Rob McNelly
Contributor
Rob McNelly is a Senior AIX Solutions Architect doing pre-sales and post-sales support for IBM Premier Business Partner Meridian IT Inc. in Deerfield, Ill. He is a technical editor and a former administrator within IBM's Integrated Technology Delivery and Server Operations division. Rob was named an IBM Power Systems Champion (www.ibm.com/developerworks/champion) in October 2011. Rob can be reached at rob.mcnelly@gmail.com.
A note from Rob:
“I enjoy camping, hiking, biking and backpacking through the mountains of Arizona. I’ve also learned to enjoy Ragnar races, and sprint triathlons. I always look forward to spending time on Arizona’s closest beach which is located in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. I enjoy scuba diving from live-aboard diving boats. My favorite trip was hiking to the blue waters of Havasupai, and I’m planning on hiking the Grand Canyon in the near future. Long ago, I realized that I would rather live in a hot, dry climate than shovel snow.”
Attention to Patching and Other Vital System Maintenance Will Help You Avoid the Heat
May 18, 2021
As I found myself walking through the desert, pushing a bicycle with a flat tire, I wondered how I got here. That’s not a metaphor; that’s life in Arizona. With the cactus and tumbleweeds and other assorted spiky, poky things, it’s a dangerous place for tires and tubes. It’s not a great place for people, […]
ArticlesAIX/VIOS Versioning Recommendations, a POWER9-Based HMC and the Evolution of IBM Certifications
April 22, 2021
I believe AIX has stood the test of time. This opinion is based in part on the fact that legacy AIX documentation is still relevant. For example, I recently downloaded two Redbooks, “IBM Certification Study Guide eServer p5 and pSeries Administration and Support for AIX 5L Version 5.3” and “IBM eServer Certification Study Guide – […]
ArticlesStanding Pat Is No Longer an Option With the HMC
March 19, 2021
Lifetime IBM Champion Jaqui Lynch recently wrote about why you need to upgrade to the latest HMC levels and how you can accomplish this task. Her article is full of good information, and you'll find some great, bookmark-worthy links at the end. But here's the thing: We―and by we, I mean consultants, along with […]
ArticlesAIX at 35 and the Layered Significance of AIX 7.3
March 10, 2021
AIX turns 35 this year. While it’s fun to look back (here’s the IBM announcement letter from 1986), there’s also ample reason to look ahead, especially since IBM recently stated that it intends to release AIX 7.3 before the end of this year. Previous AIX releases have included an open beta program, and it’s my […]
ArticlesClient Story, VIOS Tips, HMC News and Why You Should Move on From AIX 7.1
February 17, 2021
Upon checking the error log, a client noticed errors that were pointing to a fiber port on their system. While the port physically existed on the machine, a fiber cable wasn’t connecting that port to a switch. The client acknowledged the port could be needed at some point, but for now they didn’t want it […]
ArticlesWhy AIX Admins Should Know vi and ksh
February 1, 2021
People are pretty passionate about the tech that they use. That's hardly a news flash. It can be argued that none of us is truly objective, but I've been through enough heated discussions over time to understand that strong feelings exist about computing. So we may as well cop to our biases. I'll start. […]
ArticlesSome Ideas for Expanding the Power Systems/AIX Universe
January 8, 2021
“Hey, I heard you missed us, we’re back” – Van Halen, 1984 It’s a new year, and many changes are on the horizon. My AIXchange blog will remain on the website, and all of my previous work, going back to the early 2000s, is archived on robmcnelly.com—but moving forward, I’ll be writing regularly on […]
ArticlesIBM Debuts Hyperconverged Servers
August 16, 2017
In May, IBM announced it was partnering with Nutanix to “bring new workloads to hyperconverged deployments.” In July IBM unveiled two new hyperconverged systems. So what does IBM’s move into the hyperconverged infrastructure market mean? For that matter, what is a hyperconverged infrastructure? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R8l81K8UB8 Per Wikipedia, a hyperconverged infrastructure describes systems that virtualize everything. It includes a […]
ArticlesSelected AIX Versions Can Soon Be Licensed Monthly
March 14, 2017
IBM made an interesting announcement today. The Standard editions of AIX 7.1 and AIX 7.2 will soon be available to be licensed on a monthly basis under Passport Advantage. This is another example of Power Systems and AIX making their platforms cloud-ready as they transition to a hybrid cloud model. So far we have C […]