Operations Console

You can use Operations Console with one or more PCs to access and control the server and control panel functions, either remotely or locally. Operations Console is only available on IBM® eServer™ i5 and iSeries® servers.

To use Operations Console, you need to load iSeries Access for Windows® on a PC. Then, either directly connect the PC by using a cable, or connect through a local area network (LAN) with a dedicated adapter or by using the embedded Ethernet port, if available, on the server. With this type of connection, a single PC can serve as the console for multiple servers.

Considerations for choosing Operations Console:

You can set up Operations Console to manage the i5/OS® operating system in a partitioned or a nonpartitioned environment.
You need a separate LAN adapter card for each partition that communicates by using Operations Console. This can result in less room for other I/O adapters that you need to install in the server. However, after i5/OS Version 5.4 the embedded Ethernet port is allowed for console use as well.
Unlike the Hardware Management Console (HMC), you cannot change partition resources with Operations Console.
Although Operations Console uses a standard Windows PC, the HMC is a dedicated system that cannot be changed except for service upgrades. This greatly increases the security and stability of the HMC versus Operations Console.
Operations Console supports more than 40 languages.