How HP views your MPE/iX lifespan
May 11, 2007
Rather quietly on the day before his retirement was announced, HP's Jeff Vance clarified what the vendor considers to be the term of your MPE/iX license for your 3000. It has nothing to do with how long HP sells a 3000 product or service.
"An HP e3000 system must have a valid Right To Use (RTU) license when running MPE/iX on it, whether HP is still manufacturing [the 3000] or not," Vance said. We noticed [the following] postings regarding MPE/iX licensing and would like to take this opportunity to correct these misstatements of our policy:
You can still use a box that doesn’t have a (LTU) transferable user license, you just can't get HP support for it or buy any HP software for it. Other than that, it's the same as having a “licensed” box. ...
What about an RTU? Or is that going to cost too much?
Using an old HP slogan “What if?” you buy an old machine, and the manufacturer has stopped making it, selling it, and supporting it. Transferring the LTU would have no purpose. So for the manufacturer to refute the RTU would also serve no purpose.Would the new owner still be able to get third party support? Or is this machine to be dismantled, and used for parts only?
Vance then clarified HP's policy on your 3000's license, which has an "evermore" term:
“MPE/iX Fundamental Operating System (FOS) and HP database right-to-use (RTU) licenses on the HP e3000 servers allow customers to use that software only on the system for which it was purchased. FOS and HP database software may not be transferred to other servers without prior written approval from Hewlett-Packard. Using MPE/iX — FOS, IMAGE/SQL, and ALLBASE/SQL software products — on original, upgraded, or modified hardware systems without the appropriate right-to-use license and/or software license upgrade from HP is prohibited.
You cannot cobble together a 3000 configuration which HP does not, or has not ever, supported:
1. MPE/iX is only licensed for use on valid HP e3000 hardware configurations.
2. To use MPE/iX on hardware that has been upgraded or modified by any party other than HP authorized personnel, the appropriate MPE/iX license upgrade and authorization must be obtained from HP or HP authorized resellers. This authorization will only be given for systems adhering to an official HP e3000 upgrade path.
The above policy is posted on /www.hp.com/products1/evolution/e3000/hw_lic_update.html. Furthermore, whenever an HP e3000 system is sold in the secondary market, the seller must contact HP’s Software License Transfer (SLT) team to initiate the proper license transfer(s) to ensure that the new owner has a validly licensed system.