Independent HP 3000 Information August 2013 All …...if the only goal is to hire newer and younger...

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App emerges after decades of 3000 emulation from Turbosoft An Australian software company, Turbosoft, has unveiled the first iPad app that will emulate HP 3000 terminals, including emulation of block mode. While the functionality of TTerm Pro is being reviewed elsewhere in this issue, the community might review the costs of delivering a 3000 terminal interface to the world’s most-purchased tablet. Art Haddad made the first mention of TTerm on the HP 3000 Community group of LinkedIn. Turbosoft wasn’t on some radar screens for MPE-ready software, but TTerm’s Pro version for Windows has been on offer for 3000s for about 20 years. “TTerm definitely supports Telnet connections, and the [HP 3000] emulations are complete,” Haddad said. “Turbosoft has been developing terminal emulation software since 1986 and the HP series of terminals has been in its Windows-based products from the early 1990s. The main feature advantage that our Windows products have over the iPad range is NS-VT support, as well as scripting. However, there is a plan to add NS-VT Hiring older developers is nouveau again Federal labor reports show that programmers age like wines, even as they become more rare Migration is the same as legacy modernization when it comes to its end result. That’s change, even if the applications that move from the 3000 world still look and act just as they did on an HP 3000. Migration sounds more drastic because it describes the transition of apps from one platform to another. Modernization — especially in the hands of services companies — takes smaller steps but still wants to shift operations toward something more popular, newer, and easier to hire for. However, that ease can become a disappointment if the only goal is to hire newer and younger programmers who work cheaper. A recent study showed that the older programmer is not only a better value, but now in shorter supply. Bruce Hobbs, a veteran 3000 developer, pointed out the article in IT World which said, “Like a fine wine, programmers get better with age.” Researchers from the computer science department at North Carolina State University have released a study in which they examined whether programming knowledge gets better with age. Specifically, they used data on over 84,000 members of the Stack Overflow website community: the questions they ask and answer in that forum, and the site reputations for each user as proxies for the general population of programmers and their level of programming knowledge. Does age have a positive effect on programming knowledge? Do older programmers possess a wider variety of technologies and skills? To what degree do older programmers learn new technologies? 3000 managers who are planning for the future know it’s not easy to find a senior programmer. “I’ll be looking for Reorganized HP units now combine industry standard replacements with Unix, Linux Quietly this year, HP reorganized its server operations. Under the cover of an announcement of a new Converged Systems group, Hewlett-Packard combined its Intel Xeon- based server business with the specialized Itanium-based server products. The new unit hasn’t reported its results yet; the reorg took place just at the end of the second HP quarter of fiscal 2013. Randy Meyer has been named as the GM of many products. Results for the first combined quarter were set for reporting on August 22. Hewlett-Packard says the combination of these groups will quicken the pace of something the vendor calls “the speed of transformation of the server industry.” While the un-migrated 3000 customer evaluates platform options, they’ve been watching a transformation which probably didn’t seem to require more speed. Business Critical Servers (BCS), the home of Integrity/Itanium operations, has been on a speedy path to a slimmer profile at HP for nearly two years. Integrity servers have become a tough sell to new customers, but a preferred See Older programmers, page 8 See iPad terminals, page 6 See HP server reorg, page 6 HP 3000 terminal emulation arrives on iPad screens All migration servers live together in new HP group for G O L B / M O C . E R I W S W E N 0 0 0 3 G O L B / M O C . E R I W S W E N 0 0 0 3 Independent HP 3000 Information August 2013

Transcript of Independent HP 3000 Information August 2013 All …...if the only goal is to hire newer and younger...

Page 1: Independent HP 3000 Information August 2013 All …...if the only goal is to hire newer and younger programmers who work cheaper. A recent study showed that the older programmer is

App emerges after decades of 3000 emulation from Turbosoft

AnAustraliansoftwarecompany,Turbosoft,hasunveiledthefirstiPadappthatwillemulateHP3000terminals,includingemulationofblockmode.WhilethefunctionalityofTTermProisbeingreviewedelsewhereinthisissue,thecommunitymightreviewthecostsofdeliveringa3000terminalinterfacetotheworld’smost-purchasedtablet.

