The 3174 administrator has two main types of diskettes used to set up and run the controller. The Utility diskette has the configuration tools to set up the main operational diskette, the Control image. The process involves navigation among a sea of menus entering codes from worksheets to eventually write a usable firmware image onto the Control diskette.
IBM supports an enormous range of options, features, languages, character sets, and connection methods, thus the many hundred fields to enter from the worksheets. I have a very basic machine, just a serial communications adapter, nine ordinary terminal ports and one diskette drive, but it still requires configuration.
KEYBOARD TYPES
IBM supports many countries around the world with keyboards customized for the native language as well as optional extended character sets for multinational use. Even with the US English keyboard, there are quite a few standard choices without even considering customized keyboards with special characters.
The main types are typewriter, data entry, operator console and APL. However, my terminals feature a variant called the Data Entry Keypunch type. The location of keys on the keyboard shift around between the types as even the availability of certain keys.
A Typewriter keyboard has the numerals on the top row, the number 1 above the Q key and continuing across that row. The Data Entry keyboard has the numbers as shifted versions of the keys U, I, O, J, K, L, M, comma, period and slash.
The Data Entry Keypunch keyboard has a keypad on the right with the ability to generate all 24 PF keys as well as numbers. It has a number of dedicated PF keys in the main section, support PF1 through PF10.
BUILDING MY CONFIGURATION IN SPITE OF MY KEYBOARD
I fired up the configuration program whose navigation between menus is driven by Program Function keys. PF3 is almost always quit, PF8 is forward, and unfortunately PF12 is save or final confirmation. I say this because the setup for the utility program allows you to select typewriter, data entry or APL keyboard type, but not the existence of the keypad on the right.
This means that my keyboard does not have a PF12 key that the configuration utility will recognize. I am work my way through all the options and choices, configure everything but had no key to cause this configuration to be written to the Control diskette image.
There are configuration choices for when the terminal is in normal operation that let me specify the existence of the keypad on the right. That, unfortunately doesn't pertain to the operation of the configuration utility itself.
Finally, by blind trial and error, I discovered that the PA2 keycap on my keyboard seems to be recognized as PF12 by the configuration utility. I was able to finish customizing and write an updated Control diskette image.
IML OF THE CONTROL DISKETTE AFTER CONFIGURATION
The IML of the 3174 from the Control diskette marched along until it stopped with a status code 5203 which is an error that can indicate several possible errors. In this case, however, it indicates "V.35 cable missing from communications adapter". I had set this adapter up for bisynchronous communications (IBM BSC) with a non-switched (dedicated) link, but it must be looking for some control signals such as Data Set Ready which aren't available.
In fact, I don't have the cable nor do I know whether it has some internal jumpers that the adapter reads to confirm that it has a 'genuine IBM product' attached. I will need to do some digging and might have to dummy up the other side of a BSC V.35 link just to have my controller finish its IML.
NEXT STEPS
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