[rescue] Serial console on IBM RS/6000 250?

[Carl R. Friend]

   On Sun, 22 Feb 2004, meltie wrote:

> The key for my 11/750 has "DO NOT DUPLICATE" stamped on the tang, with a 
> serial number on the back. It's type "Ace (C)" by Chicago Lock Company. 
> I've always wondered if a locksmith would honour the key and i'd have to 
> go to a really shady backstreet dealer to have a copy done..!

   Yes, but that's the same lame XX2247 that fits *every* DEC system
from the early PDP-8s right up until they stopped using real locks
on the systems.

   I carry an XX2247 on my keychain -- and an XX2065 (that one fits
Data General systems) -- "just in case".  (One never knows when one
will have to rescue a system.)  I have a few other keys on my chain
that are known to open VAX cabinets, locked racks, and more than a
few tape-libraries....  As Jim DiGriz (aka The Stainless Steel Rat
(fictional character)) pointed out once, "Locks only keep out honest
people."

   All that aside, the MEDECO locks are a real pain in the backside.
They're damn near unpickable (there's a reason that they're used as
door-locks in high-security areas), getting blanks is extremely
tough (unless you have access to a good machine shop), and then
getting the cut on the key proper is hard (assuming you have an
original to gauge from).  IBM went over the top using them on the
RS/6000....

+------------------------------------------------+---------------------+
| Carl Richard Friend (UNIX Sysadmin)            | West Boylston       |
| Minicomputer Collector / Enthusiast            | Massachusetts, USA  |
| mailto:crfriend at rcn.com                        +---------------------+
| http://users.rcn.com/crfriend/museum           | ICBM: 42:22N 71:47W |
+------------------------------------------------+---------------------+