Doug Bidwell
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IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Number 42
October 25, 2017 Doug Bidwell
As you can see from this week’s IBM i PTF Guide, the latest Technology Refreshes are available. That’s TR3 (MF99203) for V7R3 and TR7 (MF99107) for V7R2. (There is not a TR for V7R1). We strongly recommend that you read the cover letters for the above PTFs because there are significant behavior issues that have changed and they tell you all about them.
Included for your perusal this week, we have a new High Availability group for all three releases:
- V7R3 – SF99876
- V7R2 – SF99776
- V7R1 – SF99706
We also have an update to the HTTP server group …
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IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Number 41
October 18, 2017 Doug Bidwell
We have taken advantage of the lull in PTFs to restructure the IBM i PTF Guide. Check out the “Prior” worksheet, it is designed to let you know what the latest Cume (cumulative PTF patch stack) was on several prior releases. In many cases, these are available for order from IBM.
We have also added a “Links” worksheet. It is a collection for the links we have found useful over the years. If you have any suggestions about what should be added for the benefit of all, send them in and we’ll add them on.
There is one broken …
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IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Number 40
October 11, 2017 Doug Bidwell
Some weeks there is a lot of PTF action, and there is a lot to say about it, and some weeks there ain’t quite so much but you need to pay attention anyway. That’s why we encourage you to create your own special PTF Patch Wednesday, which means taking a look at the IBM i PTF Guide each morning when it comes out in The Four Hundred and figuring out how to get your system current.
Getting it current and keeping it current is the best way to keep your IBM i system safe and tuned up. The further you …
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IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Number 39
October 3, 2017 Doug Bidwell
The big story this week is that there are issues with Java. It seems there are more than 25 CVEIDs out for Java. That is the sad news. The good news is that they are all covered by PTF’s available in the latest Java Groups:
- Release 7.3 – SF99725 level 6
- Release 7.2 – SF99716 level 14
- Release 7.1 – SF99572 level 29
- Release 6.1 – SF99562 level 40
For complete details on the CVEIDs, check this link: Additional information about Java on IBM i can be found at this link here. Just a side note, IBM is …
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IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Number 38
September 27, 2017 Doug Bidwell
Hello fellow IBM i-ers. (Yes, that looks ugly.) This week in the IBM i PTF Guide, you will discover that the Java Group for V6R1 has been updated. Even though V6R1 for IBM i is no longer supported, the licensed programs for that release may be on a different support level.
By the way, Java Group has been updated in all releases, not just for V6R1, as have the HIPERs and the Backup Recovery Groups. Lots of PTF action this week. Best news is no new Defective PTFs since September 8!
A big “Thank You” to Charles Charalambou for …
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IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Number 37
September 20, 2017 Doug Bidwell
Just a reminder from your friendly neighborhood IBM i PTF Guide. Java 6 will be going out of support on December 31, 2017. So be sure to update your Java applications to Java 8 or Java 7 to ensure a safe and secure application environment.
The licensed programs for both Java 7 and Java 8 are available on Entitled Systems Support (ESS), in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. They don’t take up much room, it is suggested you put them all on your system. Changing the default version of the JDK (Java Development Kit) is done by changing the …
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IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Number 36
September 13, 2017 Doug Bidwell
Hello IBM i shops, it is always important to keep your system up to date, which is why we provide the IBM i PTF Guide. But just to keep perspective here, for those companies and personnel dealing with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma or the impending Hurricane Jose, and for those who are dealing with the Western part of this country being on fire, the fixes below can probably wait a day or so. Be safe!
This week in the guide we have HIPERs, DB2, and Defective fixes for all three releases:
IBM i 7.3 HIPER group and PSP -
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IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Number 35
September 6, 2017 Doug Bidwell
Welcome to the IBM i PTF Guide, which was designed to help you figure out what patches to apply to your releases so you can keep current and therefore keep optimal in terms of performance, stability, and security. This should be your own personal IBM i Patch Wednesday, and frankly, with the Labor Day holiday in the United States, there was not a lot going on this week.
The Recommended PTFs for all functional areas were updated, and summary lists for all three current IBM i releases were updated in *SF97VRM). ERP giant and in-memory processing upstart SAP also …
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IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Numbers 33 And 34
August 30, 2017 Doug Bidwell
My perspective on PTFs is that the development teams at IBM work with me and for me. They are part of my development team. They are there to help me over the rough spots and to keep me focused on the application side without distractions from the operating system and licensed internal code side.
When I am distracted, I am costing my company money or one of my customers money, and the shortest path to a solution should be taken to get me back to focusing on the applications. Toward that end, I have developed the “15 Minute” rule: If …
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IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Number 32
August 16, 2017 Doug Bidwell
Greetings IBM i shops. As you know, HIPER PTFs come out every two weeks, and the level is incremented each time they come out. The V7R1 HIPER level hit 201 this week. That means that V7R1 has been around at least 402 weeks. So in September we should hit the 408th week, or, at 52 weeks per year, four years for V7R1.
Scanning the list of Last Updated dates for all levels at all releases, August and September are traditionally dead months. Not much happens in PTF Land. V6R1 had a flurry of updates back in 2015 in those months, …
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