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The recommended downloads from this page were tested with the following
levels of open source kernel, tool-chain, utilities, and debug tools -
which can be used to build Linux on System z distributions:
- kernel 2.6.16
- including kerntypes and 3590 tape device-driver as source (as source, formerly OCO)
- tool-chain:
- binutils 2.16.91.0.6
- gcc 4.1.0
- glibc 2.4.0
- utilities:
- debug tools:
- gdb 6.4
- strace 4.5.12
- lkcdutils as of LKCD version 6.1.0 (or CVS HEAD)
2007-11-20 New functionality for the "October 2005 stream":
- Common I/O Layer (cio) enhancement to help in channel-path configuration operation.
- Processor degradation notification to log entries for all CPUs if the CPU-capability changes.
- New z/VM unit record device driver VMUR to access z/VM virtual unit record devices, such as virtual reader, virtual punch, or virtual printer.
- ZFCP enhanced to extract hardware statistics (time spent in the fabric and time spent in the channel) about resource usage in an FCP channel or an FCP subchannel (see "FCP performance metrics" in IBM U.S. Hardware Announcement Letter 107-190).
- Previously recommended add-ons now integrated into kernel 2.6.16 stream:
- Support for clock synchronization to an external time reference (ETR).
- Kernel NSS Support.
- AF_IUCV protocol support for Linux on System z.
- Upgraded s390-tools 1.6.2 introduces:
- chchp: Tool to modify channel-path state.
- lschp: Tool to list information about available channel-paths.
- mon_procd: Daemon that writes process information data to the z/VM monitor stream.
- vmur: Tool to work with z/VM spool file queues (reader, punch, printer).
- zfcpdump_v2: Version 2 of the zfcpdump tool. Now based on the upstream Linux kernel 2.6.23.
2007-06-08 Upgrade:
- s390-tools 1.6.1 with bug fixes replaces s390-tools 1.6.0
2007-02-28 New functionality for the "October 2005 stream":
- kernel
- Support for Pseudo Random Number Generator (PRNG)
integrated into the CPU Cryptographic Assist Facility with the IBM System z9.
- Hypervisor filesystem extension s390_hypfs for z/VM
(DIAG 2FC) - previously for LPAR only (DIAG 204).
- Kernel NSS Support (an optional kernel add-on) allows
to save a kernel image in a shared memory area called Named Saved
Segment (NSS) and IPL from it.
- ETR Support: (an optional kernel add-on) supporting clock
synchronization to an external time reference (ETR).
- Re-IPL with alternate parameters enables reboot from
another device than the original boot-device.
- Dump on panic automatically creates a dump in case of a
kernel panic via IPL from a user-specified dump-device.
- Networking
- AF_IUCV support (an optional kernel add-on) allows for
IUCV communication via the BSD socket interface between Linux VM
guests or between a Linux guest and CMS.
- Performance statistics for qeth and qdio can now be switched
dynamically at runtime, obsoleting the kernel configuration options.
- Storage - ESCON/FICON
- 3590 tape device driver now enabled to use the encryption
support of 3592 channel attached tape drives.
- ERP related logging in the dasd device driver can now be
enabled/disabled non-interruptively, i.e. without re-compile and re-IPL.
- Storage - FCP
- Support for performance statistics provided by newer versions
of the System z FCP Host Bus Adapter.
- s390-tools 1.6.0 introduces:
- mon_fsstatd daemon that writes filesystem utilization data to the z/VM monitor stream.
- tape390_crypt to control and query crypto settings for 3592 tape devices.
- dumpconf to configure the dump device used for system dump in case of a kernel panic.
- snIPL 2.1.3 introduces support for IPL-ing a Linux on System z system (over the network) on an LPAR from a SCSI-device.
2007-02-15 New functionality for the "October 2005 stream":
- The formerly optional recommended kernel 2.6.16 add-ons of
2006-11-17 with Virtual Server functionality have been replaced
with new required recommended patches:
- Collaborative Memory Management Stage II: Support for
the Collaborative Memory Management Assist (CMMA) in z/VM 5.3
reduces hypervisor paging I/O overhead. See 'Improved memory
management for Linux guests' in IBM U.S. Software Announcement
Letter 207-019 "IBM z/VM V5.3 - Improving scalability, security,
and virtualization technology IBM".
