Re: Adventures in iPTF - anybody using it?

["Steve Landess" <steve_landess@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Followup to my question:

DOH!

I found a setting in IE 6 (Tools>Internet Options>Advanced>Settings:) that
fixed my problem when using the browser to download the PTF's.  You must
specify "Use Passive FTP (for firewalls and DSL modem compatibility)" by
checking the appropriate checkbox in the Settings panel.

After I performed this action it let me see the folder on IBM's FTP server.
I just started copying the PTF images, and it looks like everything is
working fine.

Now I'm wondering why it didn't work last night using SmartFTP in passive
mode...gotta go try that now and see how to tweak SmartFTP to get it to work
with IBM's FTP site...

Steve Landess



----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Landess" <steve_landess@hotmail.com>
To: <midrange-l@midrange.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 4:44 PM
Subject: Adventures in iPTF - anybody using it?


This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
All,

I don't have a support line agreement with IBM, so I don't have the ability
to order PTF's at no charge on CD-ROM media (at least that is my
understanding).

SO....

I registered last night on IBM's web site for
iPTF(http://www-912.ibm.com/supporthome.nsf/Document/10000083), then sent a
PTF order for PTF SF99510 (the lastest cum) for V5R1M0.  Since this was
larger than you can immediately download, I received back an email with a
user id & password and instructions for downloading the image files from
IBM's FTP site.

Then the fun begins:

All of the following was done from a DELL PIII 866 on my home network
running Windows 2000 Server SP3 with IE 6 browser with all of the latest
fixes behind a Linksys router with  the DMZ set to my PC's IP address on the
RoadRunner network here in Austin.

1) I first tried following the instructions for downloading the PTF images
via my web browser by clicking the link specified in the email.  When I
clicked on this link , my browser locked up each time I tried it.  Each
time, I eventually had to go to the task manager and cancel the browser
session, because it was totally locked up.

2) I tried using SmartFTP to download these files (using both passive and
active modes).  It was able to copy the small text files, but when I tried
copying the binary image files, it also either locked up or the file
transfer canceled after a few seconds.

3) I tried to use FTP from a command window.  I was able to log on to the
FTP site, but it locked up when I tried to GET the first file, so I had to
cancel this also.

4) I know there is an option to do this with Ops Navigator, but I haven't
had enough experience with this option to try it yet.  Plus, it looks like I
need to have Management Central running to use Ops Navigator to download
PTF's, and I tried but couldn't get the *MGTC service started.  (This in
itself could probably be another whole message thread)...

5) I did NOT try downloading these files directly to my AS/400, mainly
because I haven't yet read about how to set up image catalogs in order to
use them from the IFS.  I figured that if I could download these binaries to
PC, I could burn them to CD's and load them from the burned CD's.

6) I also navigated to the iSeries Access Service Packs site
(http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/access/casp.htm) and attempted
to download the latest CAE service pack for V5R1M0 (SI05361), and my browser
locked up when I clicked the link for this service pack.

At 2:00 am, I finally gave up and went to bed....

In the worst case, I can probably just borrow a copy of the CD's from a
friend if I have to.  I was just trying to see if I could do it via the
internet.  I thought I could just let the files download overnight and have
them ready the next morning.  (Sounds too easy, huh?).

Have any of you used this option to download PTF's?  If so, have you
experienced this level of difficulty in downloading PTF's?

Frustrated in Austin,

Steve Landess
(512) 423-0935

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