AS/400-iSeries Starter Kit

by Craig Pelkie and Gary Guthrie

IBM recently introduced a function that lets you retrieve AS/400 program temporary fixes (PTFs) over the Internet. You access this function, which IBM refers to as iPTF, through the AS/400 Worldwide Technical Support Web site ( Figure A). Once you’ve configured your AS/400 for iPTF support and registered to use the support, you can use the Internet connection to order and receive PTFs electronically instead of using the Electronic Customer Support (ECS) modem.

iPTF support uses your PC to run a Java applet to connect to the IBM PTF system and download the PTF save file directly to your AS/400. The process is relatively easy to configure, takes advantage of browser support to let you search for and select PTFs, and yields the same results as retrieving PTFs via the ECS modem.

iPTF Prerequisites

You need the following to use iPTF support:

• a registered user ID with iPTF support, so that you will have a password to access the iPTF system
• an AS/400 system on a TCP/IP LAN at OS/400 V4R2, V4R3, or higher
• an Internet connection from a Windows 95/98 or Windows NT PC
• the Windows 95/98 PC must be in same TCP/IP LAN as the AS/400 system
• the Windows NT PC must be in the same TCP/IP LAN as the AS/400 but can also use dial-up access to the Internet

If you have the hardware, software, and configuration prerequisites and you are already authorized to retrieve PTFs using your ECS modem, you can register to use iPTFs.

Software Requirements

There are a few software requirements to use iPTF support, for both the AS/400 system and your PC. For the AS/400, you need the following:

• for V4R2, the iPTF enabling PTF SF48162
• for V4R3, the iPTF enabling PTF SF50552
• OS/400 Host Servers installed (OS/400 option 12).
• TCP/IP active on AS/400 system
• user profile QUSER enabled

In addition, the user profile that will retrieve the iPTFs must have *USE authority to the Send PTF Order (SNDPTFORD) command.

You cannot order the iPTF-enabling PTFs through the iPTF process; you must order those PTFs using ECS support. Once you have installed the enabling PTFs and meet the other AS/400 system requirements, you will be able to order future PTFs using iPTF support.

The iPTF process currently requires that you access the Internet using a Windows 95/98 or Windows NT PC. You need the following on the PC:

• Netscape Navigator 4.05 or higher
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher
• if your PC is behind a firewall on your LAN (a typical install scenario), a "socksified" PC TCP/IP stack

You must use one of the browsers listed because they provide Java Virtual Machine (JVM) 1.1.x support.

Because of programming issues with the Windows 95/98 TCP/IP stack, you cannot use dial-up access to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to retrieve AS/400 iPTFs. That is because there must be a concurrent TCP/IP connection from your PC to the IBM PTF system and your AS/400. A Windows NT PC can use dial-up support, as long as there is also a LAN connection from the Windows NT PC to the AS/400 system.

Overview of How the iPTF Process Works

To understand how the hardware and software components work together for iPTF support, it may help to review Figure B. As the figure shows, your PC is used as an intermediary system to deliver the PTF save file to the target AS/400 system. The PTF save file is never downloaded to or resident on your PC. The Java applet that runs in the iPTF process makes the connection from the IBM RETAIN system to your target AS/400 system.

Although the figure shows the target AS/400 as the last link, the target AS/400 can be the same system as your gateway/firewall system. The process still works the same: The communication is through your PC to the RETAIN system and your AS/400.

The iPTF Web Site

To work with iPTFs, go to the IBM AS/400 Technical Support Web site (Figure A). On that site, click the "Fixes, Downloads and Updates" link (note: IBM may make additional links to the iPTF site available on the Technical Support Web site page). Next, click the "Internet PTF Downloads (iPTF)" link (see Figure C). The AS/400 Internet PTF Downloads (iPTF) page shown in Figure D provides links you will use to work with iPTF orders.

You must register to use the iPTF process. Click the registration link, and fill in the form with the required information. You need to supply your complete name, e-mail address, AS/400 machine type and serial number, and IBM customer number. Your e-mail address is required because IBM will send you an e-mail message within a few days that includes the user ID and password to use with the iPTF ordering process.

If your PC is behind a firewall, you should click the Test Socks Configuration link to download and run an applet that determines whether your PC is "socksified." If your PC fails the test, you can download and install SOCKS client software. Your PC must pass the socks test in order to use the iPTF function.

Ordering iPTFs

You work with iPTFs by creating an iPTF order, which is a list of PTFs that you want. The list is similar to what you would enter using the AS/400’s SNDPTFORD (Send PTF Order) command. However, the iPTF process is somewhat easier to work with because you can review PTF cover letters and search for PTFs while constructing your order.

