> Date:          Sun, 16 Nov 1997 14:02:10 -0500
> Reply-to:      Jeff Kell <[log in to unmask]>
> From:          Jeff Kell <[log in to unmask]>
> Organization:  University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
> Subject:       Re: Stage/iX feedback URGENTLY needed.
> To:            [log in to unmask]

[stuff deleted...]

> That seems to be a pervasive attitude with the HPRC.  Personally I
> prefer Stage/iX and have had a 90+% success rate with it.  The two
> failures were a patch to utilities/diagnostics (DIAG.SYS) which had
> post-installation jobs and the recent Allbase/SQL patch (ditto).
W.R.T. The "pervasive attitude" of the HPRC, that is something that
we (HP R&D Lab) will be working on over the next few weeks/months.

The two "failures" you refer to are not really "failuers". The
product is "desgined" to detect the presense of post-installatiion
jobs and mark such patches as "not stageable". This is basically the
only "issue" currently on my Stage/iX list and it is an "enhancement
request" not a "known problem". Once we have completely evaluated the
list of "issues" for both Patch/iX and Stage/iX we will determine the
relative priority of making patches with I-files stageable.

I will probably post something to this list in the near future
soliciting feedback on the "issue" list and prioritization.

> The primary trick is to restore reactive tapes and HP ESC truck files
> directly to a previously-emptied PATCHXL.SYS group with ACCOUNT=SYS,
> GROUP=PATCHXL, and CREATOR=MANAGER.  The second trick is not to build
> on to existing stages, it complicates matters.
I personally think it is easier to restore reactive patch tapes
into the PATCHXL.SYS group rather than letting Patch/iX do it for
you. If you do restore the files yourself, then you need to not
accept the default setup and tell Patch/iX to skip the step where it
normally restores the files for you. The reason I think it is easier
to restore the files yourself is that you can use the PATCHXL.SYS
group as a central location for accumulating an inventory or
perspective patches. You don't have to restore into an empty
PATCHXL.SYS group unless that is what you want to do, you can
accumulate patches there over time (if desired).

> For reactive patches it works great.  I can build stages during the day
> and have the evening operator reboot.
That is an important point. We have tried to set it up such that the
management of patches (deciding which patches should be installed and
when) is separate from the act of physically applying the patches.
The system manager can get everthing set up and go home. The operator
will apply the patches automatically by just rebooting the system. I
think operators need to be trained about what to do if there is a
problem. For example what should they do if for some reason the
system does not come up? Set back to the BASE and reboot? Page the
system manager at home? etc. We did not want to make is so that the
operator had to remember to do anything specific to apply the
patches. Having a problem should be the rare excpetion.

>
> Jeff Kell <[log in to unmask]>
>
> PS - It does *not* work well with system-intensive 3rd-party products
> like Share/Plex and NetBase (so I hear, I don't have them).
Patch/iX has the exact same problem with 3rd parth products (which
should be read as NetBase, not as a general problem with 3rd party
software packages) as AUTOPAT has. Specifically, NetBase has to be
uninstalled before installing TurboImage patches. This is a
consequence of the way NetBase is installed into the system XL
(XL.PUB.SYS). After installing TurboImage patches, NetBase has to be
re-installed. This is true for Patch/iX, AUTOPAT, and AUTOINST (with
PP tapes). This problem has nothing at all to do with Stage/iX.

We have this problem on the list of "issues" and my current thinking
is that it is #1 or #2 to be fixed. The fix is relatively simple.

NOTE: once this is fixed, proper integration with NetBase will be a
pro for Patch/iX vs other patch installation tools. Again, today it
is neither a pro or a con -- it is a wash.
>
>

                                 Scott McClellan
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