The Black Box Blueprint · From X-ray to Blueprint

A complete plan to fix what's in the box. Free.

For anyone whose Power system is a black box nobody looks at until it goes down. Run PTxray on one system, upload the report, and get a complete, step-by-step plan to fix everything it found: every command to run, and a back-out step for every change.

Get your free Black Box BlueprintOr book a Blueprint walkthrough with John

Free. Complete. Yours to keep, even if you never hire us.

What's in it

What's in it.

  • Every step, in the right order.
  • Every command to run.
  • A back-out step for every change, so you make small changes and test as you go.
  • Our tools do the heavy lifting, but a senior architect reviews every Blueprint before it reaches you.
Who it's for

Who it's for.

  • The application admin who inherited it.
  • The Windows admin getting by with Google and AI.
  • The team whose Power expert is about to retire.

PTxray covers AIX 7.2 / 7.3, VIOS and IBM i 7.4 / 7.5.

What PTxray checks

600+ read-only checks on AIX and VIOS, 134 on IBM i: OS and patch levels, firmware, CVE exposure, accounts, SSH, network services, permissions, logging, backup and resilience. Every finding shows the exact command and output behind it.

See everything PTxray checks

After PTxray

Then your Black Box Blueprint. Free.

Upload your report and a senior architect turns it into your free Black Box Blueprint: every fix in order, each with its back-out step. Free, no obligation, and you keep it.

What you get

  • Every command to run, in order.
  • A back-out step for every change.
  • Our tools do the heavy lifting, but a senior architect reviews every Blueprint before it reaches you.

Rather not do this alone? Book a Walkthrough

01 Download → 02 Run → 03 Upload → 04 Blueprint

  1. 01 Download

    PTxray is free and open source (Apache-2.0). No form, no email. Download the latest release from GitHub, extract it, then run the commands below.

    Get PTxray

    Opens the latest release on GitHub. Download ptxray-report-aix-*.tar for AIX and VIOS, or ptxray-report-ibmi-*.tar for IBM i. The loose runner files don't run on their own.

    Verify the release

  2. 02 Run

    Extract the bundle you downloaded, then run it. Read-only. Your report stays on your system unless you upload it. It downloads the latest IBM and CISA security data directly when it runs (plus IBM's FLRTVC tool on AIX) and sends no host data. Run time depends on system size; schedule it in a quiet window.

    AIX 7.2 / 7.3 — as root

    mkdir ptxray-aix && cd ptxray-aix
tar -xf ../ptxray-report-aix-*.tar
mkdir report
ksh dist/tools/aixray-scan.ksh --html --pdf --json --compliance all --out report

    AIX prerequisite: root, ksh93, and the system OpenSSL. curl is not required. To skip the download, run with --offline; checks that need data the host has not already cached report NOT ASSESSED.

    VIOS — as root (from padmin, run oem_setup_env first)

    mkdir ptxray-vios && cd ptxray-vios
tar -xf ../ptxray-report-aix-*.tar
mkdir report
ksh ptxray-vios.sh --html --pdf --json --compliance all --out report

    Same AIX bundle. No separate VIOS download.

    IBM i 7.4 / 7.5 — PASE ksh, as QSECOFR

    mkdir ptxray-ibmi && cd ptxray-ibmi
tar -xf ../ptxray-report-ibmi-*.tar
mkdir report
ksh dist/tools/ibmi-scan.ksh --html --json --compliance all --out report

    No network route? Run with --offline. Checks that need data this host has not already cached report NOT ASSESSED; see each bundle's README-REPORT.md.

    Open report/report.html in a browser. Prerequisites are in each bundle's README-REPORT.md.

    New to auditing AIX? Read the audit guide

  3. 03 Upload

    Pack the report folder (tar -cf report.tar report) and upload it. One file, up to 4 MB. Reports contain system details; they stay private to our team.

    Upload your report

  4. 04 Blueprint

    A senior architect reviews it, and your Black Box Blueprint comes back by email.

After your Blueprint, the next step is yours: do the work yourself, or talk it over with us.

Talk to John
69%

69% of IBM i shops name skills their top concern.

Fortra 2026 IBM i Marketplace Survey
54%

54% of organizations say their most recent serious outage cost over $100,000.

Uptime Institute Annual Outage Analysis 2025

John DeMaris has led systems from never patched to fully maintained, more than once. At Adventist HealthCare, that meant taking Linux systems to a 30-day patch cycle. Before PowerTrue, he did Power work at Nationwide Insurance and LightEdge Solutions.

Client, Linux engagement

Linux engagement, not a PTxray result.

Under John's guidance, we have made tremendous advancements in our patching processes, technical solutions, and overall Linux infrastructure management. As a result, our Linux environment is more stable, efficient, and reliable than at any point in its history.

Marlon BrownAVP, IT Infrastructure, Adventist HealthCare

Free. No obligation. You keep it.

The Blueprint is complete. You can take it and do the work yourself without ever paying us. One free Blueprint to start, for one system.

Send your report. Get your Blueprint.

Upload your reportBook a Blueprint walkthrough

Free. Complete. Yours to keep, even if you never hire us.