ferris@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Richard Ferris) (10/05/89)
I appreciate all the responses I got regarding my confusion about TSO, CMS, VM, and MVS and how they work. The bottom line can be summarized in this useful chart: (Thanks to J.D.McCown) Tools: Xedit/rexx/ISPF TSO/SPF TSO/SPF OS: CMS+CP(VM) MVS MVS Machine: VM(Virtual) VM(Virtual) Real(hardware) Basically TSO and CMS run on top of other systems. TSO runs on top of MVS while CMS runs on top of VM. Since MVS can run on top of VM, it is possible to run TSO on top of MVS on top of VM (middle column). This is all quite simplified but it conveys the basic idea. There seem to be a bunch of different versions of MVS and VM. I am still a bit confused: How did all these different versions evolve? Are they basically expanded versions of the older systems (like DOS => OS/2) or are they designed to work on different hardware? Also, where can I find a simple reference that explains the history of these different systems? I find the abbreviations quite confusing and difficult to piece together. Thanks again for all the help. RF Richard T. Ferris ferris@eniac.seas.upenn.edu University of Pennsylvania
shore@mtxinu.COM (Melinda Shore) (10/05/89)
[] I highly recommend "Invitation to MVS" by Katzan and Tharayil. While it's rather out of date (no discussion of MVS/XA, etc.) it provides a pretty good history of the system and an excellent overview of its internal structure. -- Melinda Shore shore@mtxinu.com Mt Xinu ..!uunet!mtxinu.com!shore
ssd@sugar.hackercorp.com (Scott Denham) (10/07/89)
In article <15122@netnews.upenn.edu>, ferris@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Richard Ferris) writes: > There seem to be a bunch of different versions of MVS and VM. > I am still a bit confused: How did all these different versions > evolve? ... Basicly what happens is that IBM comes out with some new hardware feature and then release a new variant of the OS to support it. Almost inevitably, the new version costs more than the previous one did, so those with hardware that doesn't need the new support don't need or want to spend the money to upgrade. In many case, (E.G. MVS/370 => MVS/XA), you CAN'T go to the new OS without the new hardware. > ... I find > the abbreviations quite confusing and difficult to piece together. Don't feel bad... I've been working with this stuff for 17 years and I STILL get confused by it all!! :-) Scott Denham Western Atlas International Houston, TX