When Fix Central Won't Let You Download PTFs

Published: January 31, 2007

Hey, Joe:

When I went to IBM's Fix Central Web site to download some i5 PTFs, the site wouldn't let me complete my order after I entered my contact and shipping information. Fix Central wouldn't let me advance past the contact screen, and I couldn't download the PTFs I wanted. Is there something wrong with my browser settings or do I need to adjust something else on my system?

--Bob

This same problem recently happened to me and I discovered that this issue occurred because I needed to update my i5/OS V5R3 partition's service contact information. For service-related issues, IBM stores your local contact information on your i5/OS partition, and Fix Central retrieves that information when it is about to create CDs or download PTFs directly to your machine. If this information isn't complete, it could cause a problem with Fix Central. I talked to IBM tech support and the techies told me how to correct my local service contact information so that Fix Central would recognize it and let me complete my download.

Here's what happened in my case. Maybe this is what is happening to you.

In order to check my contact information, I used the Work with Contact Information command (WRKCNTINF) from a 5250 green-screen command line. Entering WRKCNTINF brings up the Work with Support Contact Information menu.

WRKCNTINF doesn't contain any parameters; you just enter the command and it brings up its menu. To update your service contact information, select option 2 from the menu (Work with local service information) and then select option 2 again (Change service contact information) to view and modify your partition's Service Contact Information. IBM's uses your partition's Service Contact Information--which includes your company and primary contact name as well as your street and email addresses and your phone numbers--as verification and contact info when you report a problem or request a PTF. IBM also uses this information for other types of electronic customer support, such as when customers order PTFs directly from their partitions by using the Send PTF Order command (SNDPTFORD). In my case, I was running on a new partition, so my local contact information had never been entered. Once it was recorded on my system, Fix Central let me download my PTFs.

I also found it interesting that I had the same experience on a different partition, where the information had been entered for years. From my previous talk with IBM, I knew that I needed to re-enter and update the information, but I also knew that I should pay particular attention to the Country or Region parameter in the contact information, which was blank. Once I re-entered the information and put in a country abbreviation for the United States (US), Fix Central once again let me download PTFs to that partition.

In addition to entering information through option 2 on the WRKCNTINF, you can also enter and update your local service information through the Add Contact Information command (ADDCNTINF) or through the Change Contact Information command (CHGCNTINF). Both commands allow you to modify your partition's local service information but (as opposed to using option 2 off WRKCNTINF) the CHGCNTINF command doesn't allow you to view any previous contact information that you may have entered. So if you want to see and change all your local service information in the same place, you are better off using option 2 off the WRKCNTINF menu.

It's also worth noting that there isn't any apparent place in iSeries Navigator (OpsNav) where you can modify your local service contact information. As a result, the green-screen WRKCNTINF, ADDCNTINF, and CHGCNTINF commands are the only places I've found where you can modify these system parameters.

RELATED SITES

Fix Central, IBM

System i PTF Guide, Volume 8 Number 46, DLB Associates

Retrieving System Information to Order Cumulative PTFs

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