Weaving WebSphere: PTFs in WAS and Beyond

[MCWebsite.Staff]

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[steve@dossin.com]

Weaving WebSphere: PTFs in WAS and Beyond

** This thread discusses the article: Weaving WebSphere: PTFs in WAS and Beyond **
While V5R2 (which I do not yet have) has some improvements, IBM's approach to PTF's continues to be faulty. I used to think all the idiocy at IBM was in marketing. Now it looks like the same disease is spreading to support. How does IBM expect to stay in business if they continue to make it difficult to deal with them. They are pushing the website to order PTF's. Using the web site is terrible. It just seems to me to be incredibly stupid to have to spend hours on an inferior operating system to update an AS/400 with the PTF's to keep it up to date. (The excessive time requirement comes from checking CUM level, checking Group PTF levels (some of which are not appropriately documented on the IBM web site), and checking the recommended PTF's for all the functions we use. (I'll have to try the WRKPTFGRP command when I get it, but it is still a manual step that should be automated.) Why can this not be a function on the AS/400 itself (at least on the vast majority that are connected to high speed internet connections) is a mystery to me. (I think it is nuts to still require use of that silly little modem up through V5R2.) I have proposed to IBM that they add a command to get PTF's directly to the AS/400 over the Internet, say UPDPTF. We should be able to run this in a program called by the job scheduler so that we can avoid congesting the internet connection during prime time (when PTF's will tend to be downoaded on an interactive process). This command should send to an IBM server the list of installed licensed programs. The IBM server will reply with a list of applicable PTF's. The UPDPTF command will then compare the list to the PTF's already on the system and order the ones not present. On a reasonably up-to-date system, this will rarely take long. However, in my recommendation to IBM, I suggested that one parameter on this command be a time limit on the download. Then the program calling the command could monitor for an out of time message and reschedule for the next off-peak time with a "RESUME" parameter that would continue on the same list. When all needed PTF's are downloaded, run the functions of the "Install program temporary fix package" menu option. It is most disappointing that the maker of Windows, a greatly inferior operating system overall, is so far ahead of IBM in the area of providing updates to their customers - and they do not even charge for them! It is even worse that I find myself going to a Windows box to work for hours each month just to update a far superior computer. If IBM is serious about using the lower TCO in its marketing, they should seriously consider updating their software maintenance procedures to be much more cost effective, especially when an area where they are way behind is one that is so visible. Thank you for your excellent work.