6 Aug
2015
6 Aug
'15
10:43 a.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Chuck
Guzis
Sent: 06 August 2015 17:24
To: General at classiccmp.org; Discussion at classiccmp.org:On-Topic and Off-
Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Subject: Re: Booting an IBM MP 3000 S/390 System
On 08/06/2015 08:04 AM, Sean Caron wrote:
Actually I remember booting an IBM4381 from cold after we shut it down over Christmas.
Just pressing the Power button powered it up eventually, but I am pretty sure it took
nearly an hour to get to the IPL prompt. So it did disk drives, then tape drives, then
other bits and bobs. But when it spun up the disks it brought them up one at a time so the
startup surges didn't trip the main breaker. The same with the tape drives. Then it
loaded the microcode into all the controllers. Then it booted the OS. As we were running
VM this last bit took a few seconds (I think). I do know if VM crashed you screen logo
frequently re-appeared before you had time to think.
Dave Wade
G4UGM
If you think the MP3000 is a slow booter, we just
got some new 4U
machines in where I work; 1.5TB RAM; those things take almost 20
minutes to POST - no joke!
Booting an old CDC 6000-series machine meant mounting a "deadstart"
tape, pushing the button just below the screens on the DD60, entering or
editing the equipment status table, then going out for a smoke (not me) or a
cup of coffee, while the system copied the deadstart tape to disk.
The next prompt was to enter the date and time.
People are too impatient today.
--Chuck