RE: Websphere Groups

Which implies you'll also be loading the latest HIPERs. :) At that point
you're halfway to simply loading the latest all the time.

- We load specific PTFs to address specific problems.  Can't remember
the last time I had to, though.
- Since we're a JDE/EnterpriseOne shop, we make sure to get listed PTFs
whenever II13878 gets updated (I've signed up for an email whenever it's
updated).  That APAR is the one put together by IBM & JDPeopOracle and
noted 'official' PTF levels for V5R3.
- We load cumes annually, more often if there's a reason to.  Right now
we're at V5R3 cume 6045.  I'll likely load the latest V5R3 cume in Feb
or March.
- We load groups every month or two.  That includes groups for all LPPs.
I simply log in to Fix Central, get to the list of groups, click on
HIPERS (the first entry after the cume), shift-click the last entry (25
groups altogether), and proceed.  By doing it monthly the download size
isn't too bad (a little over a GB).  Then set the PTFs to apply with the
monthly IPL.

This approach works for us.  The various groups quite likely overlap
with most of what's released in the cumes so I don't believe we're
really missing that much.

As to the OS, we will move to V5R4 but we have to do some app upgrading
for compatibility first.

And as to the HMC code level and the FSP firmware levels, we don't have
anything established but it'll come down to approximately annually.