Hmm - In the words of Tom Wolfe, I'm either, 'Stretching the envelope' or I've, 'Augured in' ...
For the first time, I'm attempting a z/VM 5.4 installation 2nd level from an FTP Server Directory (as opposed to straight off the DVD or via DDR). Irrelevant but maybe of passing interest, the FTP Server in question is o n a z/OS system. Also - to, 'stretch the envelope' I'm attempting the installation onto offset-1 minidisks (that is, 3338-cylinder 3390's each starting at real cylinder 1 of a 3390-3 volume). My reference is GC24-6099-05. I have some small issues with the manual (which I'll turn into a RCF once the exercise is complete) but I had successfully worked through the installation process up to the point where one runs INSTDVD ... INSTDVD runs and happily loads up the system minidisks, exactly as per th e manual until it gets to the end of the, 'base' system load. At this poin t, it issues MSG HCPIRU8484R PLEASE PLACE THE SYSTEM RSU DVD IN THE DRIVE, THEN TYPE GO TO CONTINUE OR TYPE EXIT TO QUIT. This message is <ahem> 'unexpected' - the manual indicates that it should only be issued if installing from a DVD drive and it also indicates that a reply of, 'EXIT' will cause the installation NOT to complete. Hmm indeed. Reviewing the manual I noted that on Page 98, in the summary box, it says that in this step I will, 'Upload the contents of the z/VM System DVD and the RSU DVD to an FTP Server directory' ... but I have found no instructi ons or procedure that actually does anything with the RSU DVD. So, now my questions to the community ... (1) Has anyone actually installed z/VM 5.4 using an FTP Server directory? -and- (2) Have you ever done it using non-offset-0 minidisks? No panic on any of this - it's a semi-academic exercise and I'm sure that I can knife-and-fork a successful installation on my own, but I'm intereste d in trying to build a practical student exercise where each student does their own installation by simply following the manual and therefore, of course, I very much want to avoid getting into those, 'Well this is not a real situation' conversations that so often crop up during teaching exerc ises. So, feedback please --- am I missing something and this process works-as-documented or, from your experience in using it, are there undocumented, 'considerations' that I need to take into account? With, as always, thanks in anticipation Jeff
