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It's an architecture called z/Architecture, used for z Systems CPUs such as the z13 CPUs in IBM mainframes (the z13, same name). The 'z' in 'IBM z Systems' stan

It's an architecture called z/Architecture, used for z Systems CPUs such as the z13 CPUs in IBM mainframes (the z13, same name). The 'z' in 'IBM z Systems' stands for 'zero downtime'. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z/Architecture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z/Architecture [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_z13_(microprocessor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_z13_(microprocessor)

vram22 11y ago
>The 'z' in 'IBM z Systems' stands for 'zero downtime'. Maybe also meant to imply, the ultimate? :) Heh. Just guessing.
nickpsecurity 11y ago
I thought it came from a play on the naming convention. I don't have the source but it went something like this: System/360 - The system for the 60's System/370 - The system for the 70's System/390 - The system for the 90's System/Z - The system for the 2000's, which sounds like a Z to some at the end.
- cbd1984 11y ago
  System/360 was meant to be a good all-around system, not optimized specifically for business or science, as previous mainframes were, but good for both. 360 degrees in a circle, you know. Notice how it skips System/380. IBM was going to replace the mainframe line with its Future Systems project, which would have single-level store (everything is RAM, everything persists, page cache takes care of moving stuff in and out of physical disk drives) and be so tightly-integrated nobody would be able to clone it, as the plug-compatible vendors had been able to clone parts of the System/360 and /370 systems. The only real result of this was the AS/400 midrange systems, now the i Series, I think.
  - nickpsecurity 11y ago
    Re 360 I remember reading that it converged two seperate segments into one. 360 degrees makes sense. Re System/380 Always wondered why they skipped 380. Thanks for the enlightening details on that. The anti-cloning angle is amusing.

vram22 11y ago

>The 'z' in 'IBM z Systems' stands for 'zero downtime'. Maybe also meant to imply, the ultimate? :) Heh. Just guessing.

nickpsecurity 11y ago

I thought it came from a play on the naming convention. I don't have the source but it went something like this: System/360 - The system for the 60's System/370 - The system for the 70's System/390 - The system for the 90's System/Z - The system for the 2000's, which sounds like a Z to some at the end.

cbd1984 11y ago
System/360 was meant to be a good all-around system, not optimized specifically for business or science, as previous mainframes were, but good for both. 360 degrees in a circle, you know. Notice how it skips System/380. IBM was going to replace the mainframe line with its Future Systems project, which would have single-level store (everything is RAM, everything persists, page cache takes care of moving stuff in and out of physical disk drives) and be so tightly-integrated nobody would be able to clone it, as the plug-compatible vendors had been able to clone parts of the System/360 and /370 systems. The only real result of this was the AS/400 midrange systems, now the i Series, I think.
- nickpsecurity 11y ago
  Re 360 I remember reading that it converged two seperate segments into one. 360 degrees makes sense. Re System/380 Always wondered why they skipped 380. Thanks for the enlightening details on that. The anti-cloning angle is amusing.