RE: MIMMIX and Keyed Software

Have fun. It seems that each vendor has a different procedure. We just upgraded our operating system and hardware and I spent more time on software keys than any other task. We recently went from a 1,000 CPW 9406-520 to a 4,300 CPW 8203-E4A while keeping the same serial number.

Out of eleven software packages, five required new keys; and four of these five required fees. The fees ranged from $250 to $20,355.

The other seven software packages would have needed new keys only if our SN changed. (We've had the same SN going back for at least the last four CPU upgrades - Is this common?) One of these vendors still required our QPRCFEAT code, even though we weren't being charged. One vendor had this lengthy on-line questionnaire requiring data like date of decommissioning of old system, date of new system install, feature code of new machine and a lot of other questions that are hard to answer when you don't have the new machine.

I like Inovis' approach the best. A 5-day hardware key is automatically generated when the software is put on a new box. Before the 5 days is up, you can call the lock and key department to request a temporary key, or if you've paid the invoice, a permanent key. I wish all vendors followed this approach. IBM does something similar with their 70-day grace periods.

Given that I first had to contact vendors to ensure that their software would run at V5R4 (enabling us to run a POWER6), after a while some of the details started blending together. I suggest you take meticulous notes as one mistake in your interpretation of licensing could keep a critical application from running.


Bryan Burns
iSeries Specialist
ECHO, Incorporated
Lake Zurich, Illinois

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Jeffry A. Kennedy
Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 10:41 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: MIMMIX and Keyed Software

How do you handle non-IBM Keyed software ?

We have Help Systems Products and they want us to buy a second license for the HA box. We are just starting into the HA world.