Need some guidance on installing AIX on an IBM RS/6000 43p-150

[wowbobwow]

Hi all!
A couple years ago I found an IBM RS/6000 43p-150 desktop workstation (type: 7304-150). It's the 250MHz model with a PowerPC 604e CPU, according to the sticker on the faceplate. Other than needing a deep-cleaning, it appears to be in good physical shape, and I'm quite fond of its black "Darth Vader meets Brutalist architecture" aesthetic.
It came to me without a hard drive, so I've ordered a couple "new old stock" drives from eBay which will hopefully be compatible. Of course, once the drives arrive they'll be blank, and I'm a little uncertain how to get AIX installed onto this machine.

From what I've seen in various PDF's and forums, this machine can run either AIX 5.1 (officially supported) or 5.3 (not officially supported but apparently works fine). With the above in mind, I have a couple questions:

1. Can anyone suggest where I might find a compatible OS image? I've got a newer PC with an external CD-ROM / DVD burner, so once I find the right install media I should be able to get it burned without trouble.
2. I've never used AIX at all. I've found some PDF editions of various guides and manuals, but I'd be grateful for any tips / tricks / suggestions for a first-timer which might not stand out in those official docs

Thanks in advance for any guidance - I'm excited to bring this cool machine back to life!

 

[stefan-lokeldarn]

youtube Mainframes & More with Matthew (Wilson) has covered installing different version of IBM OS on System i machines (power 8 and 9.)

The episode there he works with disk and reset of machine is system specific (the system is much newer than yours) but he installs VIOS which basically is modified AIX which is for controlling
assignments of hw to the different LPARs.

There is a little about AIX on YT.

Yes i do have a bunch of IBM PowerPC from the same era as yours.

 

[mark0x01]

You can boot from the install DVD media. Been a long while since I did one. You would have to prepare the hard disk before hand, using the diagnostics, which I think are also on the dvd.