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Registration is now open! Click here to access the simple registration form. You'll receive further details via email after registering.
The contest starts on 1 Mar 2012 and ends on 31 May 2012. Good luck to
everyone who competes!
Part 1: Breaking the ice
Approximate time to complete: About one hour
Welcome to the IBM Master the Mainframe Contest! The objective of this part
of the contest is to get you acquainted with the mainframe interface as
well as with some basic user commands. The downloadable instructions provided
below will lead you through exactly what you need to do to successfully
complete Part 1 of the contest. The faster you complete this section, the
better your chances of winning.
The first 40 contestants to successfully complete this section win a custom T-shirt. Good luck!
Part 2: Practical experience
Approximate time to complete: About six to eight hours
You must complete Part 1 of the contest before beginning Part 2. The objective
of this part of the contest is to get you acquainted with some of the more
practical aspects of systems programming and application development on
the mainframe. These challenges are modelled after tasks that are commonly
performed in z/OS shops.
The instructions are not nearly as detailed for this part of the contest.
You might have to use some additional resources, along with your newly
acquired mainframe expertise, to complete the challenges.
The prize for Part 2 is all the great mainframe experience you can earn,
plus eligibility to compete for Lenovo laptop computers in Part 3. Have
fun out there!
Part 3: Real world challenge
Approximate time to complete: About ten hours
You must complete Parts 1 and 2 of the contest before beginning Part 3. After completing Parts 1 and 2, send an email to michal.kordyzon@pl.ibm.com with the subject "Part 3 signup" to be registered as a Part 3 contestant. Please do not send this email before completing Parts 1 and 2.
Once notified of your intent to compete in Part 3, IBM will send you an
email within five business days with further instructions for accessing
the Part 3 challenges.
Part 3 is set up as a series of increasingly difficult challenges. The
objective of this part of the contest is to get you involved much deeper with
the workings of the z/OS mainframe system. You will be tackling issues
that occur in real-world IT shops.
Those skilled enough to be one of the top two people to complete this round
successfully will win a Lenovo laptop computer!
Part 3 of the contest ends on 31 May 2012 at midnight.
IBM does not necessarily expect all contestants to complete every challenge.
The winners of Part 3 will be the students who complete the most tasks
(in sequence) correctly. Each challenge must be done 100% correctly, so
be careful!