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Why Doesn't iSeries Ops Console Work?
Hey, Joe:
I've been trying to swap out an existing Windows 95 Operations
Console PC for a Windows 98 PC with the Client Access Express for Windows
V5R1 version of Ops Console installed. However, every time I try to make
a connection, it doesn't bring up my system console. The entry just sits
there with the message, 'Console connecting.' I'm using Ops Console as a
stand-alone Local Controlling System (LCS) with a direct cable connection
to my OS/400 V4R5 machine. Do you have any ideas?
-- Brad
For readers who may be unfamiliar with iSeries Operations Console (Ops Console),
Ops Console is installed as an optional feature of
IBM's Client Access Express for
Windows and Client Access for Windows 95/NT software. With a special serial cable
attached to your iSeries or AS/400 through a COM port, you can set up a Windows
PC that acts as a system console (there's also some alternate Ops Console
connectivity options, but that's another story). The plus side of this setup
is that--on a Windows machine--you can run your system console, iSeries
Operations Navigator, a Web browser, an email client, other Express client
utilities, and possibly a Lotus Notes client, as well as any other miscellaneous
Windows-based software your operators may need to run. Ops Console helps you
consolidate your Windows PC and iSeries or AS/400 operations console into one
machine at one location.
The down side of Ops Console is that it can be a little bit of a challenge to
set up correctly, and it's sometimes hard to troubleshoot an Ops Console connection.
From my experience with it, the Console connecting message is IBMeese
for It ain't gonna happen, and it could be caused by a variety of reasons.
Since you were able to bring up a system console with another Ops Console PC, we
can assume that the iSeries or AS/400 side and the cable from the PC to your iSeries
or AS/400 are okay. Given that, you should check the following items on your
Windows 98 PC following these steps:
- Check to see if the Windows Dial-Up Networking (DUN) feature is
installed on your Windows 98 PC. You can do this by looking for the
Dial-Up Networking icon in My Computer or by checking your Windows
Control Panel to see if DUN is installed. Inside the Control Panel,
open the Add/Remove Program icons, click on the Windows Setup tab,
and your Dial-Up Networking status will be listed under the Communications
entry. The Ops Console connection to your iSeries or AS/400 is made through
a modem description assigned to a specific COM port. As such, it needs DUN
to make the connection, even though it can be hard wired to your iSeries
or AS/400.
If DUN isn't present on your machine, install it from the Windows 98 CD
by using the Add/Remove Program and try Ops Console again. Adding DUN to
Windows 9x PCs has been known to solve some Ops Console problems.
- Make sure your Express client V5R1M0 installation is at the correct
service level and that you have the right Service Pack and Ops Console fixes
installed. If you don't,
visit
the iSeries Client Access Service Packs Web page to install the current Service Pack.
With Express client Service Pack SI01907, IBM released additional fixes outside the Service
Packs that were designed to specifically solve Ops Console problems. So, SI01907 is a
baseline Service Pack level for Ops Console. If you're running SI01907, you can
download
the Ops Console fix by visiting IBM's opconsole ftp site. Be sure to read
IBM's
documentation on how to install the fix. You can also get the fix by downloading IBM's
latest Express client V5R1M0 service pack, SI02795, which was scheduled for a February 18,
2002, release. SI02795 incorporates the Ops Console fix download without having to download
it separately. See "IBM
to Release New Express Client Service Pack" in our sister publication, The Four
Hundred, for more details on the SI02795 service pack.
If these suggestions fail, check
IBM's
iSeries Operations Console Support Web site for more information and links to Ops
Console resources. This site includes PC requirements, Ops Console documentation, and
links to the Ops Console section in the iSeries Support Link Knowledge Base. You can
also find more information on Ops Console requirements and considerations, as well as
using the EZ-Setup
wizard for installation, at the iSeries Information Center.
I hope that helps.
-- Joe Hertvik
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