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On Monday, August 17, 1998, 04:15 PM, Paul Tice wrote: Help! I'm a PC/Mac tech, but I recently bought a 5363 ($30 with 4 terminals and cabling..sheesh!) And now I've got a new obsession, namely, figuring this thing out! I'm looking for just about anything here...old manuals, basic tips, etc. Hey, at this point even a good whack on the head might help! And, of course, the local IBM remarketers just chuckle at me when I ask about the poor beast. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions (except the boat anchor one!!!) Paul Tice Hobbyist Computer nut. Professional PC tech, found myself the proud (if befuddled and bemused) owner of a S/36 and can't resist it. Neophyte to as/400 and S/3x, learning fast. ************************************************** ******************** I see this is your first post to the Midrange Computing Forum. O.K. I won't suggest the boat anchor approach, but I do strongly recommend that you find some non-computer oriented use for that old thing. Yes, you do need a good whack on the head! You mention "learning fast". Why learn obsolete technology at all would be my first question? Yes, the 5363 is obsolete! Your PC/Mac background may be blinding you to the realities of IBM Midrange life. What are you really trying to accomplish with your new $30 toy? Clearly the time you've already invested playing with that box was more valuable than the initial $30 expense. If you want to become a player in the midrange arena, try to start with an AS/400 with version 4 of OS/400. Spend some time really looking around this forum and ask some more questions. Don't waste your valuable time with a 5363. Sorry to burst your bubble. Believe it or not, my first opportunity to advise someone with a newly claimed 5363 occurred several years ago. I received I excited call for someone who had just found one sitting outside next to a dumpster! P.S. For an additional learning experience click here target=_new href="http://www.as400.ibm.com">http://www.as400.ibm.com Just an old mainframer caught in the Web!
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On Tuesday, August 18, 1998, 08:36 AM, Paul Tice wrote: Well, I'd love to start with a "real" IBM midrange AS/400, but cost is a major factor, and well, I gotta start somewhere. At least I can get SOME kind of feel for the platform. Muddling along ************************************************** ******************** What is the cost of volunteering to help someone with a state of the art AS/400e machine? Most people with "SOME kind of feel" for any S/36 conclude that it is obsolete technology that should be replaced! What do the rest of you think about Paul's approach to learning the IBM Midrange? Say something right here. Save this guy from himself. Help give him a needed whack on the head! Just an old mainframer caught in the Web! -
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Sorry Frank, Can't agree. As he has stated, it is already providing dividends. You must remember that the 36 is now a niche market. While it may not have a distant future, there can be a great need for it right now (ask any mainframe Cobol programmer). I say as long as he can find the business, go for it - but keep your eyes open for the opportunity to move. Bill Frank Whittemore wrote: . . .What do the rest of you think about Paul's approach to learning the IBM Midrange? Say something right here. Save this guy from himself. Help give him a needed whack on the head!Comment
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On Tuesday, August 18, 1998, 10:18 AM, Paul Tice wrote: Well, what would you think if I came to your shop and asked: "Say, I don't know a darned thing about IBM midrange, but I'd sure love to play with your new AS/400!...By the way, I'd also like you to train me in it for free!" Umm...welllll ************************************************** ******************** I thought you stated that you were just learning the S/36 in which case you could substitute "old S/36" for "new AS/400" in your above statement. How much S/36 experience do you really have? Please be like the President. Tell the truth! We don't want this to drag on for over 7 months. Thanks. Also, do you really already have paying S/36 clients? Just an old mainframer caught in the Web!Comment
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Paul, You have it in the back room? I say use it as a small end table in your front room. It will make a nice conversation piece too. And, I think you would come up to speed much faster by buying either the MC Resource CD or the NEWS/400 CD and perusing all the articles and tech tips on either one. I will say though that I spent 4 years on a 5360 before moving to the AS400. We installed ASNA's 400RPG pre-compiler on our S36 which gave us CALL/PARM in RPG II and external DDS capabilities in SSP 5.0. This greatly eased my transition to the AS400! Good luck! Chris.Comment
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Paul, Ignore Frank. Any technology that is still in use in a production environment needs technicians that know what's what. I applaud you for taking the bull by the horns, so to speak, and creating a revenue option for yourself. While it may be true that the number of S/36's in production is shrinking, that may just be a blessing in disguise. There's always going to be some company whose leaders are so afraid of change that they will be willing to keep a technology that nobody supports anymore. You may be the only S/36 technician left. Charge whatever you want! That said, I must tell you that I started in this business over ten years ago, and the S/36 had already been replaced by the S/38. Therefore, I can be of no assistance to you. I never worked on a S/36 at all. Sorry. One day, we'll all be heroes.Comment
