You can "undo" patches only in reverse chronological order of the
creation dates of their recovery data sets. Thus, if you install
patches A, B, and C with separate PRODUCT INSTALL commands,
and you want to "undo" patch B, the PRODUCT UNDO PATCH command
requires that patch C be removed along with patch B. To remove
complete products, including any patches or mandatory updates
that have been applied to them, use the PRODUCT REMOVE command
instead.
A recovery data set contains a copy of the directories, files,
and libraries that were modified or deleted by the execution
of a PRODUCT INSTALL command. In addition, a snapshot of the
product database is included, along with other information needed
to restore the software environment. Each recovery data set is
stored in a directory tree on the system device in [PCSI$UNDO_
nnn...], where nnn is a number from 001 to 999. The most recent
data set is number 001; all data sets are renumbered when a new
data set is added or deleted from the stack.
The PRODUCT INSTALL command creates a recovery data set when
patches (also known as remedial kits or ECOs) are installed
unless you disable this feature with the /NOSAVE_RECOVERY_
DATA qualifier. A recovery data set contains information about
all patches that are installed concurrently. The PRODUCT UNDO
command removes all the patches that are in the selected recovery
data sets. Therefore, if multiple patches are installed in one
operation, they can be removed only as a group.
You can use the PRODUCT SHOW RECOVERY_DATA command to list all
recovery data sets and find out which patches can be removed. To
delete unwanted recovery data sets, use the DELETE RECOVERY_DATA
command.