ArtHaddadmadethefirstmentionofTTermontheHP3000CommunitygroupofLinkedIn.Turbosoftwasn’tonsomeradarscreensforMPE-readysoftware,butTTerm’sProversionforWindowshasbeenonofferfor3000sforabout20years. “TTermdefinitelysupportsTelnetconnections,andthe[HP3000]emulationsarecomplete,”Haddadsaid.“Turbosofthasbeendevelopingterminalemulationsoftwaresince1986and

theHPseriesofterminalshasbeeninitsWindows-basedproductsfromtheearly1990s.ThemainfeatureadvantagethatourWindowsproductshaveovertheiPadrangeisNS-VTsupport,aswellasscripting.However,thereisaplantoaddNS-VT

Hiring older developers is

nouveau againFederal labor reports show that

programmers age like wines, even as they become more rare

Migrationisthesameaslegacymodernizationwhenitcomestoitsendresult.That’schange,eveniftheapplicationsthatmovefromthe3000worldstilllookandactjustastheydidonanHP3000.Migrationsoundsmoredrasticbecauseitdescribesthetransitionofappsfromoneplatformtoanother.Modernization—especiallyinthehandsofservicescompanies—takessmallerstepsbutstillwantstoshiftoperationstowardsomethingmorepopular,newer,andeasiertohirefor. However,thateasecanbecomeadisappointmentiftheonlygoalistohirenewerandyoungerprogrammerswhoworkcheaper.Arecentstudyshowedthattheolderprogrammerisnotonlyabettervalue,butnowinshortersupply. BruceHobbs,aveteran3000developer,pointedoutthearticleinIT Worldwhichsaid,“Likeafinewine,programmersgetbetterwithage.” ResearchersfromthecomputersciencedepartmentatNorthCarolinaStateUniversityhavereleasedastudyinwhichtheyexaminedwhetherprogrammingknowledgegetsbetterwithage.Specifically,theyuseddataonover84,000membersoftheStackOverflowwebsitecommunity:thequestionstheyaskandanswerinthatforum,andthesitereputationsforeachuserasproxiesforthegeneralpopulationofprogrammersandtheirlevelofprogrammingknowledge. Doesagehaveapositiveeffectonprogrammingknowledge? Doolderprogrammerspossessawidervarietyoftechnologiesandskills? Towhatdegreedoolderprogrammerslearnnewtechnologies? 3000managerswhoareplanningforthefutureknowit’snoteasytofindaseniorprogrammer.“I’llbelookingfor

Reorganized HP units now combine industry standard

replacements with Unix, Linux

Quietlythisyear,HPreorganizedits

serveroperations.UnderthecoverofanannouncementofanewConvergedSystemsgroup,Hewlett-PackardcombineditsIntelXeon-basedserverbusinesswiththespecialized

Itanium-basedserverproducts.Thenewunit

hasn’treporteditsresultsyet;thereorgtookplacejustatthe

endofthesecondHPquarteroffiscal

2013.RandyMeyerhasbeennamedastheGMofmanyproducts.ResultsforthefirstcombinedquarterweresetforreportingonAugust22. Hewlett-Packardsaysthecombinationofthesegroupswillquickenthepaceofsomethingthevendorcalls“thespeedoftransformationoftheserverindustry.” Whiletheun-migrated3000customerevaluatesplatformoptions,they’vebeenwatchingatransformationwhichprobablydidn’tseemtorequiremorespeed.BusinessCriticalServers(BCS),thehomeofIntegrity/Itaniumoperations,hasbeenonaspeedypathtoaslimmerprofileatHPfornearlytwoyears.Integrityservershavebecomeatoughselltonewcustomers,butapreferred

