HP Users Say NonStop Servers Will Need Long-Term Support

Patrick Thibodeau   Today’s Top Stories    or  Other Hardware Stories  

Best practices for safe hardware disposal Beyond consolidation: five reasons why you should start virtualizing Myth of the Million Dollar Database Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

June 06, 2005 (Computerworld) -- Hewlett-Packard Co. last week said it will continue to support its existing MIPS-based NonStop servers through 2013, despite a plan to begin shipping Itanium-based models next month. But some users of the fault-tolerant systems think HP may have to extend the support even beyond that far-off date.

In an era when commodity servers are routinely replaced within three to five years, users and consultants say that NonStop systems running mission-critical transaction-processing workloads typically stay in production for seven to 10 years. And there are stories of machines remaining in operation for 15 or more years.

HP will sell the NonStop hardware, which is based on processors from Silicon Graphics Inc., until the end of 2008. Users who continue to buy those systems over the next several years may need support longer than HP now plans, said Neil Clark, a systems consultant manager at Gallagher Bassett Services Inc., a risk and claims management company in Itasca, Ill.

"Offering support for only five years after selling a system doesn't seem long enough," Clark said.

His point was backed up by Cathy Meurer, the Tandem technical services manager at U.S. Foodservice Inc.'s national processing center in Phoenix. Meurer said she expects that many users will run MIPS-based NonStop systems beyond 2013 and that HP will continue to support them.

"Tandem" refers to Tandem Computers Inc., the company that developed the NonStop line prior to being bought by Compaq Computer Corp., which HP later acquired.

Meurer, who heads a regional group of Tandem and NonStop users within the ITUG user organization, said there have never been any questions raised about HP's ongoing support of the systems. "New products and features—maybe," she said. "High maintenance costs—probably. But maintenance nonetheless."

Some companies, especially ones that are running high transaction volumes, such as Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and Bank-Verlag GmbH in Cologne, Germany, plan to quickly begin adopting the new Integrity NonStop line because of the performance improvements expected from Intel Corp.'s Itanium 2 chip. HP formally announced the Integrity models last week and said they can run up to 2.5 times faster than existing models.

But many other users will likely wait for later releases before switching to the Integrity line, said Mike Kilpatrick, a NonStop consultant in Taylor, Texas. "Unless that box has been out in the field for any time, it's hard to say how reliable it will be," he noted.

HP officials said they expect the old and new systems will be run side by side in many cases. "A lot of customers will have coexistence for a long time," said Randy Meyer, HP's director of enterprise storage and servers.

One user that already has migrated applications off an older NonStop to an Itanium-based system is Bank-Verlag, which processes records and ensures regulatory compliance for some 300 banks. Wolfgang Breidbach, technical director of NonStop systems, said the migration took one IT worker only a couple of days.

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"It's the early 1990s when this pilot fish is challenged to find a better way to support telecommuting — and..." Read more... "It's a cheaper IT Blogwatch: in which Apple cuts the price of the top-end MacBook Air. Not to mention dan..." Read more... Read more Hardware posts or See all Blogs

Microsoft promises four patches next week Google gives away home-cooked Web application security scanner Storm botnet stages Fourth of July attacks More top stories...

Microsoft trumpets security additions in upcoming IE8 Apple cuts price of high-end SSD MacBook Air by $500 Ultrathin showdown: Apple MacBook Air vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X300 vs. Toshiba Portege R500

