Use iSeries optical drives with integrated Windows servers

Windows server can use an iSeries™ optical drive just as it does a local optical drive. The iSeries optical drive appears as a normal local optical drive in the My Computer folder on Windows server.

If you have logical partitions on your iSeries, the optical drive is allocated to a single partition. It cannot be shared by integrated servers that are in other partitions and the optical drive must be allocated (locked) to a NWSD to be used.

The optical drive must be varied on before you can allocate it to an integrated Windows server. If the optical drive is not varied on, follow these steps to vary it on:

  1. At the i5/OS™ command line, type WRKCFGSTS *DEV *OPT and press Enter.
  2. In the Opt column next to the correct optical device, typically OPT01, type 1 to vary on the optical drive.
  3. Press Enter and the optical drive varies on.

To lock an optical drive, follow the steps below:

  1. Click Start, then Programs, then IBM iSeries, then IBM iSeries Integrated Server Support.
  2. Expand IBM iSeries Integrated Server Support.
  3. Expand the network server description name.
  4. Select iSeries Devices.
  5. Select the device name.
  6. Right-click and select All Tasks, Lock Device.

If you have any problems using the iSeries optical drive from an integrated Windows server, see Optical device problems.

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Note:
If the integrated server fails before unlocking an optical device, the optical device may be unavailable to i5/OS or other integrated servers. You will need to vary off the optical device using WRKCFGSTS *DEV *OPT and vary it back on to free the lock
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Return control of an optical device from an integrated server to iSeries

To use the optical drive from i5/OS, you must first unlock it from the integrated server. To unlock the optical drive from the integrated server, you must either be the person who originally locked the drive or have Administrator or Backup Operator authority.

To transfer control of the iSeries optical drive from an integrated server to iSeries, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, then Programs, then IBM iSeries, then IBM iSeries Integrated Server Support.
  2. Expand IBM iSeries Integrated Server Support.
  3. Expand the network server description name.
  4. Select iSeries Devices.
  5. Select the device that you want to unlock.
  6. Right-click and select All Tasks, then Unlock Device.