66 S/390 PID: ThinkPad Enabled for S/390
may force Linux swapping and this has severe effects on FLEX-ES performance. Having
gone to considerable expense to obtain a small S/390 (in the form of your ThinkPad/EFS), we
suggest you use it only as a S/390. If you need to also run a Linux server, we suggest you
obtain another machine.
Q: Should I purchase an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) for use with my ThinkPad/EFS
machine?
A: The ThinkPad battery provides, in effect, a UPS function. You might consider an external
surge protector.
Q: How do I order a ThinkPad/EFS system? What if I am not a PID member?
A: You do not need to be a PID member to order a ThinkPad/EFS system (although you will
not have access to AD CD-ROM systems). The FSI Web site has a list of their business
partners.
Q: Where can I find documentation about the various FLEX-ES traces?
A: There are several FLEX-ES traces:
– The processor event trace is always active and uses a permanently defined circular
buffer. It is intended only for FLEX-ES debugging and is not documented.
– The processor instruction trace uses the tracesize buffer you define in your system
definition. It is intended for FLEX-ES debugging but might be useful to more
sophisticated customers. It is minimally documented at present, but FSI intends to
provide better documentation.
– Device traces, which are usually obtained with the devtrsnap command. These are
not documented at present, but a user familiar with channel programming techniques
might find these traces useful.
The traces are not well documented at this time.
Q: Are any modifications, PTFs, or SPEs required for OS/390 on EFS?
A: No.
Q: Are printer FCBs emulated?
A: Yes. FLEX-ES printer emulation supports the Load Forms Control Buffer channel
command. The default FCB provides 66 lines at 6 lines/inch, with a “channel 1 punch” at line
3 and a “channel 12 punch” at line 64.
Q: Is a default 1403 carriage tape emulated?
A: Yes. It is set for 66 lines at 6 lines/inch, and has a channel 1 “punch” at line 3. There is no
way to alter these settings.
Q: Are Token Ring and Ethernet equally supported?
A: No. (We were still researching this question at the time of writing.)
Q: Can I manage an ESCON director from an EFS system?
A: Not from a ThinkPad/EFS system!
Q: I am interested in using FLEX-ES remote resources for disks and tapes. Do I need a
FLEX-ES license just to run the resource manager on remote systems?
A: Yes, you will need a FLEX-ES license for every system running the resource manager.