See Older programmers, page 8See iPad terminals, page 6

See HP server reorg, page 6

HP 3000 terminal emulation arrives on iPad screens

All migration servers live together in new HP group

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We thank the following sponsors of The 3000 NewsWire whose support of the HP 3000 community has made this issue possible. Support them to support us. Phone PageAdAger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208-726-9100. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Blueline.ServiceS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .877-464-2583. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13FreSche.legAcy .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .514-747-7007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9MArxMeier.SoFtwAre.Ag.. . . . . . . . . .www .MArxMeier .coM/eloquence. . . . . . . . . . 5MB.FoSter.ASSociAteS ... . . . . . . . . . .800-AnSwerS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23MPe.SuPPort.grouP. . . . . . . . . . . . .www .MPeSuPPortgrouP .coM. . . . . . . . . . . 11PivitAl.SolutionS .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www .PivitAlSolutionS .coM.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4roBelle .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .888-762-3553. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19ScreenJet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www .ScreenJet .coM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,.14StroMASyS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www .StroMASyS .coM.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.the.SuPPort.grouP.inc. . . . . . . . . . . .www .SuPgrP .coM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

ISSN1521-124XThe3000NewsWireispublishedfourtimesyearly,pluselectronicupdates,by3000NewsWireLLC.Contentsofthispublicationmaynotbereproducedinanyformwithoutexpresspermissionofthepublisher.Non-bylinedarticlesarewrittenbytheeditor.Publisherbelievesallinformationprintedheretobetrue,butcannotassumeresponsibilityforerrors.©3000NewsWireLLC.Allrightsreserved.PrintedintheU.S.A.

All migration servers from HP now live together after reorganization —Quietlythissummer,Hewlett-Packardhasconsolidatedtheoperationswhichreplace3000servers,puttingitsIndustryStandardWindows/LinuxsalesalongsidethetroubledBusinessCriticalSystemsunitthatsellsHP-UXenvironments—1HP 3000 terminal emulation arrives on iPad screens —UserscanaccessMPE/iXapplicationsviatheworld’sbest-sellingtablet,nowthatTurbosofthasreleasedaniOSversionofTTermPro,whichhasemulatedterminals20years—1Hiring older developers is nouveau again—Federallaborreportshelptoshowthatprogrammersagelikefinewine,improvingtheirproductivityevenwhilethey’rebecomingadevelopmentassetinshortersupply—1HP sets end of sales date for OpenVMS servers —ItoutlastedtheMPEbymorethan11years,butOpenVMSgotitsmarchingorderstotriggeranotherHP-sparkedmigration.HomesteadingstartswhenIntegrityi2boxesstopsalesin2015—10Emulator speed working up to N-Class peaks —ThefastestthreeN-Classserv-ersthatHPeverbuiltarestillonthehorizonforCHARONtomatch—12Staff’s collective age triggers 3000 migration—Apairof3000veteransintheirlate60sandearly70schooseafresh-facedfuturefortheirfirm—12Terminals on tablets open new screen doors, by Jon Diercks —Amini-reviewfromthecreatoroftheMPE/iXAdministrationHandbookshowsthatthefirstiPadappfor3000terminalsincludesblockmodecapabilities—14Server replacement unit at HP continues its decline—HPedgedawayfromoveralllosingquarters,buttheBCSunitmakingIntegritycontinueditsslide—15Would you like fries with that? by Alan Yeo —AdifferentkindofUPSistheorderforatruepowerprotection,afterastorm’ssurgesfellanHP3000—16Q&A: Rich Pugh, Making Real Customers from Virtualization—ThenewseniorVPofsalesandservicesatStromasysprovidesupdatesonhowthevendorofthePA-RISCemulatoristurningprospectsintocustomers—20

