As to the instances where HPSWINFO says a patch is on the system, that is
only valid if 1) you performed the UPDATE from tape.  If you don't, then
HPSWINFO has been updated, but the OS has not, and 2), you don't do a RELOAD
from an old SLT, but restore HPSWINFO from a backup that was after the
RELOAD was done.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Gary L. Paveza, Jr.
Technical Support Specialist

        -----Original Message-----
        From:   Kevin Newman [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
        Sent:   Friday, March 10, 2000 10:52 AM
        To:     [log in to unmask]
        Subject:        HPSWINFO.PUB.SYS

        I have slowly been loosing my confidence in this wonderful little
file.
        Over the last few months, and after several patching sessions, I
have
        come to find out that the HPSWINFO file just doesn't seem to hold
the
        true info about what is on the system.

        I have a case where I am keeping two systems up on the same level of
        patches, but when I went to the file to determine if a particular
patch
        had been placed on the box, the file said that it was not, but
Patch/iX
        wouldn't let me qualify the patch, because it WAS installed on the
        system.

        So, we have a case where the patch was on the system, but was not
listed
        in the file.

        Next, I just found, via a system abort, that a patch that I though
was
        on my system, and HPSWINFO states is on the system, isn't.   Well,
let
        me backup a little.  A problem hit that was supposed to be covered
by a
        patch.  When I said that it was on the system, HP replied that they
        would need to check to be sure that it really was on the system.

        So, we have a case where it is in HPSWINFO, and even HP is not sure
that
        it really is on the system.

        What good is this file if the information in it could be bogus?  How
do
        I determine what patches are on the system and which ones are not on
the
        system?  Patch/iX does some type of check summing to do this.  Is
this
        something that I can perform on my own, without HP?  How do I KNOW
what
        is on my machines?

        Inquiring minds want to know!

        Kevin "No longer sure what is on my machine" Newman << File: Card
for Kevin Newman >>