The Linux support for CMM2 now has to be activated per IPL-option cmma=on (default is cmma=off).
Note that the superseded CMM2 add-on patch activated the support automatically when the necessary prerequisites were available.
- Data execution protection [for user processes]:
provides execution protection for code in user space data segments
which are marked as not executable. It can prevent, for example,
stack overflow exploits and generally makes a system insensitive
to buffer-overflow attacks in user space.
2006-11-17 New functionality for the "October 2005 stream":
- New functionality for the "October 2005 stream" available with patch 10:
- Kernel
- New hypervisor virtual filesystem s390_hypfs to access PR/SM LPAR
Hypervisor performance data returned by DIAG 204 (e.g. information about physical and logical CPUs).
- Virtual Server
- Character device driver for writing z/VM monitor records; provides an
interface which allows applications to write application-specific monitor data
(APPLDATA records) to the z/VM monitor stream.
- Enhancement of the appldata modules which write monitor data (APPLDATA records)
to the z/VM monitor stream: Added new fields to the appldata_os record for steal
time (time "stolen" by hypervisor scheduling) and CPU ID.
- Directed yield of spinlocks: Use the new diagnose 0x9c in the
spinlock implementation to reduce the amount of CPU time that is spent
in the spinlock loop for contended locks.
Using this support requires IBM System z9 and z/VM 5.2 with PTF for APAR VM63952.
- Common I/O
- Channel Path measurements amd Channel Path measurement-characteristics per channel path.
- Storage - ESCON/FICON
- Support for Parallel-Access-Volumes (PAV) in the dasd driver,
allowing concurrent access to dasd devices with multiple channel programs.
(Note that this support is new for running Linux on an LPAR;
Linux running as a guest under z/VM already has this support.)
- 3592 Control Unit recognition: 3592 device and CU number added
to list of managed devices. With this support, Linux handles tape units with
device type 3592 in the same manner as 3590 devices.
- Security
- Crypto device driver zcrypt replaces z90crypt device driver with the following features:
- support for PCICC, PCICA, PCIXCC, CEX2C, CEX2A cards
- support for clear key and secure key cryptographic functions
- user space interface compatible to z90crypt
- a modular design utilizing the Linux device model
- improved performance by using a poll thread and a advanced load balancing algorithm
Note that the zcrypt driver has all support formerly provided via z90crypt;
new is the support for 'secure key cryptographic functions'.
- New Virtual Server functionality for the "October 2005 stream" available with optional recommended patches (see 2007-02-15, above):
- Collaborative Memory Management Stage II: Support for
the Collaborative Memory Management Assist (CMMA) in z/VM.
This support is activated automatically when the necessary prerequisites are
available and reduces hypervisor paging I/O overhead.
- Data execution protection [for user processes]:
provides execution protection for code
in user space data segments which are marked as not executable. It can prevent,
for example, stack overflow exploits and generally makes a system insensitive
to buffer-overflow attacks in user space.
2006-09-29 Upgrade:
- s390-tools 1.5.4 with bug fixes replaces s390-tools 1.5.3
2006-05-19 Upgrade:
- binutils 2.16.91.0.6 replaces binutils 2.15.94.0.2.2
2006-03-28 Re-based "October 2005 stream" with new functionality:
The "October 2005 stream" has been re-based to pick up latest up-stream kernel 2.6.16 and tool-chain levels.
(The original kernel 2.6.13 based stream can be found in the Archive.)
Using mostly upstream code and comparatively few and small patches from developerWorks, the "October 2005 stream" for Linux on z now contains the following new functionality:
- kernel:
- 3590 tape device driver now provided in Open Source -- no longer as an OCO module
Note that we intend to provide this tape driver in Open Source for other streams as well.
- oprofile now supports recording of call graphs for in kernel profiling sessions
- In addition to the already existing crypto algorithms, modules that make use of CPACF acceleration for AES-128 and SHA-256 are provided
- networking:
- "V=V QDIO Pass-thru" exploits z/VM 5.2 "QDIO Enhanced Buffer-State Management" (QEBSM) for OSA, HiperSockets, and FCP on z9-109, z990, and z890 -- allowing a Linux guest to initiate QDIO operations directly to the applicable channel, without interception by z/VM.
