AS/400-IPL won't load, HELP!

Someone PLEASE HELP!!! My school has given me an AS/400 9406-300 that they can't use. The only problem is, I can't get the IPL to load due to "Disk units missing from the configuration." Now the error message points to the MSIOP/DASD card (type 6502) and 6 disk units (type 6606). I suspect that there is a bad disk in the SCSI chain, but I'm not familiar with this machine. So it could be a bad disk or the I/O controller card is bad. I tried to contact IBM and they informed me it's going to cost a minimum of $500.00 just to TALK to one of thier tech guys! Sorry folks, AJ's not made of money, and getting rid of a free mainframe with a minor problem is not an option either. So if anyone has any ideas on how to FIX the problem, I would really like to hear from you. PLEASE, don't reply saying to switch to Windows or Unix. I've got 2 other machines running thier platforms, I want to get this AS/400 online. Thanks for anyones help!

 

This is basically a PC forum but I did work on mainframes at one time. If it is a bad disk in the disk array there are built in diags in the microcode you can run against them. Can you take out all the drives in the array and install them one at a time, terminate tem and then try an IPL. Don't know if the microcode will boot with a different disk config though. Good luck

Why would they just give you an AS400? I am sure the asset management people would have a field day with that.