Sine Nomine Associates Inc.

05/22/2026

21-May-2026 - OpenAFS 1.8.16 - Maintenance release for UNIX/LinuxOpenAFS 1.8.16 is the next release in the current stable series of OpenAFS releases for UNIX/Linux systems. It fixes a bug that had caused Linux 6.17 clients to not see filename changes made on other clients; adds packaging support for Amazon Linux; adds support for Linux mainline kernels through 7.0; and works around an issue where client utilities (e.g., 'fs', 'bos') on macOS Apple CPUs would crash on startup (by distributing the x86_64 version of the utilities and relying on Rosetta for ex*****on); as well as other minor improvements.

05/19/2026

We hope you may join us at the 2026 VM Workshop in Virginia
Countdown: 23 days until the VM Workshop, June 10 – 12.
Key dates:

Registration open: https://vmworkshop.org/register.shtml

Hotel Block Expires on 5/25: https://vmworkshop.org/2026hotl.shtml

2026 VM Workshop Sponsors

The VM Workshop relies heavily on our sponsors to make this low-cost conference possible. We want to thank them for their support.

Visit our Sponsor page for more information on what these sponsors offer, or how to become a sponsor too.

https://vmworkshop.org/2026spon.shtml++++++Virginia Commonwealth University
Academic Learning Commons - VCU
1000 Floyd Avenue
Richmond, VA 23220

Registration is open for the 2026 European Broadcom Mainframe Technical Exchange! This year's event will take place in Prague, Czech Republic, from April 21 - 23. Register today to reserve your spot.

05/05/2026

According to Gartner research a lot of companies are finding it less expensive to move to mainframes today.

: Serious Linux VMs will enjoy big iron – if you can learn to love lock-in risks and skills challenges

04/16/2026

OpenAFS 1.8.16pre1 is the first beta for the next stable release of OpenAFS for UNIX/Linux systems. It fixes a bug that had caused Linux 6.17 clients to not see filename changes made on other clients; adds support for Linux mainline kernels through 7.0; and works around an issue where client utilities (e.g., 'fs', 'bos') on macOS Apple CPUs would crash on startup (by distributing the x86_64 version of the utilities and relying on Rosetta for ex*****on); as well as other minor improvements.

For more information:

Read the 1.8.16pre1 release notes
Go to the distribution page

04/13/2026

Sinenomine Associates data center services, improve cooling efficiency with COOL
If your PUE is 1.6 imagine how everyone would feel if it was 1.2 within three months.
By: Sine Nomine Associates Inc.
April 13, 2026 - PRLog -- PUE calculations have focused on data center cooling efficiency based on the server side of the equation. The facilities side of the equation has been ignored because plant equipment rarely changes. Cooling infrastructure lasts for decades and is not easily relocated. We are flipping the PUE on its head with a revolutionary approach based on material science, giving the facilities side a way to help get that PUE closer to the magic 1 to 1 ratio.

In short, we want to help you get the recognition for the genius you bring to the table every day.
Our proprietary COOL material, coupled with our COOL service, takes a novel approach to increasing the efficiency of cooling systems in data centers. After decades of research, our engineers and scientists proudly present a plethora of tactics to amplify existing cooling strategies. At a recent conference, an IBM executive summarized: "This should be in every single data center, period!"
Our inert plenum-safe COOL material shifts timing of the cooling system output within each cooling phase to heighten the cooling effect, this extends the cushion time in an outage event and increases redundancy of the system itself. Coupled with other strategies, the CRAC setpoint can be increased. Depending on data center design, this results in savings of up to 30% of electricity costs, along with other savings like reduced maintenance.

Our COOL Process
After gathering information from your current facility, operations and equipment capability, we establish a baseline. Your data feeds our proprietary process, which models, visualizes, and simulates, permutations of cooling improvement strategies. Our machine learning system calculates your power savings based on various improvement options. You may select your optimum configuration.
Our service may be conducted 100% remotely. Neither travel expenses nor non-employee access privileges to your network are required. Our material is easy to install or reconfigure, it is lightweight. No need to go through the hassle of getting passes and capturing biometrics for badge access, your team can simply follow the plan and install this as time permits.