The Wide World of the Web—22

EditorRon Seybold ([email protected]) 512-331-0075

Twitter: @3000newswire • Skype: ronseyboldPublisher

Abby Lentz ([email protected])Homesteading Editor: Gilles Schipper

At-Large Editor: Birket Foster

News blog with business-day reports: 3000newswire.com/blog Archived news & tech articles: 3000newswire.com/searchnw.html Voicemail, alternate e-mail: 512.331.0075; [email protected] & mail: 11702 Buckingham Road, Austin, TX 78759

Addresses and personalities

change, not souls I’mbackinfrontofmykeyboardtonight,sweatyandalittlesore,buthappy.ThisweekI’mhelpingmysonandhisfamilymoveintoanewhouse,heftingtheboxesthatmustbetotedthroughourAugustheat.WescrewedtogetherIKEAfurnitureinhisdiningroomfullofhardwoodfloors,highvaultedceilings,andboomingAC. Butamidallofthatchange—acloseraddress,avastbackyardonahill,themysteriesof5.1built-instereowiringandthecharmofaprivatedeckofftheirmastersuite—Ilookedathimandsawsomethingthatdidn’tchange.Hisaddress,hispersonality,hisbody,theyallchanged.Butthere’sonepartofanyofusthatremainsthesame.It’soursoul,thetrueselfandthepartofusthatwitnessesallthechanges. Inordertohaveanawarenessofasoul,theremustbechangeforittoobserve.Myson’snewhouseforhisfamily.Thelengthofhishair,alongwiththebankinghedoesforacareer.Thehappychatterofhislittle4-year-old,thehummingbuzzofhiswife’sfamilyallcometovisitandhelpwiththemoving.Noneofthatwasthesamesevenyearsago,andespeciallynotsevenyearsearlier.Onceyouhavealifethatbuildsitslegacyofchanges,youlayclaimtoasoul. Personalitydoeschange,butasoulkeepsyougrounded.Likethe3000user,theITprowho’shadadozenchancestochangeintheircareerbynow.Theyhaveamachinewithanoldsoul—aqualitythatI’daspiretoinmyyouth,theoldhintingatmeaning,gravityandcertainty.Nowwearelearningthatit’snotHP’shardwarethatcreatedthatoldsoul.It’sMPE,theoneconstantover40yearsofmodels,revisions,changestothehardware.HPcalleditMPEVwhenIbeganthischronicleofcoverage,29yearsago.ThenitbecameMPE/XL,thenMPE/iX.Butit’salwayshadIMAGEandMPEatitsheart.Thesearetheelementsthatmakeuptheawarenesswhichisthe3000’ssoul. Ifit’spossibletoconnectwiththatsoul,wedoitbylisteningtothesoundofourspirit.WasitreallysodifferenttobackavandownNick’snewdriveway,myCaravanloadedupwithhisboxes,thanwhenhewas19andmovinginto

See Souls, page 4

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hisfirstapartment?Wasitsodifferenttohelphimhelphimselfthistime,withawifeandtwosmallboysbackathisoldhouse,packinguptofollowhimashortdriveaway?IfeltthesamespiritinmeasIdid19summersago,leadinghimalongonanine-statebaseballtour,doingallIcouldtokindlemyhopethathewashappy.Todayitwaseasier.Iheardavoicewithinme,observingthehappinessonhisface.ItwasthelookofaccomplishmentIprobablysaw.His,andmaybemine,too. The3000usersalreadyhaveaccomplishedsomuch.NearlyallofthemhaveworkedwithMPEformore

than20years.Nomatterwhatelsetheychoosenextintheircareer,it’sMPEthatremainsintheirsoul. It’seasytothinkoftechnologylikeMPEassomethingthatcanbechanged,likeapersonality.TheGartnerGroupcallsoperatingenvironmentslikeMPEandUnixpersonalitiesthesedays.Notasimportantasitoncewas,thatpersonality—thisiswhatwe’retold.Apersonalityiscertainlymorereadilychanged,likeanaddressinanewneighborhood,orthepaintonthecurbatNick’shouse.FansofLouisianaStatelivedthere,sothere’sapurplerectangleonthecurbwithLSUnexttothehousenumber.ItwillprobablybecomearectangleofCowboysbluebeforefootballseasonends. YourMPE,yourcomputingsoul,isgettinganewaddressthisyearandfor

