Yowza.
A couple other options you might have used are: Ask the BladeServer people to mount the ISO images on the bladeserver and either share them via NFS (easiest way) or else make them available over FTP. The use z/VM FTP to put the files necessary to IPL Linux on the Linux guest 191 drive (SLES9.PARM, SLES9.IMITRD, SLES9.IMAGE) Or, if the z/VM instance was allowed to access the internet, once you IPL'ed as above, you could have downloaded the rest of the install over the internet. Slow, but it works. Or if worse came to worse, you could have used the DVD drive on the console, if you have one. J If I had realized, we could have sent you a starter image. Sorry if I missed the request. -Paul From: The IBM z/VM Operating System [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike Walter Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 8:41 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Mini-survey: Linux usability Maybe not addressed to the most-affected list, but IBMVM subscribers are affected, too. Especially those getting into Linux for System z for the first time. It took us around a year to get the first P.O.C. server installed because our Internet Security group would not permit a CD drive on anyone's PC to be connected to the mainframe LAN - not even for a the time it takes to copy the ISO images. Eventually we received a DDR copy to tape of a running Linux FTP server which we quickly restored in our VM system, and by jumping through extensive hoops (inserting the CDs on a Linux blade server, then mounting them on USS in z/OS, and then again mounting them on the new Linux for System z FTP server to actually begin the installation). What a nightmare and what an absolute waste of time to begin a P.O.C (all in the name of "security"!). I began suggesting the following on July of 2006. Thus far there has been little-to-no response... If Novell wants to play in the z/VM market, they should provide an easy way for existing z/VM customers to download a stripped-down SLES FTP server using tools that every z/VM customer already has available: the z/VM TCP/IP FTPSERVE server, and (admittedly something requiring a download from the IBM VM Download site): the CMSDDR package. The new-to-Linux on System z customer could run CMSDDR to download a running Linux FTP server, bring that up, follow rather simple instructions to customize it for their network, and then bring it up. Novell could also supply access to the ISO images such that they could be downloaded directly through either the CMS FTPSERVE svm, and/or, the newly installed bare-bones SLES FTP server. There would be no need to permit access from someone's CD or DVD drive to the "mainframe network", and... no need to go though MS Windows to perform the downloads... ugh! Before Mark Post moved to Novell, perhaps there were insufficient z/VM skills to make this or other ease/speed-of-installation techniques available at Novell. Now there may be a light shining at the end of the tunnel? Mike Walter Hewitt Associates Any opinions expressed herein are mine alone and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of Hewitt Associates. "Rod" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent by: "The IBM z/VM Operating System" <[email protected]> 06/13/2007 02:08 AM Please respond to "The IBM z/VM Operating System" <[email protected]> To [email protected] cc Subject Re: Mini-survey: Linux usability When I first got my mitts on this stuff I had awful trouble getting anything working until Rob walked down the corridor and helped me out. We then had a series of discussions concerning a bog-standard DDR image that would get people up and running. That was nearly 10 years ago. Given the recent discussion about having to send notes to Novell to generate sufficient interest to get something similar, it depresses me to see just how far things have come in 10 years. -- Rod (Moan over - back to fixing Access dBs (sigh)...) _____ The information contained in this e-mail and any accompanying documents may contain information that is confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, please immediately alert the sender by reply e-mail and then delete this message, including any attachments. Any dissemination, distribution or other use of the contents of this message by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited.
