Re: PTF's and Cum tapes, etc.

AGREE totally Randy !

I wasn't recommending not doing them - just one of those "why" thoughts that 
hit from
time to time :-)

And the order, while it seemed strange (especially when compared to doing the 
same
thing with Novell or NT !!!) worked GREAT !!!

You and Stuart BOTH mentioned things that when I read them I said "Ya, that's 
right
!" but was having a brain fade when I sent that message ;-)

Thanks !

Chuck

Randy Mangham wrote:

> Why the need? My experience with IBM support has always been that if you DO
> experience a problem, you get very little help trying to track it down until 
>you
> tell the support rep that you have the latest PTF Cum tape installed. <g>
> Another, perhaps better reason? Some PTF's fix performance problems you didn't
> know you had or prevent potential data corruption (yeah, even the AS/400 has 
>an
> occasional problem with that) or even fix potential security problems you 
>weren't
> aware of.
>
> As for the installation sequence, follow the instructions. I assume there is a
> good reason for them. In any case, the PTF installation process knows not to
> overwrite newer PTF's with older ones (although they'll be installed and 
>marked
> as superseded just in case you ever need to remove a newer one that turns out
> defective). The Hiper PTF's sometimes fix things that will affect 
>installation of
> other PTF's. Every so often you'll see instructions to install one PTF off 
>the CD
> or tape and IPL before trying to install the Cum package.
>
> It may seem convoluted at times but the whole AS/400 PTF scheme is years 
>ahead of
> anything in the PC or Unix world, for sure, though. It was one of the things 
>that
> got AS/400 such high ratings in the last Computerworld survey on customer
> satisfaction. At least application vendors on the AS/400 aren't overwriting
> modules in QSYS to create some function the OS lacks only to have some other
> application overwrite the same module with a different version!! (Unlike a
> certain family of OS's from another company.)
>
> Randy Mangham
> Pacific Crest Consulting
> San Diego, CA
>
> Chuck Lewis wrote:
>
> > This may be a DUMB question but has anyone ever wondered why, if a
> > system is running fine with no problems, why the need for a cum tape ? I
> > know this sounds naive and I understand what they do, but I just found
> > out that my cohort (and former co-worker) had never put on a Cum tape
> > here (we have been up live on a 620 since January 1 of this year) and
> > (knock on wood) all is fine. I WILL be putting on the latest V4R1 Cum
> > tape this weekend along with Hiper and Y2K.
> >
> > A side note. IBM says to put the Y2K or Hiper PTF's on FIRST (doesn't
> > matter which one of these 2 is first) and then LASTLY put on the Cum
> > tape.
> >
> > To me it seems like you put the Cum tape on FIRST and then the other
> > ones overlay, replace and update that. Or is the Cum tape being last,
> > smart enough to not load PTF's that have been superseded by these other
> > loads ?
> >
> > TIA !
> >
> > Chuck
>
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