Admin Alert: Remotely Accessing an HMC System Console, Part 2

Published: October 10, 2007

by Joe Hertvik

Last week, I began demonstrating a technique to allow a remote 5250 session to attach to and run an i5/OS system console located on a Hardware Management Console (HMC). In part 1, I provided details on configuring the HMC to accept remote 5250 sessions. This week, I'll examine the PC side and look at configuring an iSeries Access for Windows session to access the system console on the HMC.

Ready for Connection

As mentioned last week, configuring an HMC to allow remote access to an i5 partition's system console is a relatively simple affair. It consists of the following steps:

1. Make sure that your HMC is configured with an active Ethernet connection and a valid IP address.
2. Perform one small configuration change to your HMC partition system profiles to allow Remote 5250 console access.
3. Make sure that you have the right software for running a remote access session to your HMC Remote 5250 console, and configure your desktop 5250 package to access a system console on the HMC and connect.

I covered steps 1 and 2 last week, and now my HMC is ready to accept 5250 system console sessions. Here's step 3, how to connect to those sessions and start running an HMC-based system console remotely.

Remotely Connecting to an HMC System Console

IBM specifies that you can only connect to a remote 5250 HMC-based system console by using any one of the following 5250 emulator products.

• The PC5250 emulator that comes with iSeries Access for Windows V5R3M0 or above. In order to connect to the 5250 console, your must use an iSeries Access Windows V5R3M0 installation with PTF SI13587 or later. This configuration will not work with earlier versions of the product.
• IBM's Personal Communications 5250 emulator, Version 5.7 or later.
• iSeries Access for Linux emulator, Version 5.2.0-1.4 or later.

For this article, I'm going to discuss using the iSeries Access for Windows PC5250 emulator. If you're interested in using one of the other approved emulators, you can find instructions for using those emulators in IBM's System i, Managing the HMC Console publication.

Configuring PC5250

To log on to a remote 5250 console, create a new PC5250 session and open the Configure PC5250 Window by clicking on Communication, Configure from the PC5250 menu bar. Enter the following values in the Configure PC5250 window that appears.

• Enter the IP address of the HMC's eth1 port in the System Name field. eth1 designates the Ethernet card that is used by the HMC for network connectivity. See part 1 of this series for more information on eth1 and how to look up the card's IP address.
• Enter one of the following port numbers in the Port Number field: type 2300 in the field if you will not be using SSL to connect to the remote 5250 console; type 2301 if you will be using SSL for the connection. For more information on SSL usage and the Remote 5250 Console, see the Managing the HMC Console manual. The configuration discussed here attaches to an HMC console port that is not configured for SSL.
• Click on the Properties button on the screen and a Connection window will appear. Click on the dropdown box in the User ID signon information area of the screen, select Use default User ID, prompt as needed, and then enter the literal Q#HMC in the User ID field. Using Q#HMC is kind of a tricky dodge used by IBM in this configuration. The Q#HMC user ID isn't actually used for security authentication when connecting to the HMC's Remote 5250 console, but you need to designate Q#HMC in your PC5250 connection screen in order to establish a connection.
• Click OK on the Connection window and click OK again when you return to the Configure PC5250 window to save your changes.
• Your session should now be able to connect to the HMC and start a remote 5250 console session. At this point, try starting a PC5250 session with the HMC by clicking on Communication, Connect from the PC5250 menu bar.

Navigating in the Remote 5250 Console Screen

Once you start a new Remote 5250 console with the HMC, you may be prompted for a number of values. Here are the values that you should enter when presented with any of these prompts in your HMC 5250 session.

• You may be prompted to select a language to display your remote 5250 console text. You can select whichever language you want from a subfile of language choices that will be displayed on the screen. American English is listed as option 21 on this screen.
• The HMC will ask you to log in by using any valid HMC user ID and password. This is the same log in that you would use when you start the HMC. The most common login choice is to use the hscroot default user ID that is already configured on the HMC. If you're not sure what the password is for the hscroot user, you can find it by checking out IBM's Website that lists out the predefined passwords for the hscroot and root HMC user IDs.
• Once you reach the HMC Remote 5250 Console Partition Selection screen, you will be prompted for the console and partition that you want to start the Remote 5250 Console for. For system console activation, you can select either a dedicated console (1=Connect dedicated) or a shared console (2=Connect shared). The difference is that a shared console can be used by another user with a 5250 emulator, and if you select option 2, you will be asked to enter a unique key that will also need to be entered by any other user who wants to take control of the shared remote console from you.
• When trying to start the console on the HMC Remote 5250 Console Selection screen, you may get either a 0007 message "Session already in use by dedicated console" or a 0008 message "Session already in use." If this happens and you know that it's OK to disconnect the user currently using your target partition's system console, you can attempt to disconnect the user by using option 3=Show Details. Show Details displays information on the HMC user and IP address of the user who is currently signed on to that partition's system console. You'll see this information on the HMC Remote Console Session Details screen that appears, and this screen contains an option (1=Disconnect) to attempt to disconnect the user who is currently signed on to the system console.
• Depending on how your HMC is configured, you may also be asked to enter a current valid Service Tools user ID and password before the system lets you in. So be prepared with a current ID.
• Finally, before you sign on, the HMC may show you some other screens that ask you if you want to take control of the console. Follow the prompts on the screen (one of the screens may ask you to press the F10 key to take control) and soon you'll find that you are attached to and running your partition's system console.

And that's all there is to remotely accessing a partition system console that resides on a Hardware Management Console PC. While these steps are relatively easy if everything is configured correctly, you can also check the resources at the bottom of the article if you are still having trouble connecting.

RELATED STORIES

HMC and System Setup, IBM

Predefined passwords for the hscroot and root HMC user IDs, IBM

Remotely Accessing an HMC System Console, Part 1

System i, Managing the HMC Console, IBM

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