I hate to dredge up this topic again, but I'm darned if I *still* don't
feel I completely understand the whole PowerPatch vs. Express release
thing.

We have a system which, for various reasons, we want to re-INSTALL 5.0 on,
and we'd like to have it end up with the most up to date versions of 5.0,
PowerPatch, and Express releases (no, we don't want to go to 5.5 on this
system).

The short version of what I think we should be doing is:

1) INSTALL using the original 5.0 SLT.
2) AUTOINST using the original 5.0 FOS tape.
3) When AUTOINST asks for a SUBSYS tape, give it the Express 3 tape.
4) When AUTOINST asks for a PowerPatch tape, give it the C.05.06 5.0
   PowerPatch 6 tape.

Now, does anyone know of any reason why I would want to do something other
than this, or why I should need to do this in more than one step?

My plan is based on the following description of how I *think* the Express
releases and PowerPatch versions are related.

*) In the beginning there was C.50.00, the PUSH release of MPE/iX 5.0,
   which consisted of an SLT, a FOS, and (for most people) a SUBSYS tape,
   and it was good, but not perfect, so later there were:

*) PowerPatch tapes, of which we are now up to #6 for 5.0, are collections
   of patches deemed worthy of sending to all customers.  These generally
   are patches to the Core OS, and FOS type products, along with some
   SUBSYS specific patches which will be installed if you have the
   appropriate version of the subsystem(s) involved.  They generally do
   *not* provide whole new versions of SUBSYS products, so were invented:

*) The Express Release.  The current one is Express 3 (for 5.0 anyway).
   It is my understanding that an Express Release is nothing more than
   a new SUBSYS tape containing possibly new versions of purchased
   subsystems.  I believe there was an Express 2 before Express 3, but
   I'm not sure if there was ever an Express 1 actually.  Express releases
   often come with a PowerPatch, which brings the SLT/FOS products up to
   the same level.  So to say you are on "Express n", you probably have to
   have installed a minimum PowerPatch level, along with the new Express n
   SUBSYS tape.  If you do not have any non-FOS products, then there would
   be no Express n SUBSYS tape, and the only thing you would have to do to
   be on "Express n" would be to have applied the appropriate PowerPatch
   tape (which might be number "n", but doesn't have to be).  The Express
   SUBSYS tape should be capable of being used in the place of (i.e. it
   should contain all of the same products as) the original SUBSYS tape
   shipped with the original version of 5.0.

*) It is my understanding that PowerPatch tapes only include patches for
   the "latest" version of products, so that if you are installing PP 6
   today, but you never installed the Express 3 SUBSYS tape, then any PP 6
   patches which apply to SUBSYS products that would have been updated by
   the Express 3 SUBSYS tape will *not* get installed.

When I tried to ask the Response Center this question, the guy I talked
to said that what he would do would be to install 5.0 and the latest
PowerPatch, and then worry about Express 3 later.  From my understanding
this would *not* work as the PowerPatch would only be completely functional
if installed *after* (or at the same time as?) the Express release it is
based on.

I know there have been various supplemental LINKEDIT patches and
instructions for dealing with previous linker bugs, but if I'm installing
from scratch, I should only need to use the following tapes (I think):

From the original 5.0 shipment: SLT and FOS tapes.
From the Express 3 shipment:    SUBSYS tape.
From the PowerPatch 6 shipment: PowerPatch C.05.06 tape.

Can anyone point out flaws in the above logic?

Thanks,

Gavin