Linux QDIO recognizes (and reacts appropriately) when required hardware- and z/VM-support (QEBSM) are available and enabled.
- Support for GuestLAN Sniffer for use with z/VM 5.2 tracing capability on a guest LAN or VSWITCH
- ctcmpc: network device driver supporting SNA MPC CTC-channels -- needed to run Communications Server for Linux on zSeries (see Communications Server for Linux on zSeries homepage)
- The following networking device drivers are being deprecated (no longer recommended/supported):
- CLAW
- CTC
- IUCV network device -- Note that the IUCV-infrastructure is not being deprecated
- common I/O layer (cio):
- Multiple Subchannel Sets (MSS) support on z9-109 allows an increased number of subchannels
- Storage - ESCON/FICON:
- DASD device driver now supports
- DIAG250 interface to DASD devices for 64 bit guests (requires z/VM 5.2 support)
- special request flag "REQ_FAILFAST" to return requests immediately, in case the device is not operational
- Storage - FCP:
- zfcp: statistics-interface added -- used to gather performance data
- zfcp: support for the zfcp HBA API -- needed for SAN discovery tool san_disc
- zfcp was adapted to exploit the Fibre Channel (FC) transport class with FC specific transport attributes in sysfs for hosts and target ports
- With s390-tools 1.5.3 the following new tools in the FCP-context are introduced:
- zfcp/SCSI configuration script "scsi_logging_level" can be used to create, get or set the logging level for the scsi logging facility
- zfcp/SCSI configuration script "lszfcp" shows information contained in sysfs about zfcp adapters, ports and units that are online
- Upgrades:
- s390-tools 1.5.3 with bug fixes and new tools replaces s390-tools 1.5.1
- Useful add-ons:
2005-12-09 Upgrade:
- s390-tools 1.5.1 with bug fixes replaces s390-tools 1.5.0
2005-10-14 Introducing the "October 2005 stream":
The "October 2005 stream" uses mostly up-stream code and requires
comparatively few and small patches from developerWorks, and contains:
- applicable features and bug-fixes provided for the "April 2004 stream"
- kernel 2.6.13 features, of which - from the Linux on System z9 and
zSeries perspective - the following items are of special interest:
- Improved kernel machine check handling
- Optimization of the s390 debug feature
- Adjustment of CPU accounting
- Kernel-support for user space access to CP commands (via vmcp in
s390-tools 1.5)
- The infrastructure for execute-in-place in memory management,
virtual file system layer, and block device layer is provided in kernel
2.6.13 (and no longer needs to be added per separate patch as in the
"April 2004 stream").
EXT2 now exploits the execute-in-place infrastructure.
- DASD support for write barriers
- Hardware Support for IBM System z9 features (refer to IBM U.S.
Hardware Announcement Letter 105-241):
- Linux support for OSA-Express2 OSN - Open Systems Adapter for NCP
(CDLC support)
- Linux support for N-Port-ID Virtualization (NPIV)
- Linux support for (FCP) Program-directed re-IPL
- Linux support for Configurable Crypto Express2 Accelerator
(CEX2A support, PCIXCC fast path)
- Virtual Server
- Support for z/VM 5.2 new 64-bit dump format (refer to
IBM U.S.
Software Announcement Letter 205-168) via enhanced vmconvert
(in s390-tools 1.5.0)
- vmcp: new kernel module allowing user space access to CP commands
(via s390-tools 1.5.0 new component vmcp)
- Other:
- zfcp debug and tracing improvements
- zfcp performance statistics
- s390-tools 1.5.0
- vmconvert: now supports new 64-bit z/VM 5.2 dump format
- vmcp: new tool allowing user space access to CP commands
- zfcpdbf: new perl script to filter ZFCP debug data
- zfcpdump: upgraded to recent kernel-level
- DASD tools: usability enhancements
- HBA API library 1.3.0
- new SAN discovery and zfcp configuration tool san_disc
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