Re: Upgrades to Version 8 and ESS

My knowledge about this is a bit hazy but I can try and explain why you
are seeing what you see. I'm not saying it is good or bad, just trying to
help with the understanding of how it is, and like any process there are
always ways to improve and refine it.

As an IBM Rational software product is is sold through IBM Passport
Advantage (PA). However for convenience (at the request of customers at a
COMMON I understand) it can also be ordered using the Configurator(*)
tool. That means a whole different set of part numbers and also
Configurator is made to service a different world in terms of software. I
did once hear the reasoning why the 5733-RDP changed to 5733-RDG for the
new version and it did make sense to me at the time but to be honest the
reason has been pushed out of my mind with other facts of greater
importance, sorry. IIRC one of the advantages of ESS is that the
activation kit is available for download there whereas PA customers have
to download their activation kit from the IBM Rational License Key Center
site, separate from the PA site.

This next bit is true for both PA and ESS I think. If you ordered and are
paying SWMA on RDi-SOA then you get the upgrades to RDi-SOA. As you know,
RDi-SOA 7.5 contains RDi 7.5. If RDI 7.5 gets upgraded to RDp 7.6 or
whatever that does not imply that those with current SWMA for RDi-SOA get
access to the new version of one of it's component products. This only
happens because at the same time the RDi-SOA gets updated to include the
newer version of RDp. I think if you have RDi-SOA and look in PA the
newer versions of RDp show up under the RDi-SOA umbrella. So in light of
this it kinda makes sense that the update to RDp shows up under RDi-SOA in
ESS as well. In the case where you have ordered and have current SWMA on
stand-alone RDi then the model is much simpler.

As always if you would like to see an improvement or change in the way
that RDp works (such as notifying you of updates) I would encourage you to
take advantage of the IBM Rational RFE Community.

Mike

(*) I am not sure if "Configurator" is the right name but it is as good as
any for this attempt at an explanation


Mike Hockings, P.Eng.
IBM Rational Developer for System z and Power Technical Support
IBM Canada Ltd. Laboratory
hockings@xxxxxxxxxx
voice 1-905-413-3199 T/L 313-3199 ITN 23133199




From: "davidson_l" <DAVIDSON_L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Rational Developer for IBM i / Websphere Development Studio Client
for System i & iSeries <wdsci-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 01/31/2011 11:00 AM
Subject: Re: [WDSCI-L] Upgrades to Version 8 and ESS
Sent by: wdsci-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx



I hunted around for an upgrade path over several days and
finally prevailed upon our Business Partner-- which sort of
sidestepped the ESS issue.

It appears the BP had to "run The Configurator Program" and
that V8 is now 5733-RDG instead of 5733-RDP... and it showed
up as an upgrade to RDi-SOA, not to RDP.

Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

The ESS site now *says* you can download the activation
kits; I actually went to Passport Advantage for that.