Re: Applying configuration from IPL "Type A" to "Type B" on AS/400 9406-170

Hello Mr. Nameless, ;-)

Am 06.05.2023 um 10:08 schrieb s6qdx via MIDRANGE-L <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

This is my first post on this list, and I just wanted to say that I'm extremely new to AS/400, I just started out of curiosity for the system and its architecture.

Maybe my AS/400-Wiki might be somewhat helpful, then.

https://try-as400.pocnet.net/

I'm also a hobbyist, so to say.

I recently got an AS/400 9406-170 with V4R2 installed. The system came with no installation disks, terminal or cables, but I was able to start in IPL Type B and connect to it over ethernet cable from a virtual terminal.

What exactly constitutes a "virtual terminal"? Are you aware that the "native terminal tongue" of OS/400 is 5250 and not VT100? Just asking!

Unfortunately, while playing around with the TCP/IP settings, I accidentally deleted the TCP interface configuration, of course the connection immediately dropped and I was left without a way to connect to the system.

This is really bad.

And this is why I assert that one needs a backup plan, a local terminal for
- emergency connection, if something goes wrong. A lost Ethernet Link can't be corrected without another way to access the machine, or a reboot.
- running a full backup, which must be done in something similar to "single user mode" you might know from Linux/Unix. Single User mode ends all jobs/tasks, so no TCP/IP.

There are multiple ways for console connections, depending on machine generation. I know about a serial cable thing with Client Access for Windows, but it is said to be somewhat unreliable. When you need it most, it doesn't work. :-) A Twinax terminal would be the most easy thing to set up and use, but nowadays also one of the bulkiest and most expensive. Alternative ways might be to obtain a PCI or PCMCIA Twinax card together with an old PC or laptop computer, and configure your own. The smartest thing you can to is obtain a Twinax-USB-Dongle, but its price tag is an effrontery. Depending on where you live, it might be sufficient to know where you can lend a terminal within a reasonable driving range if in doubt.

After some digging I was suggested to load into IPL type A, and that actually worked: the system loaded with the TCP configuration still there.

Then you had very good luck and something else prevented the configuration change to be permanently applied.

Now for my question: is it possible to somehow apply the TCP/IP configuration from Type A to Type B? If not, is it an issue if I keep working from Type A for the time being?

To my knowledge, A and B differences are original (from install media), and patched (updates applied) "kernel". I have never experienced configuration differences.

Thank you and please correct me if I said something that doesn't make sense. Everything is new to me, and I'm struggling to even find the right terminology to make proper google searches.

Yes, I know the problem. There is a lot of AS/400 slang which made my life miserable in the beginning also. I try to use usual PC terms and add the AS/400 specific language for explanation purposes.

If you lack to understand something, don't hesitate to ask.

:wq! PoC