IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 20, Number 8
February 28, 2018 Doug Bidwell
Breaking News! (This is beginning to feel a little bit like the CNN news scroll.) There are more PTFs for the Spectre and Meltdown (SM) speculative execution security vulnerabilities. As you well know by now, the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities have been classified by IBM’s Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) as having a “High Severity” level.
The news this week is that there is a new security bulletin for all to read. Here is the link, and we have tried to convey the details in the worksheet in the IBM i PTF Guide.
The gist of it is that the latest PTFs (meaning those released on February 22) have the as-yet-unavailable Tech Refresh PTFs as prerequisites for applying. The TRs in the case of V7R2 and V7R3 are not due to be released until mid-March (see the TR tab in the IBM i PTF Guide). Additionally, they have included most of the PTFs except those dependent on the TR updates in the latest HIPER group for each release. So the question is: How do we protect our systems today?
We recommend reading the security bulletin and ordering the HIPER for your release, the appropriate firmware for your systems, and the additional PTFs that IBM has announced in the security bulletin. Or, wait. Eventually, they will all be included in the latest HIPER, and then you can apply them all in one fell swoop! We hope, anyway.
Now, a side note: This is the last planned release of ACS to support Java 6 and Java 7 as a minimal level. Future releases of Access Client Solutions will require a minimal level of Java 8. The stuff announced with the TRs due out in mid-March will be the last release that works with Java 6 or 7.
I would also like to take a moment to say “Thank You” to those people out there who have contributed news, editing assistance, links, tips, and techniques to the IBM i PTF Guide. Thanks for giving back!
Below is the usual archive of the IBM i PTF Guide to help you work through the PTFs in chronological order:
February 24, 2018: Volume 20, Number 08
February 18, 2018: Volume 20, Number 07
February 10, 2018: Volume 20, Number 06
February 3, 2018: Volume 20, Number 05
January 27, 2018: Volume 20, Number 04
January 20, 2018: Volume 20, Number 03
January 13, 2018: Volume 20, Number 02
January 3, 2018: Volume 20, Number 01
December 30, 2017: Volume 19, Number 52
December 23, 2017: Volume 19, Number 51
December 16, 2017: Volume 19, Number 50
December 9, 2017: Volume 19, Number 49
December 2, 2017: Volume 19, Number 48
November 18, 2017: Volume 19, Number 46
November 11, 2017: Volume 19, Number 45
November 4, 2017: Volume 19, Number 44
October 28, 2017: Volume 19, Number 43
October 21, 2017: Volume 19, Number 42
October 14, 2017: Volume 19, Number 41
October 7, 2017: Volume 19, Number 40
September 30, 2017: Volume 19, Number 39
September 23, 2017: Volume 19, Number 38
September 16, 2017: Volume 19, Number 37
September 9, 2017: Volume 19, Number 36
September 2, 2017: Volume 19, Number 35
August 26, 2017: Volume 19, Number 34
August 19, 2017: Volume 19, Number 33
August 12, 2017: Volume 19, Number 32
August 5, 2017: Volume 19, Number 31
July 29, 2017: Volume 19, Number 30
July 22, 2017: Volume 19, Number 29
July 15, 2017: Volume 19, Number 28
July 1, 2017: Volume 19, Number 26
June 24, 2017: Volume 19, Number 25
June 17, 2017: Volume 19, Number 24
June 10, 2017: Volume 19, Number 23
June 3, 2017: Volume 19, Number 22
May 27, 2017: Volume 19, Number 21
May 20, 2017: Volume 19, Number 20
May 13, 2017: Volume 19, Number 19
May 6, 2017: Volume 19, Number 18
April 29, 2017: Volume 19, Number 17
April 22, 2017: Volume 19, Number 16
April 15, 2017: Volume 19, Number 15
April 8, 2017: Volume 19, Number 14
April 1, 2017: Volume 19, Number 13
March 25, 2017: Volume 19, Number 12
March 18, 2017: Volume 19, Number 11
March 11, 2017: Volume 19, Number 10
March 4, 2017: Volume 19, Number 9
February 25, 2017: Volume 19, Number 8
February 18, 2017: Volume 19, Number 7
February 11, 2017: Volume 19, Number 6
February 4, 2017: Volume 19, Number 5
January 28, 2017: Volume 19, Number 4
January 21, 2017: Volume 19, Number 3
January 14, 2017: Volume 19, Number 2
January 7, 2017: Volume 19, Number 1
December 24, 2016: Volume 18, Number 52
December 17, 2016: Volume 18, Number 51
December 10, 2016: Volume 18, Number 50
December 3, 2016: Volume 18, Number 49
November 26, 2016: Volume 18, Number 48
November 19, 2016: Volume 18, Number 47
November 12, 2016: Volume 18, Number 46
November 5, 2016: Volume 18, Number 45
October 29, 2016: Volume 18, Number 44
October 22, 2016: Volume 18, Number 43
October 15, 2016: Volume 18, Number 42
October 8, 2016: Volume 18, Number 41
October 1, 2016: Volume 18, Number 40
September 24, 2016: Volume 18, Number 39
September 17, 2016: Volume 18, Number 38
September 10, 2016: Volume 18, Number 37
September 3, 2016: Volume 18, Number 36
August 27, 2016: Volume 18, Number 35
August 20, 2016: Volume 18, Number 34
August 13, 2016: Volume 18, Number 33
August 6, 2016: Volume 18, Number 32
July 30, 2016: Volume 18, Number 31
July 23, 2016: Volume 18, Number 30
July 16, 2016: Volume 18, Number 29
July 9, 2016: Volume 18, Number 28
July 2, 2016: Volume 18, Number 27
June 25, 2016: Volume 18, Number 26
June 18, 2016: Volume 18, Number 25
June 11, 2016: Volume 18, Number 24
June 4, 2016: Volume 18, Number 23
May 28, 2016: Volume 18, Number 22
May 21, 2016: Volume 18, Number 21
May 14, 2016: Volume 18, Number 20
May 7, 2016: Volume 18, Number 19
April 30, 2016: Volume 18, Number 18
April 23, 2016: Volume 18, Number 17
April 16, 2016: Volume 18, Number 16
April 9, 2016: Volume 18, Number 15
April 2, 2016: Volume 18, Number 14
March 26, 2016: Volume 18, Number 13
March 19, 2016: Volume 18, Number 12
March 12, 2016: Volume 18, Number 11
March 5, 2016: Volume 18, Number 10
February 27, 2016: Volume 18, Number 9
February 22, 2016: Volume 18, Number 8
February 13, 2016: Volume 18, Number 7
February 6, 2016: Volume 18, Number 6
January 30, 2016: Volume 18, Number 5
January 23, 2016: Volume 18, Number 4
January 16, 2016: Volume 18, Number 3
January 9, 2016: Volume 18, Number 2
January 2, 2016: Volume 18, Number 1
December 26, 2015: Volume 17, Number 52
December 19, 2015: Volume 17, Number 51
December 12, 2015: Volume 17, Number 50
December 5, 2015: Volume 17, Number 49
November 28, 2015: Volume 17, Number 48
November 21, 2015: Volume 17, Number 47