2nd Hand AS/400, does it only support OS/400?

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swakop_toe

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So, was given an AS/400 model e170.
I am / was a certified OS/400 Security Administrator in the late 90's, so I'm neither unfamiliar nor afraid of the OS.
I do know it has a true 64bit RISC CPU, but have no idea of the rest of the specs.

Regardless, could I for instance load a LinUX VM on it?
It could be a seriously powerful proxy server.
Or use it for anything else other than an overpower on premise fileserver?

My Google results is disappointing, so much so that I am thinking I have to chuck it on the dump.

Anyone here willing to share their alternative uses, if any?
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You're asking if an almost 20 year old server would be useful for anything??? You could build a better desktop that would use far less power. AS 400 systems haven't existed since 2000 or so.
Edit - Google has indicated this is indeed 20 years old. It won't really be worth repurposing.
 
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I think Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power runs on that hardware...
 
When I started working at Hyphen, that is what they were using. It had expansion cards for Windows NT and LINUX if I remember correctly.
The used RPG as the programming language to parse files. It was a long time ago.
 
boanergesza1 said:
When I started working at Hyphen, that is what they were using. It had expansion cards for Windows NT and LINUX if I remember correctly.
The used RPG as the programming language to parse files. It was a long time ago.
Click to expand...
Yeah, RPGIV.
We had a whole financial system and Point of Sales written in it.
National Co, 73 stores.
The AS/400 is freaking bullet proof.
 
swakop_toe said:
Yeah, RPGIV.
We had a whole financial system and Point of Sales written in it.
National Co, 73 stores.
The AS/400 is freaking bullet proof.
Click to expand...

We can lay claim to writing code that stopped the whole system, so much so that it had to be booted from scratch! Couldn't even use the console.
Fun week that was!
 
[MENTION=270887]swakop_toe[/MENTION] What DASD do you have for your AS/400?

Sorry I can't advise at all, but opened this thread just for the nostalgia. This iron is from before the Rinderpest. Takes me back to System/38 with its integrated hardware support for relational database, a junior version of DB2. Can't remember if the AS/400 also had that...
 
Indeed, DB2 native with OS/400.
I also cut my teeth on a System/36.

Upgraded to a e620.
TCM had to get a crane to remove the old hag.
The e620 was carried up by 4 okes.
That e620 6 years later used as the DEV server for our SAP 4.6c Retail roll-out.
Nostalgia galore. Very few people knew how good the file security on it was. Immune to viruses...(and now awaiting the backlash, 3-2-1..)
 
swakop_toe said:
Indeed, DB2 native with OS/400.
I also cut my teeth on a System/36.

Upgraded to a e620.
TCM had to get a crane to remove the old hag.
The e620 was carried up by 4 okes.
That e620 6 years later used as the DEV server for our SAP 4.6c Retail roll-out.
Nostalgia galore. Very few people knew how good the file security on it was. Immune to viruses...(and now awaiting the backlash, 3-2-1..)
Click to expand...
Immune to viruses as none were written for it :). But seriously it's 20 years old, it's only bullet proof because it's still solid iron :). It's a 250 gig HDD with probably a gig or two of memory.
 
Lupus said:
Immune to viruses as none were written for it :). But seriously it's 20 years old, it's only bullet proof because it's still solid iron :). It's a 250 gig HDD with probably a gig or two of memory.
Click to expand...
That, yes, but really. It had CRC file header checks or the like. Basically a copy that was checked against the one in use and if it differed by a bit, was rejected. But I could spewing crap.

Yes, it's 20years old. As old as my one 4x4 with 320,000km on which I drove from CPT to JHB and back the other day, in a respectable 99km/h moving average at 13l/100km.

Yeah, sucker for punishment, but it "won't" spontaneously combust, break crankshafts or split it's loadbin like the current models available at +R500k and with what I have put it through in the 14years I have had it. No, it's not a Toyota, but it could have been.
But wait, I am generalising and digressing.

Let's see if I can blow some kind of life into the lump.
Or waste my time.
 
swakop_toe said:
Probably, don't know. Haven't fired it up yet. I think I need a 5250 Terminal too...
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Or 5250 terminal emulation. I probably have a DOS version somewhere on 3.5-inch diskette, but no diskette drive to check. In any case, you'd need an SDLC card as well, I seem to recall. :)
 
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