We acquired another AS/400

Posted by Bits_Passats@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 32 comments

My father bought this monster through a second-hand app...

It is an IBM AS/400 model 9404, this time an F-10.

Initially it gave us a scare with the disks, but now it is fully working.

We planned to have an AS/400 with a token-ring module. Initially we wanted our C-10 to do so, but we bought the wrong module and it is not compatible with the B series. But now, having the F-10 we can install it and build a network of old PCs with the AS as the server.

I hope you like it. In any case, I invite you to share your thoughts in the comment section, please.

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2raysdiver@reddit

I would so love to build a sleeper gaming PC with that case. That's one of the last of the IMPI boxes before they moved to RISC (black cabinets). Which OS/400 release? v3r1? v3r2?

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National_Clerk_2879@reddit

That machine was so good, it took up zero floorspace - because it hovers!

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Bits_Passats@reddit (OP)

The wheeled platform it relies on is just not pictured. With it is easier to move the computer around. I wish it could hover though.

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National_Clerk_2879@reddit

Oh, sure, I know. It just looks great hovering like that! I used to admin a couple of these. Great little boxes.

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roz303@reddit

Aaaaaaaa I'm so jealous! Always wanted one of my own. Do you have a software load listing? Does it have RPG? omgggg

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Bits_Passats@reddit (OP)

Yes, we have RPG2. I wish it had BASIC too, though.

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coffinspacexdragon@reddit

What are you going to do with it, other than managing your half a million SKU Walmart inventory?

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Bits_Passats@reddit (OP)

Sincerely, I don't know. But I am open to ideas. ;)

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Cwc2413@reddit

Nice! Ran a large ring network for a while. I think it gets a bad wrap. Sounds cool!

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lwrscr@reddit

Very cool to see a 9404 running. Have you managed to get some tapes to back up the LIC?

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Bits_Passats@reddit (OP)

Not yet, we are in process of acquiring the appropriate tapes.

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kissmyash933@reddit

i have the same or at least a very similar model, but all my disks have failed and i have never been able to find the tapes necessary to reload it. back it up!!

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Bits_Passats@reddit (OP)

I will, I just need to get the tapes first.

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meest@reddit

Why is it floating? Or is it just me that it looks like its floating off the floor?

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Bits_Passats@reddit (OP)

Because we put it over a platform with wheels in order to move it better. As you can see the floor is made of wood.

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DonkeyAdmirable1926@reddit

Just a bit jealous 😊

I love it!

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Ok_Series_4580@reddit

Same. Love that machine. Want for my collection.

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Bits_Passats@reddit (OP)

Thank you very much!

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RCHeliguyNE@reddit

Jut curious he do you get the OS/400 license? I have very little experience with OS/400

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PolarBear541@reddit

As someone who worked on the AS400 (IBM i series), you will probably need to get a license from IBM. On a fresh install, licensed applications give a grace period of 70 days. After that they will not function. I was missing a license on our backup software, right in the middle of a full backup, the clock struck midnight, and my backup was over. Reality was it was a 6 hour backup, and the last two hours of data didn’t get saved.

Where that is an old white box, IBM most likely won’t have support for that old of machine. Support for hardware is usually 5-7 years.

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Bits_Passats@reddit (OP)

Just using the OS as provided. I am also a noob with this kind of operating system. Sorry for not being able to help...

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wdatkinson@reddit

When I was studying for my Lotus Notes on AS/400 cert, I stumbled across a list titled All Operating Systems Suck. Most memorable was:

OS/400 sucks, but you have to type WRKSUKSTS to find out how much.

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Pale_Account6649@reddit

Cool front panel with lcd.

Must be in r/sleeperbattlestations

Too

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LaundryMan2008@reddit

I saw an AS/400 with a Fujifilm M2488 tape drive in it in the industrial estate, was getting WEEE’d so couldn’t yank the M2488 drive out as it’s the perfect compact size to read IBM 34x0 tapes as the normal IBM drives are refrigerator sized with loaders which I also saw a M2488 listing for on eBay but someone took that too, maybe some lucky sod here got it and will be posting soon, not as interested in the Fujitsu M2483B drive that’s up now as its capabilities aren’t as good and is bigger physically

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idiot206@reddit

I still regularly work with clients running databases on AS/400. The old guys in charge are probably about to retire soon, so who knows what will happen to all that data.

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LaundryMan2008@reddit

The big 9 track reels are a bit big for me unless I dragged one home being very lucky but I at least want to play with the drives that ended up leading to LTO and 3592 being possible, the drive in question can read all of three the original IBM tapes, 3590 (£2000 a drive) and 3592 (very cheap the J1A drives) used something else

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successissimple@reddit

What a beauty

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raytoei@reddit

Can I tell you guys a story….

Once upon a time when I was good looking, I was a young IBM sales rep, trying to sell my wares to this tiny credit union. They customer had a system /38, a precursor to the As/400.

So being a client rep, I listened to the customer on how they performed their daily operations. The operator would turn on the machine in the morning and load the customer data on 8 inch floppy discs, they would on the computer running the various loan application program, then at the end of the day, they could back up the data on the 8” floppy disks. That’s it.

I would it incredulous how antiquated the system was until I found a French Bank which kept their punch card reader as a back up BCP machine…. And this was in the 1990s….

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