The IMS continuous enhancement process

IMS uses a continuous delivery model to enhance the most recent in-service version of IMS. In the continuous delivery model, as soon as new IMS function or support for new technology is developed and tested, it is immediately released in a PTF.

Continuous delivery enhancements are applied only to the most recent in-service version of IMS. As soon as a new version of IMS is released, continuous delivery enhancements are applied only to the new version of IMS, and the previous version is designated as a long term support release and is no longer enhanced.

The continuous release of enhancements delivers the IMS functionality and IMS support for new technology that your business needs when your business needs it, without having to wait for a new version of IMS.

The continuous release of enhancements also delivers even higher quality code, because enhancements are delivered when they are ready, without the pressure to match the development and test schedule of a particular enhancement to the schedule of a major release that was set before development on the enhancement even began.

Enhancements that are delivered in function-level releases do not require you to reinstall IMS to adopt new functions or enable new support. Most new functionality or support for new technology that would require you to reinstall IMS or that would be particularly disruptive to your IMS installation is held for delivery on a release boundary.

Some new IMS functions affect IMS Tools. To keep your IMS Tools working as expected, you must apply the APARs/PTFs specified in the 'IMS Tools' column. For a list of functions delivered as part of the continuous delivery process for the IMS Tools family of products, see IMS Tools: New Functions Available via Continuous Delivery.

Some new functionality remains disabled by default after you install the PTF, so that you can enable it when you’re ready. You can dynamically enable some of the disabled enhancements by using the UPDATE IMSFUNC command. Or, you can enable the function statically at IMS cold start by defining the parameter for the function in the applicable member of the IMS PROCLIB data set. Other new functionality, due to either technical or strategic requirements or because it has no impact until you choose to use it, is enabled by default after you install the PTF.