umsgmab@sw1e.UUCP (7863]) (09/29/89)
Recently, there have been questions regarding problems with specific PTFs. All of the PTFs have been 1000 series PTFs. My experience from the last 18 months of dealing with IBM software support is to NEVER touch the 1xxx series fixes except under emergency conditions. I have been using AIX since version 2.1.something on an RT/PC model 125. The meaning of the numbering of the AIX PTFs is: 1xxx - emergency fix, it should fix the specific problem (PMR/APAR). It may break working functions and other fixes. Caveat Emptor 2xxx - regression tested fix from "ISD". This is a cumulative set of fixes that usually includes a group of APARs. These fixes don't break other fixes but may introduce new problems. I stopped accepting 1xxx series fixes from IBM software support about 6 months ago. The quality control on the 1xxx fixes was atrocious. In almost every case the fix caused more problems (some critical) than were corrected. In some instances the fixes corrupted the system files on the disks and forced me to restore from backup tapes or rebuild from distribution media. Since I stopped accepting 1xxx fixes from IBM the number of new problems that I find has dramatically declined. My policy is: If I absolutely must have the problem fixed (i.e. I am unable to work around the problem) I will TEMPORARILY apply the 1xxx fix. I then wait for the 2xxx series fix and remove the 1xxx fix before applying the 2xxx fix. My experience is that 1xxx series fixes are rarely worth the trouble and time that they entail. The 2xxx series fixes are generally ok. If you run AIX 2.2.1 on a RT/PC make sure that you have updates 2704 and 2707 on your system. AIX, RT/PC are trademarks of IBM... I speak for myself... ----------------------- Mike Brown Systems Analyst (314) 235-7863 Strategically Applied Technologies One Bell Center, Rm 24-V-5 Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. St. Louis, MO 63101