OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical > Hardware

OS/2 and the Mainframe

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Martin Iturbide:
Hi.

This is a topic that just today crossed my mind by checking twitter.

Event that I tried to document my findings on the Wiki, (Category:Mainframe), I still have some doubts and I lack information.

My interest is only from the OS/2 perspective on how it is connected to the mainframe, which drivers OS/2 requires and which software it runs.

I have these questions:
1) Which are the "Support Element" software versions that runs on OS/2 ?
2) Some Mainframes came with a Thinkpad with OS/2 preloaded, how it is connected physically to the mainframe? Serial/Parallel/PCMCIA/Network?
3) Some other mainframes came with a PC with OS/2 (I think it is called HMC -  Hardware Management Console ). how it is connected physically to the mainframe?
4) I don't think I can find a list of which mainframe models used to be compatible with OS/2's HMC, but I will like to build one.  I only have the Multiprise 3000 and the IBM z890 on my list, if someone remember some other model that has OS/2's HMC or know where to get this information, please let me know.

Regards

Joop:
I have a working model of the Data General One. This is the very first laptop running on two 720Kb diskettes and 512Kb memory. When not started with a boot diskette I could enter programs for connecting to a mainframe. In those days the connection was serial up to full handshake. But I don't think that today they still work with serial connections, more likely utp in some form. OS/2 was written by mainframe guys, you can still observe that legacy as soon as OS/2 gets it difficult and needs a way out. I have only see once on OS/2 2.11 the message that I was run out of memory, run out of hard disk space, run out of diskettes. System was still working, but slow. The message popped up that the system needed more memory and that the system wants a new formatted hard disk(!), if I was so friendly to put that in the computer or close system. But in those days hot swappable hard disk was an item not available on the consumer markt  and no internal system on the motherboard to achieve that goal.

Olafur Gunnlaugsson:

--- Quote from: Joop on September 15, 2019, 03:25:24 pm ---I have a working model of the Data General One.

--- End quote ---

I misread this as a Data General Nova, and was for about five seconds ... very impressed ...

Martin Iturbide:
Hi Joop.

Any pictures or documentation that you may have related to the OS/2 and Mainframe topic is welcome, and I will include it on the wiki.

Ohh,  the  Data General One laptop used to came with a "Pierre Cardin" bag according to Wikipedia  ;D ;D ;D

Regards

Martin Iturbide:
Hi

I had some progress on this area and I had improved a little bit some documents on the OS2World Wiki about the relationship between OS/2 and the mainframe.

I was not able to went deep enough, since I don't have a mainframe, but I was able to understand a few things.

1) There was a PCI card (also some older ISA) called P/390 that used to be "a mainframe in a card" that you plugged into a PC so you can do development and testing for mainframe applications. That P/390 card was supported under OS/2, so you installed it on your OS/2 machine, and install a software called "P/390 Tools" so you can manage some functions of the mainframe card from OS/2.

I still need to know (at least in theory, since I don't think I will ever get that card):
- a) Which are the drivers required for that card and how it was configured on OS/2 (config.sys).
- b) Which is the latest version and latest fixpack of "P/390 Tools" for OS/2.


2) On full mainframes servers, OS/2 used to came bundle with a PC or Thinkpad. OS/2 worked as a console to do some basic functions of the mainframe (like IPL - turn on/off). There was a software called "Support Element" for OS/2 that allowed you to manage the mainframe.

I still need to find out:
- a) Which is the latest version of "Support Element" for OS/2 and latest fixpack (if applies). I have pictures of version 1.6.1.
- b) I still do not know exactly how the OS/2 PC was physically connected to the mainframe (serial? parallel? ethernet? PCMCIA card?) It may vary according to the model, but I still not sure about that.
- c) I would like to have a list of Mainframe models that was supported (or that worked) with OS/2's Support Element. I have a short list of what I was able to find on the wiki.
- d) Was "Support Element" replaced by "Open Systems Adapter/Support Facility (OSA/SF)" (Java 1.6) ?

3) I don't understand yet the Arca Noae's "S/390 Backup Facility". It says it make it easy to backup and restore an IBM Multiprise 3000 mainframe (with Support Element). I'm guessing is an ArcaOS-OS/2 software that interacts in someway with the Multiprise 3000  to do that. But there are no screenshots, manuals or videos to get a better idea.

So, that are the little things I was able to uncover about the relationship of OS/2 with IBM's Mainframe. It is not much, but I always appreciate more information and corrections if you think I'm understanding some wrong.

Regards

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