14 Sep
2001
14 Sep
'01
8:03 a.m.
The other day, my University (U of M @ A^2) threw away an old PowerStation
530. Having never seen anything like it before, I grabbed it up and carted
it to my dorm room (alone). I've never really seen anything this old, and
I'm not sure if this behemoth is even worth keeping. Perhaps it could
replace my current Pentium I 110MHz (24MB RAM) as a server, but I'm not
sure.
Anyway, anyone here have any experience with these machines? Know where I
can get a manual? I've only been a computer geek for about... oh... 6 years
now, so I've never seen the monitor hook-up either... it's mini-coax and
looks like the diagram below:
(o)(o)(o)
I'm assuming that's RGB...
Thanks in advance for any and all help. Now, back to trolling. :o)
14 Sep
14 Sep
8:47 a.m.
"Blair J. Miller" wrote:
The other day, my University (U of M @ A^2) threw away an old PowerStation
530. Having never seen anything like it before, I grabbed it up and carted
it to my dorm room (alone). I've never really seen anything this old, and
I'm not sure if this behemoth is even worth keeping. Perhaps it could
replace my current Pentium I 110MHz (24MB RAM) as a server, but I'm not
sure.
Anyway, anyone here have any experience with these machines? Know where I
can get a manual?
Try www.ibm.com ;-)
Anyway, check the real product number of this machine. Should be
something like "7013 model 530" (?)
then go hunting for the docs on their webpage ...
Good luck
16 Sep
16 Sep
3:40 a.m.
Emanual -
Hrm... I guess if I'd have known from the beginning that the computer would
be a '7013 model 530' I'd have been a lot better off. I didn't find the
exact manual, but rather one for the '500' series, and though it was
published in 1996 (this computer is from 1990 or so) most of the physical
stuff still seems to apply. Thanks for the heads up...
- Blair
Try www.ibm.com ;-)
Anyway, check the real product number of this machine. Should be
something like "7013 model 530" (?)
14 Sep
14 Sep
8:59 a.m.
Blair J. Miller said:
Anyway, anyone here have any experience with these machines? Know where I
can get a manual? I've only been a computer geek for about... oh... 6 years
now, so I've never seen the monitor hook-up either... it's mini-coax and
looks like the diagram below:
(o)(o)(o)
I'm assuming that's RGB...
Yup, it's RGB, sync on green. You need to get a cable to break that out
to 3 BNCs to hook it up to a decent monitor that does sync on green... if you
don't have such a thing, you should look for the IBM monitor that was hooked
up to the machine. Fortunatly, if you've got a decent monitor and can find
the cable (maybe in the region of where you found the machine) you should be
able to just hook up that and a PS/2 KB & mouse and have something working
pretty quick :)
Thanks in advance for any and all help. Now, back to trolling. :o)
- Dan Wright
(dtwright(a)uiuc.edu)
(http://www.uiuc.edu/~dtwright)
-] ------------------------------ [-] -------------------------------- [-
``Weave a circle round him thrice, / And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honeydew hath fed, / and drunk the milk of Paradise.''
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Khan
16 Sep
16 Sep
3:45 a.m.
Yup, it's RGB, sync on green. You need to get a
cable to break that out
to 3 BNCs to hook it up to a decent monitor that does sync on green...
Unfortunately, the monitor that may have been hooked up to the machine was
nowhere to be found... and this being my first classic computer, I don't
have such a thing lying around either. :o(
I read something about hooking a serial terminal up to the machine
directly... Forgive me for dumb questions, but I'm assuming a serial
terminal is one of those boxes that I keep seeing that has hookups for mice,
keyboards, SVGA monitors, and the like? Also called a 'Terminal Station' I
believe... Will this work? I don't even know if I'm asking the right
question here, and I could be horribly, stupidly, wrong. :o) This thing
comes from 'way back in the day' for me, before I was even interested in
computers, so I don't know a whole heck of a lot right now. More research I
guess...
Thanks again.
Blair
6:06 p.m.
