Re: AS/400e 170 IPL failure

Let me preface the following with the fact that if you are not licensed to the keys from IBM you can't use them.

It has been a while since I have touched a 5.2 machine (I believe that is the OS the machine is at).

In order to create install media using the good machine I would follow these steps(I am probably going to leave something out):

Create the virtual optical drive
CRTDEVOPT DEVD(OPTVRT01) RSRCNAME(*VRT)
Create the image catalog
CRTIMGCLG IMGCLG(OSV5R2) DIR('/osv5r2') ADDVRTVOL(15) IMGSIZ(*CD650) (The number of CDs you will need for V5R2, will vary based upon LPPs installed)
Load the image catalog to the virtual optical
LODIMGCLG IMGCLG(OSV5R2) OPTION(*LOAD) DEV(OPTVRT01)
Work with the image catalog entries and intitail1ze the blank optical images
WRKIMGCLGE IMGCLG(OSV5R2)
For each entry (15 in the example) select option 10 press enter followed by F10 and fill in in the fields as follows:
Media format *UDF
You can leave the rest of the fields at their defaults.
Press enter (repeat for the remaining volumes).
When complete select option 6 for Index 1

ENDSBS *ALL *IMMED (save yourself some wait time)

Go License Program and select option 40 Create distribution media
OPTVRT01 for the device
N for Check for active files
*NOTIFY for Message queue delivery
*NONE for End TCP/IP wait time

Hit enter a couple of times, when the Specify Installation Profile screen appears enter QIBMRPLRLS for the profile and hit enter

When the SAVSYS screen appears enter *CFG and *SECDTA on the Omit lines, you will not need the *SECDTA (user profiles etc) *CFG (device descriptions no need to save these)
Hit enter to take the defaults at all subsequent screens.

When this complete you will have as set of install media cd images with no extension (they will be ISO format images, rename them as appropriate)

Get the IP network up on the system and ftp the images in binary mode from /OSV5R2 to a PC and burn the images to CDs.

Perform a D Manual IPL to CD 1 and restore LIC.

After restoring LIC and before exiting DST you can change the password for the DST QSECOFR profile once you have done that you can reset the OS QSECOFR password.

Essentially follow the info center for upgrading/installing a release.

The license keys will stay intact on the machine.




date: Wed, 28 Sep 2016 07:47:43 -0400
from: Rob Berendt <rob@xxxxxxxxx>
subject: Re: AS/400e 170 IPL failure

<snip>
On making my own media, it turns out that the 170s only have CD-ROM drives, not CD-RWs. So, at best, I could only create tapes - if I had some tapes. Unless there's a way of doing it remotely, from a PC over TCP/IP - but that would be a separate discussion.
</snip>

Download the ISO file to a PC with a burner attached.
Burn a CD on the PC.
Be careful not to think of it like burning a bunch of files to a disc so that you can play them in your car. Think of it more like taking a CD and burning it to another CD.
When you're done your PC should be able to read that CD and not see the .iso file but instead see the contents of the .iso file.
The 170 should be able to read that. The 170 will not see the .iso file.
It will, instead, see the contents of that .iso file.

For example, when using virtual optical you may see files like this
Directory . . . . : /fixes/cume
Object link Type
CUME_1.bin STMF
CUME_2.bin STMF
CUME_3.bin STMF
CUME_4.bin STMF
And they could be .bin or .iso

But when you look at them with WRKOPTVOL you see the contents of each 'disc'.
Perhaps comparable to seeing a .zip file vs seeing the contents of the .zip file.

Maybe the whole concept of virtual optical is a little past where you're ready yet though.


Rob Berendt
--
IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept 1600 Mail to: 2505 Dekko Drive
Garrett, IN 46738
Ship to: Dock 108
6928N 400E
Kendallville, IN 46755
http://cp.mcafee.com/d/k-Kr6hAedEI3DXKc3DHCXCQQnT4nTTPqqbXybzMUSCy-Uy--Urjhd7aqbbbVJmI9BK4tl-wa9R842NZi10JOVIDkwgb7R842TbCXmp84f7fZvDAPhO-MZRXBQSkjhPObX3PWqvbnhIyyHt5DBgY-F6lK1FJcSMedTdTdw0AfaBqYKrlAx7o4vbDBO5mUm-w0lqMCmUhRnW74WA21o-F0wmVs5aOgzI2fYKrpvhoodzoq70Ig1wi6yUld40t8zZ9w6q80PkYQg8Lw6q80SB6_d42bXb9JAsrRa1g





From: Robert <robert626001@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 09/27/2016 11:08 PM
Subject: Re: AS/400e 170 IPL failure
Sent by: "MIDRANGE-L" <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx>



Roberto

Thanks for that background. It led me to a couple of documents (links
below) from which I learned the following:

My disk system is either RAID 5 or mirrored.
I have either one array or two.
I have either one ASP or two.
A RAID 5 array requires a minimum of four drives.

