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ASCDI -- Key West, FL | Unrestricted | April 9-12, 2008

IBM Third Party Practices and Sales

Basic IBM Practices & Procedures

§Miscellaneous -- Fabricated Model Changes on Used Machines

IBM will implement the following practices with respect to fabricated model changes on used machines. These practices will go into effect on October 1, 2007.

Generally speaking, fabricated model changes (upgrades) occur whenever a machine is changed to a new model through removal and/or addition of customer-owned parts. In order to be recognized as a legitimate system by IBM, any such model change must adhere to a path announced in IBM's published sales documentation and must be electronically, electrically, mechanically, and physically identical in design to that specific machine/type/model to which it has been upgraded, as defined in IBM's official product specifications. Further, the machine’s external frame serial number is the only one considered valid by IBM. It must not be altered.

For certain IBM System p machines (including pSeries and RS/6000) and IBM System i machines (including iSeries and AS/400), special practices will apply. Applicable to such machines, a properly fabricated model change must incorporate correct Vital Product Data (VPD) in order to qualify for IBM software and service support. VPD ensures the integrity of a system, and contains information pertaining to the model, processor, and serial number of the system. As required, IBM intends to offer VPD support, including the providing of passwords and/or keys necessary for use of the machine, for most valid System i and System p model and processor upgrade paths for up to three (3) years following the effective date of IBM's the withdrawal from marketing of the path. An exception is VPD support for uve a processor frequency change within a model (e.g. upgrading from a 1.6GHz processor to a 1.9GHz processor), which will not be available beyond the effective date of that path's withdrawal from marketing. Feature changes such as memory, DASD, communications, and tape, which do not require a change to the system VPD will not be affected by this change.