Support: North Ridge Reports

Operating System Independence

Originally published: Summer 1998

The Network Director's nucleus architecture permits 99% of the executable code to run properly in all three IBM S390 Operating Systems (OS, DOS, and VM). As a result of this architecture, NRS has had to make sure there are very defined contact points between the Operating System and The Network Director. This has translated to a very portable nucleus that has proven it is not susceptible to operating system releases or maintenance changes. As an example, we have some clients operating The Network Director in OS390 environments, where The Network Director was Assembled and Linked before there even was an OS390 system.

Obviously, this is also a testament to IBM's upward compatability philosophy and, for that, we thank them (PC operating systems vendors should be so organized...). This characteristic of The Network Director should be remembered when you are migrating from one environment or maintenance level to another. We (Technical Support) cannot remember a conversion from one operating system release to the other that required a change to The Network Director. By this, we mean migration within the same Operating System grouping of OS (VS1, MVS, MVS/XA, MVS/ESA, OS390), VM (VM/HPO, VM/XA, VM/ESA), or DOS.

We still do encourage you to contact us when you are migrating from one major release to the next of your Operating System (you never know, we might encounter our first Operating System "glitch"). However, as a result of The Network Director's Operating System architecture, the pertinent software release is that of ACF/VTAM and not the specific Operating System release.

Happy migration!