Staging for AS/400 Server Packages

[WinPrice]

Problem: We have very limited windws (almost none) with which to deploy our AS/400 server packages for Production during the week. As a result of this, we are looking into a strategy to do this in an automated fashion.

Proposal: We are looking to build our PD7333 (we're Xe currently) package to a PD7333' path code and deploy it when we are done, since no users will be working here. Then we can automatically copy the contents of the PD7333' to PD7333 for the library IFS directory and run LINKBSFN to finish this process. We would do this as part of the start up process right after the JDE subsystem comes up after an IPL.

Questions:

1. Has anyone out there done anything similar to this?

2. Is there any path code specific information kept in the IFS or package library? One of the things we don't know is if the PD7333' path code will hold any path code specific entries that might come back and bite us when we just do a copy process. I don't think they do, but since this is uncharted territory, I can't be positive.

3. Is there an easier way to do this, assuming I can't get or plan a window to hold up the PD users, due to system UBE load?

I welcome your suggestions.

Thanks,
Winston

 

[ARJOHNSON]

We have the same situation with finding a "window" to deploy Prod Packages. We came up with a once a week promotion schedule to Production (Fridays), which allows me to deploy the package over the weekend (during a window of "free" time) where it doesn't interfere with the the users. Of course there can always be an exception (emergency package), where if needed during the normal work week, we take a look at our robot schedule and find the best time to deploy an update package and notify the end users of the emergency package that will be deployed. Of course we recommend that at this particular time, they not submit any UBEs. This seems to work fairly well for us.
Good Luck!

 

[WinPrice]

Thanks Angie. That was what we were doing as well. We brought more business units online for this install and now our windows are gone. The weekend has our long running jobs, so that's out too.

Thanks for your input.