Re: Top 10 reasons why the HMC is a terrible product!

Chuck,

While the HMC may not be the greatest product to hit
the market, I don't necessarily agree with some of
your statements:

1. Why would the developers look at an iSeries or
Windows?  The HMC was initially developed for the
pSeries.  It was only used for iSeries when the p and
i hardware was merged.

2. Yes - Another password - it keeps unauthorized
personnel out.  Better still, it restricts the
un-trained personnel from doing thing that they don't
know how to or should not be doing.

3.  You can control the HMC from anywhere in the
world, certainly anywhere you can reach the network
from.  WebSM allows you to control the HMC itself.  If
you are refering to the console function, (I presume
that is what you were refering to when you mentioned
the "twinax card in a PC with PC Anywhere"), you can
get a console from anywhere with the HMC as well. 
Simply telnet to the HMC on port 2300 - and you get
your console.  As for dedicated vs shared sessions, we
always use shared - but if a dedicated session is
connected preventing you from connecting, you can
always end that connection.

4. Use a DNS server or host table - then you just need
to remember a name.

5. I timed mine - 8 seconds.  You may have network
issues if it takes 30.

6. I say good job it is NOT like Windows.  If IBM had
made it like Windows, you would have had to put up
with all the Windows features, like blue screens,
lock-ups, slow-downs, viruses, etc.

7. Cannot argue with that one.

Second point 7. Do you mean automate or schedule?  You
can certainly schedule operations to move a tape drive
or other I/O device, memory, processor, etc on a
scheduled basis, e.g., every morning at 3:00am.  I
have not tried to write a macro using recorded
keystrokes. But if they underlying hardware reported
by the HMC changes, then the keystrokes would become
invalid and possibly dangerous.

8. I don't use the context key all that often - right
mouse click seems to work whenever I need it to.

9. Given the cost of OS/400 licenses, processors,
memory, disk, etc, plus maintenance, I thing even a
slimed down "iSeries" would be more expensive than an
HMC.  I have one HMC controlling 4 systems.  Compare
that to the amount of iSeries hardware I had dedicated
to thin primary partitions - the HMC is cheap compared
to that investment.

10. But the HMC can go down, be powered off or stop
communicating, and the most reliable computer in the
world keeps on running. It does not significantly
affect "availability" of the iSeries.

I am not saying that you do not have valid points, I
just think you are being unduly harsh.

Regards

Pat


--- Chuck Ackerman <CAckerman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Ok, there hasn't been a good "I hate the HMC" thread
> for at least a week
> or so, so here goes...
> 
> We just installed a partitioned i5 a month ago and,
> as a part of this,
> an HMC also.  Here are my rants about this HIDEOUS
> product.
> 
> 1. The developers of this product must have never
> used an iSeries or
> Windows as this product, which is so critical to the
> operation of the
> iSeries, doesn't look, act or feel like an iSeries
> or Windows.  So, they
> must have either set out to deliberately p*ss of
> their customers or are
> completely negligent.
> 
> 2. Yet another password.  The HMC rules didn't allow
> me to use the
> password I have on the iSeries and our Windows
> domain.  It wanted
> something like a number or to have it longer.  I
> don't exactly remember
> because I was getting pretty angry at that time and
> just made one up.
> 
> 3. We LOSE functionality with the HMC.  With good
> old twinax console I
> could throw a twinax card into a PC that had
> pcAnywhere and voila' I
> could control the console directly from anywhere in
> the world.  Yes, the
> HMC has this funky Java based HUMUNGOUS program that
> uses DOS and let's
> me do some things from another PC but I can't
> control the HMC itself.
> So, if I've exclusively locked a terminal session at
> the HMC I must
> physically go there to unlock it.
> 
> In this day and age, one should never, ever, ever,
> ever, ever physically
> have to attend a computer device.  This is 1970s
> thinking!
> 
> 4. Connecting to the HMC remotely requires that I
> remember an IP
> address.  The remote software doesn't remember the
> number I put in last
> time.  And they expect ME to remember it? Yet
> another number to
> remember.  
> 
> 5. Once I remember that IP address it takes a good
> 30 seconds before it
> asks for my user id and password.  We're talking
> slooooow.  Add insult
> to injury I  gotta remember that password...
> 
> 6. The remote interface that runs on Windows is just
> a redux of the
> Linux box.  IBM didn't even take the trouble to make
> it Windows
> standard.  They KNOW I'm running it on a Windows box
> and yet they insult
> me by making it act, look and feel like Linux.  I
> want NOTHING to act,
> look and feel like Linux! 
> 
> 7. I MUST use a mouse to navigate the HMC System
> Manager.  I can not
> drill down and use keystrokes to get to the servers
> and server
> properties.  Try it!  For the world I can't figure
> out how to open up
> the "+" next to "Server-9406-..." in the child
> window with a keyboard.
> This is a big no-no in GUI programming.  A user
> should ALWAYS be able to
> traverse any screen with a failed mouse!
> 
> 7. I can't automate functions.  It takes a good 10
> minutes and a number
> of steps that I must do MANUALLY to move a device,
> such as a tape drive,
> from one partition to another.  In other
> applications I automate this
> with either a macro program on my PC or WinBatch. 
> Neither can be used
> because I can't travel down the tree structure in
> the HMC with
> keystrokes, something that macro programs rely upon.
> 
> 8. The "context" key on my keyboard doesn't pop up a
> context menu at
> appropriate times.  It's just a dead key.
> 
> 9. For the price of the HMC they could have easily
> created a small,
> scaled down iSeries that could have easily done a
> better job.  Plus I
> could have created CL programs to handle the tasks
> that the HMC didn't
> already do!
> 
> 10. And worst of all: A critical component of the
> most reliable computer
> in the world is now controlled by a PC!  We've taken
> a dozen steps
> backwards with the invention of the HMC!
> 
> Chuck
> Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my
> employer.
> 
> -- 
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> 

Patricia Garrity
Garrity Systems, Inc

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