Doug Bidwell

• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 42

  October 21, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  All is quiet on the Western and Eastern fronts as we await the delivery of the Technology Refreshes for IBM i 7.3 and IBM i 7.4 on November 13. The Tech Refresh Resaves will also be available at that time. Other than some nips and tucks in the IBM i PTF Guide, there is not a lot to report, but we do this every week to keep you up to date. From a system administrator point of view, knowing when nothing big is going on is almost as useful as knowing when there is a lot going on.

  To …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 41

  October 14, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  As we have been reporting since October 6, there are new Technology Refreshes that have been launched, and we have come to find out that the Technology Refresh Resaves, which are an important part of the distribution of IBM i code, will be available on November 13.

  Here is the PTF rundown by release:

  PTF Groups 7.4:

  • HIPERs (High Impact/Pervasive)
  • Security
  • Performance Tools

  PTF Groups 7.3:

  • HIPERs (High Impact/Pervasive)
  • Security
  • Performance Tools

  PTF Groups 7.2:

  • HIPERs (High Impact/Pervasive)
  • Security

  PTF Groups 7.1

  • There is occasionally stuff here, thanks to extended support. But not this week, again.

  New (or updated) links …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 40

  October 7, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  Are you feeling vulnerable today? Well, even if you are not, your IBM i system is. There are two security bulletins that relate to Java that are affecting the IBM i platform. Specifically, there was a Security Bulletin: Multiple vulnerabilities in IBM Java SDK and IBM Java Runtime affect IBM i, which you can see here and Security Bulletin: IBM Java SDK and IBM Java Runtime for IBM i is affected by CVE-2020-2590, which you can see there.

  The IBM i Group PTF numbers containing the fix for these CVEs are the latest Java Group PTFs in the IBM …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 39

  September 30, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  This week, right off the bat, there are a few things you need to be aware of. First of all, there are microcode patches for a bunch of systems.

  Specifically, they are for MTMs – that is short for machine type/model in the business partner lingo – 9008-22L, 9009-22A, 9009-41A, 9009-42A, and 9223-22H. To save you from having to run around the Internet to figure out what machines they are, that is the Power L922 (a Linux-only machine), the Power S922, the Power S914, the Power S924, and the Power H922 for SAP HANA. You can find out more at …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 38

  September 23, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  All is mostly quiet on the Eastern and Western fronts of IBM i Land. There are some PTF patches for the Db2 for i database integrated into the IBM i operating system and there are also some High Impact and Pervasive, or HIPER, PTFs that customers need to pay attention to with IBM i 7.4.

  Here’s the PTF rundown by release:

  PTF Groups 7.4:

  • HIPERs
  • DB2 for IBM i

  PTF Groups 7.3:

  • DB2 for IBM i

  PTF Groups 7.2:

  • Nadda, nothing, zilch.

  PTF Groups 7.1:

  • Nothing here, and if there is something here at this point, then it must be

  …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 37

  September 16, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  This week, we find some potential security threats lurking in the Apache Web server that is embedded in IBM i and just about every other datacenter operating system in the world. To be specific, take a look at Security Bulletin: Multiple vulnerabilities in Apache HTTP Server affect IBM i, which you can find at this link. The fixes for this security vulnerability are:

  • Release 7.4: SI74088
  • Release 7.3: SI74074 and SI74087
  • Release 7.2: SI74073

  Now, without further ado, here’s the PTF rundown by release:

  PTF Groups 7.4:

  • QMGTOOLS

  PTF Groups 7.3:

  • QMGTOOLS

  PTF Groups 7.2:

  • QMGTOOLS

  PTF Groups 7.1: …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 36

  September 9, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  With the Labor Day weekend underway in the United States, a bank holiday in Europe the week before, and everybody having just about enough of the coronavirus pandemic, it was expectedly quiet on the PTF front in IBM i Land this past weekend when we took a look at the database of patches. Which is a good thing.

  But we like to be thorough and complete, and the IBM i PTF Guide always has some useful information you need and this is the most current way to get it.

  As for the PTF rundown by release, there weren’t any, so …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 35

  September 2, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  There’s not a lot going on in this week’s edition of the PTF guide. No new links, no new defectives, I don’t even have a tip for you. But why ask for trouble? Sometimes it’s a better idea to just enjoy the quiet while we can since we never know what could be around the corner. Now would be a great time to do a little housekeeping around your shop, make sure everything is up to date, and do a little research into upgrading your system if that’s something you’ve been considering. As usual, you can find the regular updates …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 34

  August 24, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  With so many people trying to take staycation – or maybe even an actual vacation – this time of year, in 2020, the year of The Great Infection, it is particularly kind for the PTF action to settle down for the IBM i platform. Whether or not this is intentional on the part of Big Blue, it is appreciated just the same.

  There are a few tweaks here and there for the releases, just the same, and we are always tweaking the IBM i PTF Guide, too, so there are some new things to look at.

  Here’s the PTF …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 33

  August 19, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  It’s August so that means it’s HIPERS season for the IBM i PTF guide. You will find HIPERS in the guide for the following PTF Groups: PTF Groups 7.4, PTF Groups 7.3, PTF Groups 7.2, and PTF Groups 7.1. Other than that, there’s not much else to report. We have no new or update links to report, and no new defectives this week (08/15/20).

  We do have a tip: When visiting the doctor for a routine checkup, take a phone charger and an overnight bag, just in case. When you walk in the door and your temperature shows high, you …

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