Re: PTF's Installed on Production Servers -- MIDRANGE-L

We have two separate boxes, not lpar's. I install cume's, HIPER's,etc., on the backup box first and simply run it for a week or two. Ifeverything goes well, I'll apply the same on our production box. Oddlyenough, though the boxes should be mirror images of each other, more orless, the only problem I have ever had was when I installed onproduction during the PTF install process. Hung that puppy up big time!

While a particular PTF may impact an application, it's rare as far asfar as being noticed. Unless one is installing a particular PTF to fixan application type problem. It sounds like the auditors are trying tojustify their bill. They need to give you specifics on what should betested and to what end. I've worked with enough DP auditors over theyears (I hope these aren't financial auditors) to know that competentones can do that, and will do so gladly (in most cases). The lesserlights are, as said, simply trying to sound like they know what they'redoing.

I wonder if they have made the same demand vis-a-vis Windows servicepacks and updates. Plus, though we don't call them PTF's, modificationsto application programs should have stringent tests applied to them.Have they requested a copy of your testing methodology? Neither didours, but I've got the backup box because they insisted (wouldn't settlefor lpar's) - and they sit about six feet apart in our data center. Nowthat's brilliant!



        * Jerry C. Adams
*IBM System i5/iSeries Programmer/Analyst
B&W Wholesale Distributors, Inc.* *
voice
        615.995.7024
fax
        615.995.1201
email
        jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>



Ketzes, Larry wrote:

I am getting pounded by auditors on an issue, and I would like to know what
other admin's are doing about this.  Our auditors are asking to see testing
resulting from installing ptf's from IBM on our Production Servers.
Although I do have a test partition, I do not install every ptf I need on
that partition first.  I do not have enough space on that partition for all
testing of all applications just because I put on some ptf's!

What are other folks doing?  We do go through a change process procedure
that includes management approving the install of the ptf's.

Thanks, Larry

======================

Larry Ketzes
iSeries Senior System Administrator
American Life Insurance Company

One ALICO Plaza
600 King Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
Phone: 302-594-2146
Mobile: 302-559-1631

Fax: 302-830-4524


Email: larry.ketzes@xxxxxxx




-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Scott Klement
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 2:06 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: RE: Verifying Existence of a File on a Server
I was afraid of that. There's no way I'm going to ask my overworkedsystem administrator to ensure everybody that can use this function hasan i.d. on the Windows server.
Ask your administrator for a single account on the Windows server -- onethat has access to the files you need to check for. Create an iSeriesprofile with the same name and password as the Windows account. When youneed to check existence, use the profile handle APIs to swap to thatparticular iSeries account, then check access, then swap back. This wayall access to the Windows server is from that one particular ID.