ftp.ib.com/2003-04-09_ftp.ibm.com-os2.zip/info/os2fix/os2fix.txt

Text File | 1995-07-19 | 33KB | 250 lines

OS/2 Platform Products Fix Strategy Enhancements

July 7, 1995

Today IBM announces changes and enhancements to its OS/2 Platform
Products Fix Support Strategy which will be effective September 1, 1995.
This new strategy satisfies many customer requirements and provides
a more affordable service environment for the high-volume, low priced
OS/2 platform products.

The new OS/2 Platform Fix Support Strategy is applicable worldwide and
applies to all future platform product releases (NS, PSP, and SWS)
and their National Language Versions (NLV) including double byte
character set (DBCS) versions.  Additionally, the new fix strategy is
applicable to the following list of currently released PSP products.

 o  OS/2 Warp V3*
 o  OS/2 Warp V3 WinOS2**
 o  OS/2 Warp Connect V3
 o  OS/2 SE 2.1 32 BIT
 o  OS/2 SE 2.11 32 BIT
 o  OS/2 LAN SERVER 3.0
 o  OS/2 LAN SERVER 4.0
 o  LAN DISTANCE CONNECTION SERVER-8 PORT
 o  LAN DISTANCE CONNECTION SERVER-32 PORT
 o  LAN DISTANCE REMOTE

A complete list of the currently released PSP, NS, and SWS products
supported by the new fix strategy will be available after July 12, 1995.

Highlights of the new fix approach include:

  o  Standard Fix Support
  o  Custom Fix Support
  o  Product Service Life 'Currency'
  o  National Language Version (NLV) Support
  o  Enhanced Communications of Fix Availability and Contents
  o  Common Product Install and Service Tools

Defect problem reporting remains unchanged by this announcement
and is consistent with the 1994 announcement of the IBM
Personal Systems Support offerings and IBM's technical support
strategy (See Announcement Letter 694-014, dated 05/10/94).

Essentially this states that for the service life of the product,
customers may report suspected defects in IBM software code or
documentation via FAX, mail, or electronically (where applicable).
IBM will respond in the same media as the inquiry indicating if the
defect is known or a fix is available.  If the customer does not have
entitled services as announced in their country, and the problem is
not a known defect, then the customer will be informed that IBM will
continue to work the suspected defect for a fee.  If the problem is
then determined to be caused by an error in IBM code or documentation,
the fee will be waived.

Customers will continue to have the capability to report suspected
defects by severity level (1, 2, 3, 4).  If customers have entitled
services as announced in their country, these suspected defects,
will be worked at the customer designated severity until the source
is identified and validated to be code related.  Based on the nature
of the defect, it will be scheduled to be fixed in the current product
release or in a future product release.  Customers will be advised of
the defect resolution and the disposition of the fix.  Customers will
also be advised if the defect must be closed as a permanent programming
restriction.

A fix provided for the current release version, referred to as
'Fix-in-Current', will be provided at the latest service level of
the product via an option called Standard Fix Support.  The following
criteria is used to determine which defects are to be fixed in the
current product release.

o  Data Corruption
o  Regression of supported function, major application, or device
   driver compatibility
o  Frequent trap or system hang
o  Serious visual problem
o  Significant portion of hardware or software environment is
   non-functional

Defects not meeting these criteria are scheduled for a future release
and are referred to as a 'Deferred Fix'.

A fee based option called Custom Fix Support is provided for customers
who need greater control or selectivity over changes to their software
environment.  These two service options are designed to accommodate
the requirements of a broad spectrum of customers for the service life
of the products.

STANDARD FIX SUPPORT

Standard Fix Support is designed to meet the needs of the majority of
users.  Standard Fix Support begins at general availability of platform
products and is designed to provide prompt identification and delivery
of fixes.

Standard Fix Support provides code updates packaged in FixPaks on a
frequent basis.  FixPaks will correspond to individual products or
for complex products, FixPaks may correspond to product subsystems.
The product subsystems are selected such that the resulting FixPaks
are functionally independent and can be applied independent of each
other for differing subsystems.  By providing greater granularity
in defining and delivering fixes, FixPaks help customers limit the
amount of change introduced into their systems.  FixPaks are
cumulative and supersede previous service on the product or subsystem
for which the FixPak is delivered.

FixPaks are validated for correctness of solution and product execution
and performance using appropriate testing approaches before being made
generally available.  Testing will be performed as required at the
module and integrated product level as well as in the customer's
environment(s) where the problem was originally encountered.  Customers
who discovered or experienced and reported the problem are provided
the fixes to test in their environment and ensure they have been fixed.
After completion of fix validation with these customers, FixPaks are
released for general availability via BBS, Internet, and diskette.

FixPaks will be made available on a frequent and regular basis.
Periodically FixPaks for a product may be combined into a preventive
maintenance FixPak.  Preventive maintenance FixPaks provide customers
with a convenient way to service their complete system and may be used
to refresh the product manufacturing line.  This approach has the added
benefit of keeping subsequent FixPaks small by maintaining separation
between the subsystems which results in less impact to customer
environments if future service is necessary.  Customers may be required
to install the preventive maintenance FixPak in order to resolve a
subsequent defect.

