Re: Electronic Delivery - DDR or DVD?

[Alan Altmark]

On Tuesday, 08/31/2010 at 09:54 EDT, George Henke/NYLIC
<george_he...@newyorklife.com> wrote:
> I have done as you said and here are the instructions.  I have
bolded the text 
> in question.  The instructions call for selecting DDR.  Then
the instructions 
> at the bottom for installing from FTP Server, Chapter 7, Step 3 of
Guide For 
> Automated Installation and Service, call for using the downloaded
DVD image. 
> 
> Apparently, we are to download DDR to upload DVD. 

Ah, now I understand (I think).

Big Picture:  There are three possible ways to
get z/VM:
1. On DVD by ordering "z/VM System Image DVD"
on 3590 or 3592. (Huh?)  Don't worry - you won't receive a tape, just
a DVD.
2. Electronically, by ordering "z/VM 3390 System
DDR" using Internet delivery.  But don't be fooled by the name!
 It is actually a softcopy of the DVD contents (not an iso file).
3. On tape by ordering "z/VM 3390 System DDR"
on 3590 or 3592.  Aha!  You actually get what you seem to have
ordered.

For reasons that are both embarrassing and inexplicable,
we do not yet have the ability to have a single z/VM product (e.g. z/VM
V6.1) available in four different media types (DVD, 3590, 3592, Softcopy).
 Progress is occurring, but it's slow.

If you want to install from FTP using, you order the
DDR with electronic delivery and follow the special instructions included
with the order.  Those instructions have you load the softcopy files
into your FTP server.  You can also create a DVD from them.

Your completed Shopz order contains links to instructions
on how to do that. (I worry that people don't see them.) If you'd like
to see them:
http://www.vm.ibm.com/install/vm54inst.pdf
http://www.vm.ibm.com/install/vm61inst.pdf

Most people create a DVD so that they have a bootable
system recovery disc "just in case."

We are making efforts to improve the Planning sections
of the Automated Installation book and the post-order instructions so that
the above will be more obvious, with explicit references between the two.

Alan Altmark
z/VM Development
IBM Endicott