Mod packs, fix packs and special builds

To address software bugs and other defects, IBM provides mod packs, fix packs and special builds.

Db2 mod packs and fix packs

Db2® software maintenance is provided to customers who have purchased products under the Passport Advantage® (PA) program. Db2 mod packs and fix packs are the primary maintenance delivery vehicles for Db2 database products and are released on a periodic basis. They follow the IBM Maintenance Delivery Vehicle standard four part product signature numbering scheme. Mod packs are used to indicate new significant features and also contain fixes for known defects. Fix packs contain fixes for known defects.

Mod packs and fix packs must pass extensive IBM quality assurance testing before being made available for download. These packages are also cumulative, so the latest mod pack and fix pack for a given release includes all previously delivered fixes for that release.

Although IBM recommends that customers maintain their Db2 database system environments at the latest mod pack or fix pack level, you do not have to apply the latest mod pack or fix pack in order to contact IBM Db2 technical support. All that is required is that your Passport Advantage Software Maintenance agreement is current. However, if it is determined that you have encountered a known problem that is addressed in a released mod pack or fix pack, the solution is to apply the appropriate mod pack or fix pack. IBM retrofits only new fixes into an earlier mod pack or fix pack on an exception basis.

Db2 cumulative special builds

You might encounter a new problem that is not yet fixed in a mod pack or fix pack. In this case, IBM Db2 technical support will first try to provide you with a bypass or workaround for the problem. If no bypass or workaround is available, IBM Db2 technical support might be able to provide a cumulative special build (CSB). A CSB is designed to make fixes available to customers faster while maintaining the same reliability of a fix pack.

Apply the most recently published CSB as soon as it is released. Since the release of Db2 11.5.4 , IBM maintains the code stream for the CSB and runs extensive quality assurance testing against it. This means CSBs are always built in a cumulative manner based on the latest mod pack. This practice ensures improved quality in CSBs, compared to special builds in previous releases.

The CSBs are released as-needed and the download links are shared through cases opened with IBM Db2 technical support.IBM Db2 technical support also publishes a list of Known Issues (KIs) that have been fixed in a specific CSB, along with a download link, in a technote every 4 to 8 weeks. The links to each technote for the published CSBs are listed in the fix pack download page. The schedule is subject to change.

Note: Effective November, 2024, as new mod packs are released, the CSB is built on the latest mod pack code streams. It is recommended to apply a mod pack containing the CSB fix as soon as it is released. A Db2 CSB is not provided for defects that are already fixed in a released mod pack.