Comments interspersed. HTH,
-----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> On Behalf Of Bob Bridges Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2019 10:07 AM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: Newbie SMP/E questions I'm the Top-Secret admin for a client whose system programmer retired a couple years ago. The client tapped another employee to take his place, and she's learning the job with frantic haste but insists with some justification that she's not a system programmer yet. Me, I came into security through the applications-development side so I'm not even close. Together she and I are trying to learn SMP/E. The immediate purpose is so we can apply some TSS-related PTFs, but really, it's become clear to me that we need no excuses to make it a priority; SMP/E is kind of important. I have embarked on a serious reading of the SMP/E User's Guide, but I still need help. I'll limit myself to a handful of questions to start with: Question #1) We started by applying a PTF - call it A for simplicity - and its prerequisite B. We did that last August and then the project languished for the sake of other priorities. Now we're working on it again and we want to restore those two PTFs and do the APPLY again. Why? Well, partly because it was 'way back in August and we're uncertain about exactly how we did it back then. We know more now. Partly because we know more now and we want to practice it better. I dunno, partly because we just want to. I think maybe we bypassed some HOLDs back then too. Anyway, we attempted the RESTORE, but we got lots and lots of error messages saying we need to include other PTFs in the RESTORE. Some of these have an indirect connection to A and B; B superceded at least three of them, for example, which I can see were applied some years ago. Others have no relation to our PTFs that I can discern. I haven't yet found the place in the User's Guide that explains these relationship and their relevance. Can someone give a helpful explanation? SMPE has 2 basic zones TARGET and DLIB (everything else just supports these 2 zones.). APPLY/ACCEPT processing installs maintenance into the TARGET/DLIB zones respectively. Once accepted, the only fallback is dfDSS restore (if you have backups). Restore processing returns the environment to the last ACCEPTed level. In order to complete this process, all maintenance from the accepted level to the current code level must be restored. Question #2) So far as we can tell by issuing LIST XREF commands, whoever ran this thing in the past never did any ACCEPT, ever, except for the original function code. I see at least 11 PTFs that were applied (including our two), but the distribution library shows no PTFs for any module I've yet LISTed. If true, does that mean that to do a RESTORE of our two PTFs we'll have to RESTORE everything back to the plain-vanilla base? It is a common practice not to accept maintenance for 3rd party products. I will not say it is good or bad, but it is common. In to restore to the environment "before the 2 PTFs", all non-accept PTFs must be restored and then re-applied (minus the two PTFS). This will accomplish what is desired in #1 above. Question #3) My partner the not-sysprog has in mind that maybe we need to set aside this CSI (which is dedicated to Top Secret) and create another one starting with the base software and build up from there. I didn't realize this could be done, but she thinks she can do it. If it'll work, I like it; we'll know in that case what we have, which we do not at present. Anyone have any thoughts on this plan? A re-install of the product into separate zones is certainly practical. IMO, less work, but also less of a learning experience Question #4) This is a less-important add-on: In both the online documentation and the User's Guide, I read if I'm doing a RESTORE and name PTFs A and B, including the GROUP operand causes SMP/E to add whatever other PTFs are required for various reasons. It doesn't seem to, though; it names them and complains about them, but doesn't add them to the list. Have I misunderstood something? I'm loathe to believe the documentation is flat wrong. RESTORE S(A,B) GROUPEXTEND will sometimes miss some items. Include them manually. E.g . RESTORE S(A,B,C) GROUPEXTEND will sometimes miss some items. If you're getting ready to send rushed messages saying "DON'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL YOU'VE CHECKED...", relax; we're planning to go slow. --- Bob Bridges, cell 336 382-7313 robhbrid...@gmail.com rbrid...@infosecinc.com /* Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed be doing at that moment. -Robert Benchley */ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ::DISCLAIMER:: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The contents of this e-mail and any attachment(s) are confidential and intended for the named recipient(s) only. 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