HP expands on post-2010 policies
July 20, 2010
Slipped onto the HP e3000 transition website quietly this month: updates on the support, firmware updaters, RTU upgrade licenses and software distribution programs starting in 2011.
Some of the information on the HP web page expands on previously-announced company policy. "Customers with a valid Right To Use license [for MPE/iX] will be able to perform a valid [3000] upgrade without incurring an additional licensing cost" after December 31, 2010. HP is ending the sale of RTU licenses -- a product HP says it has discounted since introduction -- at the end of this year. Get yours now if you expect to need to upgrade a 3000 and want to comply with HP's MPE/iX licensing in 2011 and beyond.
Changes to a 3000 for such an upgrade may require the SSCONFIG or SS_UPDATE software magic wands. HP repeated its policy decision of 2009: "Because of intellectual property leveraged on other HP hardware platforms, the decision was reached to not license SSCONFIG and SS_Update tools to customers, third party resellers, or support providers."
Short answer: "Not for you, customers and support companies; some of this stuff works on HP 9000 (PA-RISC) servers." You contact a local HP office to arrange updates to HPSUSAN numbers (like after a CPU burnout) or other operations that require the magic wands. HP will sell this service on a time and materials basis.
The good news: HP says "There is currently no end of support date scheduled for these tools." This is one of several post-2010 services HP's maintaining beyond its "end-of-life" date in about five months. But life goes on at HP for 3000 board swaps and upgrades. There's hope for limited HP support in 2011 too, for the long-term migrator as well as a homesteader.
HP has said since 2004 that it would consider post-2010 support for a 3000 on a region by region basis. If we have parts, who's available from the Support Center, and so on. So the offer stands for those who cannot migrate by the end of this year.
As always, customers that can not migrate to other HP supported solutions by the announced December 31, 2010 End of Support Life date should feel free to contact their HP representative to discuss alternatives or potential local custom support solutions that might be made available.
Finally, the distribution of HP's 3000 software -- the Fundamental Operating System (FOS), System Load Tapes, and SUBSYS products like TurboStore -- has gained two separate deadlines. You can buy any of the above media, with the proper HP license in place for your 3000, if you order by Sept. 30.
The customers who still have an HP support contract can receive these products' media, plus the last of HP's PowerPatches for MPE/iX 7.5, if they place an order by Dec. 15. HP calls this final, public support contract "HP Mature Product Support without Sustaining Engineering (MPS w/o SE)."
HP reminds the community that the information on its web page is subject to change without notice. The July 2010 update of the page seems to have arrived without any notice, either. Thanks to Google Alerts for the notices.