Some customer interventions may be required for a successful upgrade to 7.4

Initial 7.4 customer upgrades have identified common problems that require customer intervention for a successful upgrade.

• Customer instances have been reported when installing 7.4.  Installing 5770SS1 Option 3 may report a failure because a *SYMLINK was changed to a *STMF hard link in 7.4.  Restoring the 7.4 file over the pre-existing *SYMLINK cannot be done.  To avoid this problem when installing 7.4, prior to the install the *SYMLINK needs to be removed by running the following command:

RMVLNK ‘/QIBM/ProdData/OS400/Navigator/help/com.ibm.iseries.plugin.brm.help.doc.jar’

• Customer instances have been reported with STRMNTBRM failing due to a missing QA1A7RCY logical file not being created on the 7.4 upgrade.  These situations uncovered a BRMS install error when logical files with a library other than QBRM exist on the QA1ARCY file in library QBRM.  The BRMS install process will be fixed in the BRMS September 2020 PTFs to handle this situation. 

To avoid this initial upgrade problem with the QA1ARCY file, prior to the 7.4 upgrade BRMS recommends the following:

1. Analyze the output from the command DSPDBR FILE(QBRM/QA1ARCY)

2. Remove any QPZAxxxxxx or QPZRxxxxxx named dependent files using the DLTF command,

NOTE: The exact QPZxxxxxx or QPZRxxxxxx logical file name should be used, do not use the generic value QPZA* or QPZR* in the DLTF command.

This problem could happen with any incorrect logical files on BRMS files in library QBRM. To address similar file problems on an upgrade, if logical files are reported missing after the 7.4 upgrade BRMS recommends the following options:

Option 1 - (Required prior to September 2020 PTFs)

1. Analyze the output from the command DSPDBR for the failing file. Example using QA1ARCY DSPDBR FILE(QBRM/QA1ARCY)

2. Remove any dependent files listed that are not for library QBRM using the DLTF command.

NOTE: The exact logical file name should be used, do not use a generic value in the DLTF command.

Option 2 - DSLO (Coming in September 2020 PTFs)

1. Load BRMS September PTF

2. GO LICPGM option 40 - Create distibution media and create one including BRMS

3. Normal upgrade using the DSLO media

NOTE: Remember that when creating DSLO media for 7.4 installation, prior to the upgrade the 7.3 *SYMLINK may need to be removed.