theyearstocome.Thatsoulwillliveinanewaddress,atthecurbofthehardwarehouseofIntel.Nothingwillbethesameinthisvirtualizedcomputer’sworldexceptitssoul.PeoplecallthiscomputeranHP3000,butit’sreallyanMPEserver.Memory,CPUs,motherboards,storage,powersupplies,networking—everypartofithaschangedoverthe29yearsI’veobserved.Exceptthatsoul,thatconstantobserverofthefamilyofapplicationsmakingacompanybuzzlikegrandparentsinasummertimepool,bothcatchingaboywholeapsintotheirarms.ThatboywasNick,twodecadesago.Nowit’shissonwecatch.Theactofcatching,cradlingaccomplishmentsoverdecades—that’sthesoulofafamily. It’stemptingtobelievethattherichnessinthataccomplishmentissomethingyou’dretainwhilechangingacomputingpersonality.Likegiftsofwiringdatabase-handlingintofilesystemcommands—anoldsoultraitincomputing—mightbeenjoyedwithless-integratedchoices.Ibelievethe3000’ssoulisimportant,justlikeIbelieveitshardwareisthepersonalityandbodythatchangesallthetime.PeoplecherishMPEservers.Beingcherishedmeansgoingbeyondreasontorevereallthatbroughtyoutogether. ThesunpouredthroughthemanywindowsatNick’snewhousethisafternoonaswebuiltadiningroomtableandchairs,thenhunganIKEAsilver-framedmirroronthewallalongsidethattable.Outside,therewasascreechowlhousetackeduponthebigoak,atreenestledinapatchofjasmine.AllsodifferentthanhisboxofanapartmentwhereIhelpedhimmoveafutonupthreeflightsasayoungman. Afamilymakesahome,whileanaddressjustmakesahouse.MPEmadea3000,whilehardwaremakesacomputer. Iwasmissingmyownhousebeforetoolongtonight,butIwasreallymissingthesoulmakesitmyhome—mywifeAbby,theG’matogowithmyownroleasG’pa.Auserwhochoosesanemulatorseeksavirtualhometocherishtheirveryreal,veryunbreakableMPEsoul. Thenaturalstateofeverycomputersystemisvirtualization.Beingcherished,that’ssomethingyoucannotvirtualizelikeyouchangehardwarepersonality.LiketheSkinHorseinThe Velveteen Rabbit,onlytheloveofanownercanmakesoftwarelikeMPEthatbecomesReal.TheSkinHorsesaidaboutthesoulofthatbecomingReal,“ittakesalongtime.That’swhyitdoesn’thappenoftentopeoplewhobreakeasily,orhavesharpedges,orwhohavetobecarefullykept.”

— Ron Seybold

4

(Continued from page 3)

