Re: Problem with PC Server 500 System/390

In <1174063825.803318.79100@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, on 03/16/2007
at 09:50 AM, "Dan O" <danoverman@xxxxxxxxx> said:

On Mar 16, 9:20 am, m...@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
In <1174061415.567446.315...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, on 03/16/2007
at 09:10 AM, "exwisdem" <dar...@xxxxxxxxx> said:

I am still very puzzled by the inability to boot into the setup using any
of the documented methods. Was something done to disable this on the
System/390 servers?
As I still use MCA equipment at work in a secured environment, I can tell
you that one of the ways we secured the systems was to remove the floppy
drive from the boot sequence. I wonder if this is what was done to your
S500 P/390 system.
Check out here:
http://www.gilanet.com/OhlandL/config/selectdrive.html
on selecting the boot sequence once system programs are loaded (pressing
F1). For more information on the system programs, look here:
http://www.gilanet.com/OhlandL/config/configuration_index.html

What I am seeing is a bit more than just the floppy drive taken out of the
boot sequence. As I noted in my original post here access to the system
programs Main Menu appears to have been removed! I have hit both the
documented sequences, F1 and Alt-Ctl-Ins, at the proper point and the "Hit
F1 to enter Setup" line disappears but the server still boots from the C:\
drive! I have never seen such behavior in the past, but then I have never
worked on this particular server in the past either.


You need to have a Reference Diskette inserted to enter setup w/ F1.

Interesting! I was assuming that the system programs main menu was on the
hard drive as it is with my Server 320.

So I must boot and hit F1 with the Reference Diskette in the drive, as
only that one is permitted to boot without the floppy drive in the boot
sequence. The system programs main menu will come up and I will be able
to add the floppy drive to the boot sequence. Once this is saved I should
then be able to boot the RAID controller disk so that I can rebuild the
OFL drive.

As noted, try another floppy drive if that is no go.

Ctrl-Alt-Ins doesn't work on the standard platform PC Server 500 (type 4
CPU board).

Interesting! The manual refers to it and it also causes the line on the
boot menu to disappear as the F1 does, so I assumed it worked.

PC Server 500 can be booted from a particular type of CD (i.e.
ServerGuide). Not sure how feasible or relevent this is, though.

I am unsure if the owner has one of these, but of course unless it also
has the RAID controller manager on it this would be no help.

I also received some advice from someone else to check and make sure there
are no SCSI device conflicts on the RAID controller from a tape or other
unit, as this could cause one of the RAID drives to become inaccessable.
So I will check this as well before rebuilding.

-- Dave
-----------------------------------------------------------
dhdurgee<at>verizon<dot>net
-----------------------------------------------------------

.

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