[colug-432] VM and Linux Workshop

[Rick Troth]

friends --

Virtualization is all the rage now, but once upon a time
it was a quirky geeky thing few knew about.  In those days,
there was the VM Workshop.  Longer story at end of this note,
but here is a link for those interested.  It's in Columbus.

	http://www.vmworkshop.org/
	 -or-
	http://www.velocitysoftware.com/vmwork.html

A lot of the VMers I know are also on Facebook.
Facebook ... meh ... but still, using it as a tool ...

	http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206326779388565

(I did not set up the FB group or event and I can only presume
since it is "public" that you can view it w/o an FB ID.  Good luck.)

This is a resurrection of the former annual event.
But in the 21st century Linux is a major part of the game.
And it's being held at OSU!  So I thought I should mention it here.
If you can attend, please do!

*** background and details ***

About the workshop ... in the 90s and late 80s, it was essentially
an international UG, with attitude.  It was sometimes described as
"200 systems programmers without adult supervision".  Smaller than
Ohio Linux Fest, usually hosted at a university (where dorm housing
is waaay cheaper than hotels).  There were NO vendors.

About VM ... the system is now known as z/VM and yeah,
it's the mainframe critter.  If the M word puts you off (ie: you
only know the green screen thing now called z/OS (fka: OS/390, MVS,
and OS/360) then you have the wrong idea.  The point is that z/VM
is not "the mainframe" in the same sense as z/OS is.  That would
be like saying your PC only runs Windows.

Back in the day, VM was the interactive system.  MVS did batch.
(VM can run stand alone, without guests, using something called CMS
which ships with it.  But that is a longer story not for here.)
I will try not to disparage MVS, but you who know and love Linux
will appreciate the intrigue: IBM tried to kill VM ... repeatedly.
VM's survival is quite like the Linux story (snuck into the data center
before the execs knew).  MVS is where the dollars are, even today.

And then they ported Linux to the mainframe.  Suddenly IBM needed
the thing they once tried to discard.  One monstrous Linux instance is
fine, but hundreds or thousands of virtual penquins are more betterer.
(So Linux on z/VM is like a cloud in a box.  Stormy!)  Ever since Y2K,
VM has seen new life because it hosts Linux ... very very well.

So!  That is what this workshop is all about.
There are some old VMers who have wanted to resume the geek gathering
and there are many new VMers who need a helping hand.  (Your company
has a mainframe, you know Linux, boss sez "go put the two together".)
It will be highly technical.  Personally, I hope to present IPv6
if they let me on the agenda, also SAN and "extreme shared op sys".

Neale Ferguson, who ported Solaris to the mainframe,
has said he will be attending.  (Dunno if he is presenting.
Dunno if the Solaris port will be discussed.  Ask Neale.)

Brad Hinson from RedHat will be pitching RHEL 6.1.
I expect Mark Post (SuSE/Novell) to be there too.  (Not sure if he
is presenting.  Mark is also the guy who maintains the Slackware port,
which started before he went with SuSE.)  Debian on the mainframe
is supported by the group Neale works for.  So there should be
a good mix of distros represented.

Full disclosure: My new employer is the primary sponsor.
In fairness, "we" did not invent this party and it is NOT a forum
for our stuff.  Unlike the original workshop, there will be vendors.
But I don't believe there will be an expo like we have at Linux Fest.

Y'all come!

-- Rick;   <><