intel can't retire X86
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#63 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#68 relative mainframe speeds, was What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#84 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013c.html#88 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#5 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013d.html#16 relative mainframe speeds, was What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013e.html#4 Oracle To IBM: Your 'Customers Are Being Wildly Overcharged'
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#35 Reports: IBM may sell x86 server business to Lenovo
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#37 Where Does the Cloud Cover the Mainframe?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#38 Reports: IBM may sell x86 server business to Lenovo
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#51 Reports: IBM may sell x86 server business to Lenovo
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#64 What Makes an Architecture Bizarre?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013f.html#70 How internet can evolve
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#2 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#4 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#5 SAS Deserting the MF?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#7 SAS Deserting the MF?
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#14 Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 50-Pound Portable PC, 1977
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#23 Old data storage or data base
https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.html#49 A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

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virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970



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