Chapter 9 - Using Banyan Maintenance Patches
This chapter contains specific information related to applying Banyan maintenance patches. It does not explain how to apply patches. Applying a maintenance patch is similar to applying a site-specific patch. Refer to Chapter 8 for more information on applying patches.
A maintenance patch contains software fixes coded and tested since the last base release. These fixes come from several sources:
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Fixes released previously in a site-specific patch |
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Fixes newly coded for maintenance and not previously released |
Note: In some cases the fixes contained in a site-specific patch are not included in a later maintenance patch. The release notice that accompanies each maintenance patch contains a list of the fixes in the patch.
Each maintenance patch is cumulative, building on the contents of previous maintenance patches for the same Banyan software revision. Thus, a 7.x maintenance patch includes all of the fixes from any previous 7.x maintenance patch. For example, 7.20 contains all of the fixes in 7.10; 7.30 contains all of the fixes included in 7.20 and 7.10; and so forth.
You can obtain maintenance patches electronically by downloading them from a Banyan Internet server. Patches are available on Banyan Online Access (BOA) and from the Banyan Internet site. Refer to "Downloading Patches from the Banyan Internet Server" in Chapter 8 for information on how to download patches from the Banyan Internet server.
A Banyan maintenance patch is actually a set of three individual patches, called components:
Server Component - Contains fixes to server software.
Client Applications Component - Contains fixes to VINES Files software.
Client NEWREV Component - Contains fixes to workstation software such as the redirector or communications drivers.
The division into these components allows you to control whether client workstations must NEWREV by selectively applying the different components. You can apply one, two, or all three patch components in any order and in any combination.
Each component of the patch contains fixes for a specific subset of the software that resides on the Banyan server (Table 9-1). Some fixes are intended for the server operating system. Other fixes are for programs that are used by a client workstation, but which reside on the server.
Using NEWREV to Update Workstation Revisions
Having a maintenance patch that consists of three components allows you to selectively apply components as needed. You can apply one, two, or all three patch components. The primary benefit of this design is that you can control client NEWREV activity.
When you upgrade a server by applying all three components of a maintenance patch, users also need to upgrade the Banyan software on their workstations by running NEWREV. Since you can apply components selectively, you can partially upgrade the software and revision level on the server while allowing workstations to maintain a separate client revision level. This allows users to obtain the maximum number of fixes that they can and still not have to NEWREV.
If you prefer not to upgrade workstation software when you upgrade your server software, do not apply the client NEWREV component to all servers. For more information on using the NEWREV command to upgrade workstation software, refer to Managing Workstations.
Obtaining Maintenance Patches
You can obtain maintenance patches electronically by downloading them from a Banyan Internet server. Patches are available on Banyan Online access (BOA) and from the Banyan Internet site. Refer to "Downloading Patches from the Banyan Internet Server" in Chapter 8 for information on how to download patches from the Banyan Internet server.
Understanding the Revision Level of a Banyan Server
A revision level exists for each of the three software components on the server. Independently assigning a revision level to each component allows you flexibility in upgrading, maintaining, and tracking the software on the server and client.
The software revision level of a Banyan server is based on two factors:
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The version of the Banyan software installed on the server |
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The patch revision level |
The initial release of a Banyan software product has a patch revision level of 0. Thereafter, patches applied to the software may change the patch revision level. For example, Revision 7.00 (0) refers to base software at a revision level of 7.00 and a patch level of 0. Applying the server component of the 7.10 maintenance patch upgrades the revision level of the server component to 7.10 .
Except in rare cases, the software revision of the server remains at the level of the last maintenance patch or that of the base installation.
Deciding which Components to Apply
Having a separate patch for each of the three components of your Banyan software allows you to upgrade the different components of your Banyan software independently. Applying any individual component upgrades the software and revision level of that component only. Applying all three components updates the software on your server with all of the fixes in the maintenance patch.
For example, applying the server component of the 7.10 maintenance patch upgrades the server component software to a revision level 7.10, but the software and revision levels of the client applications component and client NEWREV component remain unchanged.
Deciding which components to apply involves deciding which fixes you need. Refer to the release notice that accompanies the maintenance patch to determine how the fixes in the patch are distributed among the three components. Figure 9-1 shows the components of a maintenance patch.
Depending on the components you upgrade, a single server may contain a mixture of software revisions.
If you apply a patch from a workstation or network fixed disk, you can patch several servers at once. For information on how to prepare a patch directory on a workstation or network fixed disk, refer to "Directory Structure for Applying Maintenance Patches" later in this chapter.
Viewing Software Revision Levels
The revision level of the server component appears on the server console Operator Menu. The server console does not inform you of the revision level for either of the client software components. To view the revision level of the client components, you must use SHOWREVS from a DOS workstation.
The SHOWREVS command displays revision and configuration information for each of the software components that exist on the server (Table 9-2).
The format of the SHOWREVS command is:
SHOWREVS servername
where servername is the name of the server or servers for which you want revision information. SHOWREVS displays the revision information for the selected server. Refer to "SHOWREVS Output" later in this chapter to see how SHOWREVS displays revision information.
You can use wildcard characters when entering the name of a server. SHOWREVS supports the use of a question mark (?) to represent a single character and an asterisk (*) to represent zero or more characters in the name of a server.
If you do not enter a server name, you are prompted for one. If you enter the names of multiple servers, SHOWREVS displays information for every server named.
Enter SHOWREVS /? to obtain help.
Note: If VINES Files is not running on the server you specify, SHOWREVS displays the server revision only.
Running SHOWREVS from a workstation displays the following:
SHOWREVS INFOPROD-NT-05
INFOPROD-NT-05 Revision: 8.55 (0) Serial #: 2922288
WIN32 locations REV.DAT APP.DAT VCONFIG.DAT
USA 8.52 (0) 8.52 (0) "None"
DOS locations
USA 8.50 (0) 8.50 (0) "None"
The server stores revision information for the client components in the files REV.DAT and APP.DAT. Notice that the revision levels that appear for the server (Revision) and the Client Applications Component (APP.DAT) are different.
Directory Structure for Applying Maintenance Patches
When applying a maintenance patch, you need to use a directory structure that differs slightly from the structure you use when applying site-specific patches (Figure 9-2).
When you run the Patch program, it searches for a subdirectory named FIXES, which cannot reside more than two levels below the current working directory. If a FIXES subdirectory exists at this level, the first-level subdirectory is considered a valid patch directory.
The files for some maintenance patches are stored as diskette images in directories named PDISK1, PDISK2, and so forth. When applying a patch issued in this format, the Patch program skips the PDISK directory when calculating how many levels to search for a FIXES directory.
Caution: Do not copy the files for more than one patch into a single subdirectory. Files in a FIXES subdirectory have names in the form FILEx.0, where x is a number ranging from 1 through the number of files in the patch. Because the names are not unique to a particular patch, copying another patch to the same subdirectory would overwrite the files in the FIXES directory of another patch.
Create separate directories for each of the three maintenance patch components: server, client applications, and client NEWREV. Copy the software from the component diskettes into the component subdirectories using XCOPY. For more information, refer to "Creating a Patch Directory Structure" in Chapter 8.