HP TSB console lockout (was RE: HP (3rd party) id help?

Rick wrote... ---- The computer center (as it was called then) was very much off limits to just about anyone but the operator, ... ---- Maybe it is/was common knowledge, but I had forgotten about this tidbit until finding a 1 sentence note almost hidden in a manual... To keep people from entering commands at the console who were not authorized, TSB monitors bit 0 of the S register on the main cpu. If that bit is set, no console commands will run and it just echos back the characters that you type. On the older machines where the front panel key switch actually could lock the panel, for security if people had access to the machine room you could set Sreg bit 0 and turn the key to lock and take it with you. Console disabled. I was curious if this would work with the newer cpu's where the key switch was just a door latch and the "lock/operate" switch was behind the front panel. Alas, sr0 bit 0 works as expected to lock the console, but setting the lock/operate switch behind the front panel does not disable the switch register. So on those model cpus... I guess it's "security through obscurity" :) J