RE: Managing PTF's...Strategy? -- MIDRANGE-L

Hello from Australia.  

Jim,

Yes, it is completely normal to run from the 'B' side all the time
(generally). 

It is better to keep the temp PTFs as temp PTFs, that way you can remove
one if you start to experience a problem. You should keep up to date
with the CUME releases as well.  Review the PTF cover letter that tells
you all about what each PTF is about. You may not need/want to install
all of them if you think your AS/400 environment is not likely to change
dramatically over time.

I have not ever had a problem with PTFs and have always followed these
guidelines.  Generally you only need to permanently apply PTFs before an
upgrade.  Then you may get notification from IBM about deleting certain
PTFs before doing the upgrade as well.

Regarding tape management, it is not generally so much more risky taking
the tapes home (depending on where you live I suppose) than the
potential disaster of have them and your AS/400 burn up, drown, or get
stolen from work at the same time by leaving them there.  If you live in
the tornado belt, or other somewhat disaster prone area, either place
may not be all that 'safe'.  But at least if a copy is 'offsite' you
will only be inconvenienced by the drive home (and back) to get them.  I
take our tapes home.  Yes, a tape service could be an ideal solution,
but I would be extremely interested in what they do with them!  If you
combine it with a disaster recovery plan for access to your AS/400 data
at another location (another business service provided to the AS/400
community by several vendors - including IBM) then you have both bases
covered.

Warm regards from Melbourne, Australia

Alan Smith
President, COMMON Victoria
Application Div. Mgr. COMMON98

MIS Manager, Toorak College 
Old Mornington Road
Mount Eliza, Vic 3930

Direct: (61-3) 9788-7255  (61 Australia, 3 Victoria)
Switchboard: (61-3) 9788-7200
Fax: (61-3) 9787-5888

Email:  Alans@Toorakc.vic.edu.au <mailto:Alans@Toorakc.vic.edu.au> 
Website:   www.toorakc.vic.edu.au <http://www.toorakc.vic.edu.au> 


        -----Original Message-----
        From:   Jim Welsh [SMTP:jimwelsh@ix.netcom.com]
        Sent:   Tuesday, July 07, 1998 12:03 PM
        To:     MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
        Subject:        Managing PTF's...Strategy?

        You Guru's

        I'd like to start a discussion dealing with the management of
PTF's and
        Client Access upgrades.

        My own thoughts on this are to keep current and perm apply after
a week
        or so if all is well.

        IPLSRC A, B....?

        I've not been involved in operations that much as I've mainly
been
        application programming for
        the last 10 years.

        Being in a two person shop now where the manager appears to know
less
        than I do about *managing* the 400 I'd like some feedback on
some *best
        practices* approaches...

        Is it normal to run off IPLSRC B everyday ?

        Is it not more effecient to perm apply your ptf's ?

        How many have been burned by a perm applied ptf that was bad ?
        What was the solution ?

        How about tape backup management, isn't it a bit risky to take
backup
        tapes home with you
        escpecially when your not keeping them in a safe ?

        Everyplace else i've worked has had there tapes picked up by a
service
        company ( not sure what exactly they do with them ) : )

        I'd like to see the two of us run an organized shop with good
practices
        in place but right now I think we have much room for
improvement.

        I can't make these decisions but I can make suggestions. Perhaps
after
        hearing about what others
        are doing I'll have even better suggestions to make.

        Oh where Oh where will I find a well managed IS dept...

        tia

        --
        Jim
        I'm surprised anything works at all
        http://www.netcom.com/~jimwelsh/welcome/welcome.html
        mailto:jimwelsh@ix.netcom.com


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