The AIX Expansion Pack

Edit: How often do you use these packages? Some links no longer work.

Originally posted June 14, 2016 on AIXchange

Are you familiar with the AIX Expansion Pack?

“The AIX Expansion Pack is a collection of extra software that extends the base operating system capabilities. The AIX Web Download Pack is a collection of additional applications and tools available for download from the Web. All complement the AIX operating system with the benefit of additional packaged software at no additional charge.”

By selecting the download link from the right side of that page and signing in with your IBM ID, you’ll find a list of different packages available for download, including openssh, openssl, perl, samba, rsyslog and lsof. (Note: These may not be the most current versions of software, so you could run into code issues. Perzl.org may have more up-to-date versions of the software you’re looking for.)

If you’re wondering whether IBM supports specific programs from the IBM Expansion Pack, this pretty handy table can help you determine whether you can open a PMR. Some entries are marked with PMR support, some have critical support only as part of particular products, while others are unsupported.

If you use open-source software in your AIX environment and you’d like IBM to continue to host and maintain offerings like the AIX Expansion Pack, it wouldn’t hurt to let them know about it. The sentiment expressed in this old post still applies:

“I would also recommend telling your local IBM representative that you think this needs to be fixed. Customer pressure is a good incentive for IBM to get organized, sort this out and eventually works.”