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Linux On Big Iron
panker writes "eWeek is running an article about a company who converted their IBM mainframe into a Linux email server. "The technical support manager at Winnebago Industries Inc. recently oversaw the deployment of Version 7 of SuSE Linux AG's Linux operating system on an IBM zSeries mainframe to run his company's e-mail server supporting 700 users." "
ah. the perfect follower
The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
... This is Offtopic and Flamebait but hopefully it is interesting and informative as well. The 4 should balance to where it is just "okay"
I have been doing work on IBM AS400s of recent, mainly installing ethernet cards into 9402-400s, 9401-150s. Well, I had two machines completely die on me.
I followed the instructions from the repair / maintanance manual on installing and removing hardware to a T. Didnt swap hardware while the machine was hot, I was grounded, etc etc etc.
The two machines have warrentys on all the hardware but no where on the machine does it say working with it, removing the case, etc. voids your warrenty. There are no break me, void warrenty stickers. I was using IBM instructions on 100% IBM hardware doing a standard install -- nothing crazy.
There is no direct evidence linking the two sepereate ethernet cards and cages to the death of two seperate machines. Granted, its a coincidence that should be considered but there is no 100% proof. The fact that two seperate cards were used and the unlikelyness that a bad card would completely kill a system (namely the CPU card) is far fetched. More often do you see AS400s that die when powered down and moved. Its not insane to think that these very old machines were just waiting to have something fuck up on them.
However, the two incompotent IBM techs that came out to the second machine are crying fowl saying the machine itself is not under warrenty. This flys in the face of what Ive been told from the company I do this for and what I have read! Granted, these techs "rarely work on AS400s" and didnt know a single fucking thing other then to look in the manual. Had the office not had the repair manual, they woulda been fucked. They also had to have a tech on the phone the whole god damn time. They did not bring a 7mm socket to get into the system so they had to use my power driver and sockets. They removed and handled the CPU card w/o grounding themselves (one guy pulled it and just handed it to the other guy who was on the phone to read a SN). They left the machine on, w/ error code, overnight with everything just scattered this way and that.
So - now we are just waiting to see what kind of outrageous bill they send to my offices. Re-damn-diculous.
But, thats why I no likey the IBM. Im sure there are going to be replies that say of course I voided the warrenty, tell me that I am a moron and broke it, but I will be 100% honest -- I really don't thing it had anything to do with what I did.
The ultimate network admin tool needs HELP!
A fitting story to come directly after this one
If you can read this, you're too damned close!