Colin Eby wrote:
Folks --
Has anyone tried creating mainframe compatible DASD with commodity
components? I now have an S/390, but am trying to pare it back to a
fighting weight (one that'll fit the electrical limitations of my flat).
The DASD are monster 14" platters with 400MB capacity each --
9332-Model400. And the system requires 5 of them with its current
configuration. I was wondering if there was a way to adapt the system to
more modest disk types much way as has been done with some of the recent
PDP re-implementations with flash and 2.5" IDE. Any thoughts?
While we're at it, I'm still interested in offloading two of my IO cabinets
and a bunch of COM controller feature cards. I haven't had any takers so
far.
DASD isn't a requisite of using a mainframe. Just use minidisks. DASD
is mostly used for data storage. Although there are a lot of setups out
there that IPL from DASD, I would venture to say that most setups IPL
from minidisk. Not that most setups IPL that often.
Which type/model S/390 do you have?
BTW, a 9332 DASD is significantly older than any S/390. It came out
around 1985 or 1986. It's not much of a match for the S/390,
considering the disks hold less than a GB apiece. It even pre-dates
ES/9000 by a few years. I would guess that they were most popular with
later-generation S/370's like the 3084 and 3090, and maybe even with
smaller compatible machines like the 4381.
Peace... Sridhar