[rescue] RE: DEC 5000?

[Mike Katchabaw]

> On December 13, Loomis, Rip wrote:
> > Is it just me, or does it seem that a power supply failure in
> > the back-end which caused a separate system (connected only
> > by a special interface card) to be unusable, means that likely
> > the interface card is unusable?
> 
>   Yes...but I'd be surprised if the two failures were related.  That and
> the fact that it's damn HARD to kill a DS5000.
> 

My understanding is that the failures are unrelated.  Only one fellow
was using the box and he didn't complain much after the back-end
disappeared.  (Guess he wasn't using it that much!)  When he later
tried to access the DEC 5000 front end, he found it had gone
belly up too.  At least that's the story I got ...

> > I dunno...but it sure seems as though just replacing the P/S
> > in the MASPAR box and sacrificing another DEC 5000 to it won't
> > make the back end completely usable.  It sure would be nice if
> > there were a way to run diagnostics on the interface card...
> 
>   I'd say it's definitely worth the attempt!
> 

Well apparently after some checking, the guy who was trying to
retrieve the MASPAR for our group reported that there might
actually be no problems with the DEC 5000 after all, and that
all problems appear isolated to the MASPAR.  Sadly, it appears
that whoever is doing the diagnostics really doesn't know what
they're up to, or someone is mixing their stories up somewhere.
Sigh.  I'm going to lend a hand to try and make sure nothing else
gets toasted trying to sort things out.  

If I do need a DEC 5000, or replacement parts, I know where to come
looking!

Thanks a lot!

Mike.