Hewlett-Packard has reconsidering the possibility of
enabling users to migrate the e3000 MPE operating system and
applications to a newer hardware platform: its midrange Unix server
line, the HP 9000.
HP stopped selling new e3000s last autumn, so the systems can
now be purchased only from dealers of used equipment. The
company had previously rejected the option of offering users the
means to run MPE on the HP 9000, but in a recent letter to the
OpenMPE user advocacy group, HP said it has "reopened" the topic
for consideration following input from users. It promised an update
in June, but not necessarily a final decision.
Moving MPE to the HP 9000, however, helps only one aspect of an
e3000 migration. Users also want HP to turn over the MPE operating
system source code to a third party to maintain, update and
possibly enhance with new features.
Users, who are feeling increasing pressure to make migration
decisions as the deadline draws closer, have been pushing HP to
decide this year whether it will release the source code. In a
recent survey by Interex, a California user group said a decision
on third-party source-code custody is their top priority this
year.
However, HP in its letter said no decision on the source-code
issue will be made until the second half of 2005. The company cited
a list of reasons, including "significant planning and
investigation" involving a range of technical, legal and business
factors.
The e3000 user community is very active and mailing lists
receive a lot of traffic. Users pushing for ways to extend the
usefulness of the e3000, as well as minimise the risk involved with
"homesteading" - running the system beyond 2006 - are pushing HP to
provide definitive answers.
Running e3000-based software on the HP 9000 is possible because
the two systems share a similar architecture and use PA-Risc
processors, said HP e3000 business manager David Wilde.
However, that conversion ability does not necessarily apply to
every generation of the HP 9000 system. Differences in firmware and
various components may make it impossible in some cases, said
Wilde. "It is something we are investigating."
Patrick Thibodeau writes for
Computerworld