Q: Product Install of "older" kits warns of deleting "UNDO" directories

[Ken Fairfield]

I've got a hobbiest VMS system with VMS 7.3-1 installed and most
of the recent VMS731_xxxx patches, including VMS731_UPDATE-V0100 and
VMS731_PCSI-V0100.

I also have a variety of layered products I'm installing, including
compilers (e.g., Fortran V7.6). The kits for these layered products
were created (apparently) prior to the PCSI-V0100 release.

When I do an, e.g., PROD INSTALL FORTRAN /SAVE_RECOVERY_DATA (I may
have the qualifier name wrong...I'm away form the system at the
moment), or even without the /SAVE qualifier, it warns me that
(a) there are 6 "undo" directories and (b) that they will be deleted
if I continue.

QUESTIONS:

o Is there any way to retain the UNDO directories when
installing an older PCSI kit?
o Is there a work-around?
o Should I even worry about it??? :-}

(I suppose I could identify all the pre-PSCI-V0100 kits and install
them first, but what have others done?)

Thanks, Ken
--
I don't speak for Intel, Intel doesn't speak for me...

Ken Fairfield
D1C Automation VMS System Support
who: kenneth dot h dot fairfield
where: intel dot com

[Mike Naime]

Ken Fairfield <My.Ful...@intel.com> wrote in message
news:bmn5mg$5i4$1...@news01.intel.com...

> I've got a hobbiest VMS system with VMS 7.3-1 installed and most
> of the recent VMS731_xxxx patches, including VMS731_UPDATE-V0100 and
> VMS731_PCSI-V0100.
>
> I also have a variety of layered products I'm installing, including
> compilers (e.g., Fortran V7.6). The kits for these layered products
> were created (apparently) prior to the PCSI-V0100 release.
>
> When I do an, e.g., PROD INSTALL FORTRAN /SAVE_RECOVERY_DATA (I may
> have the qualifier name wrong...I'm away form the system at the
> moment), or even without the /SAVE qualifier, it warns me that
> (a) there are 6 "undo" directories and (b) that they will be deleted
> if I continue.
>
> QUESTIONS:
>
> o Is there any way to retain the UNDO directories when
> installing an older PCSI kit?

Install the older kits first. Part of the PCSI docs states that if you
install ANY layered products.
(Fortran, DFS, C, MQ series... Etc) you will not be able to save the undo
directories prior to that.

> o Is there a work-around?

Install them first. Then the OS patches.

> o Should I even worry about it??? :-}

Not unless you really think that you will need to undo the patches.

>
> (I suppose I could identify all the pre-PSCI-V0100 kits and install
> them first, but what have others done?)

Not worried about it.

[Charlie Hammond]

In article <bmn5mg$5i4$1...@news01.intel.com>,
Ken Fairfield <My.Ful...@intel.com> writes:
..
>When I do an, e.g., PROD INSTALL FORTRAN /SAVE_RECOVERY_DATA ...
> ... or even without the /SAVE qualifier, it warns me that

>(a) there are 6 "undo" directories and (b) that they will be deleted
>if I continue.

This has nothing to do with "older" kits, but with the fact that you
can use /SAVE_RECOVERY_DATA _only_ on patch kits. FORTRAN is a full kit.

$ help prod install /save_recovery_data

PRODUCT

INSTALL

/SAVE_RECOVERY_DATA

/SAVE_RECOVERY_DATA
/NOSAVE_RECOVERY_DATA (default)

---> This qualifier applies only to patch and mandatory update kit
installation. It is ignored when other types of products are
installed.
...

Any PRODUCT operation that modifies the PCSI database and does not
(or can not) use /SAVE_RECOVERY_DATA renders any existing recovery
data unusable -- because PCSI cannot rollback older operations without
rolling back the most recent operation. Doing so would leave the
database in an inconstent condition.

Workaround? Well, you could PRODUCT UNDO the 6 patches, install FORTRAN, and
then re-install the patches. However, if the patches have been installed
for a while and produced no problems that might require rolling them back,
I would suggest that you not worry about this.

--
Charlie Hammond -- Hewlett-Packard Company -- Ft Lauderdale FL USA
(hammond@not@peek.ssr.hp.com -- remove "@not" when replying)
All opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily my employer's.

[Phillip Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply]

In article <isSjb.7266$jT5....@news.cpqcorp.net>,
hammond@not@peek.ssr.hp.com (Charlie Hammond) writes:

> Any PRODUCT operation that modifies the PCSI database and does not
> (or can not) use /SAVE_RECOVERY_DATA renders any existing recovery
> data unusable -- because PCSI cannot rollback older operations without
> rolling back the most recent operation. Doing so would leave the
> database in an inconstent condition.

So I guess the undo feature is really only intended for undoing the
install of a patch shortly after it is installed (i.e. before something
else is installed)?

I'm about to do some VMS upgrades and then apply patches---OS and
layered products. Obviously, I have to upgrade and then apply the OS
patches. When should I install the layered products? Before the OS
upgrade (if possible)? Between the OS upgrade and the patches for the
OS? After the OS patches (this is what I had planned).

Normally, I think that one can install ALL patches then reboot once. Or
should I install the PCSI patch, reboot, then continue?

[Charlie Hammond]

In article <bms2v6$iuk$1...@online.de>,

hel...@astro.multiCLOTHESvax.de (Phillip Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply) writes:

>So I guess the undo feature is really only intended for undoing the
>install of a patch shortly after it is installed (i.e. before something
>else is installed)?

Yes.

>I'm about to do some VMS upgrades and then apply patches---OS and
>layered products. Obviously, I have to upgrade and then apply the OS
>patches. When should I install the layered products? Before the OS
>upgrade (if possible)? Between the OS upgrade and the patches for the
>OS? After the OS patches (this is what I had planned).

If you want to preserve the ability to UNDO the patches, they must be the
LAST thing you install. If possible (i.e. if they do not require the
new operating system version) I would install the layered products BEFORE
upgrading OpenVMS, and the patches after. Any LPs that cannot be installed
on the old version of OpenVMS can be installed between the OpenVMS upgrade
and the patches installation.

EXCEPTION -- if you need the PCSI patch (which you will if this is before
V7.3-2 and you want to use /SAVE_RECOVERY_DATA), it must be installed after
the OpenVMS upgrade and before the other patches. I would make it the FIRST
thing after upgrading.

>Normally, I think that one can install ALL patches then reboot once. Or
>should I install the PCSI patch, reboot, then continue?

I am not sure that the PCSI patch requires a reboot. See the documentation
that comes with the patch.

In any case, you must install the PCSI patch first, reboot if necessary,
and then install the remaining patches.

[Phillip Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply]

In article <OOQkb.7374$tL1....@news.cpqcorp.net>,
hammond@not@peek.ssr.hp.com (Charlie Hammond) writes:

> If possible (i.e. if they do not require the
> new operating system version) I would install the layered products BEFORE
> upgrading OpenVMS

Why?

[Charlie Hammond]

Because I would want to install patches immediately after the upgrade
and if I then installed the LPs (i.e. after the patches) I would loose
the PRODUCT UNDO PATCH capability.