System z End-to-End Extended Distance Guide

Introduction

This chapter provides information about why this IBM Redbooks document was created, and about the background information that you should be familiar with before proceeding with the remainder of this book. Specifically, this chapter covers the following topics:

•Why we wrote this book

•Why you would have multiple data centers

•Common data center models

•The importance of an end-to-end architecture

•Role of the connectivity architecture group

•What needs to be connected

•Connectivity options

•System z qualification and testing programs ...