This old laptop: Revitalizing an aging notebook on the cheap All it takes is a couple hours and about $125 to breathe new life into an old laptop. Here's how. Bill Gates moves on Is Microsoft's Golden Age over? What are Gates' most memorable quotes? Find out in Computerworld's complete coverage of the end of the Bill Gates era at Microsoft. Five things you should never tell your boss There are some things your CIO definitely doesn't want to hear. Also don't miss the flipside, Five things you should always tell your boss. Hands-On: Firefox 3 fixes what's broke and keeps what's right With its latest version, Mozilla's browser continues to raise the bar for what Web browsers should be. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland SecurityAsk a Premier 100 IT LeaderBlackBerry Legal BattleData Security BreachesElectronic VotingFirefoxH-1B VisasHP's Boardroom ScandalHandheld DevicesHurricane Katrina AftermathMicrosoft Legal IssuesMicrosoft's VistaOpen SourceRFID TechnologySCO's Linux FightSarbanes-Oxley ActSpamVoice Over IPWi-FiWindows Meta File VulnerabilityWindows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders2006 Salary Survey2007 Best Places to Work in IT2007 IT Forecast2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders40 Years of ComputerworldASPs, Take TwoBest Places to Work in IT 2003Best Places to Work in IT 2004Best Places to Work in IT 2005Best Places to Work in IT 2006Business Intelligence Home RunsBusiness Intelligence: Smarter BIBusiness Intelligence: The Future of BICRM Goes VerticalCRM: Sober CRMCareer Planning Guide 2005Careers: IT Profession 2010Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005Data Management: Mining for GemsData Management: Taming Data ChaosDevelopment: Hard-Workin' Web SitesDevelopment: New Tools New ChoicesDevelopment: The New World of Application DevelopmentDevelopment: The Web Services TsunamiDevelopment: Web Services HurdlesDisaster Recovery: Preparing for the WorstE-commerce Grows UpE-mail/Groupware: Big DecisionsFaces of Mobile ITForecast 2006Global MobileHardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple ChallengesHardware: On-Demand Un-HypedHardware: The Shape of Things to ComeHorizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge TechnologiesIT Management: Guide to Managing VendorsIT Management: Navigating Global ITIT Management: Recovery AheadIT Management: The Future of ITIT Management: The Resourceful Project ManagerInnovative Technology Awards 2004Management: Reinventing ITMicrosoft in TransitionMobile/Wireless Leaders and LaggardsMobile/Wireless: The Untethered WorkerMobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge CostsNetwork Management: Taking ControlNetworking: Turbulence Ahead!Networking: VoIP Goes MainstreamOperating Systems: In the Slow LaneOperating Systems: Linux Goes GlobalOperating Systems: Should You Nix Unix?Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's GuideOutsourcing: Outsourcing DangersPremier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in ClassPremier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in ClassROI: Do the Math!Salary Survey 2003Salary Survey 2004Salary Survey 2005Security Action PlanSecurity: Compliance HeadachesSecurity: Proactive SecuritySecurity: Risk and RewardSecurity: Tips From Security ProsSouped-up SecurityStorage: Battling ComplexityStorage: Cheap & Secure Data StoresStorage: Stretching Your Storage DollarsStorage: The Lean Storage MachineStorage: The New Rules of StorageStorage: The Ultimate Backup GuideSupply Chain: Missing LinksSupply Chain: RFID Reality CheckThe Business of SecurityWeb 2.0 SecurityWireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone See your link here

Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT (Source: Computerworld) Whether it's in the front office or the server room, green thinking can save energy, trees and money. From the Editorial Staff at Computerworld, here's the latest thinking on greening your operations. Download this executive briefing  Virtualization Everywhere Download this white paper, free, compliments of Citrix. (Source: Citrix) Adoption of virtualization is concentrated among large enterprises, while adoption by mid-sized companies has been much slower. For these companies, the cost and complexity of server virtualization solutions has been a barrier. In this paper, we'll discuss how Citrix XenServer" provides simple, economical server virtualization for any size company. Download now! Download this white paper  Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Download this webcast, free, compliments of Sterling Commerce Go to the webcast  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Deploying Virtualized NetWare on Linux Whitepaper Toward More Flexible, Next-Generation Collaboration Solutions Driving Business Success Through Workgroup Choice and Flexibility View more whitepapers

• Microsoft promises four patches next week
• Google gives away home-cooked Web application security scanner
• Storm botnet stages Fourth of July attacks
• More top stories 

Cost Effective Scaling with Virtualization and Coyote Point Systems An overview of the industry trend toward virtualization, how server consolidation has increased the importance of application uptime and the steps being taken to integrate load balancing technology with virtualized servers. Download this white paper now!

Get Into Gear! Check out our new personal technology section -- TechGear -- for the latest on those cool gadgets that you just gotta have! Host Mike Elgan provides hands-on reviews and analysis of the stuff that makes IT fun. Head to TechGear

Detect, identify, and locate RF interference in 802.11 WLANs. AnalyzeAir software provides IT network professionals with the vision they need into the hidden world of RF, providing them with the ability to see the spectrum in a visible and intelligible format. AnalyzeAir software lets you see, monitor, analyze, and manage all the RF sources and wireless devices that influence your Wi-Fi network's performance and security, even if those devices are unauthorized or transient. AnalyzeAir Trial Software v3.1 highlights the features found in AnalyzeAir Software using a set of saved spectrum files. Replay the data and experience the visibility that AnalyzeAir Wi-Fi Spectrum Analyzer provides. Note: The trial software is limited to a player version only. It does not communicate with an AnalyzeAir PC card so it does not collect actual spectrum data. Register for this trial now.