RE: Suddenly I'm a hardware guy? shhheeessshhhhh -- MIDRANGE-L

Tony

Yes iPTF's are accessible by anyone, but so PTF's via ECS, we never have
had a hardware maintenance from IBM but have used ECS for PTF's for the
past 14 years and have downloaded both MF & SF PTF's.

Regards

Andy Youens
FormaServe Systems
T: 01908 319566
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|-----Original Message-----
|From: William A.(Tony) Corbett [mailto:corbett@asresources.com]
|Sent: 02 March 2002 22:11
|To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange. com
|Cc: "Booth Martin"
|Subject: Re: Suddenly I'm a hardware guy? shhheeessshhhhh
|
|Booth,
|Here's my experience, just my experience:
|
|1.  iPTF will work for anyone, you just have to sign up (online) for
it,
|giving your customer number, serial number, and such.  It was really
flaky
|for a while, but seems to be pretty good now.  But, you can't order
MF#####
|ptf's this way...MF ptf's can only be ordered on media or with hardware
|maintenance.(see next item).
|
|2.  To get PTF's by ECS, you must have a hardware maintenance contract
with
|IBM.  I know because a couple of times, when mine ran out, my ECS
|priviledges went away, but never exactly on time.  You are on the
hardware
|maintenance either by purchasing hardware maintenance, or on the 1-year
|warranty which comes with a new box, or a mainboard-level (my term)
|upgrade,
|such as a processor upgrade, which throws you back into the 1-year
warranty
|situation.  If ECS is working for someone without this, either you have
|some
|form of IBM maintenance and don't know it, or IBM's records are screwed
up
|and I'd be quiet and enjoy it, while it lasts.  Mine ran out, ECS died
|shortly thereafter...I purchased a processor upgrade, ECS came back.
|
|3.  To order PTF's on media, you don't have to have a support contract
in
|place.  Call Supportline and tell the person that answers that you want
to
|order PTF's.  THey will transfer you to the right place.  The PTF
person
|can
|even point you in the right direction (give you a phone#) to place
upgrade
|orders.  I placed an order for 513 ptf's the other day and found out
that
|they even have an email address for large orders like this.  (I wasn't
|about
|to read off 513 ptf numbers)  I imagine that 90% of these were
superseded,
|but my list had 513 in it.
|
|4.  To get an OS (or licpgm) upgrade, you have to speak to whoever sold
you
|the system, ie., your IBM rep or your BP.  If you don't have a BP, find
out
|who your rep is.  Somewhere out there you have one which covers your
|geographical area, at least.  Just ask someone at IBM, and they'll find
|out.
|I'd start with the PTF folks, then go to IBM direct.  I have to find
out
|who's my rep every time I call, IBM plays musical chairs and it's
usually
|someone new.
|
|5. If you "have" to have a supportline contract, so what, set one up.
Just
|sign up for a hourly contract and if you never need it, don't use it.
This
|is usually the first thing I do when I walk into a new situation...set
up
|an
|hourly supportline contract.
|
|You may have a hard time getting back-level ptf's, especially
|"way-back-level" ptf's.  I've known CE's to sometimes have a "stash" of
|these old ptf files.
|
|None of this is magic, most of the IBM folks are helpful and will try
to
|help.
|
|And if you stick around this for long enough, yes, you are a hardware
guy
|whether you know it or not.
|
|Your machines will probably be in a P05 group, if so, software
subscription
|and supportline will be fairly cheap...and worth every dime of it.
|I've got SS and 24x7 supportline but get my hardware support via a
local
|company.
|
|AS/Resources, Inc.
|William A.(Tony) Corbett
|IBM Certified Specialist - AS/400 Developer
|http://www.asresources.com
|corbett@asresources.com
|770-587-4812 (no answer forwards to mobile)
|fax:  404-663-4737
|
|
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