Well, here we are again. It’s , and we’ve just passed another milestone. In January, IBM dropped support for OS/400 V4R3. And, coming up in May, IBM will drop support for OS/400 V4R4. It’s hard to keep up with what’s expiring when. And if you manage multiple AS/400s, keeping track can be a nightmare—especially if the AS/400s are on different versions and releases of OS/400 and have different software packages installed on them. This multiversion AS/400 environment can occur for a variety of reasons; one of the most common is when one company buys another and integrates the new company’s hardware into the old company’s hardware.
The IS manager then has to somehow figure out what software is installed where, when it’s going to lose support, and which upgrade path to take once it expires. This is not a situation any IS manager wants to find himself in.
But don’t panic! There is an easy way to find out what software is on each system, and I’m going to tell you about a tool you can get from IBM that can help you do just that. I’ll also tell you where to find some good online documentation of the upgrade paths between the various releases of OS/400. But, before you can plan for an upgrade, you need to know when the software on your system is going to lose IBM support. Unless you have vendor software that is running on a trial basis, you probably don’t have a whole lot of AS/400 software that will ever lose support, at least not until the version of the operating system itself loses support. The two notable exceptions to this, of course, are OS/400 and Client Access.
Naturally, the two most often used products are the ones you have to keep upgrading.
Client Access End of Service
First, take a look at Client Access. There are multiple versions of this ubiquitous product, so it’s hard to summarize just what’s expiring when. However, let’s assume that you are using the V4R5 version of the Client Access product. Support for the Windows 95/NT version of the product (5763XD100) running under OS/400 V4R3 was dropped on January 31, 2001. Support for the product running under OS/400 V4R4 will be dropped on May 31, 2001. And support for the product running under OS/400 V4R5 will be dropped on July 31, 2002. The AS/400 Client Access Express for Windows product (5769XE100) follows the same schedule.
If your shop is like most, you are probably running an older version of Client Access, (i.e., V4R4 or lower). If that’s the case, I’ve got bad news for you: Chances are very good that your product has already lost support. In fact, the only versions of Client Access that haven’t lost support are those running on OS/400 V4R4. And those lose support on May 31, 2001. Time to upgrade! (For a detailed listing of what versions of Client Access are still supported, point your browser to www.as400.ibm.com/clientaccess/caendservice.htm.) This comprehensive list of end-of- service dates will keep you on top of product expirations.
OS/400 End of Service
Support for OS/400 follows pretty much the same schedule as support for Client Access.
The important dates to know are as follows: On January 31, 2001, IBM dropped support for OS/400 V4R3; on May 31, 2001, IBM will drop support for V4R4; and on July 31, 2002, IBM will drop support for V4R5. V4R5 just came out a few months ago, and IBM is already telling you when it’s going to lose support. Planned obsolescence, I guess. For more information on the end-of-support dates, as well as information showing you the various upgrade paths from one release to another, point your browser to http://as400service.ibm.com/supporthome.nsf/document/17623433. If you are on anything other than OS/400 V4R5, you need to start planning now just how and when you are going to upgrade.
Software Inventory Utility
Before you upgrade, however, you need to know what’s installed on all of your AS/400s. IBM has created a cool new tool that makes this task much easier. Called the OS/400 Software Inventory Utility (SIU), this set of programs takes a snapshot of your system and creates a detailed report showing you everything installed on it. Everything from the current version and release of OS/400 to the licensed software products that are installed but do not yet have a permanent key applied to them are listed on this report. In fact, pretty much every piece of information you need to evaluate what’s on your system, as well as what you need to keep and what you need to get rid of, is listed on the report. The SIU can be downloaded for free from IBM as an AS/400 save file by pointing your browser to www.as400.ibm.com/configure/siu.htm. Once you have the save file on a PC using FTP, use a binary transfer mode to send it to your AS/400 and restore it to a library named SWINVT. To run the utility and create the report, simply call the SWINVT program in the SWINVT library and you’re all set. You now have a detailed report you can use to plan for your system’s future upgrades.
Keeping track of all the software on a single AS/400 can be a real pain. Keeping track of all the software on multiple AS/400s can be almost impossible at times. And, knowing when to upgrade all of that software can be a real hassle. Use the information you read about here to help you create an orderly, planned migration path.
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