The "heads up" of course is valuable - it's what this list is about.
>> Just wanted to pass on a heads up on some APARs that require >> HDS microcode on DASD. And that microcode will not be >> available until the 2nd week in January. > Was there a HOLD(ACTION) [or it might need to be > HOLD(DEPENDENT?) - I forget] against these APARs (or the > Fix PTFs)? If not, a BIG "PACKAGING PROBLEM" report > should be filed with IBM since this dependency should have > been mentioned so as to suppress accidental installation as > occurred to you ... Hmmm. Despite my current dispute with IBM's asshole PoK lawyer ... As a previous employee of quite a few PCMs (Itel, National Advanced Systems, BASF/Comparex, Amdahl) it might seem odd that I have great sympathy for IBM in this case. You just would not believe the complexity of the testing that is implied here. a) How do you determine which vendors are actually involved? Don't dismiss this question - it's one of the big ones. Lawyers (even real bad ones) go white on this. Don't laugh. Fundemental b) Given the competitive nature of the business and the fact that legal entities may be involved (new interfaces, etc., regulatory authorities) how do you establish contact with potential third parties? c) Is it reasonable to expect, e.g., IBM, to maintain a skill level regarding a potentially involved third party product sufficient to enable them internally to flag a potential issue? To the degree that a user SMP/E clerk can depend on it? d) The products sold by other vendors are capable of an almost infinite combination of configurations. Which, exactly, should be tested - and at what expense, since few such vendors will offer IBM the kind of discounts they offer their users for hardware access? e) For any given PCM product, how many of the concurrently supported microcode levels should IBM test - given that they would be able to obtain back-level versions, whch most users cannot. I'm sorry - but as a life-long (almost) PCMer - I have to say this is part of the deal. If you have non-IBM (or even IBM, come to that) devices in your configuration then change control becomes YOUR responsibility. -- Phil Payne http://www.isham-research.co.uk +44 7833 654 800 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
