RE: Operations Console and LPAR -- MIDRANGE-L

Rob,

Twinax or Operations Console, it's your choice.  And if you go with
Operations Console, you have the choice of LAN attach or direct connect.

I think that the same arguments apply for an LPARed system as they would
for a standalone system.  Go with your tolerance for complex versus
simple technology and your tolerance for tried-and-true versus newer
technology.  I can't think of a reason for an LPARed system to require
or strongly recommend the Operations Console any more than a collection
of single systems.

If you like the functionality of Operations Console but are leery of the
complexity, you can use both twinax and Operations Console.  Just don't
have them powered on at the same time.  That way you can have the
advantages of the PC, but if it fails, you can power up a twinax device
at port 0, address 0.

The three connection methods (twinax, LAN, and communications adapter)
will each require a dedicated IOP/IOA on a dedicated bus, so there's no
advantage there.

My personal preference would tend towards the direct-attach Operations
Console, because I like the remote management capabilities and I think
that it's been around long enough.  The LAN stuff makes me nervous.  But
that's a preference only.

(I really don't think that you need to take the primary down for PTF
application as much as you're planning.  I do believe that you could
bring it up on V5R2 with the latest fixes and then just let it go until
it's time for V5R3.  Every eight weeks seems a little excessive.)

Regards,
Andy Nolen-Parkhouse

> -----Original Message-----
> admin@midrange.com] On Behalf Of rob@dekko.com
> Subject: Operations Console and LPAR
>
> This is a multipart message in MIME format.
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> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> Is Operations Console required on a LPAR'ed iSeries?
>
> Is it STRONGLY RECOMMENDED in this situation?  (As in more strongly
> recommended that what you would need in a non lpar iSeries.)  If so,
> why?
>
> We are about to be dragged kicking and screaming into the lpar world.
> We
> didn't need it when we combined 15 AS/400's into one iSeries.  But to
> avoid the high charge of web$phere we want to lpar that.  And since
> IBM/Lotus can't seem to get R6 of Domino working with the latest
> Sametime
> and Quickplace on the same iSeries.
>
> Every 8 weeks we will bring down the three partitions, back them up
and
> apply ptf's (and if applicable, new release of OS).  After that we
will
> do
> the same to the primary.  In effect, doubling our downtime (since the
> secondaries will be toast when the primary is down
>
> We are looking at hooking up a separate twinax device for each
> partition.
>
> We have 4 other iSeries on site.  I don't see much benefit from remote
> access to Op's Console.  But then I live 10 minutes from work, while
> many
> of the others working downtime live a greater distance.
>
> Rob Berendt