Vendors mull emulator tool, app licenses
Virtual futures await for early 3000 readers

Taking a Glance at 3000s: where to get it

On a visit to the offices of The Support Group today, president David Floyd asked a great question. If a 3000 manager wanted to buy a copy of HP Glance, where would they go?

HPLogoClassicReaders probably know Glance as the HP-created performance measurement tool built for MPE-based servers. The product went through 20 years of upgrades and revisions before HP stopped enhancements in the late 1990s. At that point, performance measurement techniques of 3000s weren't about to change much. Reading and understanding the data from Glance always was the counterbalance to the copious detailed reports.

The answer to Floyd's question is Client Systems. This is the former HP 3000 North American distributor, once in lock-step with Hewlett-Packard while Client Systems configured and shipped many a 3000 sold through application-based resellers like Ecometry or Amisys. A few years back HP made its subsystem software available for sale in the market, even though nothing else remained on the price list.

You won't find a way to buy those subsystem product licenses in many places. OpenMPE ran a promotion with the aid of Client Systems starting in 2011 to help the advocacy group raise operating funds. (Website registries, servers, accounting -- it adds up). You can get in touch with an OpenMPE board member (Jack Connor was the last director to mention this offer) and ask for a copy of Glance/iX. HP discounted the prices to a more reasonable post-sales tier, via the deal that gets customers the tools and OpenMPE some assistance. "Client Systems has given OpenMPE pricing at cost," Connor said, "which will allow us to charge 50 percent of HP list for a product, with 10 percent going to OpenMPE."

Why buy Glance now, in the post-HP era of 3000 ownership? Homesteaders and owners on a budget are still working to get the most out of server investments. If you use an independent support provider, Glance can give you more data to share with your experts on call -- whether they're the gurus at The Support Group or others in the field.

Glance was once so ubiquitous in the 3000 community that providers of alternative products like Lund's suite were bitter over the single-vendor advantage HP owned. Back in the days of the 1990s, an additional $8,000 charge for Glance on top of a $130,000 system sale didn't raise an eyebrow.

You may have avoided raised eyebrows if you're interested in getting Glance/iX for a 3000. In an arrangement between OpenMPE and Client Systems that been in place since April 2011, there's a means for anyone who wants to buy licensed HP software for their systems.

Connor can be contacted about subsystem software sales at [email protected], or email to Dan Cossey at Client Systems directly. "Make sure to let Client Systems know this is a purchase via OpenMPE, to receive the discounted price," Connor said.

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