This part addresses the ongoing effort that is essential to maintaining the value of a Linux-on-the-mainframe environment. We call this effort systems management. What does it take to keep a system containing potentially more than one hundred servers running smoothly, and how can you accomplish this with Linux on the mainframe?
In all likelihood, you already have a systems management scheme in place. In this part, we explore how introducing Linux on the mainframe can affect your existing systems management. How are you going to manage Linux on the mainframe? Should you continue with your existing scheme? Should you treat Linux according to the tight controls of a typical mainframe environment?
We suggest that your Linux projects might call for changes in your systems management style and possibly lead to a review of your systems management policies. We believe that Linux can be a catalyst for change that can benefit your business beyond the scope of a particular Linux project. The driving forces for this change are the requirements of your Linux projects and the key systems administrators in charge of implementing the projects.
The first chapter of this part outlines what we mean by systems management in the context of this book. It then covers general issues, such as policies and tools, that permeate all areas of systems management. Each chapter that follows examines one particular area of systems management in more detail.
An exhaustive treatment of systems management is beyond the scope of this book. We restrict ourselves to specific themes that highlight interesting decision points in the context of Linux on the mainframe.
