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Topic 6. Maintenance and quickfixes
6.2 Product Maintenance Overview
Even though IBM WebSphere Portal developers strive to make available only
the highest quality software to our customers, there are situations where
problems are identified which require a corrective service update to resolve.
Corrective service updates are delivered via several different Maintenance
Delivery Vehicles (MDVs) ranging from the most granular to the most
comprehensive. Application of corrective service to existing installed
software is called maintenance.
The list of MDVs includes:
Fixes Interim Fixes and Test Fixes
Interim Fixes (iFixes) usually fix a single problem identified by an
Authorized Program Analysis Report (APAR). Application of this type of
fix is usually only recommended when the problem symptoms are experienced by
the customer and if the fix is not available in one of the other MDVs.
In the rare case when a fix is developed specifically for a problem seen
on your system, you may be asked to install a test fix and provide feedback to
the fix developers.
PK67104 is an example of a typically named APAR that addresses a specific
problem.
Cumulative Fixes
Cumulative Fixes include a number of fixes for one particular functional
area such as the
Web Content Management (WCM) component. APARs are also used to
identify cumulative fixes. PK73933 is an example of a Cumulative Fix
APAR.
Fix Packs
This is the standard delivery vehicle for Portal product updates.
Fix Packs are a cumulative roll-up of fixes up to a certain point in time.
Application of Fix Packs result in all previously applied Interim
Fixes being uninstalled, and so care must be taken to reinstall Interim Fixes
if required. Fix Packs are named as incremental numbers starting at 1
for a particular Refresh Pack level. For example once the Fix Pack 1 is
applied to a Portal environment, the Fix Pack number is represented in the
fourth numeric position in the numbering scheme: 6.1.0.1.
Refresh Packs
This is a cumulative roll-up of fixes including feature enhancements.
Refresh Packs supersede all prior Fixes and Fix Packs for a specific
release of the product. Application of Refresh Packs result in all
previously applied Fix Packs and Interim Fixes being uninstalled, and so care
must be taken to reinstall them if required.
An alternate form of a Refresh Pack may also be made available from time
to time. A Manufacturing Refresh is new installation media (electronic
or physical) that would include the 6.1.0.0 version of the product along with a
particular Refresh Pack already applied. Refresh Packs are named as
incremental numbers starting at 1 for a particular Portal Version. For
example once Refresh Pack 1 is applied to a Portal environment, the Refresh
Pack number is represented in the third numeric position in the numbering
scheme: 6.1. 1 .0.
It is strongly recommended that critical functions of your custom
applications be regression tested when a new Fix Pack or Refresh Pack is
applied. In the case where an Interim Fix, Test Fix, or Cumulative
Fix is applied, we recommend that you test functions affected by the fixed
component.
Further details on this topic are available online in the document:
IBM - Update Strategy for WebSphere Portal versions 6.0 and
6.1 http://www-01.i
bm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21248245
Abstract - This article discusses
terminology for corrective service updates