This IBM® Redbooks® publication introduces the IBM z13™. IBM z13 delivers a data and transaction system reinvented as a system of insight for digital business. IBM z Systems™ leadership is extended with these features:

This Redbooks publication can help you become familiar with the z Systems platform, and understand how the platform can help integrate data, transactions, and insight for faster and more accurate business decisions.

This book explains how, with innovations and traditional strengths, IBM z13 can play an essential role in today’s IT environments, and satisfy the demands for cloud deployments, analytics, mobile, and social applications in a trustful, reliable, and secure environment with operations that lessen business risk.

This book was produced by a team of specialists from around the world working at the International Technical Support Organization (ITSO), Poughkeepsie Center.

Octavian Lascu is a Senior IT Consultant for IBM Romania with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in designing and supporting complex IT infrastructure environments (systems, storage, and networking), including high availability and disaster recovery solutions and high-performance computing deployments. He has developed and taught over 50 workshops for technical audiences around the world. He has authored several IBM Redbooks and Redpapers™ publications.

Erik Bakker is a Certified Senior IT Specialist working for IBM Server and Technology Group in the Netherlands. During the past 28 years he has worked in various roles within IBM and with a large number of mainframe customers. For many years he worked for IBM Global Technology Services® as a systems programmer, providing implementation and consultancy services at many customer sites. He currently provides pre-sales z Systems technical consultancy in support of large and small z Systems customers. His areas of expertise include IBM Parallel Sysplex®, z/OS®, and z Systems.

Hans-Peter Eckam is a Support Center Specialist in the IBM Hardware Support Center in Mainz, Germany. Hans-Peter joined IBM in 1986 and has over 25 years of experience supporting z Systems clients. His areas of expertise include z Systems, Sysplex Timer, Server Time Protocol, and connectivity such as ESCON, IBM FICON®, and InfiniBand.

Parwez Hamid has been an Executive IT Consultant with the IBM Server and Technology Group and a Technical Staff member of the IBM UK Technical Council. During the past 39 years, he has worked in various IT roles within IBM. Since 1988, he has worked with many IBM mainframe clients, mainly introducing new technology. Currently, he is a Consultant for IBM z Systems in Poughkeepsie and provides technical support for the IBM z Systems hardware product portfolio. Parwez continues to co-author Redbooks publications and he prepares technical material for the worldwide announcement of z Systems servers. Parwez works closely with z Systems product development in Poughkeepsie, and provides input and feedback for future product plans. Parwez teaches and presents at numerous IBM user group and internal conferences and teaches at ITSO workshops.

Rakesh Krishnakumar is an IBM Certified IT Specialist and PMP Certified Project Manager working with IBM India for the past six years. He has served multiple roles including z Systems Software Services Delivery Manager and Lab Manager for Linux on z Systems development and certification. Currently he is performing the role of Architect/Customer Advocate for Linux on z Systems clients in the Asia pacific region. Rakesh has over 18 years of z Systems experience.

Steven LaFalce started his career at IBM in 2002 working on design, testing, and qualification of z Systems memory subsystems. He later joined z Systems Hardware Product Engineering working on the central electronic complex subsystem. In his current role, he is working in z Systems Field Technical Enablement on hardware innovation projects.

Lourenço Luitgards Moura Neto is z/OS System Programmer. He manages the System Programmers team at Banco do Brasil, a government bank in Brazil. He has more than 12 years of experience in mainframe systems. He holds an engineering degree in automation and control from Brasília University. His areas of expertise include IBM Parallel Sysplex, z Systems hardware, z/OS availability, and z/OS performance.

Mauricio Andozia Nogueira is a System Programmer at Banco do Brasil, a government owned bank in Brazil. He has seven years of experience in mainframe systems, including SAN, data center connectivity, and hardware configuration. He holds a degree in Computer Science from Marília University (Unimar). His areas of expertise include mainframe hardware configuration and storage director architecture and implementation.

Frank Packheiser is a Senior IT Specialist at the IBM Field Technical Sales Support office in Germany. He has 25 years of experience in IBM z Systems, IBM zEnterprise®, IBM zSeries, and predecessor mainframe servers. He has worked for 10 years for the IBM education center in Germany, developing and providing professional training. He also provides professional services to z Systems and mainframe clients. In 2008 and 2009, he supported clients in Middle East/North Africa (MENA) as a z Systems IT Architect. Besides co-authoring several Redbooks publications since 1999, he has been an official ITSO presenter at ITSO workshops for the last four years.

Ewerson Palacio is an IBM Distinguished Engineer and a Certified Consulting IT Specialist for Large Systems in Brazil. He has more than 40 years of experience in IBM large systems. Ewerson holds a Computer Science degree from Sao Paulo University. His areas of expertise include z Systems client technical support, mainframe architecture, infrastructure implementation, and design. He is an ITSO z Systems hardware official speaker, who has presented technical ITSO seminars, workshops, and private sessions to IBM clients, IBM IT Architects, IBM IT Specialists, and IBM Business Partners around the globe. He has also been a z Systems Hardware Top Gun training designer, developer, and instructor for the last generations of the IBM high-end servers. Ewerson leads the Mainframe Specialty Services Area (MF-SSA), which is part of GTS Delivery, Technology and Engineering (DT&E). He is a member of the IBM Academy of Technology.

Giancarlo Rodolfi is an IBM z Systems Technical Sales Specialist in Brazil. He has over 25 years of experience in the z Systems field. He has written extensively about the z/OS Communication Server, security, and z/OS.

André Spahni is a Senior Support Center Representative working for IBM Global Technology Services in Switzerland. He has 13 years of experience working with and supporting z Systems clients. André has worked for the Technical Support Competence Center (TSCC) Hardware FE z Systems for Switzerland, Germany, and Austria since 2008. His areas of expertise include z Systems hardware, Parallel Sysplex, and connectivity.

Thanks to the following people for their contributions to this project:

William G. White
International Technical Support Organization, Poughkeepsie Center

Ellen Carbarnes, Gregory Daynes, John Eells, Darelle Gent, Garth Godfrey, Diana Henderson, Daniel Jacobs, Bill Ogden
IBM Poughkeepsie

Bill Bitner, Leslie Geer III, Christine Smith, Amanda Stapels, Romney White
IBM Endicott

Amy Tobenkin
IBM White Plains

Utz Bacher, Dr. Reinhard Buendgen, Monika Zimmermann, Uwe Zumpe
IBM Germany

Dwayne Moore
IBM Canada

Seth Adutwum
IBM Burlingame

Here’s an opportunity to spotlight your skills, grow your career, and become a published author—all at the same time! Join an ITSO residency project and help write a book in your area of expertise, while honing your experience using leading-edge technologies. Your efforts will help to increase product acceptance and customer satisfaction, as you expand your network of technical contacts and relationships. Residencies run from two to six weeks in length, and you can participate either in person or as a remote resident working from your home base.

Find out more about the residency program, browse the residency index, and apply online at:

Your comments are important to us!

We want our books to be as helpful as possible. Send us your comments about this book or other IBM Redbooks publications in one of the following ways:

IBM Corporation, International Technical Support Organization
Dept. HYTD Mail Station P099
2455 South Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601-5400