At 11:45 AM 16/09/2001 -0400, Blair J. Miller wrote:
I read something about hooking a serial terminal up to
the machine
directly... Forgive me for dumb questions, but I'm assuming a serial
terminal is one of those boxes that I keep seeing that has hookups for mice,
keyboards, SVGA monitors, and the like? Also called a 'Terminal Station' I
believe... Will this work? I don't even know if I'm asking the right
question here, and I could be horribly, stupidly, wrong. :o) This thing
comes from 'way back in the day' for me, before I was even interested in
computers, so I don't know a whole heck of a lot right now. More research I
guess...
Certainly you can run a PowerStation 530 with a simple "dumb" terminal,
this is how we used to run ours at work when we got our first AIX systems.
We actually used IBM terminals but any plain VT100 type terminal will work.
You could always use a terminal emulator running on a PC.
I think the Terminal Station might well be the IBM attempt at an Xterminal.
Is this a pizza style box? If so, I know you can use it once the
PowerStation is booted but I'm not sure about whether it can be used as a
console.
Us old timers :-) use various things as serial consoles. In my case, an old
Panasonic laptop, a DECmate III or my PX-8 have spent time acting as
consoles to "larger" computers....
Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies(a)kerberos.davies.net.au
| "If God had wanted soccer played in the
| air, the sky would be painted green"
20 Sep
20 Sep
1:41 p.m.
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26 Sep
26 Sep
7:36 a.m.
New subject: SoCal DIGITAL/Ultrix32 stuff
A couple boxes of DIGITAL stuff showed up in my surplus scrounging, and so
far I left it behind and suspect the bulk of it will be OK for maybe a
week, maybe less.
Box1 is full of grey binders with Ultrix32 and related info, maybe a dozen
to 20 3" binders of stuff.
Box 2 is full of cables, white right angle SCSI to SCSI C50 looking things,
and some bundle of snakes that could be DB25 with about half a dozen pins
in some headshells. A couple maybe 20 foot ribbon cables with what sort of
looks like floppy connectors on the ends.
You are going to have to really want this if you aren't local to Orange, CA
and can pick it up. Email me directly if interested.
17 Sep
17 Sep
1:59 a.m.
On Sun, 16 Sep 2001, Blair J. Miller wrote:
I read something about hooking a serial terminal up to
the machine
directly... Forgive me for dumb questions, but I'm assuming a serial
terminal is one of those boxes that I keep seeing that has hookups for mice,
keyboards, SVGA monitors, and the like? Also called a 'Terminal Station' I
believe... Will this work? I don't even know if I'm asking the right
question here, and I could be horribly, stupidly, wrong. :o) This thing
comes from 'way back in the day' for me, before I was even interested in
computers, so I don't know a whole heck of a lot right now. More research I
guess...
I am not familiar with the Terminal station, it might work. Your best bet
for immediate results is to hook the machine to the serial port of a PC or
laptop and run some sort of terminal emulator.
There is the inadequate Hyperterm which comes with Windows which works
in a pinch, or Procomm, Reflections are common commercial packages and
there are a number of freeware packages as well such as minicom for linux.
I use Reflections or minicom to act as a console with my 7011-220.
Paul
20 Sep
20 Sep
1:32 p.m.
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14 Sep
14 Sep
9 a.m.
The other day, my University (U of M @ A^2) threw away
an old PowerStation
530. Having never seen anything like it before, I grabbed it up and carted
it to my dorm room (alone). I've never really seen anything this old, and
I'm not sure if this behemoth is even worth keeping. Perhaps it could
replace my current Pentium I 110MHz (24MB RAM) as a server, but I'm not
sure.
Anyway, anyone here have any experience with these machines? Know where I
can get a manual? I've only been a computer geek for about... oh... 6 years
now, so I've never seen the monitor hook-up either... it's mini-coax and
looks like the diagram below:
(o)(o)(o)
I'm assuming that's RGB...
Thanks in advance for any and all help. Now, back to trolling. :o)
It's RGB 1024x768 Sync on Green IIRC.
Do you have the AIX for it and how much memory is on this box.
Bill
--
d|i|g|i|t|a|l had it THEN. Don't you wish you could still buy it now!
bpechter@shell.monmouth.com|pechter@pechter.dyndns.org
11:58 a.m.
Do you have the AIX for it and how much memory is on
this box.