From memory (it's not in front of me right now) the drive in the

expansion chassis of "toast" box is a different type to those in the main chassis. It seems unlikely to me that IBM would mix drive types in a single array.

Given that the "working" box has four drives in the main chassis and three in the expansion chassis, I'm inclined to suspect that what I have in there is one complete RAID 5 array and one degraded RAID 5 array. Naturally, I'll need to fire it up to see if I can figure out how confirm that, but I think that QSRV has the necessary privileges.
I'll also need to do some more reading - I'm not clear on how ASPs map to arrays(or vice versa) and what redundancy arrangements are in place.

In summary, my main hope for retrieving the keys from the "toast"
machine is that ASP1 may be found, complete, on the four drive array in the primary chassis. I'm not ready to give up on that, yet, though I'll concede the possibility that the reading mentioned above might require me to.

Does that sound plausible?

On making my own media, it turns out that the 170s only have CD-ROM drives, not CD-RWs. So, at best, I could only create tapes - if I had some tapes. Unless there's a way of doing it remotely, from a PC over TCP/IP - but that would be a separate discussion.

Robert

On Tue, Sep 27, 2016 at 6:38 PM, Roberto Jos? Etcheverry Romero <yggdrasil.raiker@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Robert,

Some background on how IBM i stores things, it uses an ASP (Auxiliary
Storage Pool), and within that (and technically, within the main
storage
(RAM) as well) you have a one level storage. There are no volumes, no
partitions, no nothing. That means that unfortunately, if you have
dead

or

missing drives, the ASP is gone for good (unless you have a LOT of
time

and

expertise on your hands, i recall someone on this list reading the

QSECOFR

password from the load source drive on a linux machine after a lot of
tinkering).
The second 170 i think will be a source of spares for the one that

works.

If you can't find the media you might be able to create your own
media, look into that, if you have enough access to the system you
might be

able

to create iso images to reinstall the machine...

Best luck with that.


On Tue, Sep 27, 2016 at 7:37 PM, Robert <robert626001@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Thanks for the links, Rob.

It sounds like I need to bump into one of those people, in the pub
(physical or virtual). I guess I'd need to find the PTFs, too.

I'm now wondering (re the "toast" machine) whether it would be safe
to D from the LIC CD, get to DST, stop the array with missing drives
and power off. If I could do that without harming the current
installation, that might let me IPL and photographically recover the
keys for that machine too.

I'm a little hesitant, though as the last thing I want to do is
inadvertently erase the keys!

Robert

On Tue, Sep 27, 2016 at 5:02 PM, Rob Berendt <rob@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I know people who keep old copies of the OS on CD. Let's say for

quick

upgrades in the event of mergers and acquisitions.


Rob Berendt
--
IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept
1600 Mail to: 2505 Dekko Drive
Garrett, IN 46738
Ship to: Dock 108
6928N 400E
Kendallville, IN 46755
http://cp.mcafee.com/d/FZsS73hJ5ws_tNwsZsTsSCy-Uy---rjhvshsu76QQnT4
nTT3qq9EVjhppvdGRxcJMzGLQ1heF0wmfGg85KndAWA21o-F0wmVsTqP90xUV_HYYCq
enS7KLsKCOyqeuhvouvjjVqWdAklrEIYG7DR8OJMddICS1NKVKVI04xVkHnBPqIA8X0
zVsYKgGT2TQ02Hm4OT2eG_gUDkwgb7R842TbwFmi4twh_BPrbWb31Ir3gU5y0c2gQn2
FEw3F4vFc0Ph06qDCy15Y0Ph06QETVEwhvppdIzzpZbH





From: Roberto Jos? Etcheverry Romero <yggdrasil.raiker@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion

<midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

Date: 09/27/2016 05:53 PM
Subject: Re: AS/400e 170 IPL failure
Sent by: "MIDRANGE-L" <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx>



If you have the keys photographed but you don't have any other
access

to

the system. Try to find some v5r2 installation media and just break

the

entire machine. Install from 0 and you'll have a v5r2 machine up
and running. It's a nice learning experience, but if you don't have
the

media

it'll be difficult.

Best Regards,

Roberto

On Tue, Sep 27, 2016 at 6:42 PM, James H. H. Lampert <
jamesl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Sounds to me like what you really have is one functioning 170, and

one

source of spare 170 parts.

Which, if you think about it, is not a bad combination.

--
JHHL

--

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