RE: Immediate PTF -- What's the point?

["Simon Coulter" <shc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Rob,

You wrote:
>What's the point then of releasing a ptf as immediate if it requires any 
>of the following:
>- You must bring the system into a restricted state.
>- You must end TCP/IP
>- Or, in the olden days, you must vary off/on all twinaxial controllers.
>Depending you your situation, you might as well have to apply it delayed.

While there is certainly a fine line between an immediate PTF that requires 
one of the above actions and a delayed PTF, at least the above give you the 
choice. 
        o You must end TCP/IP
          Difficult given the dependence on TCP but it is possible for many
          sites to restart TCP/IP in the evening even though day-end is 
          running.
        o Vary off/on controllers
          Again quite possible after normal business hours
        o Restricted state
          If you have to do this you might as well IPL but it is still faster
          to start from restricted state than to do an IPL even if you
          disable full hardware diagniostics.

Finally, the primary advantage to an immediate PTF that requires an IPL to 
activate is that the PTF will be activated even if the IPL is a result of an 
abnormal termination including an IPL after ENDJOBABN. Delayed PTFs are 
skipped by an abnormal IPL.

Just because you run a 24/7 shop doesn't mean this sort of immediate PTF 
doesn't have its advantages. In an ideal world it would be beneficial to have 
all PTFs applied and take immediate effect but that new code has to be loaded 
and it a bit difficult to transfer from an existing program to a replacement 
program AND maintain the state of the previous program (i.e., devices, 
connections, sockets, files, locks, etc. etc. etc.).  The only safe way to do 
that is to end the existing program and restart picking up the PTFed code.

Regards,
Simon Coulter.
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