Hi folks:

I'd like to answer some of the recent Patch/iX and download questions I've
seen in response to Jon Cohen's recent alert about 6.0 Express 1.

Patch/iX versions:
------------------

The most recent certified versions of Patch/iX are B.00.17 for 5.5 and
B.01.03 for 6.0.

Patch/iX at the IT Resource Center (HP ESC):
--------------------------------------------

We have experienced two problems related to downloading Patch/iX at ITRC: 1)
Incomplete downloads for Patch/iX (causing the RESTORE error that many of
you have run into), and 2) a smaller problem in which Patch/iX version
changes take a long time to find their way to the Patch/iX Download page.
I'm working with my contact at ITRC to alleviate both these problems. In the
meantime I am still making Patch/iX available on Jazz (see below).

Note that in mid-February the ITRC will be publishing a new version of their
web site, which will include the latest versions of Patch/iX, and some other
minor changes for MPE/iX. Also, you will be able to access the Patch/iX
downloads from anonymous ftp as well as the usual web download method. I'll
post more on this later.

Patch/iX on Jazz:
-----------------

I am still keeping Patch/iX available on Jazz (http://jazz.external.hp.com)
in the Freeware section - at least until I am satisfied that there are no
more glitches with ITRC. I have ensured that Jazz contains the latest
versions of Patch/iX for 5.5 and 6.0. Also, I have allowed access to the
versions through anonymous ftp, so you can pull the files directly to your
HP3000.

Byte mode? Tenex? What?
-----------------------

This is a small source of confusion since people normally use ASCII or
binary mode to transfer files, and different ftp applications seem to use
different terminology for byte mode. We've found that using binary mode at
least in some cases truncates records in the file (you may see a message
like this on your MPE/iX ftp: "Some records were truncated during transfer.
(FTPWARN 15 )" ). I'm not sure what the technical reasons are (maybe someone
else can speak up here), but I've never seen a problem with transferring
Patch/iX and patch files using byte mode.

To use byte mode on MPE/iX, use the "byte" command before transferring
files. You should get the response "200 Type set to L (byte size 8)" from
ftp.

I also use Reflection software on my PC. In Reflection, I use specify
"tenex", or click on the "8" symbol for byte transfer mode.

AUTOLED
-------

The version of AUTOLED.INSTALL.SYS (the Linkeditor used by the
patch/installation tools) you should be running with for 6.0 is A.06.03 or
better. Also note that AUTOLED has a catalog file, ALKEDCAT.INSTALL.SYS. The
versions of both these files are included in both the Patch/iX B.01.02 and
B.01.03 downloads (from Jazz and ITRC).

Let me know if you have any further questions. You may e-mail me directly or
through the 3000-L.

Michael Dovano
MPE/iX OS Patch and Installation
Commercial Systems Division, Hewlett-Packard
19447 Pruneridge Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014
E-mail: [log in to unmask]