Image Catalogs: Another Timesaving Method for Upgrade or Installs

February 23, 2011 Hey, Joe

Great article on six tips for preventing Power i upgrades from slowing down. One tip that you missed is using Image Catalogs for your upgrades. They really help with installing software and PTFs. Also PTFs should be downloaded via FTP using IBM procedures from their Web site. CDs and DVDs are nice, but image catalogs are significantly better!

–Rich

Rich wasn’t the only reader who pointed out the advantages of using Image Catalogs in lieu of CDs or DVDs for i/OS PTF application and upgrades. While I neglected to mention them in my recent article, image catalogs can be a godsend for saving time on a system upgrade. If you’re interested in getting started with image catalogs for installation and maintenance, here’s the drill I would follow.

For i/OS V5R4Mx, IBM offers a fairly decent tutorial on creating and using a virtual optical storage device that can be used to load upgrades and PTFs from an image catalog. Many of the techniques shown in that tutorial also apply to other operating system versions with some variations. The following steps are involved in creating and using image catalogs and virtual optical storage devices for upgrades, PTFs, and other media-based functions.

1. Create an image catalog that will be used to load and store installation image files. You create your image catalog by using the green-screen Create Image Catalog (CRTIMGCLG) command.

2. Retrieve your installation media from CDs, DVDs, FTP PTF downloads, or other image files. Load your installation image files into an image catalog by using the Add Image Catalog Entry (ADDIMGCLGE) command. You can add several entries to your image catalog from a number of different physical or image file sources.

3. Create a virtual optical device by using the Create Device Description (CRTDEVOPT) command. This device is not attached to a physical optical drive but it can be used to install software the same way a physical reader can be used. Note that as with any other i/OS device, it will need to be varied on in order to be used. After the virtual optical device is created, associate it with the image catalog containing your image media by using the Load Image Catalog (LODIMGCLG) command.

4. To work with all the image catalogs on your system, you can also use the Work with Image Catalogs (WRKIMGCLG) command, as shown below.

On this screen, you can do the following with the image catalogs on your system. Many of these options use the same commands I mentioned above.

Create a new image catalog by using the CRTIMGCLG command (option 1=Create).
Change the write protect attributes or the AS/400 Integrated File System (AS/400 IFS) location associated with one of your image catalogs (option 2=Change). This option calls the Change Image Catalog (CHGIMGCLG) command to accomplish these tasks. Note that you must create a new AS/400 IFS directory first before you can swap out one AS/400 IFS location for another.
Delete an existing image catalog (Option 4=Delete).
Load (Option 8=Load) or unload (Option 9=Unload) an image catalog to a virtual optical device. This command calls the LODIMGCTL command described above.
After an image catalog has been loaded to a virtual optical device, option 10=Verify calls the Verify Image Catalog (VFYIMGCLG) command that allows you to verify that the images stored in your image catalog are valid for performing a software install, PTF installation, or another type of install. This command can only be used for images stored in an optical image file.

After the images are loaded, attached to a virtual optical drive, and verified, you can use your virtual device to upgrade your operating system, load PTFs, or perform another type of install.

The other nice thing about setting up image catalogs for PTF installation or system upgrades is that the catalogs can be saved and restored between systems. So if you’re applying PTFs for a trio of partitions that are used for production, development, and Capacity BackUp (CBU) systems, you can create, use, and save the image catalog object (*IMGCLG) and the actual images in the AS/400 IFS to a save file. After saving, you can transfer the image catalog to another system through FTP or another method, restore the catalog on that system, and then apply your images again through another virtual optical device. On its support portal, IBM offers a decent document on Saving and Restoring an Image Catalog and Its Images to Another System.

So even though I neglected to mention them in my previous article, I think image catalogs are another great way to prevent Power i upgrades from slowing down.

–Joe

Admin Alert: Six Techniques to Prevent Power i Upgrades from Slowing Down

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Do the Math When Looking at IBM i Hosting for Cost Savings

COVID-19 has accelerated certain business trends that were already gaining strength prior to the start of the pandemic. E-commerce, telehealth, and video conferencing are some of the most obvious examples. One example that may not be as obvious to the general public but has a profound impact on business is the shift in strategy of IBM i infrastructure from traditional, on-premises environments to some form of remote configuration. These remote configurations and all of their variations are broadly referred to in the community as IBM i hosting.

“Hosting” in this context can mean different things to different people, and in general, hosting refers to one of two scenarios. In the first scenario, hosting can refer to a client owned machine that is housed in a co-location facility (commonly called a co-lo for short) where the data center provides traditional system administrator services, relieving the client of administrative and operational responsibilities. In the second scenario, hosting can refer to an MSP owned machine in which partition resources are provided to the client in an on-demand capacity. This scenario allows the client to completely outsource all aspects of Power Systems hardware and the IBM i operating system and database.

The scenario that is best for each business depends on a number of factors and is largely up for debate. In most cases, pursuing hosting purely as a cost saving strategy is a dead end. Furthermore, when you consider all of the costs associated with maintaining and IBM i environment, it is typically not a cost-effective option for the small to midsize market. The most cost-effective approach for these organizations is often a combination of a client owned and maintained system (either on-prem or in a co-lo) with cloud backup and disaster-recovery-as-a-service. Only in some cases of larger enterprise companies can a hosting strategy start to become a potentially cost-effective option.

However, cost savings is just one part of the story. As IBM i expertise becomes scarce and IT resources run tight, the only option for some firms may be to pursue hosting in some capacity. Whatever the driving force for pursing hosting may be, the key point is that it is not just simply an option for running your workload in a different location. There are many details to consider and it is to the best interest of the client to work with an experienced MSP in weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each option. As COVID-19 rolls on, time will tell if IBM i hosting strategies will follow the other strong business trends of the pandemic.

When we say do the math in the title above, it literally means that you need to do the math for your particular scenario. It is not about us doing the math for you, making a case for either staying on premises or for moving to the cloud. There is not one answer, but just different levels of cost to be reckoned which yield different answers. Most IBM i shops have fairly static workloads, at least measured against the larger mix of stuff on the public clouds of the world. How do you measure the value of controlling your own IT fate? That will only be fully recognized at the moment when it is sorely missed the most.

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