EPC FAQs
 What
is an EPC?
EPCs are Expedited Program Changes that
contain fixes and enhancement to LANSA products that
need to be made available sooner than the
next version. In most cases, EPCs contains
fixes to Severity 1 LANSA problems. EPCs can also contain product enhancements and new
features. It is generally recommended to be at the latest
EPC level to ensure that you have all the
most recent fixes, features and
enhancements.
How
do I apply an EPC?
EPCs are applied according to the
instructions in the EPCNNN.htm file that accompanies each EPC.
These instructions need to be followed
carefully. Attention should be taken to
follow any special instructions and post EPC installation
instructions.
What
information is on the EPCNNN.htm?
The EPCNNN.htm file details:
- The LANSA product affected
- The version of the product that the
EPC is for
- The pre-requisites. The
pre-requisites can be previous EPCs or
other LANSA products or features that
need to be in place prior to applying
this EPC
- Other LANSA products or features
that may be affected by applying this
EPC
- Any Special notes that may need to
be considered
- The list of changes shipped in the
EPC. Each fix is allocated a change
number. This number may match the call
number that you were provided by LANSA
support when you logged your call. Or it
may be different to your call number if
you were not the original reported of
the issue that is fixed.
- The list of LANSA objects shipped in
the EPC
- Detailed instructions to apply the
EPC
What
EPCs are available for download?
Only EPCs relating to currently supported
versions of LANSA are available on the Web site for download.
Refer to
Supported Versions for further
details.
Can
I apply an EPC to the wrong product or
version?
LANSA EPCs check for correct product
version and pre-requisites. If you try to
apply an EPC to the wrong version of LANSA
or if you try to apply an EPC without the
pre-requisites in place, the EPC
installation will end and the EPC will not
be applied.
Note: Pre-requisite checking in
Visual LANSA 10.0 EPCs was introduced with
EPC715.
How
do I check the current EPC level for my
LANSA product?
In Visual LANSA you can check your EPC
level from the main
taskbar by selecting About and Product information
and then clicking on the EPC button. This view lists all
the EPCs applied to this installation of
Visual LANSA.
In LANSA for iSeries, you can run CALL
DC@P8600 PARM(DSP PPPPPPPPP) where
PPPPPPPPPP is the LANSA Program Library.
What
are current EPCs and what are superseded EPCs?
A current EPC is an EPC that contains one
or many superseded EPCs. The current EPCs
are the only ones that need to be applied to
get all the available fixes.
A superseded EPC is an EPC that has been
incorporated into a more recent EPC.
Superseded EPC are still listed on the EPC
pages to facilitate checking but they are
not downloadable as their fixes have been
packaged into a more recent EPC. Superseded
EPCs refer to the EPC that supersedes them.
As much as possible LANSA tries to
include many fixes together in an EPC for
the same platform. This facilitates our
customers who only need to apply fewer EPCs
to receive all the available fixes.
Are there any extra EPC considerations in
Version 11?
Yes, there are several new Version 11 features that impact on EPCs
and when and where an EPC must be applied. In particular, the
following features have EPC checking built-in.
1. RDMLX on iSeries
One of the new features introduced in V11.0 was "RDMLX objects can be executed on any server supported by LANSA, such as the iSeries."
This feature requires the Visual LANSA runtime to exist on
iSeries to execute the RDMLX objects. This will have an effect
on EPCs. Any V11.0 Visual LANSA EPC that ships the Visual LANSA
runtime will also be required to be applied to the visual LANSA
runtime on iSeries to get the same fixes. If an EPC ships
objects that are required to be applied on both Visual LANSA and
on iSeries, this will be documented in the EPCXXX.htm
2. Using the Host Monitor in the new IDE
The LANSA integrated development environment (IDE) has been completely redesigned to offer a better way to build or extend any type of new or existing LANSA application, even 5250 green-screen ones.
Now both the Host Monitor and the Host Monitor Explorer have been fully incorporated inside Visual LANSA editor. Using
the Host Monitor in the new IDE will have an effect on EPCs. The
slave and master systems must be on the same EPC level to use
the Host Monitor. When the Host Monitor connects to the master
repository, it checks the EPC level on the slave and master
systems to ensure that they are on the same level. If not, a
message will pop up, detailing the EPC mismatch and the number
of the EPC in question. This EPC must be applied to the master
(or slave) to use the Host Monitor. 3. Superserver
Superserver connections in V11.0 will now check the EPC level on
the client and host to ensure that they are on the same EPC
level. If not, a message will pop up, detailing the EPC mismatch
and the number of the EPC in question. This EPC must be applied
to the host (or client) to make a successful superserver
connection. |
