Conference vaxaxp::vmsnotes

   The OpenVMS Installation and Upgrade documentation should include
   information on the Software Rollout and a list of products for the
   release -- the most recent version of this document is accessable at:

	http://www.openvms.digital.com/openvms/os/swroll.html

   Notes conferences for most (all?) of the specified products are
   available, see HUMANE::SYS$PUBLIC:EASYNOTES.LIS for pointers.

:    The OpenVMS SPD does not mention any of these products. Does this mean
:    no support?.

   The OpenVMS SPD does not generally contain information on products
   other than OpenVMS.

:    If that is the case can we still make the customer migrate to
:    OpenVMS6.2 ?

   This question is ambigous -- we (Digital) cannot force a customer
   to upgrade.  We can "encourage"...  If you are asking about the
   upgrade paths, see note 8.& for the upgrade path(s) available.
   If you are asking about support under V6.2, the way to get the
   answers needed is the same...

:    Are these products supported under OpenVMS6.2 . - Indeed most software 
:    SPD do not mention any version of OpenVMS that support them -

   That's something you should take up with the folks that write the SPD.
   (This information is very likely present in the product installation
   and/or release documentation, likely in the software rollup, and it's
   likely also available in the product notes conferences.)

    

Most SPDs *DO* state the operating system versions they support.  It's rare
to find one that doesn't.  But keep in mind that SPDs aren't automatically
updated when new OS versions come out.

					Steve

    .1
    Steve,
    
    Thanks very much for your precious help. 
    
    The right document is the OpenVMS/VAX rollout. 
    However do not try to get if from Internet at least from France unless 
    you have time.
    The right way  is a decnet copy from
    WWSMIR::nl$LIB:*NL000L*.txt or mail it from VTX IR
    
    Thanks again for your time and best regards.
    
    
    
    .2
    The SPD are not updated so they effectively are useless in this case.
    
    Soumetty.
    

:    The right document is the OpenVMS/VAX rollout. 
:    However do not try to get if from Internet at least from France unless 
:    you have time.

   There are European and (real soon now?) Malaysian mirror sites for
   Digital's web site.

re .3                                        
    
>    The SPD are not updated so they effectively are useless in this case.
    
    They become less useful with time.
    
    
    However you need to distinguish two cases.
    
    1. The product is not tested against newer versions of VMS.
    
    This happens for example when the product is dying or dead. In that
    case it is quite right that the SPD is not updated. The SPD is fairly
    binding and so we don't want to claim "support" (i.e. we will fix it if
    it doesn't work) when we haven't even tested it. Hence for many of our
    products the lack of update of the SPD is the right thing to do.
    
    2. The product is tested against newer versions of VMS.
    
    In that case the layered product group should reissue the SPD even if
    their product's version has not changed but we all know that this
    doesn't necessarily happen.
    
    
    Regardless of all this, where the SPD for the layered product doesn't
    claim that the layered product is supported with a particular version
    of VMS, it is up to you as to what level of risk you accept. You might
    be willing to accept email from the LP product manager or just a note
    in a conference but when you get run over by a bus and the customer
    contacts Digital and says that "he was told by a Digit that it is
    supported", well, we've all heard of stories like that.

    FWIW, FMS probably counts as a product that's no longer supported, or
    being enhaced. However, we've used it whilst validating ALL-IN-1 on
    V7.1, and it seems to be OK.
    
    Of course this is a just a note in a notesfile, as .-1 observes :-)