On Wed, 26 Jan 1994 20:25:39 -0500 Carl Forde said:
>The way ADSM service works is via "level-sets".  When a certain number
>of PTFs have accumulated or a HIPER APAR is fixed a new level-set PTF
>is created which contains all the PTFs to that point.  This PTF is
>basically a new product tape, complete with sample files.  All the files
>have new dates so its difficult to tell what has really changed.
>
>A couple of consequences of this "service" philosophy:
>
>  -- no electronic fixes, the PTF is too large to ship electronically,
>  -- it costs IBM time and money to create and ship the tapes,
>  -- PTFs are not available individually, so if you have a direct hit
>     on an APAR you can't get it until the level-set that includes it
>     becomes available, whenever that might be,
>  -- no way to back off an individual PTF, it's all or nothing, and
>  -- no easy way to find out what the current level-set is, btw it's
>     0.4_1.4, APAR PN49454.
>
>IMnsHO, this is a big step backwards from the individual PTF, available
>electronically, and cumulative PUTs.  I put words to this effect in my
>PMR as well.

This sounds as though the ADSM folks have been infected somewhat by the TCPIP
folks...  :-(

I just received my ADSM shipment, and it came with two maintenance tapes,
one for installation via INSTFPP, and the other via SES.  Being a VM/ESA 2.1
site, you are more or less "required" to use SES (which, BTW, requires more
than triple the disk space!....SES is IBM's latest way of selling more DASD ;-)
Anyway, the SES formated tape was not created properly, and will not load.
The PTF to fix the tape creation is PN46899/UN53328, and includes a whole
slew of PTFs, like the fixes for the WDSF-ADSM database conversion fixes,
as well as the aforemention PN49454.

It's a pity no one tested the application of the maintenance tapes being
created, and I already complained about this in my ETR.  I guess I will
also complain about this "level-set" philosophy too, before closing out
the ETR.


Steve
(tkssteve AT ubvm.cc.buffalo DOT edu | [email protected] | (716)645-3564)