Re: v5r2 license expiration -- MIDRANGE-L

Tom,

Your hunch is certainly correct for how system passwords worked on the old
CISC hardware.   Years ago, I happened to acquired several spare 9404s and
found that some had the system password "grace period", while others did
not.

I found that the grace period evaporated once you let the control panel CMOS
clear (removed the battery for X hours) AND replaced the boot (IPL) drive
with a scratch (initialized) disk.

The "flag" you refer to was a combination of a control panel memory and data
stored on a "serial# matching" boot disk.  I figured it was the "last good
IPL" date.

The interesting thing I found was that while the system serial# was stored
in the control panel, if this memory was cleared, it would actually get the
serial# from the MFIOP card.  That's where the ROM version of the serial#
was stored,

System passwords were tied to a combo of serial# (MFIOP) and processor
serali# and password "version".


Keith


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Liotta" <qsrvbas@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2003 7:13 PM
Subject: RE: v5r2 license expiration


> midrange-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
> >  12. RE: v5r2 license expiration (Walden H. Leverich III)
> >
> >I thought 04 was the lamp test. At any rate try changing the IPL source
to
> >'D' on the front panel, and then IPL, that should IPL from CD. I don't
know
> >however if that will allow you to reinstall and avoid the 70-day window.
> >Part of me says yes it will, afterall not too many people are willing to
> >scratch install their machines every 70 days, and part of me says it
won't
> >since that would avoid the whole licensing check. At worst you should be
> >able to recover from the tape backup of V5R1 -- you do have a backup, no?
>
> There are two related issues. First is the restoring of a version of
OS/400 where license keys are available. I'd suspect that would work. Second
is the reinstallation of an unlicensed version after expiration due to
missing license keys.
>
> Has anbody on this list ever actually reinstalled an unlicensed version
successfully? If so, when did it happen and can you remember what model the
system was?
>
> I've long had the feeling that this wouldn't work on the systems I've been
responsible for in the past because the control panel itself was somehow
involved. That is, even if you initialized DASD and reinstalled, you would
still need a license key to continue during IPL because a register in the
control panel was perhaps changed from '0' to '1'. It just seems a memory
from sometime years ago keeps nagging at me. Maybe it depends on model.
>
> Even so, with creative ASPs and IASPs (or whatever they're now called;
probably eServer iAsps for iWebSphere), maybe it's near feasible for some
systems.
>
> Tom Liotta
> --
> Tom Liotta
> The PowerTech Group, Inc.
> 19426 68th Avenue South
> Kent, WA 98032
> Phone  253-872-7788 x313
> Fax    253-872-7904
> http://www.powertechgroup.com
>
>
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