A side, B side and PTFs

["Joe Pluta" <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Now to apply PTFs.  I have all the PTFs in .bin files, and I loaded them
onto my V5R3 machine just to see them.  They all seem fine.  So the next
trick is to load them onto the machine.

How would you folks describe the A and B sides in laymen's terms?  I get
confused when I consider A/B IPL sources vs. permanently applied and
temporarily applied PTFs.

I am IPLing from the A side simply because that's how the scratch install
sets you after you install the LIC.  At what point do you switch to the B
side, and what does it mean?  Do temporarily applied PTFs work on both
sides, or only on the B side?  If I want the A side to act as a "backup"
(that is, something I can IPL to in case of catastrophic failure of a PTF on
the B side), do I have to permanently apply the current PTFs?

I want to finally understand this point once and for all.

Joe