<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html lang="en-us" xml:lang="en-us"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <meta name="security" content="public" /> <meta name="Robots" content="index,follow" /> <meta http-equiv="PICS-Label" content='(PICS-1.1 "http://www.icra.org/ratingsv02.html" l gen true r (cz 1 lz 1 nz 1 oz 1 vz 1) "http://www.rsac.org/ratingsv01.html" l gen true r (n 0 s 0 v 0 l 0) "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" l gen true r (SS~~000 1))' /> <meta name="DC.Type" content="concept" /> <meta name="DC.Title" content="Plan your fix management strategy" /> <meta name="abstract" content="Use this information to establish a maintenance strategy to reduce the impact to i5/OS operations that result from unplanned outages or program failures." /> <meta name="description" content="Use this information to establish a maintenance strategy to reduce the impact to i5/OS operations that result from unplanned outages or program failures." /> <meta name="DC.Relation" scheme="URI" content="rzam8fix1.htm" /> <meta name="DC.Relation" scheme="URI" content="http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/support/iseries/fixes/guide/index.html" /> <meta name="DC.Relation" scheme="URI" content="http://www.ibm.com/eserver/iseries/support/s_dir/slkbase.nsf/docnumber/14854405?OpenDocument" /> <meta name="DC.Relation" scheme="URI" content="http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/support/iseries/" /> <meta name="copyright" content="(C) Copyright IBM Corporation 1998, 2006" /> <meta name="DC.Rights.Owner" content="(C) Copyright IBM Corporation 1998, 2006" /> <meta name="DC.Format" content="XHTML" /> <meta name="DC.Identifier" content="rzam8fixstrategy" /> <meta name="DC.Language" content="en-us" /> <!-- All rights reserved. Licensed Materials Property of IBM --> <!-- US Government Users Restricted Rights --> <!-- Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by --> <!-- GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp. --> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./ibmdita.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./ic.css" /> <title>Plan your fix management strategy</title> </head> <body id="rzam8fixstrategy"><a name="rzam8fixstrategy"><!-- --></a> <!-- Java sync-link --><script language="Javascript" src="../rzahg/synch.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <h1 class="topictitle1">Plan your fix management strategy</h1> <div><p><span><img src="./delta.gif" alt="Start of change" />Use this information to establish a maintenance strategy to reduce the impact to <span class="keyword">i5/OS™</span> operations that result from unplanned outages or program failures.<img src="./deltaend.gif" alt="End of change" /></span></p> <p>To most people, preventive maintenance means changing the oil in your car <span><img src="./delta.gif" alt="Start of change" />every 3000 miles, rotating the tires every 10 000 miles, and getting major maintenance done every 30 000 miles.<img src="./deltaend.gif" alt="End of change" /></span> This is the standard maintenance strategy automobile manufacturers suggest for new vehicles to prevent expensive problems.</p> <p>IBM has similar guidelines to help you develop an effective program maintenance strategy. These guidelines are intended to provide basic program maintenance definitions, information, and direction for new users or for those who currently do not have a program maintenance strategy in place.</p> <div class="section" id="rzam8fixstrategy__whyos400maintstratrecmd"><a name="rzam8fixstrategy__whyos400maintstratrecmd"><!-- --></a><h4 class="sectiontitle">Why an <span class="keyword">i5/OS</span> maintenance strategy is recommended</h4><p>Three out of four defect-related problems that are reported are rediscoveries of previously reported problems. Many users may have avoided the problem or outage if the available fix had been applied to their system. Unplanned outages have a tremendous impact on employee productivity, business operations, and revenue.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="rzam8fixstrategy__recommendsetupaneffectmaintstrat"><a name="rzam8fixstrategy__recommendsetupaneffectmaintstrat"><!