Start of the IBM "Master the Mainframe" Contest

08/09/2015 - 13:30

IBM organizes a “Master the Mainframe” contest. Students as well as non-students can participate, but only students can win some fantastic prizes (Apple Watches, a Raspberry Pi kits and a “Master the Mainframe” T-shirt). Registration can be done as of 14 September at www.ibm.com/systems/z/masterthemainframe (select Benelux as country). The contest starts on October 5th and ends on December 31st.

The contest is intended for people who want to gain real world experience using enterprise computing skills.   Experience with Mainframes is not a prerequisite. In fact, the contest is designed for participants with little or no Mainframe experience, with increasing difficulty as the contest progresses. Basic knowledge of ICT and programming is expected together with enthusiasm, personal drive and a competitive spirit.

The contest consists of 3 phases.

  • In the first phase IBM will provide contestants with screenshots and directions to guide students on exactly what to do. This helps acquaint each contestant with navigating the Mainframe user interface, introduce them to basic Mainframe concepts, and get each student more comfortable with different aspects of the Mainframe.
  • Utilizing the skills each contestant learned in the first phase, the students will perform extensive programming (advanced commands, system setup, and advanced system navigation) and application developing (C, JAVA, COBOL, assembler and REXX) tasks, as well as hands-on experience with multiple operating systems (Linux on System z, z/VM, z/OS, z/TPF).
  • The third phase is the most challenging stage and requires the contestants to work for several weeks. Tasks from this stage are taken from real life situations encountered by experienced systems programmers, along with challenges designed to identify the contestants with the most drive and determination.