IBM i – What Are These Technology Refreshes Anyway?

Last week I referenced a new way of supporting the hardware and virtualization capabilities that starts in IBM i 7.1. I once wrote an entry in this blog titled “What is this .1 Anyway?”  to help describe the existing method for updating the lower levels of the operating system. But, as I hinted in the blog post “You and You and i” in June, various requirements related to how and when new capabilities should be introduced without requiring re-qualification exist. For this week’s blog, I’m turning it over to Dennis Martin, who’s been leading our efforts to create and deliver Technology Refreshes.

In past articles, Steve discussed IBM i “point releases,” those updates to the Licenses Internal Code between major releases. However, beginning with Release 7.1, IBM will use a new delivery method for updates between major IBM i releases, called a “Technology Refresh.”

Why make the change, you may ask, or you may remind us of the old adage, “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.” Although point releases certainly weren't “broke,” we thought we could improve them.
 
•    Technology Refreshes will allow IBM i to provide new function, support, and improvements in a more timely manner than previous releases.
•    They will deliver function in a way that should be easier, quicker and less expensive to consume.
•    Technology refreshes will simplify keeping systems up to date with PTFs, so you can avoid rediscovery of problems that have already been fixed and avoid unnecessary system downtime and calls to support. 
•    Technology Refreshes will reduce the complexity and expense of keeping groups of systems in sync, and provide support to restore a system to a “point in time,” (i.e., to the last Technology Refresh).
•    And finally, Technology Refreshes will allow “back out” of major system updates without a scratch install.

So, what actually is this new “Technology Refresh,” which will do so many wonderful things?  A Technology Refresh is a collection of operating-system software that’s developed together, packaged together, tested together and delivered together as a single PTF to a base release. Each Technology Refresh is developed and tested using processes similar to regular IBM i releases, to ensure optimal system quality. It isn’t a new “release,” but a refresh of a base release, providing updated support for new hardware or virtualization functions, and possibly performance or functional enhancements. 

The Technology Refresh is packaged as a PTF.  It’s ordered and installed using the standard PTF procedures and tools. A resave will also be available, as will a Technology Refresh PTF Group, which will contain the most recent fixes and levels of code.  Like other PTFs, a Technology Refresh PTF can find its way onto CUMs and into other PTF groups (like the HIPER Group).  And since it’s a PTF, it may become a prerequisite for later PTFs – in fact, it will be identified as a new kind of requisite – a *TRREQ. 

How will you know whether a Technology Refresh is on your system? Unlike a point release, installing a Technology Refresh doesn’t change the release level of a system (i.e., if the system was a 7.1, the release stays at 7.1 – it doesn't move to 7.1.1).  Because a Technology Refresh is a PTF, one can display the PTFs for the Licensed Internal Code (product 5770-999). Technology Refresh PTF's for this product are in the format of MF99nnn. The last three digits of the PTF number increase with each new Technology Refresh for a release. The highest number Technology Refresh PTF displayed indicates the current Technology Refresh level for your system.

What if you’re not interested in the new hardware support or function a Technology Refresh provides – will you still be required to install it? First of all, you should know the Technology Refresh code has been extensively regression tested against the old hardware – in fact, often that was the environment in which it was first developed and run – and we have done our best to insure the new function in the Technology Refresh hasn’t introduced problems back into previously existing function. The Technology Refresh is a PTF and later PTFs may require it; if you need a PTF that requires the Technology Refresh, then you must load the Technology Refresh and permanently apply it to load those later PTFs. However, the advantages of avoiding potential problems and downtime by keeping a system up to date (and having a complete fix for your problem) far outweigh the potential concerns or the time and trouble to install the Technology Refresh, if it’s required.

I should comment on one other topic: does the appearance of this new Technology Refresh delivery mechanism mean that there will be no more major releases of IBM i?  By no means! Our developers are already hard at work on the release following 7.1, and our architects are looking beyond that, to the next release. And Technology Refreshes make it possible to deliver more new function and support than would have been possible in the past.

A Technology Refresh Web page will be available at GA time. It will contain much more information about Technology Refreshes, including Technology Refresh best practices, Technology Refresh Resaves, and Technology Refresh PTF Groups, which will actually be the preferred method of getting and installing a Technology Refresh.  The Maintaining and Managing IBM i and Related Software in the Info Center also includes detailed instructions for ordering, installing and managing Technology Refreshes. We hope this new software delivery approach will be beneficial, and look forward to hearing about your experiences as we continue to improve it.

Comments

[Leonardo Villarroel]

According to the article, We will found a new technique to manage the update process for PTF´s.