Re: CD Label issues?

Hi, everyone,

I'm trying to  avoid burning up a lot of time, plastic, and gas and am instead trying to use an Image Catalog to
install licensed programs and PTFs on my guest partition.

I have created the Image Catalog (CRTIMGCLG), loaded the files to the IFS, added the image catalog entries (ADDIMGCLGE) , loaded the image catalog (LODIMGCLG),
and loaded the first image (LODIMGCLGE).  All on the host partition.
Now on the guest partition, what do I do to associate some device (presumably a virtual device) to point to the Image Catalog on the host partition?
The Work with Licensed Programs for Target Release panel requires an 'Optical device', as below...

Work with Licensed Programs for Target Release
System:   S1234567
Type choices, press Enter.

  Generate list from     1            1=Distribution media
                                      2=Merge with additional distribution
media
                                      3=Modify previously generated list

  Optical device . . .   ???????      *NONE, Name

  Target Release . . .   V7R1M0 VxRxMx



F3=Exit F12=Cancel


Do I create a virtual device on the guest? If so, what's the Device Type/Class?
I used *OPT for Device Type and *VRT for Resource Name and it created it,
but what is the 'link' so this virtual optical device points to the Image Catalog
on the host and not, for example, to the actual optical drive?

Do I do a D mode, manual IPL?
I don't seem to be able to find instructions for this next step(s).

Best Regards,

Thomas Garvey
Corporate Scientist
Unbeaten Path International
630-462-3991
/www.unpath.com <http://www.unpath.com/>
/

On 5/2/2018 12:30 PM, Thomas Garvey wrote:

I forgot about FileZilla!
I used to have it but my C Drive got wiped out a few months back
and software I rarely use hasn't been restored.
All my video editing software was wiped out as well, which (come to think of it) probably had a DVD burner included in it.

I will try FileZilla.

Thanks for the advice!

Best Regards,

Thomas Garvey

On 5/2/2018 12:06 PM, Mark S Waterbury wrote:

Hi, Thomas,

Yes, with the older 520 models, you had to dedicate certain hardware resources to the LPAR if it was running IBM i, so you could not use "virtual disk" or "virtual optical" or "virtual ethernet" until V6R1on at least POWER6 hardware...

(Now, you could use virtual resources on a Linux LPAR on a 520 ... but that's another story....)


What version of Windows?  What FTP client, the one built-in to Windows?

I always use "FileZilla" for this ... free open source download from https://filezilla-project.org

It will automatically re-try and resume if an error happens "in the middle" of an FTP upload ... :-D

Hope that helps,

Mark S. Waterbury

> On 5/2/2018 12:50 PM, Thomas Garvey wrote:

Hi, Mark,

Thanks for the private response.

I have used virtual image catalogs before, but on the partition that the software was intended for.
Clearly there is something (a lot of things?) about 'virtual' devices I haven't understood.
For example, virtual optical drives can be 'seen' by both the host and client partitions at the same time.
I was presuming a device can't be used by two different servers simultaneously.
That presumption probably comes from my experience with IBM and an old 520 we have.
It's partitioned but one partition has RAID and the other can't, the tape and optical drives can't be switched back and forth, etc.
They're hard-wired.

Also, perhaps most importantly, when I try to copy a file, such as I_BASE_01.....udf, to the Image Catalog directory on the IFS,
one of three things happens: my PC locks up, it actually works (but uploading takes forever), or the following ...

And if an error occurs, usually well into the upload, you have to start the file transfer over again.
If I use ftp (from my PC to IFS), I get no stats on where it is, and frequently fails.

If you know of some more reliable method or protocol, please let me know. I hate the 'sneaker net', or in this case, the 'I94 net'.


Best Regards,

Thomas Garvey


On 5/2/2018 10:18 AM, Mark S Waterbury wrote:

Thomas,
*    >>>---> private reply off-list <---<<<

*I think perhaps you are missing the point that others are trying to make ...*
*
Why would you want to "burn" the images to plastic, and then have to drive all the way to your corporate offices, to physically play "disc jockey", inserting the next DVD, etc., when you can just create an image catalog on the primary host partition, and load the images into that, e,g, via FTP, from the comfort of your home office or wherever you normally work from, and then just "mount" that image catalog on a virtual optical device, and away you go?

Have you ever used "virtual optical" and "image catalogs" before? e.g. for loading PTFs etc.?

Mark S. Waterbury

> On 5/2/2018 11:07 AM, Thomas Garvey wrote:

Lacking further instruction from IBM, I just dragged and dropped them.
Guessing I'm driving to corporate again today.

Best Regards,

Thomas Garvey


On 5/2/2018 9:31 AM, Justin Taylor wrote:

My first guess, did you actually burn ISO images or just copy them to the CD's?



-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Garvey [mailto:tgarvey@xxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2018 8:16 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: CD Label issues?

Is there some specific rules about how a DVD must be labelled for the Licensed Program Install process to recognize optical media that contains licensed software?

I downloaded all this v7r1 stuff last night and burned them to DVDs and drove them to our corporate center this morning, and option 11 on the GI LICPGM panel just skims through all of them (I_BASE_01, B_GROUP1_01, etc.) and finds nothing.

Here's what IBM ESS site says (at the point where you can begin download)...


         Step 5A

Use IBM Download Director or HTTP to download your software.

   * *Download Director* provides high-speed downloads,
     checkpoint/restart, and enhanced data integrity checking.

     Download Director uses a pop-up window for the download. You *must*
     accept the trusted applet supplied by IBM.

     If you have questions or problems, refer to Download Director -
     Frequently Asked Questions
<https://www6.software.ibm.com/cgi-bin/dldir/doc/DDfaq?locale=en_US>

   * *HTTP* is available if you cannot use or choose not to use the
     Download Director.


         Step 5B

*Note: Some of the processes to prepare and install the software may be different from what you normally use.*

   * Follow the instructions to Prepare to install
<https://www-947.ibm.com/systems/support/software/delivery/en_US/prepingtoinstall.html>
     the software.
   * Follow the instructions to Install
<https://www-947.ibm.com/systems/support/software/delivery/en_US/installing.html>
     the software.

Note: Images should not be dragged and dropped to CD burner. Please see the Burn optical images <https://www-947.ibm.com/systems/support/software/delivery/en_US/burningcds.html>
section for further information.



(That enlargement is mine.)

However, when you follow that /Burn Optical Images/ link, there are no instructions on how to NOT just drag and drop to CD burner.
So, what ARE the correct instructions?  I'm on a Windows 10 laptop.


Best Regards,


Thomas Garvey