Installing PTFs

As a Kato Spaces hosting customer, you have a QSECOFR profile and full access to your system. This allows you to order and install any PTFs - including Technology Refreshes and CUME packages - for your system.

Installing Technology Refreshes is more complex than installing single PTFs or packages. If you want to install a TR, we’d recommend following IBM’s guidance - including reading their upgrade planning and customer notices - found here: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-i-technology-refresh

The easiest way to manage PTF installations is through the GO PTF menu:

GO PTF Menu

Ordering PTFs

Take option 6 to open the Send PTF Order menu:

Send PTF Order Menu

Enter either the PTF number in the first first, or you can specify a special value to order a cumulative package or group package:

Send PTF Order menu configured for a specific PTF:

Send PTF Order menu configured for a specific PTF

Send PTF Order menu configured for a cumulative PTF package:

Send PTF Order menu configured for a cumulative PTF package

Press Enter to confirm the pre-populated contact information:

Verify Contact Information page, where you should not change the pre-populated information

Take option 1 to send the service request and order the PTF:

Select Reporting Option Menu

You’ll see a variety of diagnostic and progress messages as the PTF downloads:

Connecting to remote system Sending the PTF order Download progress

Once the download is complete, you’ll see a success message and be returned to the GO PTF menu:

PTF download success message

Installing PTFs

From the GO PTF menu, take option 8 to open the Install Options for Program Temporary Fixes menu:

Install Options for Program Temporary Fixes menu

Specify *SERVICE for the Device parameter. Set Automatic IPL to N - you can perform a manual IPL afterwards if needed. Set Other options to Y.

Configured Install Options menu

On the Other Install Options screen, change Apply type to 2 to Apply immediate and set delayed PTFs:

Configured Other Install Options menu

Press Enter to continue. The install will begin and progress messages will be displayed at the bottom of the screen:

PTF Load in Progress screen

Once the load is complete, you’ll be returned to the GO PTF menu. If needed, you can proceed to performing an unattended IPL with PWRDWNSYS.

Confirming PTF Status

From the GO PTF menu, take option 5 to Display a Program Temporary Fix:

Display Program Temporary Fix configuration

You can either populate information for a specific PTF or leave the parameters populated with *ALL to view PTF information for all installed PTFs. In our example, we’ll look at the PTF we just installed above, SI84743. Note that when specifying a single PTF number, you must specify the product parameter as well:

Display Program Temporary Fix configured for a specific PTF

Press Enter to be brought to the Display PTF Details menu:

Display PTF Details menu

From here, you can view information about the PTF. If you take option 1 to view General Information:

PTF general information

It shows basic information about the PTF but importantly it shows that the PTF is Temporarily applied, because we just performed the installation (but we have not performed an IPL). Once we perform an IPL, this PTF will be Permanently applied. Let’s look at another PTF:

PTF general information

This PTF status is Superseded - it was effectively replaced by a newer PTF and no longer needs to be installed separately. Instead, the newer superseding PTF should be installed.

You can also view PTF status if you choose to take option 5 from the GO PTF menu and pull up all PTFs - you can then use F17 (Position to) to search for a specific PTF:

All PTF listings and application status with the Position to search box open