Checklist: IBM i software upgrade or replacement readiness

If you plan to browse this checklist online, it might help to open this topic in a new window. This checklist summarizes the major tasks that you need to do before you begin to upgrade or replace your software.

Before you begin

1. Use the following website links to verify that your server model meets the requirements to support the new release.
   • The IBM® Prerequisite website at http://www.ibm.com/eserver/iseries/support/e_dir/eServerPreReq.nsf has the operating system compatibility information for hardware features.
   • The Upgrade planning website at http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/i/planning/upgrade/osmapping.html has a table that indicates which releases of the operating system are supported by each of the server models.
2. Know your current strategy for connecting a console to your system or logical partition. Your current connection strategy influences your planning activities. For more information about consoles, see Managing IBM i consoles in the IBM Systems Hardware Information Center.
   Attention: An Operations Console directly attached to the system is not supported in IBM i 7.2. If you are upgrading from IBM i 6.1, and you currently have an Operations Console directly attached to the system, you must change the console before you start to install or upgrade the IBM i software on your system. Failure to do so will cause the installation to fail with unpredictable results. For more information about changing consoles, see Changing consoles in the IBM systems Hardware Information Center.
3. Plan for extra time after the upgrade to IPL the server. This task is described in the Checklist: Completing the IBM i upgrade or replacement.
4. Understand system administration tasks (basic system operations). To perform software installation tasks, you need to be able to restart your system, sign on and off, use the command interface, install fixes, change the system operation mode and initial program load (IPL) source on the system unit control panel, and analyze system problems.
5. Understand the different Types of software installation devices. The installation tasks are different based on the device type and media type that you use.

Software preupgrade or replacement tasks

Follow the checklist tasks that are appropriate for your system. Required steps are noted.

1. Verifying the contents of your software order
   1. Identifying and reviewing information resources
   2. Verifying the correct optical distribution media
   3. Verifying license keys for keyed products
2. Preparing the system for IBM i software upgrade or replacement
   1. Verifying firmware requirements for the new release
   2. Reviewing software PTF (fix) requirements
      1. Finding the latest PSP information
      2. Analyzing fixes you currently have on your system
      3. Permanently applying program temporary fixes (PTFs)
      4. Adding fix support for currently installed licensed programs
   3. Working with critical system values before you install software
      1. Recording and printing all system values before you install software
      2. Changing certain system values (QSYSLIBL, QUSRLIBL, QALWOBJRST, or QVFYOBJRST)
      3. Optionally changing the scan control system value
      4. Setting the Year offset value
   4. Verifying the integrity of user-modified system objects
      1. Verifying user profiles and checking cross-reference files
      2. Checking the QSECOFR user profile
      3. Ensuring that the IBM-supplied product libraries are in the system ASP
   5. Ensuring two-phase commit integrity
   6. Minimizing software installation time
   7. Gathering performance data for benchmark
      1. Gathering performance data with Collection Services
      2. Analyzing performance data
3. Performing initial upgrade or replacement tasks
   1. Choosing a software installation method and device
   2. Preparing for globalization
   3. Preparing the upgrade device and media
      1. Preparing to upgrade or replace software using an image catalog
         1. Determining storage requirements for image catalog installation
         2. Freeing up space on the load-source disk unit for an image catalog
         3. Preparing an optical image catalog to install software
         4. Preparing a tape image catalog to install software
      2. Preparing to upgrade or replace software with virtual optical storage using the Network File System
         1. Requirements for virtual optical storage within a Network File System network
         2. Preparing an optical image catalog to install software
         3. Setting up the server to share virtual optical image files with the client system for installing IBM i
         4. Setting up the virtual optical device on the client system for installing IBM i
         5. Using images on the client system
   4. Required: Creating a custom list of software to install
      1. Preselecting the licensed programs to install
      2. Adding additional licensed programs to the installation list
   5. Required: Accepting software agreements
   6. Ensuring the system meets disk storage requirements for upgrades
      1. Determining storage space required for a software upgrade
      2. Cleaning up disk storage space
   7. Required: Allocating additional space for Licensed Internal Code
   8. Choosing disk configuration
   9. Estimating upgrade or replacement time
   10. Preparing your console for software installation
   11. Stopping the integrated server and other application servers
4. Saving the system
5. Optional: Running the IBM Pre-Upgrade Verification tool

After you finish

After the tasks in the preceding checklist and your upgrade are completed, consider the following tasks.

1. Develop a strategy for managing and maintaining your software. For information about software fixes (or program temporary fixes, PTFs), and software licenses and license keys, go to the Maintaining and managing IBM i and related software topic .
2. For information about software distribution of supported products, go to the Distributing software topic .