RE: 'On order only' PTFs

[rob@xxxxxxxxx]

The newer 520's require 535 or 540.  The older 520's will work on 530 and 
above.  Basically you go through the same steps to go to 535 that you go 
to 540 - IPL either from CD or image catalog to replace your lic.  But 
you'd probably use "Manual" installation instead of "Automatic" 
installation.  That way you stop after the LIC.  There is no 535 for SS1, 
etc.  Then you apply the latest cume, group's, etc just like you'd do with 
540.

You said "in a few months...".  So assuming that's enough time to shake 
out a few more bugs from 540, (if that's your big concern), why wouldn't 
you go to 540?  Is there some weird SOX thing that says you have to have 
the Pope bless a new version of OS prior to using it (but lic doesn't 
count)?  Is there something in the "Memo to Users" or at the planning site 
at 
http://www-03.ibm.com/servers/eserver/support/iseries/planning/upgrade/index.html
that has you concerned about 540?

I'm still turning in service requests on 530 and I'd bet that if I still 
had a machine running 520 I'd be turning service requests on that also, so 
it's not like waiting 2 years makes those infallible.

And, here's the part most germane to this thread:  More times than not, 
any new service request was fixed by downloading a ptf that was already 
created for someone else.  Very, very few of any service requests I've 
submitted have had to do because of a bad ptf.

Rob Berendt