Oops - missed one point. We DON'T have OSA-ICC but have equivalent capabilities via our Visara console controllers.
Jerry Whitteridge Manager Mainframe Systems & Storage Albertsons - Safeway Inc. 925 738 9443 Corporate Tieline - 89443 If you feel in control you just aren't going fast enough. -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Brian Westerman Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2016 9:49 PM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: EXTERNAL: Re: remote system support (i.e. the data center is 2 states away from you). Now that most mainframes (at least for the past several years) have OSA-ICC's, there is no reason to worry about not having a console connection remotely. We routinely define 16 consoles and 16 3270's (non-console) to each LPAR (a few more for production LPARs sometimes). I can't think of the last time that I couldn't get into any of the client mainframes that wasn't a flat-out network issue, and that can't normally be handled from z/OS anyway. That's why you have network appliances to control the network. You need to make sure that you ALWAYS have multiple points of entry to the LPARs available to you, TCP to OSA, TCP to OSA-ICC, LPAR to LPAR, etc. If a site is still using and/or paying for a local control unit and 3270's when their system supports OSA-ICC they really need to think about spending their money more wisely. I would trust an OSA-ICC a lot more than some old 3274. The ICC's are cheap enough that really worried sites can purchase a backup. If you need to enter the computer room to get or keep your site working, then you are doing something wrong. I'm not saying that you might not need to get to the HMC, but if you physically have to go to it to use it, then you have set things up badly. We do have a couple very old sites (who don't have OSA-ICC's) where the backup way in is the HMC, and then a dial-up to the HMC in case the network to the HMC fails. One of the banks we support still has local 3274 control units on a z800, and they have a phone line attached to a PC in the computer room that is wired directly to the 3274 via CUT. We have never needed to use it, but we still test it out once a month. In my opinion, in the end, it's up to you as the consultant to make sure that you can get in if there is a problem. If you don't set it up right or can't, then you're in the wrong business. This is not meant as a comment on anyone's abilities, not everyone is going to know how to set things up for 100% remote support without doing some research. In my case, I helped to design some of it, so I'm able to work comfortably with it. Brian ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ________________________________ Warning: All e-mail sent to this address will be received by the corporate e-mail system, and is subject to archival and review by someone other than the recipient. This e-mail may contain proprietary information and is intended only for the use of the intended recipient(s). If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient(s), you are notified that you have received this message in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately. ________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
