Below is a reply I got from a friend in HP.  He has had a little experience
     in patch management, but this info was provided out of official channels so
     YMMV.

     Kevin Newman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Kevin,

     I checked Deja News to see what questions were being asked about this
     issue.  I found several questions and I thought I'd do a quick Q&A-style
     format.



     Quick answers to MPE/iX 5.5 Yr2k fixes:

     Q:  What is an Express Release?

     A:  It is the coordinated development and release of a PowerPatch and
     subsys tape containing new/updated HP products.  An Express Release gets
     its name from the PowerPatch that is being developed for release with the
     Express Release.


     Q:  Is it normal for me to get a PowerPatch 4 with an Express 3 subsys
     tape?

     A:  Yes, that is normal.  The last time HP released a subsys tape was at
     Express Release 3.  The latest PowerPatch is 4.  So, you'd get the latest
     PowerPatch (4) and the latest subsys from the last Express Release (3).


     Q:  Is there an Express Release 4 and will it fix my Yr2k problems?

     A:  No.  HP didn't release a coordinated subsys tape with PowerPatch 4,
     therefore there is no Express Release 4.  You may then, correctly, deduce
     that if Express 4 doesn't exist, it can't fix anything.


     Q:  Okay wise guy, do I need PowerPatch 4 and the subsys tape from Express
     Release 3 to fix my Yr2k problems?

     A:  No.  The Yr2k fixes were rolled into PowerPatch 4 and the Express 3
     subsys didn't contain Yr2k fixes.


     Q:  Why was there no Express Release 4?

     A:  At HP World, HP promised that they'd release the Yr2k fixes in Express
     Release 4 (the coordinated release of PowerPatch 4 and a subsys tape).  HP
     realized that the Yr2k problems could be fixed by just patches and they had
     no need to release a coordindated subsys tape.  No coordinated subsys means
     no Express Release; therefore HP just shipped PowerPatch 4 to fix the Yr2k
     problems.


     Let me know if that helps.  You can pass it along, if you'd like, just
     don't put my name on it...

     Anonymous