The SumTotal Systems Web site has been updated to give Phoenix and Preference customers easier access to technical support information. Simply click on the SUPPORT tab from the SumTotal home page.  From the CONTACT SUPPORT section, you can either submit a support email or access the SumTotal mainframe Web pages.  Note that the email address Techsupport@sumtotalsystems.com has not changed!

Do you have a good idea for Phoenix or Preference? Now is the time to let us know, as your SumTotal Mainframe team begins planning for our next release. We have already received some great suggestions, but we want more!

We encourage all our Phoenix and Preference users to send us new ways to enhance your solution. Your input is taken very seriously, and your feedback counts!

If you have an enhancement idea for Phoenix or Preference, drop by our SumTotal Product Suggestion form at: http://www.sumtotalsystems.com/support/prod_sug-form.html

We look forward to your suggestions and sincerely thank you for your continued support.

Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 11, 2009 and join us for a complimentary 60-minute webinar presented by your SumTotal Mainframe Team!

At this interactive user event you’ll explore:

• How to write a Preference Help Screen from start to finish
• The basics and best practices for creating and storing Pop-up help windows
• Extended features, such as multiple help pages, hypertext, pick lists, and more

Deep Dive Event Detail:

Topic: Preference Pop-up Help Windows from Scratch
Date:  Thursday, June 11, 2009
Time:  11:00am – 12:00pm PT  (2:00pm – 3:00pm ET)
Presenter: Hank Hoeffgen, Lead Software Engineer, SumTotal
Skill Level: This event is designed for beginning to advanced Preference writers

>> Click here to reserve your seat today! A confirmation email with the event log-in details will be sent directly to you.

>> The following excerpt from an updated online technical tip can be found at the SumTotal Mainframe website. Note this is an update to an existing Technical tip.

You've already removed a course from your Phoenix System -- but how do you remove IDs from the user file? The answer used to involve a complicated 21-step procedure. Now, with version 8.0, this common Phoenix user maintenance issue has an easier online solution.

In fact, the new online process offers two approaches: one available through the Phoenix Course Manager or Preference Volume Manager, and the other using the GSPUMNT utility. Parallel procedures are available for Preference.

Simplified for Release 8.0.  Take a look at this improved online procedure for Phoenix:

1.  From the Supervisor Main Menu press F13 PHOENIX Course Manager.

2.  Select USERS INACTIVE.

3.  Select LIST AND REMOVE USERS REGISTERED TO A SINGLE NON-EXISTENT PROGRAM.

4.  Select a course from the listing.

5.  Press F4 REMOVE USERS FROM course.

6.  Press F2 CONFIRM REMOVE USERS (Note: a prompt is displayed stating ‘USERS REMOVED FROM course’)

7.  F3 Exit.

A similar result can be achieved using the offline GSPUMNT utility for both Phoenix and Preference. The GSPUMNT utility has the added feature of producing an audit list of students that have been removed from the system. Please refer to the Phoenix System Utility Guide Chapter 8 for more information.

Have a technical tip of your own to share? Send it to us today, and we might feature it in the next quarterly issue of TotalConnect, your SumTotal e-News for Mainframe users!

• Do you have a Phoenix or Preference project, but find yourself at a roadblock for lack of staff or product knowledge to get the job done?
  
  
• Have you suddenly been given responsibility for Phoenix and/or Preference but don’t know where to begin?
  
  
• Want to learn how SumTotal Systems can help you leverage your Phoenix and/or Preference system?

Good news! Phoenix and Preference Professional Services are here to help. Service offerings include:

• Training: For users who are brand new to Phoenix or Preference, SumTotal offers Supervisor-level training, as well as training in authoring (for Phoenix courses and Preference volumes), and writing Preference rules and help screens.
• Course and Volume Writing: For customers who need Phoenix or Preference projects carried out in a timely manner, but who lack personnel for doing so, this service will help you get the job done!
• On-site Consulting: When your system needs a tune-up or when you need to address a specific problem, turn to your SumTotal Professional Consulting Services.

Ready to learn more? Contact your SumTotal Account Manager, Christie Davis, at 614-781-7270, or email cdavis@sumtotalsystems.com, and ask how we can help you.

As a subscriber to our Mainframe newsletter, you likely have more than a passing interest in mainframe computing. We thought you’d enjoy this interesting online article, "The IBM Mainframe Base: Alive and Kicking," featuring informative insights regarding the current IBM z/OS mainframe customer base. Click below to read more:

Article: "The IBM Mainframe Base: Alive and Kicking," by Timothy Prickett Morgan