On 8/6/2015 8:54 PM, Guy Sotomayor wrote:
Cool! I've toyed with the idea of getting a larger mainframe (zSeries)
but the aspect of trying
to get and configure storage for it is the main stumbling block.
I didn't realize how lucky I was with mine until I started hearing
about the horror stories from
others. I think what helped was that mine wasn't "molested" before I
received it. In addition
to arriving in the original IBM shipping crate (really? who keeps
that?) it also had all of the
"extras" in terms of cables, terminators, etc still unopened. The
only thing that I'm missing
is some of the software and diagnostics that were supplied on either
tape or CD.
It may have been packed by IBM for the customer. This is standard
service available to mainframe shops. Most of them who have assets
which have value get them packaged by IBM either under their current
maintenance contract, or at extra cost if they are not on their plan.
The service used to be called MSL, I think, but it has been a long time
since I dealt with such.
Even if you bought it from a scrapper, the original shops frequently
just have them packed like that and then rolled off the floor for
storage, because when IBM packs them they are certified ready to go back
into service with a lot less if any re-certification charges for
maintenance. If you disconnect the components yourself (and who do you
know in IT does that unless they are getting it for scrap if the
hardware guys will do it) that can / does void that they can go back
online w/o a big fee.
IBM dropped a huge bomb on the third party business of doing this and
trading equipment by making it free in the early 90's which wiped out a
large number of equipment dealers who were buying / refurbing /
reselling peripherals. There were a few bad players, and IBM's take on
that was to make the profit part for the dealers free, and wiping them
all out.
I lost the home for my systems when that happened.
Thanks
Jim
I *really* have to figure out a backup solution for this so that I
don't get stuck but that
supposes that I have a way to re-create the OS/2 image that's already
there if I do have to
do a full from scratch restore.
TTFN - Guy
