Vary off Network Server (NWS). Copy Storage Space to backup. Vary on
NWS. After all, you should back up before installing a service pack or
other major app/OS update. Moving on ..
Load Service Pack. SP Fails? Vary off, revert to copy, vary on, do
diagnostics later if on-site required. Optionally, and this is neat,
add the storage space to your NWS as drive D: or whatever and look at
the files from the working NSW. Or boot it to your backup IXS (which
could be in another machine/data center).
The reason we use them? Cost. Server administration is outsourced and
we pay for each physical server. IXS costs $0 to admin over and above
the iSeries admin costs. Also, $0 hardware maintenance costs. Also,
better quality maintenance that PC server providers (I could mention the
YEARS we waited for Dell to replace a failed disk in a RAID set). Also,
with over 200 Windows servers in a single data center, the
zero-footprint IXS helps manage space in the data center. Also, it uses
little power (22 watt PentiumM + some for the rest of the card) over and
above what is used anyway for the iSeries. That corresponds to very
little waste heat as well.
Finally, if you really need it you can get a KVM switch that allows for
remote access, for instance:
http://www.minicom.com/kvm_smart16ip.htm
midrange.com
