IBM

In my 9114-275, thre are two HDs installed, one IBM (Hitachi) with 36 GB and a Seagate Cheetah with 72 GB. All the important system stuff and the rootvg is on hdisk0 (the Hitachi), the bigger Seagate contains a vg where not so important but larger data is stored.

Now some days ago, the seagate started to make short, clicking noises which lasted about one second. Then, I was greeted with mail from the system about a DISK_ERR4 on hdisk1
I suspect, something got broken somehow? The data loss isn't very critical, just some already watched Anime (at the time I put it up I didn't yet have an external HD and I needed to free space on the iMac )

Whenever I try now to transfer the files over ftp, after 20 minutes or so I get an I/O error.
At least I could save Cowboy Bebop ^^

This irks me somehow, since I never had any problems with the Cheetah in my Fuel, and up to now I thought that Seagate made quite reliable HDs.

Clicking from a hard disk of any make or model is usually an indication that the drive has failed. Just because Seagate is (was) of a respectable brand does not mean that your drive would last much longer.

I fear pentium is right... (This has also happened to me before.)

tch...bad luck

Fortunately I just got my hands on a p285 for 35 bucks

Good to hear! What are the specifications? Are the system start-up, system checks, initialization and booting process times of the POWER5 systems a bit less long? Because those of the POWER4, or RS/6000 and pSeries systems in general, almost made me long for the 386 days...

That's because the POWERs are really checking things out, whereas the 386 sizes memory, runs a parity check (maybe), and calls it good.

Big SGIs, Suns and HPs take a while, too. Diags are usually toned down on the workstation models (except for IBM).

I know that, I've used several high-end systems (I even owned some, like a Origin3200, after all), but the RS/6000 or pSeries (even “system p,” or whatever, IBM keeps changing it to even more ‘fancier’ names) really break all ‘records’ though. HP Integrity systems — like my rx2600 — also perform a bunch of checks, but they don't take as ridiculously long as with the average POWER system either and I wouldn't say that Integrity systems are a bunch of unreliable ‘junk’...

What's really surprising here is that the OP got an Intellistation POWER 285 for what, 35 bucks? WTF? Did he sell his body or something?

No---it was Pick up only on eBay and in Austria. I don't think there's much interest in used hardware here.
Companies usually can afford to buy a new system and the p285 is already outdated (POWER 6 is already on the market)

The broad public here isn't exactly aware of POWER boxes (in the eBay description stood: does not run with Windows ) and they aren't the first choice of hobbyists either.

Also there was no AIX preinstalled, I wouldn't have bought it if I hadn't already acquired a set of 5.3 disks for my p275

Maybe I also was just lucky ^^

The machine isn't here yet, so I can't say anything about the boot procedure but I've got the Specs:

1,9 Ghz POWER 5+
GXT6500 graphics
4GB RAM
1 73 GB HD

Quite the impressive setup, isn't it? (But then again, this thing can hold up to 32 Gb of mem, so maybe I'll upgrade it any time soon)

The startup time's really long on my 275, wouldn't wonder if it's the same way on the 285
The official IBM description states that the 285 should be much less noisy than the 275, that's a big plus, though I like the loud humming of my machines and the drill-like screech of the Cheetah in my Fuel

@ritchan: Is your name a reference to Ritsu/Ricchan from K-ON?

Have you watched Evangelion? Then you may click on my blog link under the avatar... I hate K-ON and all the moeblob anime that came out after it. Pedos have taken over anime.

Yeah, you're really lucky! I wonder how much difference a POWER5 makes.

Haven't watched Evangelion yet, but it's on my watchlist.
I wouldn't go as far to say I hate K-On but it's quite overboard sometimes...

Could be that I'm complete and utterly stupid, but I can't find any link under your avatar.

I also have 9111-285 but with

dual core 1,9 Ghz POWER 5+
GXT6500 graphics
12GB RAM
4x 73 GB HD