Shane Sorry for the delay; I've actually been researching the topic - somewhat sporadically.
> ... I would be most surprised if *anyone* (IBM included) has used FFST in years. > ... but it shrivelled away years ago. > ... and it seems to be the only product team that ever embraced it. Well, not really! Take a look at the following: WebSphere MQ Dumps and FFSTs are written to the following locations http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21173468 I believe WebSphere MQ is very much a *current* product even if the date of this Technote (troubleshooting) is 2006. In fact I found an even more recent such "document" from 2008: Collect troubleshooting data for an FFST problem in WebSphere MQ for Windows http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21293443 But this starts to let the secret - a real one rather than a sarcastic one - out of the bag. By examination of the contents of the earlier Technote, you will see that, at least as far as the excellent - I expect - suite of products which goes under the very contemporary name "WebSphere MQ", FFST is alive, well and kicking but only if you are not dealing with the lumbering VSE and z/OS flavours of the product! All the other flavours seem to delight in using FFST and, as can be seen from the second quoted Technote, woe betide - "MustGather" no less - a systems programmer who tries to get away with *not* providing FFST-generated material. I've never actually been responsible for a production system but knowing just a little about the principles of FFST, I thought I understood that the use to which it was supposed to be put in fact coincides with what is described in that second quoted Technote. It seems that the bigoted approach to FFST extends to the z/OS - and VSE - community just as much with developers and support folk as it does with customer systems programmers. I wonder which was the chicken and which the egg! - In support of two points there is APAR PK37060, MOVE EPWSTUB FROM LPALIB TO THE NUCLEUS 1. z/OS people were caring about FFST in 2007 at the time of V1R9. They cared sufficiently to make it that little bit easier to run by "moving" EPWSTUB from LPALIB to the NUCLEUS. 2. Apart from the z/OS Migration manual which needs to mention the change to the system libraries and parameter members, the only other reference felt to be necessary is in the Communications Server New Function Summary manual. This does tend to imply that the only products affected are the Communications Server components - although not really definitively since no action is described as being necessary. - > Have a look at the "changes" section of the manual for example. Two points here: 1. II12435: FFST OPERATIONS GUIDE UPDATES. http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=isg1II12435 This documentation APAR was last "touched" in 2007. I can't be sure whether any changes were necessary but it shows somebody cared to be sure that the documentation was adequate. 2. This is what I said to the OP in RACF-L regarding a comment which denigrated FFST based on age: >...> From Lizette Koehler we get yet more disparaging comments regarding FFST. Indeed FFST is very old but rather than trying to leave the impression that it is moribund, how about regarding it as something that was very well designed in the first place and doesn't need constant tweaking as so many apparently younger functions seem to? - > ... but then I avoid Comms Server whenever I can, ... There can't be that many installations abjuring TSO! - or indeed IP and its many related functions. - > ... Comms Server whenever I can, and it seems to be the only product team that ever embraced it. I thought NetView used it and I was right apparently as long as I regard "used" as being in the past tense. APAR OW54489: NETVIEW SHOULD NOT USE FFST PROBE SERVICES. EPW0401I is all about a failure properly to purge it back in 2002! At a recent college dinner I discussed with one of my contemporaries who had become a judge an episode of a recent TV series involving barristers - the British lawyers who argue in court - where the barrister managed slyly to introduce the evidence that her supposed opponent was too dumb to provide in order to ensure that the jury found against her client. As I suspected he confirmed that this was a dereliction of a barrister's duty. Finding this APAR reminded me of this episode and this conversation. - Chris Mason On Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:03:19 +1000, Shane Ginnane <ibm- [email protected]> wrote: >I probably shouldn't get in between you two exchanging social niceties, but I >would be most surprised if *anyone* (IBM included) has used FFST in years. >Have a look at the "changes" section of the manual for example. > >I thought it was a good idea when I first saw it, but it shriveled away years >ago. Came from OS/2 methinks. I never saw any usage of it (on MVS, OS/390, >z/OS), but then I avoid Comms Server whenever I can, and it seems to be the >only product team that ever embraced it. > >Shane ... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
