Managing Your Lawson System MSPs and CTPs

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Managing Your Lawson SystemMSPs and CTPs

• Ron Wright
• netASPx Corp.

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CTP Definition

• Lawsons Definition
• "Critical Transfer Packages ( CTP's )" are
  individual "high priority" fixes that are
  available to download immediately without waiting
  for the scheduled Maintenance Service Package.
• Many CTPs released every week

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MSP Definition

• Lawsons Definition
• "Maintenance Service Packages ( MSP's )" consist
  of scheduled, periodic groupings of individual,
  critical fixes. Each new Transfer Package is
  built upon the previous one, so all fixes are
  included in the newest available CTP.
• Released every 2-3 months
• NOT installed like a collection of CTPs!

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MSP When and How Often

• netASPx applies all MSPs
• Give MSPs time for critical problems to be
  resolved (1 month)
• Review CTPs released within 2 weeks of an MSP for
  applicability
• Watch Topica mailing lists for impressions
  (http//www.topica.com/lists/Lawson_SysAdmin)

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MSP Experiences

• Call volume increases for a short duration after
• Issues are often serious in nature
• Number of issues and severity closely related to
  the amount and quality of the testing performed!
• Develop test plans with end user involvement.
• Test processes and programs, not just programs

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CTP When and How Often

• Other than those reviewed after an MSP, CTPs are
  applied only upon an issue
• CTPs are more problematic than MSPs
• netASPx has applied over 100 unique CTPs since
  August, 2002

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Application Maintenance Toolset

• Suite of utilities for installing applications
  and applying MSPs and CTPs
• Downloaded from support.lawson.com (Transfer
  Packages)
• Includes lasetup, appmetaload, patchcompile, and
  the metadata load and dump programs

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lasetup initial

• Used for a new installation or point release
• Rolls LAWDIR/ltprodlinegt/Admin/install.log
• Overwrites source files without backup
• Performs sysloads

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lasetup staged (MSP)

• Files staged to designated location then compared
  to program code in productline
• Programs found to be more recent than code in the
  MSP are replaced, but logged in the install.log
  as Reverted
• All files to be replaced are backup up to
  LAWDIR/ltplgt/backup/ltversiongt_MSP
• GEN database information for programs NOT backed
  up.
• CTPs that were Reverted must be reapplied

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Backing out an MSP

• Preparation
• Complete data backup (expsysdb)
• Backup of LADBDIR and LAWDIR
• Optional prep step
• sysdump ltplgt (more options for recovery)

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Backing out an MSP (cont)

• Procedure
• Backup data (if unsure of backup or potential
  exists that updated data may need to be
  retrieved)
• Drop tables (bldxxxddl UDq ltplgt)
• Restore LADBDIR and LAWDIR
• Startladb
• bldxxxddl Uq ltplgt
• Restore data (impexp)
• startlaw

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lasetup patch (CTP)

• Files to be replaced are compared for more recent
  versions. More recent versions are not replaced.
• Replaced files and GEN information to be updated
  is backed up to LAWDIR/ltplgt/backup/ltpatch gt
• GEN data not updated yet

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appmetaload (CTP)

• Applies changes to the GEN database related to a
  program or library
• Information related to workfiles, messages, etc.
  loaded for you. No more manual entry,, except
• Database changes (dbdef) not handled

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patchcompile (CTP)

• Determines all programs related to the patch that
  must be recompiled and submits them.
• Optionally creates a script to submit all
  compiles.

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Backing out a CTP

• No prep required
• Copy program files from LAWDIR/ltplgt/backup/ltpatc
  h gt back to appropriate location
• Go through meta directories (ex. Metagl) and
  run appropriate metaloadltextgt program for each
  file found. ( ex. metaloadmsg ltplgt AP20.msg )
• If manual database changes were done, those must
  be reversed manually. (dbdef, blddbdict, dbreorg)
• Recompile productline or rerun patchcompile

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Under the Covers

• Version comparison
• Version compared using the first line in every
  program file. This line has
• ltprogramgt ltversiongt ltPerl sum32 for filegt
• Any change to the file changes the chksum value.
  If chksum doesnt match the header, version
  ignored and program overwritten in all
  circumstances.
• A Perl programmer could easily write Perl to
  regenerate the chksum value

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Under the Covers (cont)

• Metaload series of programs do not do a merge
  within the GEN database. Deletes within GEN are
  performed on a backout.
• Be careful if you run the metadump programs.
  They do not write to stdout. Overwrite files in
  the current directory.
• Metadump files fairly easy to read. Contain
  prefix of GEN tables to be updated. Confirm
  prefix by running dmpdict GEN lttablegt. Look for
  index (ie. PGMSET1 - PGM is prefix)

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Handling Program Modifications

• Use the UNIX diff utility to see changes. (works
  on NT too with MKS Toolkit or others)
• diff LAWDIR/dev8/backup/12345/apsrc/AP20PD
  LAWDIR/dev8/apsrc/AP20PD
• diff can also create a merged version of two
  programs for you
• diff D12345 LAWDIR/dev8/backup/12345/apsrc/AP20P
  D LAWDIR/dev8/apsrc/NA20PD
• (merged program will not compile until edited)

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Questions

• ron.wright_at_netaspx.com
• 303-499-2338