Try to get your critical software vendors to issue permanent keys for your DR 
CPCs. For non-critical software, it should be no problem asking it after the DR 
systems are up.

Leo
-----Original Message-----
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf 
Of Dyck, Lionel B. (TRA)
Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2017 12:05 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Vendor Licensing Frustrations

I know everyone has issues with the various ways that vendors handle their 
licensing.

<SoapBox> has to do with vendor products during a disaster situation. Some 
products will work fine without license code changes (very few), other products 
will work for a few days with annoying warning messages (again only a few), and 
others (too many) require that a temporary license code be acquired from the 
vendor before the DR system can even be IPL'd since their products will not 
work at all.

In a DR situation the priority is to get the service restored as fast as 
possible. Having to literally waste time contacting a dozen, or more, vendors 
for license codes simply delays the process. In some cases this can be only a 
few minutes to a few hours (depending on how many people are making vendor 
contact which prevents them from doing other restoration activities).

Two vendors that I contacted suggested that we contact them before the DR to 
get temporary license codes.  If anyone can provide a psychic hotline to 
contact to know when a DR will occur it would be appreciated.

We have had 50+ years of vendor products and some number of those years with DR 
plans, exercises, and actual disasters, to gain experience and determine that 
those vendors who do not support running for even a few hours in a DR situation 
before the license codes have to be updated are problem vendors as they delay 
restoring service to our customers.

I don't know if this 'rant' will help anything but perhaps some vendors may 
take an interest in reviewing their licensing practices with DR in mind. Having 
a 800 number doesn't necessarily help as there is still time involved on both 
parties, and in some cases the 800 is just a message taking with no actual help.
</SoapBox>

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Lionel B. Dyck


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