z/OS is a major overhaul of the basic software that runs the
mainframe, a traditional computing design with a decades-old
lineage. z/OS and Linux are the two major software initiatives
designed to restore the mainframe's relevance in an age when
Unix servers from companies such as Sun Microsystems have stolen
most of the high-end server momentum. The new version of the
operating system, formerly called OS/390 to match the previous
S/390 mainframe product name, offers a number of new features.
Among them is the ability to use a storage space with a 64-bit
address, which IBM said speeds communications with the memory
system and transactions with databases compared with the older
32-bit technology. z/OS also includes the Intelligent Resource
Director, which lets the computer quickly and automatically
shift resources to jobs that require more power. The new
operating system also has better support for Sun's Java software
and Linux, two technologies that make writing software for a
mainframe easier for modern prog