Early Adopters: Save More and Get Ahead

COOL sharpens your competitive edge: it allows you both to lower your expenses and to underbid anyone else. As power grids max out, cost for data center electricity is expected to skyrocket locally and globally, new taxes may apply soon, and data centers could become useless whenever more power cannot be procured. Therefore, get ahead of the curve with COOL.
It's easy to get started, with one of the fastest returns on investment ever seen.
You may use our website contact form to get started; we look forward to hearing from you soon.

04/09/2026

Sine Nomine principal engineer associates have been recognized as IBM champions for 2026
By: Sine Nomine Associates Inc.
April 8, 2026 - PRLog -- Sine Nomine Associates is pleased to announce,

Two of our principal engineer associates have been recognized by IBM with their IBM champion award for 2026.

The IBM Champions program recognizes individuals who make extraordinary contributions to IBM communities by sharing their knowledge and expertise and by helping nurture and grow the community. IBM sent the following message to our Principal Engineer Michael MacIsaac and Principal Engineer Neale Ferguson:

Congratulations, you are IBM Champions!

After reviewing and evaluating your contributions to the IBM technology community over the past 12 months, IBM is happy to announce that you have been selected as an IBM Champion for 2026.

This recognition is awarded based on your contributions for the 2025 calendar year. The IBM Champion designation is for a 1-year term, and may be renewed by IBM annually, provided you demonstrate continued community engagement and contributions. Your IBM Champion status begins now and will run through December 2026.

Sine Nomine Associates' Margarete Ziemer writes:

"I am proud to inform the community that both Neale Ferguson and Michael MacIsaac have been recognized as IBM Champions. Neale has received this award in multiple years. Sine Nomine Associates (SNA) was formed around supporting OpenAFS and helping to bring Linux on z Systems to life. SNA remains dedicated to advancing and supporting open-source software while integrating world class services from private providers into today's complex hybrid ecosystems. This is a stellar example of our continuing our dedication to support the system after next."

Please visit our website to find more information on our services for IBM mainframes and Open-source software support services.

Sine Nomine Associates delivers a wide variety of custom-tailored offerings for open source solutions for those customers who wish to add or improve features.

03/02/2026

Adroit Game Jam Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Sine Nomine Associates continues tradition of onsite mentorship

Columbia, Missouri (USA) -- February 26, 2026

Adroit Studios welcomed nearly 80 contestants, some in teams and some as solo developers, to the 10th annual Adroit Game Jam February 20 through 22 at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Sine Nomine Associates once again proudly supported this educational and fun event. Principal Engineer Scott Courtney from the 3D Interactive Services team was onsite the entire weekend to assist students with technical questions and to videograph the presentation of their finished games to a panel of judges.

Originally, the Game Jam was open to University of Missouri students only, but several years ago it was expanded to three categories: College Student, K-12 Student, and Indie (Professional). For 2026, each of the categories offered a first prize of US$1000 and smaller prizes for second and third place. The Grand Prize for the best game regardless of category was US$5000.

This year's Adroit Game Jam attracted nearly 80 people (a new record) forming over 20 teams. Winners in the categories were "Waveform" by Evie Davis [K-12], "Haze" by UMKC Games Development Club [College Student], and "Tunnel Knight" by Triple Fault Games [Indie/Pro]. Evie Davis, a high school age solo developer, also captured the Grand Prize with "Waveform", a game she developed from scratch in C++ and GLSL programming languages. Judges were impressed by the game's beautiful animation and polished gameplay and by the technical achievement of creating it from scratch as a solo developer.

At the opening ceremony on Friday of the Game Jam, competitors gather at Townsend Hall on the University of Missouri campus to learn the competition's theme, which changes every year and is secret until the contest begins. Competitors form teams of any size they wish, including solo, and create a video game based on the theme. For 2026, the theme was "Quantum", and the reveal was followed by a short technical overview of quantum physics and quantum computing by the University of Missouri's Quantum Computing Club.

The teams have until Sunday evening -- only about 48 hours -- to design, develop, and test their games before presenting them to the panel of three judges. Teams are allowed to use third-party artwork and programming resources, including generative AI, but must comply with copyright law and must disclose third-party or AI use to the judges, who consider this alongside the team size, team category, and the scope and difficulty of the game. Games are judged on technical, gameplay design, and artistic merit.

Adroit Studio is a fully operational game development studio within the Department of Education at the University of Missouri. The studio researches how interactive games can achieve educational goals for students, and they create "serious games" such as Mission HydroSci which teaches middle school students about water conservation and the use of scientific reasoning to support fact-based decisions.