Figure E shows the main page used to work with iPTF orders. Using links on the page, you can do the following:

• Scan PTF cover letters by OS/400 release and Licensed Program Product (LPP). This is a good choice if you can identify the LPP for which you want to obtain a PTF.
• Enter PTF numbers directly into the list. This is a good choice if you already know the PTF you need to get.
• Search PTF cover letters for PTFs. Although this option is useful, it also requires the most effort and skill to use. The search may return PTFs that are not applicable to the problem you’re trying to correct, so you need to pick out just the PTFs for your problem. You also need to be able to guess at the keywords that will result in search hits. Fortunately, if you can find one PTF for the problem you’re trying to correct, that PTF will usually refer to or include any prerequisite or superceding PTFs that also apply.
• View PTFs ordered by Large AS/400 Users Group. This option lets you view PTFs that have been ordered by the Large AS/400 Users Group.
• Edit and process iPTF orders. You create an iPTF order, which is assigned an order number, and then add PTFs that you select to the list. Although you usually will process the order as soon as you create it, you can simply save the order and return to it later. These options let you work with orders and manage the list of PTFs.

PTF Ordering Restrictions

There are two restrictions you must be aware of when creating your iPTF order:

• You can only order up to 20 PTFs per order.
• The total size of the order must be less than 15MB.

The first limitation is easy to work with, because you simply stop adding to the order. The second limitation is more difficult, because nothing on the iPTF Web pages indicates the size of the PTFs you’re ordering.

You can choose an option on the order processing form to use electronic delivery only. If the size of an order is too large, the order will fail. You can then revise your order into two or more smaller orders to get under the size restriction.

Sending the Order

As you enter each PTF into an order, the iPTF program gives you a link to process the order. When you click the link, you go to the order processing form. Figure F shows a portion of the form. If you’ve ever worked with the SNDPTFORD command, you’ll recognize the options on the order form as being the same as the SNDPTFORD command parameters.

You need to scroll to the bottom of the order form and select which hemisphere (East or West) you are in. The PTF program uses this information to select the server to which you will connect. You’ll find the submit button for the order at the bottom of the form.

When you click the submit button, the IBM RETAIN system starts to send the Java applet that is used for the iPTF process to your PC. The Java Security Warning dialog box appears in your browser. The warning indicates that you are about to install and run a signed Java applet on your PC. You need to accept the Java applet to continue the iPTF process.

Downloading the applet may take a few minutes, during which time it may seem as if nothing is happening. Don’t close your browser or cancel it; for that matter, it’s best to not run or do anything else on the PC at this point. You may get a Java error message, in which case you need to debug the problem and start over. In our tests, the applet was downloaded and started within two minutes using an ISDN (64 Kbps) line. If you have to wait longer than 20 minutes, it’s possible something has failed ,and you might want to try again.

Once the applet has been downloaded and initialized, you are prompted to sign on to your AS/400 (Figure G). The sign-on is on behalf of the Java applet, which is making the connection between the IBM RETAIN system and your AS/400 (refer back to the diagram in Figure B). At this point, the process isn’t much different from using the SNDPTFORD command from an AS/400 command line. You need to sign on with a user profile that has authority to the SNDPTFORD command.

After you sign on, the Contact Info Window (Figure H) is displayed. The information shown in the window is retrieved from the values you entered to enable PTF processing on your AS/400. The information is transmitted with your iPTF request. If there is a problem with retrieving the PTFs, you may get a call from the people running the IBM RETAIN system. Also, if your PTF order exceeds the size limitation and you selected the option to receive PTFs on install media, IBM uses the address information to send the package to you.

Once you confirm the contact information and click OK on this window, the PTF download process begins. The Status window (Figure I) takes the place of the messages displayed from the SNDPTFORD command. The PTFs are downloaded as save files directly to your AS/400. When the process is done, the program displays the Completion window (Figure J).

Finishing Up

When you reach the Completion window, the process is complete. You can return to the iPTF ordering site and create another order if you need to.

The PTFs are on your AS/400 in the same format that the SNDPTFORD command uses. You need to use the LODPTF (Load PTF) and APYPTF (Apply PTF) commands to work with the PTFs that you downloaded through iPTF support.

The iPTF process provides an equivalent to the SNDPTFORD process. It’s more convenient to use in that you can review information about PTFs you might need and place the order for those PTFs in the same program. If you’re eligible to receive PTFs using ECS and you have the required hardware and software prerequisites, you may find the iPTF process preferable to the ECS technique.

Gary Guthrie is a technical editor for NEWS/400.

Craig Pelkie works for a dot-com start-up in the San Diego area. He’s also a frequent speaker at NEWS/400 seminars on topics including TCP/IP and the Web.