Upgrade to CoolSpools V6 or V7 from an Older Version

This page attempts to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about upgrading to one of the currently supported releases of CoolSpools when your current CoolSpools installation is older than Version 6.

If you are running an earlier version of any software licensed from Ariadne, please read these notes carefully before attempting to migrate to Version 6 or 7. CoolSpools Version 6 and 7 are the only versions that are currently supported.

I’m confused by the new name and these product options

Basically, CoolSpools Version 6 replaced CoolSpools PLUS V5.

The different modules which used to make up CoolSpools PLUS V5 (CoolSpools, Slipstream, Communique and CoolTools) are still available, they just now been given different names and re-packaged as product options of CoolSpools Version 6/7.

So, if you are a Slipstream customer, don’t worry, you are not being forced to buy the full CoolSpools suite if you don’t want to. All of the great functionality you had before from Slipstream is still available, plus more besides, but now Slipstream has a new name: CoolSpools Database .

Can I run it?

The minimum OS/400 release for Version 6 is OS/400 V5R3M0 and for Version 7 is OS/400 V6R1M0. If you are running OS/400 V5R2M0 or any earlier version of OS/400, you will not be able to install Version 6/7.

If you are running OS/400 V6 or OS/400 V7, either CoolSpools Version 6/7 will install and run without problems on these releases. The CoolSpools version does not have to mirror the OS version,for example CoolSpools V7 will run on OS/400 V6. No special version is required .

Whilst all earlier versions of CoolSpools PLUS, CoolSpools, Slipstream, Communique and CoolTools were also compatible with OS/400 V6 and OS/400 V7 so there is no obligation to upgrade to Version 6/7 of CoolSpools simply because you are upgrading OS/400 to one of those releases. However, please note that October 31st 2014 was the end of support date for the earlier versions and licence keys are no longer available for earlier versions.

What am I entitled to upgrade to?

If:

• the machine (and, if your system has multiple partitions, the partition) on which you wish to run CoolSpools V6/7 has a valid licence for an earlier version of one of the products listed in the “Previous Product” column in Tables A/B above; and
• you are either in your first 12 months maintenance period after purchase or have paid your latest annual maintenance invoice for the system (and, if your system has multiple partitions, the partition) and product in question

you are entitled to upgrade free of charge to the corresponding replacement product shown in Tables A/B above.

How does this affect the price?

It doesn’t. Prices for both licenses and support/maintenance are unchanged. You pay exactly the same for the equivalent functionality in the new version as you did before.

What about multiple LPARs on the same system?

We have stipulated that customers are expected to purchase a separate licence for each logical partition (LPAR) for several years now. Discounts have been available for licences for partitions after the first on already licensed systems.

Prior to this new release this policy was not enforceable because our licence keys were not specific to an LPAR, but that has now changed. Licence keys for V6/7 are tied to the partition number as well as the serial number. This means that the licence key we give you for LPAR 1 will not work in LPAR 2 and so on.

If you have fewer licences that the number of partitions you wish to run Version 6/7 on, for whatever reason, please contact us and we will try to resolve the situation in a way that is acceptable to both parties.

Since the licence key is tied to the LPAR number, it is also very important that you notify us accurately of the LPAR number you wish to licence when asking us for a licence key. You can use CoolSpools V6/7’s DSPPRDINF (Display Product Information) command to view the serial number and LPAR number we need.

How do I get Version 6/7?

If you wish to install Version 6 or 7, you just download the software and install it following the instructions linked to there for your chosen installation method.

Do I need new license keys?

Yes, you’ll need a licence key for each product option you want to use.

The software will run for 30 days without a licence key when first installed, but you can email [email protected] at any time and ask for temporary license keys, or, if you meet the upgrade requirements shown above, you can just ask for your permanent licence keys.

When requesting licence keys, please quote:

• your system serial number(s)
• your partition (LPAR) number(s), if the system has multiple partitions
• the product options you want keys for
• send a screen print of the output from the command DSPPRDINF (Display Product Information) which shows the serial number and LPAR number we need

Starting with CoolSpools V6, you’ll also need a support key if you want to install fix packs (PTFs). The support key validates your support and maintenance with Ariadne and your eligibility to install fixes. If you have current support and maintenance with Ariadne, you will be sent a support key along with your licence keys for V6/7 and a new support key will be emailed to you every time you renew your support and maintenance. You should use the SAVSUPKEY (Save Support Key) command to save the support key on the system so you don’t have to remember it and key it in when you come to install fixes.

Refer to the Maintenance Guide for further details.

Can I install it on the same system as the previous products/versions?

Yes. CoolSpools Version 6/7 is a separate licensed program (6COOLSP / 7COOLSP) from all of the previous products and installs into a separate product library. This means that you can install it on the same system as any of the products it replaces without affecting the functioning of that earlier product.

This makes it entirely possible to test Version 6/7 before using it for your live applications. You can switch an application from using one version to using another simply by changing the library list of the job to include the appropriate version library or by specifying a different library name when you run your commands. Hence it is quite a simple matter to test your applications using the new version while continuing to run the older version in production until you are confident the new version gives the same results as before.

There are some special considerations for testing CoolSpools Spool Admin alongside CoolTools or CoolSpools PLUS on the same machine. See the Version 6 Memo To Users for details or See the Version 7 Memo To Users.

Do I need to re-test before going live?

We recommend strongly that all production applications are re-tested thoroughly using the new version in your development environment before you switch over to running the new version live in your production environment.

Please note that while ariadne makes every effort to ensure that CoolSpools functions in the same way with the same parameters from one version to the next, it is not possible to guarantee this. This is why you should re-test your applications against a new version before going live with. Make sure you check your output is correct as well as testing that jobs run to completion normally.

ariadne software accepts no responsibility for any damage, expense or loss of income incurred as a result of unforeseen and unwanted effects resulting from installing new versions of its software or applying PTFs.

Are there any changes that require me to modify my code or command calls?

Yes. We try really hard to keep these to a minimum but sometimes it’s unavoidable.

Before going live, you must make sure that you have taken into account the changes specified in the Version 6 Memo To Users  and Version 7 Memo To Users and have made any modifications to your code that these require.

How can I migrate my data to the new version?

There are utilities (IMPEMLDTA – Import Email Data – and IMPADMDTA – Import Spool Admin Data) to assist with migrating setup and log information from the old systems to the new. See the Version 6 Memo To Users for details or Version 7 Memo To Users for details.

Product Library

All product options of CoolSpools V6 or CoolSpools V7 install into the single version specific product library COOLSPV6R1 or COOLSPV7R1. This means that you no longer have to manage multiple product libraries for the separate modules that made up CoolSpools PLUS V5R1M0 (Slipstream, Communique, CoolSpools etc.)

You will probably need to change library lists in job descriptions and other system objects in order to pick up the new version of the code rather than the old.

This change of library name has the advantage that it allows you to run both V6 / V7 and the earlier versions on the same machine. You are therefore able to test V6 / V7 before swapping your production applications over to the new version, as we strongly advise you to do.