Uhm... I would assume that AIX is on it - though they do tend to 'wipe' all
boxes they put up for sale or trash... on the other hand, they might not
have done this one, or it might have simply been a moot point... until I can
get some sort of monitor hooked up to it, I don't really know.
As for the RAM, there are two full memory cards in the upper right side of
the machine... I'm kind of leary of removing anything until I know exactly
what I'm dealing with, so I don't really know how much memory each stick has
on it. Why do you ask?
Blair
1:58 p.m.
On Fri, 14 Sep 2001, Blair J. Miller wrote:
You should be able to get it to use a serial console. Having the key to
get it into service mode is extra helpful.
Do you have
the AIX for it and how much memory is on this box.
Uhm... I would assume that AIX is on it - though they do tend to 'wipe' all
boxes they put up for sale or trash... on the other hand, they might not
have done this one, or it might have simply been a moot point... until I can
get some sort of monitor hooked up to it, I don't really know. As for the RAM, there are two full memory cards in the
upper right side of
the machine... I'm kind of leary of removing anything until I know exactly
what I'm dealing with, so I don't really know how much memory each stick has
on it. Why do you ask?
Making sure the RAM hasn't been removed is important. The amount would
matter if you were going to try to move to recent versions of AIX.
You can remove it, and as long as you put back in the same order if you
have different sizes you should be OK.
--
2:16 p.m.
New subject: IBM Keys was: IBM PowerStation 530
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Thompson" <thompson(a)mail.athenet.net>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 9:58 PM
Subject: Re: IBM PowerStation 530
On Fri, 14 Sep 2001, Blair J. Miller wrote:
You should be able to get it to use a serial console. Having the
key to
get it into service mode is extra helpful.
I'm missing a key for one of my AS400's Does anyone know about
getting keys made or picking the lock?
15 Sep
15 Sep
3:31 p.m.
New subject: IBM Keys was: IBM PowerStation 530
I'm missing a key for one of my AS400's Does
anyone know about
getting keys made or picking the lock?
I can't say for the AS400, but the Power series from IBM used some special
key that you absolutely can't pick or duplicate, with replacement cost
something like $65 each. Sad thing is that with old systems the bottom line
is that you have to screw up the case, break parts etc. to get to the back
side of the switch and remove/bypass it.
16 Sep
16 Sep
2:57 a.m.
New subject: IBM Keys was: IBM PowerStation 530
On Sat, 15 Sep 2001, Mike Ford wrote:
Exactly, all the key equipped RS6k's I have seen have 3 position Medeco
locks as described above. The AS/400's I have seen have had four position
no-brand name visible locks with double edged keys marked "Do not
duplicate".
I've noticed a fair number of the RS6k's on Ebay sold without the keys
with the switch stuck permanently in "Normal" mode, or machines sold with
the entire lock missing.
--
I'm missing
a key for one of my AS400's Does anyone know about
getting keys made or picking the lock?
I can't say for the AS400, but the Power series from IBM used some special
key that you absolutely can't pick or duplicate, with replacement cost
something like $65 each. Sad thing is that with old systems the bottom line
is that you have to screw up the case, break parts etc. to get to the back
side of the switch and remove/bypass it.
3:53 a.m.
You should be able to get it to use a serial console.
Having the key to
get it into service mode is extra helpful.
Fortunately, I've got the key. Unfortunately, I'm a newbie to ALL of this,
and I'm not sure what a serial console is... can you elaborate?
Making sure the RAM hasn't been removed is
important. The amount would
matter if you were going to try to move to recent versions of AIX.
I doubt it has. It was just sitting there, and it doesn't appear that anyone
has opened it in a LONG LONG time. As for AIX, I'll figure that out when I
can actually use the system. I also read something very brief that this
machine would run LinuxPPC or YellowDog (forget which). Any idea if that's
true?
Thanks for your help.
Blair
6:20 p.m.
At 11:53 AM 16/09/2001 -0400, Blair J. Miller wrote:
I doubt it has. It was just sitting there, and it
doesn't appear that anyone
has opened it in a LONG LONG time. As for AIX, I'll figure that out when I
can actually use the system. I also read something very brief that this
machine would run LinuxPPC or YellowDog (forget which). Any idea if that's
true?
