RE: Ops Console -- MIDRANGE-L


> Mostly the whole point of the console is for a system 
> problem.  A twinax
> console ALWAYS works, always.  If there's a serious system 

ALWAYS is a dangerous word, especially twice in one sentence :-).  I've had
situations where the AS/400 has simply decided to pick a device on port 2
switch 0 of CTL01 as the console, had us totally stumped.

> problem, you have
> to be able to get to the console.  A pc running any 
> emulation-type program
> is prone to problems, or at least one more possible point of failure.
> What if you're having problems with the servers?  Or any 
> other problem which
> won't let the PC connect?  Or heaven forbid, there's one of 
> those windows
> problems, it could happen, ya know. :)

True, very true.  For example, don't even think of browsing the net whilst
Ops Console is running.  It simply won't let you.

Ops console will come into it's own with V5, I believe.  The ability to use
any PC on the LAN to be the console will certainly eliminate any single
point of failure.  Currently we run V4R5 with two ops consoles out of our
three machines here.  I firmly believe the advantages outweigh the
disadvantages - dialing in from home (or anywhere with the laptop) and
running option 21 saves, ending tcp/ip etc. is fantastically handy, and ops
console has saved us many wasted hours at work and travelling time to fix
problems.

Of course, YMMV.
> 
> A word to the wise:  I ordered my 170 with operations console 
> AND the twinax
> card.  Since I ordered it with Ops console and wasn't using 
> it, there was an
> SRC on the panel always. (I forget the number)  I had a 
> terminal seemingly
> working fine as the console, but Rochester informed me that 
> it wasn't REALLY
> the console.  If I had a serious problem, the system may not 
> recognize that
> it had a console at all and I could have big problems doing DR.
> They got it fixed, but actually had to get on my machine to do it.
> 

Hmm, you should have been able to hop into DST and change the system to use
Twinax console rather than opsconsole, don't see why IBM had to do it.

Oh well, just my 2 cents worth.



Dwayne Lindner
Senior Network Analyst
Wesfarmers Rural Information Technology
184 Railway Parade, Bassendean WA 6054
Ph: (08) 9273 5365    Mob: 0407 386 693
Email: dwayne.lindner@writ.wesfarmers.com.au
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