developerWorks is IBM’s resource for developers offering a range of tools, code and education that enable developers to take advantage of the company's Software Development Platform in an on demand world. In January, IBM launched its Autonomic Computing Resource Center which featured the Autonomic Computing Toolkit. The Toolkit, based on the Eclipse universal platform, is a collection of assets and tools, with support provided, to assist software developers in designing and testing autonomic solutions. Within the first two weeks it was made available, the Toolkit garnered nearly 3,000 downloads.

"IBM is actively engaged in developing tools and technologies that enable IT systems become more self-managing,” said Gina Poole, Vice President, Developer Marketing and Web Communities, ISV and Developer Relations. "The Autonomic Computing Zone is the industry's premier destination for taking the next step into full self-managing capabilities."

The new Autonomic Computing Zone is an upgrade from the Autonomic Computing Resource Center to help developers understand basic concepts about autonomic computing through to advanced implementations. The Zone features daily and weekly updates of articles, tutorials, news, tools, products and events. It also includes a users forum for community building and resource sharing.

"As systems management becomes increasingly complex. ISVs, customers and developers need to get up to speed on requirements fast," said Chris Noble, CEO of Singlestep Technologies. “Adopting autonomic computing technologies into our IT infrastructure has been made easier and faster with the resources IBM is providing through its developerWorks site. Our customers are already benefiting from automating processes in their IT infrastructure through the solutions that we are delivering today with IBM."

The Autonomic Computing Zone includes the following resources:

• A quick tour of autonomic computing, designed to demonstrate concepts such as control loops and autonomic managed elements. It also discusses the various tools that are currently available within IBM's Autonomic Computing Toolkit, providing a concrete look at some of the tasks developers can accomplish with it.
• An autonomic computing roadmap that helps you get your bearings and quickly get the lay of the land from an autonomic computing perspective.
• A self-assessment that covers the five autonomic maturity levels and helps you determine where you are along the path to full, autonomic maturity.
• An introduction, complete with diagrams and examples, that illustrates the role of the autonomic manager in a self-managing system.
• News about upcoming training events, tutorials, forums and free downloads.

The new site can be found at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/autonomic/