A quick look at
http://oss.software.ibm.com/developer/opensource/linux/projects/ppc/models.…
indicates that the 530 may not be supported. I'm not really surprised as
the 530 uses the multi-chip implementation of the Power architecture which
is significantly different to the PowerPC single chip. I also seem to
recall that the 530 was MCA rather than PCI but I could well be wrong (it's
been a while since I played with one).
Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies(a)kerberos.davies.net.au
| "If God had wanted soccer played in the
| air, the sky would be painted green"
14 Sep
14 Sep
10:52 a.m.
Rumor has it that Blair J. Miller may have mentioned these words:
The other day, my University (U of M @ A^2)
[snip]
Without looking at your email address, it took me a moment to figure out
where you were... I'm up in Sault Ste. Marie, MI right on the Canadian
Border. Wonderful place until you're looking for classic computers --
prolly 1/2 of them in a 50-mile radius are in my basement... ;-)
now, so I've never seen the monitor hook-up
either... it's mini-coax and
looks like the diagram below:
(o)(o)(o)
I'm assuming that's RGB...
Yep... As the ascii graphic (while pretty) is not completely informative,
if it's three mini-coax in IIRC a DB shell, it could be the same cable as
is used on some DEC machines, notably some of the older RISC boxen & the
DEC 3000/300 (which I have)...
Unforch, I only have the 1 cable, and it's my wife's machine -- she gets
angry when she doesn't get the Internet... ;-)
Find yerself a DEChead or two, and they may have a cable to fit... and some
older multisync Mac monitors with the 3-BNC input might work with it as
well...
HTH,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger
--
Roger "Merch" Merchberger --- sysadmin, Iceberg Computers
Recycling is good, right??? Ok, so I'll recycle an old .sig.
If at first you don't succeed, nuclear warhead
disarmament should *not* be your first career choice.
16 Sep
16 Sep
3:49 a.m.
Without looking at your email address, it took me a
moment to figure out
where you were... I'm up in Sault Ste. Marie, MI right on the Canadian
I've been there once or twice... I believe I also have relatives living
there, though that could just be my imagination.
Find yerself a DEChead or two, and they may have a
cable to fit... and
some
older multisync Mac monitors with the 3-BNC input
might work with it as
well...
Where would I find something like this... I've no problems driving around
Michigan (I think of driving as a way to calm down, and I end up doing it a
lot, especially when dealing with foreign territory in the world of
computers) to get my hands on one, but I'm not sure where to look. I suppose
another trip to property disposition is in order. :o)
Thanks for the tips.
Blair
14 Sep
14 Sep
1:47 p.m.
If you decide not to keep the 530 let me know, guess I will have to
start going over to the U again.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Blair J. Miller" <millerbj(a)umich.edu>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 3:03 PM
Subject: IBM PowerStation 530
The other day, my University (U of M @ A^2) threw away
an old
PowerStation
530. Having never seen anything like it before, I
grabbed it up and
carted
it to my dorm room (alone). I've never really seen
anything this old,
and
I'm not sure if this behemoth is even worth
keeping. Perhaps it could
replace my current Pentium I 110MHz (24MB RAM) as a server, but I'm
not
sure.
Anyway, anyone here have any experience with these machines? Know
where I
can get a manual? I've only been a computer geek
for about... oh... 6
years
now, so I've never seen the monitor hook-up
either... it's mini-coax
and
looks like the diagram below:
(o)(o)(o)
I'm assuming that's RGB...
Thanks in advance for any and all help. Now, back to trolling. :o)
9:08 p.m.
You should have been here last month... during the month of August,
everything was 50% off, and they were selling lots of systems/parts/monitors
for a dollar each... The stuff they threw away was really kind of cool.
Sorry you missed it.
Blair
8488
days inactive
8500
days old
22 comments
11 participants
participants (11)
-
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
dtwright＠uiuc.edu -
emu＠ecubics.com -
Huw.Davies＠kerberos.davies.net.au -
jrkeys＠concentric.net -
KenzieM＠sympatico.ca -
mikeford＠socal.rr.com -
millerbj＠umich.edu -
pechter＠bg-tc-ppp1394.monmouth.com -
thompson＠mail.athenet.net -
zmerch＠30below.com