How Fleetwood refreshes their test environment

Hello all,

Thank you to Paula Groeber, for reminding me that I can't do a posting with
attachments.  I got a large number of requests for this, so I figured I
post it on my MAPICS web posting site, along with the Offline Shipping
Enhancement information that I put up after the last MAPICS User
Conference.

Go to

http://www.fft-inc.com/offship.html

to get to the web site.  At the bottom of the page (you will probably have
to scroll down unless you use teeny fonts like I do), you will see two
links.  The first is for the CL that we use to clear and refresh the test
environment.  The second is for the called RPG program to reset SYSCTL for
the environment.

Reminder:  This is NOT supported code!  If improperly used, you could wipe
out your production environment (PAY ATTENTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
YOU USE!).  If you run it for "MM", and "MM" is your production
environment, guess what will happen!  You better be using a VERY current
backup tape!  However, we have been using this for quite some time (you
will probably notice the code was written in 1997), and haven't had any
issues with it.

All you are getting are PDFs of the program listings.

This does NOT reset  AMTLIBE.  In our facility, we run almost everything
through TRDATA.  I occasionally manually clear AMTLIBE, and refresh with a
CPYLIB command from AMTLIB.  Usually, I do that when I do a new CUM CD from
MAPICS or some other significant upgrade.

On my system, we run an iSeries 9406-270 with 1050/50 CPW (a Greenstreak
upgrade of my old 9406-720) and a MagStar 3570-B12 tape drive, this takes
about one hour on a Sunday with an almost dedicated system (only COM_Net,
MDCC, and normal unattached jobs are running).  I am running V5R2, but this
worked fine all the way through V4R-whatever.  I did this upgrade to
prepare for R7.  The 270 screams at my shop!  (Of course, I'd like
more....)

FYI, we run: CAS, I/M, PC&C, PM&C, EPDM, Purchasing, MPSP, MRP, CRP, MDCC
(aka PLM&C), A/R, A/P, F/A, COM_Net, MM, OBPM, P/M, and CSM.  This does NOT
do a reset of the data area for COM_Net - we don't usually bring up COM_Net
in our test environment.  All that would be required to handle COM_Net
would be another UPDDTAARA for COMNETSTS, positions 4 and 5 (I probably
should do that anyway).

Hope this helps!

Dale Gindlesperger
IT Manager
Fleetwood Folding Trailers, Inc.