Re: V6R1 -- MIDRANGE-L

Well, I think the term "out of control operator" is a bit much. Conjures up images of Peter Lorre.

What I have heard of are shops that didn't spend the appropriate time planning, such as not reading the Memo to Users or missing a necessary point. While they may be in the minority, not everyone subscribes to this list, attends COMMON conferences, or goes to IBM announcements meetings.
Personally I spend at least a week planning release upgrades. Plus I have a backup system on which I can test both the plan and the result. Even then, mistakes can happen (not that I've ever made one, you understand; just "supposing").
I've even heard of organizations where the Windows sys admin (their primary job) doubled as the System i admin. Even for an experienced System i admin, this release doesn't sound like a walk in the park.
Also sounds like Al is justified in his cautionary tone.

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

Paul E. Fenstermacher wrote:

I would love to hear of ANY company where "an out of control operator
can just decide to install this release some weekend.....". I have
trouble believing that this would ever happen.
Paul Fenstermacher
Certified Specialist - i5 System Administration Bass Pro Shops
417-873-5424 d
417-429-7694 c
paulf@xxxxxxxxxxx

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Al Barsa
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 11:58 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: V6R1

Molly,

It's an important release. IBM has added a lot of integrity things into
the system, because there are nasty people out there. If you have a
nasty
nasty program on your system, it won't make it to V6R1 (more precisely -
it
won't run).

Agreed, IBM isn't doing a good job of communicating it, and the analysis
IMHO is far more difficult that it was for either System/38 Migration,
or
CISC-to-RISC. Hey, no one ran this design by me, which they did for
CISC-to-RISC, and then they had to re-do it! You have to run ANZOBJCVN
before going, and this is not well communicated. Prior releases that
required program conversion had different release-to-release transition
procedures. V6R1 doesn't. An out of control operator can just decide
to
install this release some weekend, and drive your business into a bridge
abutment at 200 MPH! IBM has been way behind the curve at getting third
party software vendors up to snuff on this, but they are rising to the
occasion (they claim). I'm sure that we will hear more about this at
COMMON.

Also, a lot of save/restore enhancements. The issues with cross library
physicals/logicals is fixed (but you have to learn how to do it - no
biggie), and a big save-while-active enhancement which allows
synchronization between QSYS.LIB, DLOs, IFS and IASPs. (Something
missing
since 1992.)

I suspect that I know somebody who will be saying nice things about this
release at COMMON, but I'm predisclosing *NOTHING. BTW, that person
tells
me that if it isn't good by then, he/she will never lie.

The other question you asked is the significance of the new Version.
New
versions are a figment of the mind of IBM. Every AS/400 (the real name
-
buy don't run that by IBM) person knows that Version 9 is the "day that
I
die". (Thank you Don McLain.) In fact V3R1 was just plain awful (IBM
gave
be heck about using the word "sucks" when talking about it.) , and V5R1
was
substandard when released, but hardened up by the second c u m e
package.

Assuming that V6R1 does harden up, it will be the fourth solid release
in a
row. Somewhat better than M$.

Al

Al Barsa, Jr.
Barsa Consulting Group, LLC

400>390

"i" comes before "p", "x" and "z"
e gads

Our system's had more names than Elizabeth Taylor!

914-251-1234
914-251-9406 fax

http://www.barsaconsulting.com
http://www.taatool.com
http://www.systemiconnection.com/

Molly Brien

<springsteen33@ya

hoo.com>
To Sent by: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx

midrange-l-bounce
cc s@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Subject V6R1

02/07/2008 12:23

PM

Please respond to

Midrange Systems

Technical

Discussion

<midrange-l@midra

nge.com>

Hi All,
I am fairly new to the iSeries market, but listened in on the V6R1
announcement (via webcast) by IBM earlier this week. My question is:
what's
the big deal with this new release? What makes it so different from
previous versions? Maybe I'm missing something here......Thanks!!!

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