HP OpenVMS Systems

Batching ECO kits without reboot?

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The Question is:

 
 
OK, I've searched through the titles for Ask The Wizzard and I can't find it.
 Here's my question:
 
I've installed OpenVMS 7.3 on an Alpha machine.  Then I downloaded the VMS
 patches and applied them one by one.  If the patch said that I needed to
 reboot the machine then I rebooted it.
 
Everything seems to work fine.
 
Question:  Can I apply all of the patches in serial fashion and then reboot the
 system just once?  Does this in fact work?  My tendency is to think that it
 would work.  The system wouldn't use the new OS files until the system was
 rebooted.  I think this
should be true because program version information is kept withing the
 executable file itself.
 
I've not tried this yet.  The upgrade described was on a non production test
 system.  The production systems will have to be back up and operational in a
 very short period of time.
 
Cordially,
 
 
Dave
 
 
 

The Answer is :

 
  If the ECO kit specifically requires an immediate reboot, you will want
  to reboot immediately after installing the ECO kit and before installing
  the next ECO kit.  Various ECO kits do require a reboot before they
  become active -- though given that an immediate reboot is typically not
  required by an ECO -- you could conceivably batch together a sequence of
  ECO kit applications with fewer system reboots.
 
  ECO kits that require an immediate reboot typically do clearly indicate
  this in the release notes.  Unfortunately, there is no complete certainty
  that there will be unforeseen installation conflicts during the application
  of a random sequence of ECO kits (without intervening reboots) -- while
  this sequence usually works and it is a sequence that the OpenVMS Wizard
  has performed, the OpenVMS Wizard is somewhat hesitant to guarantee that
  this installation sequence will work in all cases.
 
  While applying a sequence of ECO kits requiring (non-immediate) reboots,
  you can speed the reboot process by using the minimal startup for the
  intervening system reboots.  The final reboot would be a full startup.
 

  

     

     
answer written or last revised on ( 4-OCT-2001 )
     
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