Re: Firmware Updates

[Justin Taylor <jtaylor.0ab@xxxxxxxxx>]

Are the firmware PTFs included in group PTFs?  On my LAN console S914 I
always use SNDPTFORD for those specifically.  I guess it's possible that it
just takes too long for those PTFs to make it into the groups.  MH01965 was
released in January but wasn't included in the groups I downloaded on the
01 February 2024.



date: Wed, 28 Feb 2024 07:30:36 -0600
> from: Jim Oberholtzer <midrangel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> subject: Re: Firmware Updates
>
> ?At the risk of igniting a flame war, (and this is the last I?ll say about
> it), Patrick, for those of us who are System Administrators on IBM i ,
> firmware updates are particularly simple.  If you don?t have an HMC, then
> regularly apply PTF groups (as you should anyway) and the system will
> simply deal with that for you.  If you have an HMC and wish the HMC to
> manage it, then you can update the firmware, often times without disruption
> and at will, and it?s particularly simple.  You just tell it to go out and
> get the appropriate update and apply it, the HMC does the rest.  Only when
> the firmware falls way behind does it get more complicated.
>
> Linux (Unix including AIX) is still a bit of challenge for me since so
> much of the Admin is done manually, and on demand as opposed to
> automatically like  IBM i .  Updating device drivers for instance is a
> separate action from updating the OS system.  Not so on IBM i, IBM puts all
> the device drivers in a group and applies them for you, then updates the
> devices.  Linux most likely could do that too, but the culture of Linux
> administration would most likely veto that since direct absolute control
> over the environment is highly desired.  You know Linux very well so it is
> plain and simple to you, not  so much for the uneducated and
> unexperienced.
>
> ARE is a fabulous tool that IBM created primarily for its own use in
> troubleshooting customer issues, and made it available to anyone.  With a
> little Java programming you could use ARE to find system related issues and
> correct them automatically.  (The programming part is in the correction of
> the issue)   I don?t remember if ARE is available to the older OS VRM that
> you typically report using but if it is you should have a look.
>
>
> Jim Oberholtzer
> Agile Technology Architects