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************************************************** ****************************** ************************************************** ********** Hobbyist Computer nut vs 15+ year IBM Midrange Consultant continues - ************************************************** ****************************** ************************************************** ********** On Tuesday, August 18, 1998, 03:20 PM, Paul Tice wrote: I don't know everything about PC's or MAC's either, but I learn daily, and I know where to find what I don't know. That's the position I like to be in. Knowing enough to cover most situations and knowing who/where to go when I don't know enough. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ahh - you work on PC's, MAC's and now the IBM Midrange! Believe it or not I once worked on Honeywell's, IBM's and Bouroughs' all within a one year period of time. As I gained experience, I decided that it made more sense to specialize. Now I'm less stressed and provide even better value to my more limited number of clients. You may be spreading yourself too thin! Anyway, an interesting thread has been started. Here's hoping that more users join in. Good luck with whatever you decide to do! And keep coming back to this forum. Also, beware of tire kickers who seem interested in your potential services until it becomes time to pay for your work. Even I had one client last year who was unable to keep up with technology. The result was a bankrupt client. Walmart and their many subsidiaries won another round. The story is too long and to sad to tell. Just an old mainframer caught in the Web!Comment
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So, when someone is using a S/36, this means he/she does not own SSP but rather licenses it from IBM. Do I remember this correctly? And what's the going rate these days for leasing SSP? Chris.Comment
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I have not work on a S36 for a long time, but i think you must use the control panel to start the machine in a special mode(i dont remember how). Then the back door password is all numbers, i think (all 8 or 6 or whatever). Sorry i can not be more clear. But someone suggested you get the CD from midrange and news/400, this is probably the best advice you can get on the subject. You may even find the answer to your question there.Comment
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Paul, Wish I could help you with the signon, but it's been too long since I chugged on a 36. If I remember right, that interface was used for communications. The rumor was you could plug in a regular PC modem, instead of paying the outrageous price for one from IBM. Bill Paul Tice wrote: . . . can someone fill me in on what a "BUSAT INTERFACE" card in the top rack might do? A buddy of mine was looking at the beast, we found a 80286-8 on that card and he thought it was the Main CPU. Kinda suprised him when I pulled the card out and restarted IPL sequence. The look on his face was hilarious! Thanks for the help and discussion Paul TiceComment
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Paul, I asked a consultant who has an enormous amount of experience with the S/36, including the 5363, about how to get past the signon screen. Here's his response: The only way I know to get into a 36 is call the people you got it from & get a password/userid. Hopefully the Master Security Officer password. There are no default user ids as it came with security turned off.Comment
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Sorry, don't think that's going to work either. The 36 had a utility for direct sector access and change. I looked at the area where the profiles were kept, it is encrypted. Bill Sigh. No security bypass. Ah well, time to pull the drive and try to read it sector by sector on a PC or somesuch. Thanks for the help, at least I know not to beat my head against that particular brick wall!Comment
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I seem to recall a special "Customer Engineer" (CE) signon for the S/36 that had a default password. Signing on as a CE would get you to menus not normally available. You would have to speak to someone else (perhaps an ex-IBMer) to find out what this is. Which brings up another topic: Remember when you knew your CE, your SE, and your Sales Rep on a first name basis? David AbramowitzComment
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On Wednesday, August 19, 1998, 08:01 PM, David Abramowitz wrote: Which brings up another topic: Remember when you knew your CE, your SE, and your Sales Rep on a first name basis? ************************************************** ******************** Yes, and there was the "third party programmer" letter sent out by IBM to their customers giving them the names of local contractors. I ended up with some very good clients thanks to those letters. Oh for the good old days! Just an old mainframer caught in the Web!Comment
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On Thursday, August 20, 1998, 05:52 AM, Frank Whittemore wrote: On Wednesday, August 19, 1998, 08:01 PM, David Abramowitz wrote: Which brings up another topic: Remember when you knew your CE, your SE, and your Sales Rep on a first name basis? ************************************************** ******************** Yes, and there was the "third party programmer" letter sent out by IBM to their customers giving them the names of local contractors. I ended up with some very good clients thanks to those letters. Oh for the good old days! Just an old mainframer caught in the Web!
Actually, I am sure that if IBM spent $ for $ what Bill Gates does in advertising for the AS/400 in InfoWorld and InfoWeek, we would still know our CE's home numbers. Just trying to keep up....Comment
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