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PTF frustrations drive shops to alternate methods
By Sarah Kimmel
Monday, September 01, 2003
Updating PTFs is an important task
that every iSeries shop should perform regularly in order to stay
current, but shops don’t always have the easiest time getting
the fixes they need.
“I ordered the PTFs required
for WebSphere Express (that were supposed to come with V5R2, but
didn’t) through ECS with 2-day shipping, but they never came.
That was two weeks ago. Then I tried to download them off the iPTF
site, but I lost my connection. Now the site says they have been
ordered, but they’re not here. I’m still trying,”
says Mark Walter, senior programmer/analyst, CCX, Inc., Hanover,
PA.
Shops have several options when
ordering fixes:
1. Traditionally, iSeries shops
electronically download PTFs via the Electronic Customer Support
(ECS) facilities. Customers can also utilize ECS to order fixes
on media. ECS, which is available 24/7, may require an IBM Maintenance
Agreement from shops ordering microcode PTFs.
2. Shops can order the fixes on
media through the IBM Support site. This option is only available
to U.S. iSeries customers with a Monthly Support Line Contract and
Software Maintenance for iSeries. Shops will also need to register
on the site.
Tip: Shops should be aware
of the regular delays and faults of the postal system when ordering
fixes through the mail. Keep tracking numbers, and check up on your
order.
“I ordered my fixes on Monday
but didn’t need them until Friday, so I opted for Priority
2 shipping, which was supposed to take about three days. I didn’t
get them that week, and when I checked the tracking number the mail
carrier said that they wouldn’t be here until Monday,”
says Rob Berendt, AS/400 specialist, Group Dekko Services, Kendallville,
IN.
3. Shops running V4R2 or higher
can select, order, and download PTFs via IBM’s iPTF Web site.
Customers must have an IBM user ID and password. The Customized
Cumulative PTF Package function, which automatically determines
and downloads those fixes needed to update the system, requires
V5R1 or higher and Management Central to be installed on the system.
“I used to use ECS, but my
Software Subscription contract doesn’t include that service
anymore. So now I use the iPTF site, download the fixes, and then
burn them to a CD,” says Steve Landess, iSeries consultant,
Integration Services Inc., Austin, TX.
Depending on the size of the PTFs
that you want to download and the speed of your connection, fixes
can be downloaded via the Internet or via an FTP server. If the
FTP download exceeds your specified size limit, the PTFs can be
mailed on CD-ROM.
Shops with V5R2 also have the option
to use the virtual optical drive to download PTFs via an image catalog.
PTF images are available for a window of 48 hours after the order
is placed.
“I like the optical drive
installation. It’s slicker than using CDs — it’s
faster than CD, you don’t have to watch the CD drive to be
sure it’s working, and there is less handling of media,”
says Berendt.
Note: Shops using
a browser to download PTF images must set their browser to Passive
FTP.
4. iSeries customers with a Telephone
(Voice Support) Software Support Contract can order PTFs through
their Support Center.
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