Fix Strategy - IBM BS029ML - WebSphere Portal Server Self Help Manual

– Make a copy after every major configuration (Database server, LDAP server, Web
server, and so on).
– If all else fails, you can restore from the Cloudscape based backup, replace the default
wpconfig.properties file, and rerun the configuration tasks. The entire process is
scriptable.

Fix strategy

Maintenance is applying a service update to existing installed software, while upgrading to a
newer version or release is covered in "Migration strategy" on page 219. This distinction is
important.
IBM WebSphere Portal development and support teams strive to ensure that only the highest
quality of code is made available to our customers, yet on occasion a problem will not be
caught before its release. When this happens, an Authorized Program Analysis Report
(APAR) is created to document the issue. The IBM Software Support Handbook
(http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/guides/handbook.html) defines an APAR as:
"A formal report to IBM development, of a problem caused by a suspected defect in a current
unaltered release of an IBM program. An APAR may also be used by development to
document new function being delivered in the maintenance stream."
In the case where the APAR results in a fix or other corrective service, it is made available to
customers in the form of Maintenance Delivery Vehicles (MDVs) that might be Interim Fixes,
Fix Packs, Refresh Packs, or Manufacturing Refreshes. Generally, these are considered
gradations of corrective service that is available, such that Fix Packs include an accumulation
of Interim Fixes, Refresh Packs include everything that has gone into the Fix Packs they
supersede, and so on.
Table B-1 defines the most commonly released MDVs.
Table B-1 Commonly released Maintenance Delivery Vehicles
MDV
Release
Appendix B. Maintenance: Fix strategy, backup strategy, and migration strategy
Characteristics
A new WebSphere Portal that includes major
new functionality, such as V6.0.
This is a separate installation that can coexist
with other WebSphere Portal releases.
Full testing of all applications with a new
release is recommended.
Requires migration to upgrade; distributed
through Passport Advantage.
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