Limitations of the virtual control panel

 

Before you install and use a virtual control panel (VCP), consider these features and limitations.

• The VCP is only available while the console is connected.

• You must remove the parallel remote control panel cable, if installed, before configuring the VCP connection.

• A unique service tools device ID must exist for each VCP configuration.

  For example, you have connected a PC named DIRECT to SERVER1 using a direct cable and you want to configure a VCP. If no Operations Console (LAN) configuration exists to this server then the service tools device ID QCONSOLE has not been used. Therefore, you can specify QCONSOLE when you configure the VCP.

  Another example would involve a cabled console called DIRECT that is a backup for LAN-connected Operations Console PCs named LAN1 and LAN2. In this example LAN1 used the service tools device ID QCONSOLE during setup and LAN2 used a user-created service tools device ID of QCONSOLE2 during its setup. For the intended VCP configuration create another service tools device ID, such as QCONSOLE3 to be specified when you configure the VCP.

• You cannot use or reuse an existing network name when you create the additional VCP configuration. For example, if you have a configuration named SERVER1, you cannot name the VCP SERVER1. Also, if the intended VCP-capable PC is on a network, you cannot use any name that already exists on that network.

• All VCP and remote control panels (RCPs) are active at the same time.

  If you have multiple PCs (LAN connected) that can become the console, one at a time, and those configurations also use the remote control panel functions, all active RCPs can control the server. Use care when working with control panel functions when multiple PCs have access to the functions.

• The use of a virtual control panel at a remote console is not supported.

• An alternative for powering on the system at a later time, instead of using a cabled remote control panel, can be provided using the IPL scheduling function in Operational Assistant, available in i5/OS^®, by pressing the Attention key. You can also use the i5/OS command GO POWER and select the option Change power on and off schedule. Also, LAN connected configurations connecting directly to a primary partition will provide the ability to turn on a logical partition as long as the primary partition remains active.

• The hosts file on the PC may need manual cleanup.

  Each time you create a network configuration on the PC, data is saved in a file called hosts. This file may be used each time the PC attempts to connect to the network. Each entry is unique to any others by the connection name. Currently, if you delete a VCP configuration, the corresponding hosts entry is not deleted. You must manually delete the appropriate line from this text-based file using any text editor.

• If you have a server model that uses the keystick, the mode button will work with the same functions as the physical control panel when the keystick is inserted.

• The service tools user ID used to authenticate the connection must have the partition remote panel key privilege to use the mode function provided by the VCP. Service tools user IDs QSECOFR, QSRV, 22222222, or 11111111 already have this permission by default.

  Systems with a keystick require the keystick to be inserted before the user is eligible to use the mode button. For example, the user has the remote panel key privilege but will not have the mode function available until the keystick is present. For systems without the keystick, the user ID being used would only require the remote panel key privilege.

 

Parent topic:

Virtual control panel

 

Related tasks

Installing the virtual control panel