09/17/96, 4FAX# 1228 Fix Dist Tool - Electronic Fix Distribution for AIX 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. ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT | Electronic Fix Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 | FixDist Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 | Downloading The Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 | Installing The Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 | Starting And Configuring The Tool. . . . . . . . . . . 3 TapeGen Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4FAX Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Trademarks and Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Reader's Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 | ELECTRONIC FIX DISTRIBUTION IBM provides a number of mirrored sites on the Internet where you may freely download AIX related fixes. While not every AIX related fix is available, we are constantly adding to these anonymous FTP servers. Though we do not guarantee all fixes will be immediately made available, we usually update the servers within 24 hours of tape distribution. | The current anonymous FTP servers are: | United States service.software.ibm.com 198.17.57.66 | United Kingdom ftp.europe.ibm.com 193.129.186.2 | Canada rwww.aix.can.ibm.com 204.138.188.126 | Germany www.ibm.de 192.109.81.2 | Japan fixdist.yamato.ibm.co.jp 202.32.4.20 | Nordic ftp.nordic.ibm.com 193.12.214.80 | Downloading of the fixes on these servers can be accom- | plished using either the FTP command, a web browser or the | AIX exclusive tool called FixDist. This document discusses | downloading fixes using the tool FixDist. | FIXDIST TOOL | The tool is a web alternative application that provides more | discrete downloads and transparently delivers all required | images with just one click. It can also keep track of fixes | you have already downloaded which will enable you to down- | load smaller fix packages the next time you need one. Fix Dist Tool - Electronic Fix Distribution for AIX 1 09/17/96, 4FAX# 1228 | Most customers will find the web pages more than sufficient | for their needs. The web pages vary from country to country | with the most common being | http://service.software.ibm.com/aix.us/fixes. | The FixDist tool along with the user guide is located in the | anonymous FTP directory /aix/tools/fixdist or can be viewed | on-line with a web browser. | DOWNLOADING THE TOOL | Downloading Through The Web | 1. Go to the AIX Technical Support home page | http://service.software.ibm.com/www/support/aix | 2. Select your country. You will be routed to a country | home page. From that home page there is a link to elec- | tronic fix distribution. | US example: http://service.software.ibm.com/aix.us/fixes | By going to the link you will be able to read the user's | guide, download the tool and download the PostScript | version of the guide. | 3. Download the tool and guide into your /tmp directory by | clicking on the appropriate links. | Downloading Using FTP Command | 1. Change to your /tmp directory | 2. Get the tool and the Postscript user guide. The text | version of the user's guide comes with the tool and once | installed is found as /usr/lpp/fixdist/fixdist.txt. | (You can use any hostname from the list above) | ftp service.software.ibm.com | > login: anonymous | > password: "email" (example: johndoe@) | > | > bin | > cd /aix/tools/fixdist | > get fd.tar.Z (FixDist tool in compressed tar format) | > get fixdist.ps.Z (User guide in compressed PostScript) | > quit | INSTALLING THE TOOL | The following procedure must be performed as the root user. | 1. Install the tool into the /usr file system. You MUST | install it from the / (root) directory in order to | access the online help and preserve your .netrc file. | cd / (change directory to the root) | zcat /tmp/fd.tar.Z |tar -xpvf - (uncompress and untar) Fix Dist Tool - Electronic Fix Distribution for AIX 2 09/17/96, 4FAX# 1228 | STARTING AND CONFIGURING THE TOOL. | The database and temporary files that FixDist manipulates on | your RS/6000 is very sensitive to file permissions. Because | of this, we recommend that you consistently run FixDist | using the same userid you start with. | To start FixDist run the command: | fixdist | The file /usr/bin/fixdist is a script that calls | /usr/lpp/fixdist/fixdistm for CDE and AIXwindows users. If | you have a dumb terminal fixdist will call | /usr/lpp/fixdist/fixdistc. | Read the user's guide for detailed configuration informa- | tion. The basic configuration tasks are: specifying an IBM | server; specifying a location on your RS/6000 where you want | to put the fixes; and downloading the fix database from the | IBM server to your RS/6000. TAPEGEN TOOL TapeGen is a companion service tool provided with FixDist that enables you to create a stacked tape containing SMIT installable fixes. You create a stack file that lists all the images you want stacked onto a tape and TapeGen does the rest. For more information on TapeGen see Appendix D of the FixDist user guide. You can also order the following docu- ment from IBM 4FAX: "Downloading and Installing TapeGen". The document number 4924. 4FAX INFORMATION Within the U.S., call 1-800-IBM-4FAX from a touchtone phone. Outside the U.S., call (415) 855-4FAX from your fax machine phone. Internal to IBM call, T/L 465-4FAX. TRADEMARKS AND NOTICES o AIX is a trademark of IBM Corporation. o AIXwindows is a trademark of IBM Corporation o PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Fix Dist Tool - Electronic Fix Distribution for AIX 3 09/17/96, 4FAX# 1228 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: Name: Fax Number: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ END OF DOCUMENT (fixdist.gen, 4FAX# 1228) Fix Dist Tool - Electronic Fix Distribution for AIX 4