-- --></a><h4 class="sectiontitle">Recommendations for setting up an effective maintenance strategy</h4><p><img src="./delta.gif" alt="Start of change" />Unfortunately, there is no single recommendation for fix maintenance. Each system or environment must be assessed individually. Use the Fix Maintenance Advisor to help you determine a strategy for preventive maintenance that is based on your iSeries™ environment and applications. As you develop your strategy, here are some questions that you need to consider:<img src="./deltaend.gif" alt="End of change" /></p> <ul><li>What are you doing to prevent unexpected failures associated with <span class="keyword">i5/OS</span> licensed programs, including interruptions to communications networks or unscheduled outages on your iSeries servers?</li> <li>Is your standard approach to program maintenance reactive, that is, you apply corrective fixes when failures occur?</li> <li>Do you have a preventive maintenance strategy in place for your iSeries servers?</li> <li>Is your system in a 24x7 production environment that requires maximum availability, or is it limited to testing new applications and used only during prime shift Monday through Friday by a limited set of programmers?</li> <li>Is your server on a new software release or on a release that has proven stable in your environment?</li> <li>What would be the tolerance and cost to the business of an unexpected system outage?</li> </ul> <p><img src="./delta.gif" alt="Start of change" />Your preventive maintenance schedule might resemble the following tasks:<img src="./deltaend.gif" alt="End of change" /></p> <div class="tablenoborder"><table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="" frame="border" border="1" rules="all"><thead align="left"><tr><th valign="top" width="20%" id="d0e75">Time frame</th> <th valign="top" width="80%" id="d0e77">Tasks</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="20%" headers="d0e75 ">Daily</td> <td valign="top" width="80%" headers="d0e77 "> <ul><li>Run backup procedure</li> <li>Apply individual fixes as needed</li> </ul> </td> </tr> <tr><td valign="top" width="20%" headers="d0e75 ">Weekly</td> <td valign="top" width="80%" headers="d0e77 "> <ul><li>Order and review Preventive Service Planning (PSP)</li> <li>Order and apply necessary HIPER PTFs</li> <li>Print and review hardware error log (PRTERRLOG)</li> </ul> </td> </tr> <tr><td valign="top" width="20%" headers="d0e75 ">Monthly for a changing server or quarterly for a stable server</td> <td valign="top" width="80%" headers="d0e77 "> <ul><li>Order current cumulative PTF packages (SF99vrm) or PTF Group packages (SF99nnn) and apply</li> <li>Do a complete system save</li> <li>Perform system cleanup functions</li> </ul> </td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2" valign="top" headers="d0e75 d0e77 "><div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Notes:</span> </div> <ol><li>In a stable environment, think about installing the most recent cumulative PTF package every three to four months.</li> <li>Consider installing the most recent cumulative PTF package before making major changes to your system (hardware or software).</li> <li>If you require an excessive number of corrective service fixes, consider installing cumulative PTF packages more frequently.</li> </ol> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <p>When you establish a maintenance strategy, you can reduce the effect on the <span class="keyword">i5/OS</span> operations that result from unplanned outages or program failures. When you use a program maintenance strategy that is appropriate for your environment, you can provide optimal system performance and availability.</p> </div> </div> <div> <div class="familylinks"> <div class="parentlink"><strong>Parent topic:</strong> <a href="rzam8fix1.htm" title="Keep your operating system and other software current with fixes (or program temporary fixes, PTFs). Fixes play an important part in your system's maintenance strategy. Your maintenance strategy can reduce system downtime, add functionality, and provide optimal availability.">Use software fixes</a></div> </div> <div class="relinfo"><strong>Related information</strong><br /> <div><a href="http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/support/iseries/fixes/guide/index.html" target="_blank">Guide to Fixes</a></div> <div><a href="http://www.ibm.com/eserver/iseries/support/s_dir/slkbase.nsf/docnumber/14854405?OpenDocument" target="_blank">PTF Maintenance Strategy</a></div> <div><a href="http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/support/iseries/ " target="_blank">IBM eServer iSeries Support</a></div> </div> </div> </body> </html>