12/02/94 AIX 3.2.4 and Beyond SPECIAL NOTICES Information in this document is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of this writing. Please send feedback by fax to "AIXServ Information" at (512) 823-4009. Please use this information with care. IBM will not be responsible for damages of any kind resulting from its use. The use of this information is the sole responsibility of the customer and depends on the customer's ability to eval- uate and integrate this information into the customer's operational environment. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | NOTE: The information in this document has NOT been | | verified for AIX 4.1. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------+ ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT This document is intended to clarify the changes, benefits, and realities of the AIX fix strategy introduced in AIX 3.2.4. This document will be updated as new information becomes available and may also reference other documents as appropriate. You may especially want to obtain the fol- lowing documents from the IBM Fax Information Service, depending upon the level of AIX you will be installing. AIX 3.2.4 Installation Tips 2121 AIX 3.2.4 Known Problems 2125 AIX 3.2.5 Installation Tips 2505 AIX 3.2.5 Known Problems 2504 WHAT'S CHANGED AIX 3.2 introduced a selective fix strategy that was designed to allow a single fix to be applied to a Licensed Program Product (LPP) or Optional Program Product (OPP). In theory, each fix generated one installp image. When it was determined that a fix had dependencies on other fixes, even in other LPPs or OPPs, those fixes were included with the order, but other fixes, even for the same LPP or OPP, were not necessarily included. This strategy had the following problems: o The dependencies among fixes soon caused installation time and complexity to rise beyond expectations. o There was no way to make sure that you had the latest level of an LPP or OPP. AIX 3.2.4 and Beyond 1 12/02/94 o There was no way to obtain an accumulation of all fixes known to date. To resolve these problems, the fix strategy has been changed to include a Preventive Maintenance Package (PMP), and the LPPs and OPPs have been divided into subsystems, each of which is less likely to have dependencies on the others. This strategy has the following advantages: o There will be a single fix for each subsystem, and that fix will contain all of the fixes to date for the sub- system, tested as a unit. o Any given file will be replaced only once during the installation process. o The boot image will be built only once during the installation process. o Approximately four times per year an updated PMP will be available that contains all available fixes tested as a unit. Customers can now maintain their systems in a proactive mode as opposed to a reactive mode. o The total number of subsystems is far fewer than the number of fixes, so the complexity, time, and disk space requirements for applying fixes is greatly reduced. o It will now be possible to determine the level of each individual subsystem and the level of the system as a whole. TERMINOLOGY AIX 3.2.4 and later updates are available in two forms. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PACKAGE (PMP): This media is avail- able from the AIX Support Center, and contains cumulative service updates, as well as selective enhancements to enable new hardware. RELEASE UPDATE PACKAGE: This media is available from IBM Software Manufacturing and Delivery by calling 800-879-2755 and contains cumulative service updates, selective enhance- ments, as well as new products that you order. For the purpose of this document, the terms 3.2.4 Update and 3.2.5 Update will be used to describe the PMP and Release Update Packages interchangably. LIFE AFTER 3.2.4 AIX 3.2.4 and Beyond 2 12/02/94 Future --------------------------------------------------------- PMP | ksh | csh | bsh | libc |kernel | tty | sar | --------------------------------------------------------- | --------- | ksh B | --------- | --------- | ksh A | --------- | --------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.4 | ksh | csh | bsh | libc |kernel | tty | sar | --------------------------------------------------------- | | | --------------------------------- The simplified example above illustrates how the change in fix strategy affects fixes after 3.2.4. o In the 3.2.4 Update, LPPs and OPPs are divided into sub- systems. Some subsystems have dependencies on other subsystems and therefore will be installed together. The example shows that the the ksh subsystem requires the libc and kernel subsystems. o When a "ksh A" fix becomes available after 3.2.4, it will require the ksh subsystem at the 3.2.4 level, which will retain its requirements for the libc and kernel subsystems. o When a "ksh B" fix becomes available after "ksh A", it will replace "ksh A" but still require the ksh subsystem at the 3.2.4 level, which will retain its requirements for the libc and kernel subsystems. o Preventive Maintenance Packages after 3.2.4 will contain all of the subsystem fixes in 3.2.4 and all of the fixes that became available after 3.2.4, and therefore will not require any previous fixes. In some instances, a fix ordered after the latest PMP may have requisites on many subsystems within the PMP. If the latest PMP is already installed on your system, only the changed portion of the subsystem will need to be shipped and installed. Otherwise, even though a majority of the latest PMP may have to be installed, lslpp -m will not indicate that the PMP is installed, and future fix installation will remain cumbersome. For these reasons, installation of the total update package is highly recommended. AIX 3.2.4 and Beyond 3 12/02/94 READER'S COMMENTS Please fax this form to (512) 823-4009, attention "AIXServ Informa- tion". You may also e-mail comments to: elizabet@austin.ibm.com. These comments should include the same customer information requested below. Use this form to tell us what you think about this document. If you have found errors in it, or if you want to express your opinion about it (such as organization, subject matter, appearance) or make sug- gestions for improvement, this is the form to use. If you need technical assistance, contact your local branch office, point of sale, or 1-800-CALL-AIX (for information about support offer- ings). These services may be billable. Faxes on a variety of sub- jects may be ordered free of charge from 1-800-IBM-4FAX. Outside the U.S. call 415-855-4329 using a fax machine phone. When you send comments to IBM, you grant IBM a nonexclusive right to use or distribute your comments in any way it believes appropriate without incurring any obligation to you. NOTE: If you have a problem report or item number, supplying that number may help us determine why a procedure did or did not work in your specific situation. Problem Report or Item #: Branch Office or Customer #: Be sure to print your name and fax number below if you would like a reply: ______________________________________________________________________ END OF DOCUMENT (324.fix.strategy.anz, 4FAX# 2079) AIX 3.2.4 and Beyond 4