Richard Gambrell wrote:
> Powerpatch tape: "MPE/IX5.5 PP rel.3"
> Subsys tape: "MPE/IX5.5 SUBSYS rel.3"
>
> Have a cover "READ ME" with a table showing:
> Upgrading from:   You need to have:  Use Big manual section:

Darn good ideas.  Especially a cover letter, identifying which check list in
the "Big Book Choose Your Own Adventure Upgrade Manual", and telling us how
to identify the various possible tapes, and what tapes should be (note I
didn't say "are") included.

Nothing against HP, but the current method of finding out what tapes I need
to do a particular upgrade ("whatever tapes we sent you are right") implies a
much better level of QC than I believe humans are yet capable of.

That being said, I just recently installed a new Unix box for a customer,
upgrading from 9.04 to 10.20 at the same time, and my appreciation of MPE is
back up in the stratosphere again.  HP-UX 10.20 and HP-UX 9.04 shouldn't even
be considered the same operating system; the patching process is a nightmare
(here's a list of 2000 patches -- which ones do you want?); SAM broke, and
after 16 hours the reponse center still couldn't get it fixed and escalated
it a second time (it *still* doesn't work).

I take back all the bad things I ever said about tape labels.
---
Michael D. Hensley       | mailto:[log in to unmask]
Allegro Consultants Inc. |
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