CUSTOM FIX SUPPORT

The Custom Fix Support option gives the customer the opportunity to
have sole and total control of a code base. Customers can designate
what and when fixes are applied, as well as the granularity of the fixes
to the individual APAR fix level.  Also, this option can be used by
the customer to accelerate fixes for their environment that would not
generally be available until a future  release of the product.  This
option is not available for Communication Manager/2 (CM/2).
Custom Fix Support fixes are tested by IBM against the specific product
code configuration IBM is maintaining for the customer.

The Custom Fix Support option is available for a fee through the
IBM Special Bid Process.  A special bid can be obtained during a
product's service life and after service life has expired on a product.
A special bid is required for either type of Custom Fix Support option
and the price may be different based on the special bid requirements.

PRODUCT SERVICE LIFE (CURRENCY)

Each product covered by this announcement will continue to have a
service life date stated as part of the product announcement.  The
service life refers to the period of time program services (code related
defect support) are available.  Customers have requested that IBM
establish a standard length of time a product will be supported after a
new release of the product becomes available.  In response to that
request, IBM is committed to providing a one (1) year period of overlap
between a platform product and its successor.

The overlap is provided for new release or version levels of the
products.  FixPak releases to the products do not extend or change
the overlap period.  After product service life ends, customers
can extend service life of the platform products for their mission
critical applications via special bid.  Platform products covered by this
announcement will be supported for a total of five (5) years.  The five
(5) years are divided between the currency provided with the product
and a fee based period for customers who wish to extend service life on
their products via a special bid.

Products which are not requested by special bid for a service life
extension within six (6) months from the end of their product provided
currency will be withdrawn from service at the end of the six (6)
months period.

Withdrawal from service for each product will be announced at least 90
days before the effective withdrawal date.  Announcements will be made
at the end of currency provided with the product and at the end of
five (5) years for any active service extensions on the product. For
products which are within the six (6) months period following their
product provided currency and on which a service extension special
bid has not been initiated, an announcement will be made of the potential
withdrawal of the service extension option on that product.

NATIONAL LANGUAGE VERSION (NLV) SUPPORT

National Language Versions are supported by this fix strategy including
Double Byte Character Set (DBCS).  Periodically,  FixPaks containing
'Fix-in-Current' fixes which need translation will be provided as
required in the requested NLVs.  NLV customers who purchase a Custom Fix
Support special bid will be provided translated fixes for all requested
custom fixes.

ENHANCED COMMUNICATIONS OF FIX AVAILABILITY AND CONTENTS

Communications of fixes has been enhanced to identify the availability
and contents of fixes via Internet and bulletin boards as well as
putting the information in FixPaks.  The enhanced communications
provides a more comprehensive documentation of the FixPak contents,
definition of the operational environment in which the problem(s) were
experienced, and any restrictions that may apply to the fixes.

An APAR cross-reference list will be provided with FixPaks, point
releases, and preventive maintenance releases.  The cross-reference
list will contain APAR numbers, problem descriptions, statement of
the environment impacted by the problems fixed, symptoms that were
reported with the problem reports, the code level on which the fixes
were tested, and if applicable, configurations where FixPaks should
not be applied.

COMMON PRODUCT INSTALL AND SERVICE TOOLS

Currently the OS/2 platform products use different and unique
product install tools as well as different service installation
tools.  The diversity of tools and techniques has challenged trainers
and systems administrators.  IBM is currently working toward the goal
of enhanced install and service tools that are common across the
software products.  These tools will be designed to provide enhanced
systems management of the product installation and product maintenance
on customer systems.  IBM is actively involved customers in the
gathering of requirements for these enhanced tools.

SUMMARY

The changes and enhancements to the OS/2 Platform Fix Support Strategy
have been designed to provide a clear and consistent set of maintenance
policies and practices across the OS/2 platform.  This strategy will
provide customers with improved fix quality and greater system stability
through smaller FixPaks that have been more stringently tested.
Additionally, customers are given greater control of their software
operating environment via the fee based Custom Fix Support option.  A
preventive maintenance capability is provided through the preventive
maintenance FixPak.  This new fix service approach has been reviewed
with numerous customer focus groups and validated to address many of the
service requirements in their diverse environments.

The new OS/2 Platform Fix Support Strategy will provide:

  o  A consistent fix strategy across the OS/2 platform
  o  A standard fix support option provided with product license
     as part of product program services
  o  Responsive and stable fix support across the platform products
  o  Fix methodology and approach which consistently produces
     high quality FixPaks across the platform products
  o  Offerings which expand customer fix support options
  o  Opportunity for customers to have their unique service
     requirements addressed
  o  APAR reference and FixPak information posted on BBS and Internet

*  Indicates trademark or registered trademark of the IBM Corp.
** Windows is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corp.