Solid as a rock? The state of V5R2

     The verdict is in. Unlike its predecessor, V5R2 is stable enough for use upon general availability, says a beta tester.

     “V5R2 is incredibly stable for an early release. It’s probably the most stable release we have ever seen. I think the issues with V5R1 forced IBM to focus more on quality,” says Al Barsa, president, Barsa Consulting Group, Purchase, NY.

     Because V5R2 was rushed ahead and announced months before expected, there were features and enhancements that were tabled until the next
release in order to maintain stability and get the new i890 box, which requires V5R2, out the door.

     “V5R2 was originally slated for September, so IBM had to pull parts that weren’t up to snuff in order to get it out in June,” says Barsa.

Expert: The best new features are hardest to use

     Some of the major enhancements, such as Enterprise Identity Mapping and the ability to have Independent ASPs, are expected to be the most exciting, and the most complex, features in the release.

     “The most exciting feature is definitely Independent ASPs, but I think they will prove to be very difficult to use because it will effect your save/restore strategy,” says Barsa.

Not everything is coming up roses

     An issue in V5R1, the increased size of the Library List to 250 user libraries, continues to be a problem for some in V5R2.

     “The increased number of user libraries from 25 to 250 will cause any previously properly coded RTVJOBA command, and some APIs, that fit the specified USRLIBL parameter, to fail if more than 25 libraries are on the list,” says Barsa.

     Warning: In V5R1, the iSeries shipped with 25 libraries and customers had to activate the ability to use 250. In V5R2, the system is shipped with all 250 libraries activated. In addition, the switch which activates/deactivates long library list support is different in V5R2 from V5R1.

     “Now that it’s turned on, it will be a big issue in V5R2 because shops must deactivate it to make sure their programs don’t break,” says Barsa.

     Another new feature that might break your system is the job attribute to detach spool files from a job. SPLFACN (Spool file action) has a default of *KEEP that allows a job to continue to exist as long as the spool file produced by that job exists. A new *DETACH option allows the spool file to be detached from the job.