To learn more about the Adroit Game Jam, visit https://itch.io/jam/adroit-game-jam-2026.

02/23/2026

Subject: OpenAFS Accepted as Mentoring Organization for Google Summer of Code 2026!

Sine Nomine Associates are thrilled to announce that the OpenAFS project has been accepted as a mentoring organization for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2026! This is a
fantastic opportunity for us to engage with talented students and contribute to
the growth and development of OpenAFS.

Google Summer of Code is a global program that offers students stipends to
write code for open-source projects. It's a win-win situation: students gain
valuable real-world experience, and OpenAFS benefits from fresh perspectives
and contributions.

We are excited to welcome aspiring developers to our community and work
alongside them on exciting projects. This program allows us to:

* Introduce new contributors to OpenAFS: We can bring in fresh talent and
expand our community.

* Advance OpenAFS development: Students will work on meaningful projects that
benefit the entire OpenAFS ecosystem.

* Mentor and guide future open-source developers: We can share our expertise and contribute to the growth of the open-source community.

What's Next?

* General information about OpenAFS and GSoC can be found here:
https://www.openafs.org/gsoc.html

* We encourage all interested students to familiarize themselves with OpenAFS and review the project ideas at https://www.openafs.org/gsoc/project-ideas.html

* Please keep an eye on the official Google Summer of Code website for important dates and deadlines.
https://opensource.googleblog.com/2026/02/introducing-the-185-organizations-for-gsoc-2026.html

* We will be available to answer questions and provide guidance to potential applicants.

We are looking forward to a successful GSoC 2026 and are eager to see the innovative contributions that students will bring to OpenAFS.

Stay tuned for more updates!

www.sinenomine.net

The complete list of GSoC Mentoring Organizations is now available! 2026 brings us 185 open source communities who are eager to mentor.

01/30/2026

Sine Nomine Associates: "OpenAFS Container Storage Interface (CSI) driver"
This is from a series of releases showcasing the power of OpenAFS applied in creative ways. Most of these are being used in production environments today. OpenAFS benefits corporations, non-profit organizations, small companies and universities.
By: Sine Nomine Associates Inc.

Jan. 29, 2026 - PRLog -- OpenAFS Container Storage Interface (CSI) driver allows OpenAFS to be used as persistent storage for stateful application running in Kubernetes clusters. Through this CSI Driver, Kubernetes persistent volumes (PVs) can be provisioned from OpenAFS. Thus, containers can be used with stateful microservices, such as database applications (MongoDB, PostgreSQL etc), web servers (nginx, apache), or any number of other containerized applications needing provisioned storage.

We are proud of the OpenAFS community contributions and the many creative uses of this powerful stable distributed file system.

Sine Nomine Associates has a long history going back over 25 years to the beginning of OpenAFS. Our team of experts helps many in several industries with repeated support services contracts.

Our in-house team includes two of the maintainers for the OpenAFS open-source code. Our unique capabilities have kept OpenAFS up to date with modern tools like ansible. Our mainframe team supports several opensource projects, Linux on z/VM, Docker, Kubernetes, Zookeeper and many others.

Margarete Ziemer, CEO, emphasizes: "We are proud to say we continue to support the open-source community with a sharp focus on OpenAFS, mainframe computing and advanced technology. We sincerely thank all our past and current customers and our associates. We are always ready to tackle your problems with custom solutions, particularly in the open-source space."

For more information on this exciting use of OpenAFS: https://github.com/openafs-contrib/openafs-csi-driver

For more information on Sine Nomine Associates and their products, please visit our website.
https://sinenomine.net (https://sinenomine.net/index.php/openafs/)

Sine Nomine Associates delivers a wide variety of custom-tailored offerings for open source solutions for those customers who wish to add or improve features.

01/13/2026

January-2026 - OpenAFS 1.8.15pre1 - First beta for the next stable release for UNIX/Linux
OpenAFS 1.8.15pre1 is the first beta for the next stable release of OpenAFS for UNIX/Linux systems. It adds support for Linux mainline kernels through 6.17, begins the process of removing the generically named "lock.h" file from /usr/include/, fixes some information-leakage scenarios in the protection server and fileserver, fixes a few potential race conditions that could lead to spurious errors, and other improvements.

For more information:

Read the 1.8.15pre1 release notes
Go to the distribution page