First, there are a couple of things you need to know about the software installed on your system. Open an OS/2 window and at the command prompt enter: ver /r

You will see something like this:

     The Operating System/2 Version is 4.00
     Revision 9.023

This tells you that you are running OS/2 Warp v4 and the Internal Revision Level (sometimes referred to as Build Level or FixPak Level) is 9.023. Revision 9.023 is the OS/2 base level, without any fixpaks applied.

Here are the internal revision levels for OS/2 Warp v4, to date:

     Revision 9.023 = OS/2 Warp 4, without any FixPaks
     Revision 9.025 = OS/2 Warp 4, with FixPak 1
     Revision 9.026 = OS/2 Warp 4, with FixPak 2
     Revision 9.027 = OS/2 Warp 4, with FixPak 3
     Revision 9.028 = OS/2 Warp 4, with FixPak 4
     Revision 9.029 = OS/2 Warp 4, with FixPak 5
     Revision 9.030 = OS/2 Warp 4, with FixPak 6
     Revision 9.031 = OS/2 Warp 4, with FixPak 7
     Revision 9.032 = OS/2 Warp 4, with FixPak 8
     Revision 9.033 = OS/2 Warp 4, with FixPak 9
     Revision 9.034 = OS/2 Warp 4, with FixPak 10

Next, at the command prompt enter: syslevel
To generate a file with this information, enter: syslevel > syslevel.txt (can be any file name)

The "syslevel" command scans the system for SYSLEVEL.* files, which indicate what products are installed and what level they are at. For OS/2, SYSLEVEL.OS2 indicates what version of OS/2 is installed and may indicate the current fixpak installed, depending on what version of the Corrective Service Facility (CSF) was last used (see Notes below). Also, depending on what OS/2 fixpak has been installed, you may find SYSLEVEL.FPK (see Notes below).

In the following example, "syslevel" was run on an OS/2 Warp v4 system where Corrective Service Facility (CSF) v1.39 has been used, and SYSLEVEL.OS2 indicates that FixPak 9 has been applied (Current CSD level: XR04009).

     C:\OS2\INSTALL\SYSLEVEL.OS2
                                IBM OS/2 Base Operating System
     Version 4.00     Component ID 5639A6100
     Type 0C
     Current CSD level: XR04009
     Prior   CSD level: XR04000

Notes:

• Prior to OS/2 Warp v3 FixPak 32 and OS/2 Warp v4 FixPak 4, only the "ver /r" command indicated what OS/2 base fixpak had been applied.

• Beginning with FixPak 32 and FixPak 4, SYSLEVEL.FPK was added to indicate what OS/2 base fixpak has been applied.

• Beginning with Corrective Service Facility (CSF) v1.38B, which is used for applying OS/2 and LAN fixpaks, the SYSLEVEL.OS2 "Current CSD level" field now gets updated when an OS/2 base fixpak is applied. (See the "Corrective Service Facility (CSF), or FixTool" section below for more information on this tool.)

Other key components "syslevel" shows you are: LAN Server, LAN Requester, Peer, LAN Adapter and Protocol Support (MPTS), and TCP/IP.

Finally, at an OS/2 command prompt enter: inetver

You will see something like this:

     Inet Version: 4.00e

Okay, information is power! Now you know several important items about your system software. You know what products are installed, the product versions, and the fixpak levels. From here, you can select the correct fixes for your system.

Important Note: One key point to keep in mind is that fixes are applied to each OS/2 component separately. For example, if you have OS/2 Warp v4 installed, you cannot apply one fixpak for all components. OS/2 Warp fixpaks service the base operating system only. MPTS fixpaks service the transport layer and the TCP/IP stack. LAN Server and Peer (File and Print Client) fixpaks service the network components. TCP/IP APAR fixes will service their own sub-components (i.e., Print, TelNet, Stack, FTP, DHCP, DDNS).

Most OS/2 and LAN fixpaks and TCP/IP APAR fixes are cumulative. This means that the current fixpak includes all of the fixes from ALL prior fixpaks plus new fixes. Therefore, it isn't necessary to install fixpaks in sequential order. If you have already applied FixPak 1 for OS/2 Warp v4, you can skip to FixPak 4, knowing that the fixes in FixPaks 2 and 3 will be included.

Here are a few terms you need to know:

• pre-requisite - fixes that must be applied before you apply this fix.
• co-requisite - fixes that are required with this fix and may need to be applied before or after you apply this fix.
• superseded - another fixpak has replaced this fixpak (e.g., FixPak 3 is superseded by FixPak 4).
• supersedes - this fixpak replaces another fixpak (e.g., FixPak 4 supersedes FixPak 3).

Important Note: Review the README file(s) for each fixpak before installing it. The READMEs will tell you if there are any pre-requisite or co-requisite fixes required to install the fixpak. The READMEs will also tell you if this fixpak is superseded by or supersedes another fixpak. This is very important information. Taking the time to review the READMEs can save you lots of time, trouble, and headaches later on.

For OS/2 fixpaks, key README files you should review are:

• README.1ST - Provides installation instructions.
• README2 - Lists all APARs that are fixed in the fixpak.

The Corrective Service Facility (CSF), also called FixTool, is used to apply OS/2 and LAN fixpaks. Earlier versions of the CSF (v1.37B and earlier) used "boot" or "kicker" diskettes to start the CSF and apply service to the OS/2 base. Beginning with CSF v1.38B, boot or kicker diskettes are no longer used. The CSF files can still be copied to a diskette, or they can be copied to your hard drive and run from there.

Fixpaks frequently have diskette image files with extensions like .1dk, .2dk, or .dk1, .dk2, etc. Your browser may not know how to handle these file extensions. If you click on one of these files and the file displays as unreadable characters, you can do one of the following to download it:

• On the keyboard, press Ctrl + S (this will bring up the Save As window), or
• Click on "File", then "Save As" (this is the same as pressing Ctrl + S).

If you have Internet access, there are several places where you can find the latest fixpaks: