RE: Where are my FixCentral downloads -- MIDRANGE-L

Jim,

I had (have) a similar problem with our stinking firewall, except that it blocks Download Director and immediate FTP from the browser. Initiating the FTP from our System i works, though. Go figure.

Jerry C. Adams
IBM System i Programmer/Analyst
--
B&W Wholesale
office: 615-995-7024
email: jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jim Essinger
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 12:18 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: Where are my FixCentral downloads

Aaron,

There was one time when one of the 3 partitions did not download. At that
point I had to go to fix central in my browser, and have them brought down
immediately - I can't use the FTP method as something in our network
firewall or some settings cause the FTP to time out on large files. I would
have to restart FTP and figure out which file to restart.

Doing the immediate download via a browser puts the PTFs in QGPL as save
files. I then do the *SERVICE option, or if I have both images and save
files, then choose option 3 from the PTF apply that does both.

I have not had a download via SNDPTFORD fail for over 9 months. (I try to
get group PTFs every month on all three partitions)

Good luck, and let us know how it goes and which way you prefer.

Jim

On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 11:03 AM, Aaron Bartell <aaronbartell@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:

This approach seems like the simplest. Are there drawbacks?

I did a call into IBM for an issue with IBM Systems Director Navigator not
working and they asked me to install SI34446 so I will test the different
processes to see which gets me there quickest.

Thanks everyone for their input, we need to get this into
wiki.midrange.comfor sure!

Aaron Bartell
http://mowyourlawn.com
http://mowyourlawn.com/blog/

On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 11:57 AM, Jim Essinger <dilbernator@xxxxxxxxx

wrote:

My preferred method of PTFs since Rob enlightened me via this list;

1) SNDPTFORD for groups or individual fixes. Select images and a IFS

folder

that has and image catalog attached. Mine is called PTFCATALOG.
2) Wait for a couple of hours and the images magically show up in the IFS
folder named in step 1
3) Add the images to the catalog,
4) Go PTF and apply.

With this method I can start a download when I leave work, and they are
usually there in the morning. Nice and easy when it all works right. I
like that IBM has added some groups as key words so you can just name the
key word and get that group.

Jim

On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 10:40 AM, Pete Helgren <Pete@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

The usual process for FTP ordering is:

1. Go to Fix Central and take the option for an FTP order of Cumes
and Groups.
2. Receive the email that ID's the FTP location, userid and

password.

3. Manually retrieve the .bin images
4. Manually create the image catalog (maybe only once).
5. Add the image catalog entries.
6. Validate and mount the whole image into a virtual optical drive
7. GO PTF and take option 8 to "Install program temporary fix

package"

Items 3 through 6 can be time consuming and require some human
interaction. That is what GetiPTF does for you. You still have to
order and you will still have to run option 8 but the work of

retrieving

the images, putting them in the image catalog and getting them ready to
apply is done by GetiPTF.

So your steps become:
1. Go to Fix Central and take the option for an FTP order of Cumes
and Groups.
2. Receive the email that ID's the FTP location, userid and

password.

3. Use the email info and key it into GetiPTF
(Once GetiPTF is complete. I usually run it overnight)
4. GO PTF and take option 8 to "Install program temporary fix package"
(using the image catalog/virtual optical drive created by GetiPTF)

Sure, it only eliminates four steps but it is those steps that you got
hung up on and that is the most time consuming (and error prone for

me).

YMMV but it made it all very simple

Pete

Aaron Bartell wrote:

Does GetiPTF also know which PTFs I need or do I have to figure that

out

also?

It does sound simpler, for sure.

Aaron Bartell
http://mowyourlawn.com
http://mowyourlawn.com/blog/

On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 10:17 AM, Pete Helgren <Pete@xxxxxxxxxx>

wrote:

Make it easy on yourself next time. Download Bryan Dietz's GetiPTF

and

then order your Cume by FTP. GetiPTF will do all the downloading

and

image catalog work for you and then you just have to reference the

image

catalog when you apply. Simple, easy, works like a charm.

Find it here: http://home.roadrunner.com/~jbmmdietz/getiptf.html<http://home.roadrunner.com/%7Ejbmmdietz/getiptf.html>

<http://home.roadrunner.com/%7Ejbmmdietz/getiptf.html>

<http://home.roadrunner.com/%7Ejbmmdietz/getiptf.html>

<http://home.roadrunner.com/%7Ejbmmdietz/getiptf.html>

Pete

Aaron Bartell wrote:

If management central did not start, then you might check (in

Navigator)

My Connections ->(Your computer)->Network -> Servers -> TCP/IP ->
Management Central and see if that server is started.

That's actually where I went to try and start it to begin with. I

right

click and select Start, then it hangs for about 1 minute (assuming

it

is

trying to start) and then it returns control to me and the status

is

still

set to stopped.

I am doing my best to bite my tongue, but I shouldn't need to apply

fixes

to

my fix process so I can apply other fixes. IBM, your approach to

applying

updates to an IBM i is to complicated!!!!!!!! Doing my best not to

compare

it to the simplicity of applying updates to my Linux machines.

Aaron Bartell
http://mowyourlawn.com
http://mowyourlawn.com/blog/

On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 8:48 AM, Jim Essinger <

dilbernator@xxxxxxxxx

wrote:

For V5R4 and before you don't have to be in restricted, but if you

have

multiple users, it is a good idea if you are going to restart

immediately.

If I am going to do a automatic IPL I do it off hours and with the

system

in
restricted state.

If management central did not start, then you might check (in

Navigator)

My
Connections ->(Your computer)->Network -> Servers -> TCP/IP ->

Management

Central and see if that server is started.

Jim

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