Re: PTF's and Cum tapes, etc. -- MIDRANGE-L

I downloaded and installed the latest CUM package for
V3R7M0 (which is supposedly going to be the last package
they every do for V3R7M0) because of the Y2K issues
coming up.  I just wanted to make sure I was up to date
on PTFs come the rolling over of the calendar.

Regards,

Jim Langston

Chuck Lewis wrote:

> AGREE totally Randy !
>
> I wasn't recommending not doing them - just one of those "why" thoughts that 
>hit from
> time to time :-)
>
> And the order, while it seemed strange (especially when compared to doing the 
>same
> thing with Novell or NT !!!) worked GREAT !!!
>
> You and Stuart BOTH mentioned things that when I read them I said "Ya, that's 
>right
> !" but was having a brain fade when I sent that message ;-)
>
> Thanks !
>
> Chuck
>
> Randy Mangham wrote:
>
> > Why the need? My experience with IBM support has always been that if you DO
> > experience a problem, you get very little help trying to track it down 
>until you
> > tell the support rep that you have the latest PTF Cum tape installed. <g>
> > Another, perhaps better reason? Some PTF's fix performance problems you 
>didn't
> > know you had or prevent potential data corruption (yeah, even the AS/400 
>has an
> > occasional problem with that) or even fix potential security problems you 
>weren't
> > aware of.
> >
> > As for the installation sequence, follow the instructions. I assume there 
>is a
> > good reason for them. In any case, the PTF installation process knows not to
> > overwrite newer PTF's with older ones (although they'll be installed and 
>marked
> > as superseded just in case you ever need to remove a newer one that turns 
>out
> > defective). The Hiper PTF's sometimes fix things that will affect 
>installation of
> > other PTF's. Every so often you'll see instructions to install one PTF off 
>the CD
> > or tape and IPL before trying to install the Cum package.
> >
> > It may seem convoluted at times but the whole AS/400 PTF scheme is years 
>ahead of
> > anything in the PC or Unix world, for sure, though. It was one of the 
>things that
> > got AS/400 such high ratings in the last Computerworld survey on customer
> > satisfaction. At least application vendors on the AS/400 aren't overwriting
> > modules in QSYS to create some function the OS lacks only to have some other
> > application overwrite the same module with a different version!! (Unlike a
> > certain family of OS's from another company.)
> >

<SNIP>

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