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'''Program temporary fix''' or '''Product temporary fix''' ('''PTF'''), depending on date, is the standard [[IBM]] terminology for a single [[Patch (computing)|bug fix]], or group of fixes, distributed in a form ready to install for customers. Customers sometime explain the acronym in a tongue-in-cheek manner as ''permanent temporary fix'' or more practically ''probably this fixes'', because they have the option to make the PTF a permanent part of the operating system if the patch fixes the problem.
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PTFs used to be distributed in a group on a so-called ''Program Update Tape'' (''PUT'') or ''Recommended Service Upgrade'' (''RSU''), approximately on a monthly basis. They can now be downloaded straight to the system through a direct connection to IBM support. In some instances IBM will release a "Cumulative PTF Pack", a large number of fixes which function best as a whole, and are sometimes codependent. When this happens, IBM issues compact discs containing the entire PTF pack, which can be loaded directly onto the system from its media drive. The PTFs are processed using [[SMP/E]] (System Modification Program/Extended) in several stages over a course of weeks.
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These repairs to IBM software are often in response to APARs ([[Authorised Program Analysis Report]]s) submitted by customers and others and acted on by IBM, and are a common first step to resolving software errors. It is generally expected by the customer that the problem would be fully corrected in the next release (version) of the relevant product.
==Comparison to APAR==
At times<ref name=AmiTech>"Issues with Cognos and other IBM software can arise from configuration errors, problems in third-party hardware or software, and occasionally, because of a bug in the IBM product itself." {{cite web
|url=http://www.amitechsolutions.com/uncategorized/ibm-support-authorized-program-analysis-reports
|title=IBM Support – Authorized Program Analysis Reports |website=AMItechSolutions.com}}</ref> IBM software has a bug.
Once IBM has ascertained that the cause is not one of
* third-party hardware
* non-IBM software -or-
* user-specified configuration errors,<br>
IBM support staff, if they suspect that a defect in a current release of an IBM program is the cause, will file a formal report confirming the existence of an issue.
APARs also include
* information on known workarounds
* information on whether a formal fix is scheduled to be included in future releases, and
*whether or not a Program Temporary Fix (PTF) is planned.<ref name=AmiTech/>
==Summary==
There are at least 2 levels of fix:<ref>"An APAR fix is usually replaced later by a permanent correction called a PTF." {{cite book
|title=Introduction to the New Mainframe: z/OS Basics
|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0738435341 |isbn=0738435341
|first1=Mike |last1=Ebbers |first2=John |last2=Kettner |first3=Wayne |last3=O'Brien |date=2012}}</ref>
* The APAR may result in "an APAR fix."
* a permanent correction called a [[Program temporary fix|PTF]].
The focus of the "APAR fix" is "to rectify the problem as soon as possible"<ref>{{cite web
|title=Diff between PTF,APAR,INTERMFIX |author=Mehdi Salebi
|url=http://unix.ittoolbox.com/groups/technical-functional/ibm-aix-l/diff-between-ptfaparintermfix-4353121
|date=August 7, 2011}}</ref> whereas the PTF "is a tested APAR... The PTF 'closes' the APAR. " Prior to that, an APAR is "a problem with an IBM program that is formally tracked until a solution is provided.”<ref>{{cite web
|website=destinationz.org (MSP TechMedia) |author=Gabe Goldberg |date=June 12, 2013
|title=IBM’s APAR process provides the tools for dealing with software issues
|url=http://www.destinationz.org/Mainframe-Solution/Systems-Administration/APAR-Process-Provides-Tools-to-Deal-With-Software-}}</ref>
== See also ==
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[[Category:IBM software]]
[[Category:Software maintenance]]
{{Compu-soft-stub}}
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