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HammockTree
Contents
uPDT Technical Information
zPDT Compared to ...
zPDT References
FLEX-ES Information
P/390 Information
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zPDT (System z Programmers Development Tool) is the latest software based System z environment.
It has been developed by IBM and was
used for three years internally before IBM decided to make it available for use outside IBM.
HITS has more experience with zPDT than any other organizaiton outside of IBM. We helped IBM write the first
zPDT Redbooks and continue to work closely with IBM as the use of zPDT expands.
- Current zPDT Availability:
The zPDT is currently only available to approved members of IBM's "PartnerWorld for Developers" (PWD) program. It
is for development use only by companies developing software to be sold commercially and run on System z operating systems.
This will include many companies that previously used FLEX-ES based systems obtained through the PWD program.
- Teamed up with Information Technology Company (ITC):
To bring the best possible zPDT based product to market HITS has teamed with ITC,
a northern Virginia based company.
ITC has a strong background in bringing systems to the IT marketplace and was chosen by IBM to be the
focal point for introducing this technology. Stan King, Principal Executive of ITC, is committed to
providing the best possible systems to our clients. For more information about ITC, check the
ITC home page.
- zPDT becomes the uPDT
We have teamed up to bring developers the best possible zPDT based systems. They are so good that
we have named them the "Ultimate Programmers Development Tool", or uPDT.
We optimized the configuration through years of experience and testing to provide the best combination
of performance and function possible. Then we added tools to make the use and administration of
the systems easier. All of this is backed up by technical support from people with many years of
System z expertise and lots of experience with the zPDT software. For more information on specific
uPDT systems, see the ITC zPDT page.
- zPDT White Paper :
I wrote a "White Paper describing zPDT and comparing it to the other "Emulation based" systems
(primarily FLEX-ES and Hercules). It may be especially useful for anyone with experience in these
other systems.
See the zPDT Comparison Whitepaper.
- Performance & Capacity
Everyone wants to know the numbers; what will it do? Although performance testing has been
limited so far, we can provide some general information. We are using IBM System X 3500 Model 2
servers equipped with the Intel 55xx series processors for the standard workstations and the
Lenovo Thinkpad W500 for the mobile systems. These are among the very limited number of systems
recommended by IBM. Initial tests have indicated a range of about 85 MIPS to 130 MIPS per System Z
processor, depending on the speed of the Intel processor. Users can select licenses to enable up to
three System z processors per physical machine. A fully configured server based system should easily exceed
300 MIPS total capacity. Of course the processor is not the only component of performance or capacity.
The disk subsystem is fully RAID-5 protected (with a hot spare) using either 7200 RPM SATA disks
or 10,000 RPM SAS disks connected through a RAID controller with a 512 MB battery protected cache.
Standard configurations include about 1 TB of disk space (more than 300 3390-3 volumes).
The standard systems provide either 7 or 11 GB of memory available to System Z and more can be configured.
These systems provide a complete and capable development platform for all System Z developers.
- Getting through the "Paperwork"
Anyone familiar with IBM programs, such as PWD, understands there will be lots of paperwork required.
There are profiles to fill out, agreements to sign, licenses to accept and if something is not
right, you start all over again. ITC has helped numerous other developers through this same
process and we can help you. We know the steps and will help you get through the process with a
minimum of time, effort, and frustration.
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