June 30, 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.
Highlights of the new fix approach include:
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.
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:
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** Windows is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corp.
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