Souls

The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

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supporttoTTermProinthenottoodistantfuture.” Haddad,whoworksfromAustraliabutactuallytakescallsinNorthAmericanWestCoasttime(that’sanearlyworkdaythere)alsogaveinsightsonwhatit’sliketosellontheAppleAppStore.TTermwasalreadyevolvingwhenitwasfirstintroduced.ButanimprovedversionwasgoingtotakeafewmoreweeksofreviewingandapprovaltimebeforeApplewouldsellit.(Apple’ssystemwillthennotifyanyuserwho’dboughttheappthatanewerversioncouldbedownloaded.ThenoticeisinsidetheAppStoreapp,inwhatisprobablyacrowdedUpdatessection.) Somehow,Applehasturnedaroundtheusualsoftwareformula:nowsalesanddeliveryhasbeenmadetolagbehinddevelopment.Thissituationmightservetoexplainalittleaboutthe$49.95pricefortheapp.Itonlyseemspriceyuntila3000managergoestolookforanotherterminalemulatorapp—onanytablet.NotjustApple’s. ThereisnootherHP3000terminalappforaniPad,althoughthereareanumberoftelnet-onlyterminalprogramsthatcanlogontoa3000.Haddad’scompanytookthechallengeofbringingamultiple-terminalemulatorthroughtheAppleiOSdevelopmentrigors,aswellasgettingitsoldintheonlyplaceyoucanbuyaniOSapp.That’savendor-controlledstore.ThismonthaUScourtthrewoutalawsuitagainstApple,onethatclaimedthevendorshouldnotlimitiOScustomerstobuyingappsthroughtheAppStore. Haddadhasnothingtodowiththesuit,butdidcommentonhowtheWindowsversionofTTermgavehiscompanynoadvantageincreatinganiOSrelease. “We’vebeendevelopingtheappforwhatfeelslikeforever,”hesaid.“We’vespentalotonit.Appleisnottheeasiestcompanytodevelopsoftwarefor.WithAppleweprettymuchhadtostartfromscratch.They’reveryfirmaboutthat.Youcan’ttake

thecodethatyou’regotandputitontoaniPad.It’sjustnotpossible.” Inthesummerof2010wereportedonanotherterminalemulatorthatwasgoingtoappearontheiPad,butthatprojectdidn’tcometofruition.Haddad’sinsight—likeconfirmingthatit’sbetweentwoandthreeweeksfromreleasetoAppletotheupdateavailability—showshowtoughsomeappscanbetocraft.

AbouttheonlyothersoftwaredeveloperintheMPEcommunitywho’sshownthestaminatoreleaseaniOSappisAllegroConsultants.

ItsiAdminappiscoupledwithaback-endservicetotrackcrucialsystemdatalikeCPUuseanddiskcapacity,amongothermarkers. Inadditiontoits2392,700/94and700/92emulation,TTermProemulatesterminalsfrom20othervendors.Someofthesevendorshavenotshippedsystemsintwodecades:Stratus,SiemensNixdorfandTelevideocomeuponthesupportedterminalslist. ThisisaniPadversionofa$125

Windows7product,soperhapsthisappisnotaspriceyasitmightseemcomparedtoa99-centAngryBirds,oreventhetop-notchPDFreader,annotator,andfilerGoodReadersellingat$4.99.It’sasimilar

situationthatStromasysistacklingwithitsHP3000hardwarevirtualizer,CHARONHPA/3000.JustlikeLouisC.K.jokesinhiscomedyroutineaboutin-flightWiFi,themiracleoftheseproductsisgettingoverlookedbyouralteredrealityaboutsoftwarevalue. ThisvalueissueisalsothedilemmatheHP3000facedatHewlett-Packard,aftercommoditysystemsentereditspricelist.Loweringapricecanbeawaytolowertheperceptionofvalue.HPcarriedtheholdingupofitspricingtoanextremethatflattenedcustomerbasegrowth. ButlikegettinganiOSprogramwrittenandupdatedintheAppStore,keepinga3000’svalueinlinewith2013expectationsistricky.Thatis,untilyouhearLouisC.K.shoutaboutoverlookedmagic—likea40-year-oldOSbuiltwellenoughtocontinuerunningcompanies,firmswhichwanttousetheirsystemviaaniPad.

6 The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

iPad terminals(Continued from page 1)

HP server reorg(Continued from page 1)

Turbosoft took the challenge of bringing a

multiple-terminal emulator through the Apple iOS development rigors

pathforexistingcompaniesthathavealotinvestedalreadyinHP’sUnix. Obviously,the3000sitewhichhasn’tmadeamoveyetwon’thavemuchinvestedinHP-UXorIntegrity.ButthatcompanymayalreadyhaveoperationselsewherethatuseIntegrityboxes.ThatmaybetheplacewhereIntegritycanstillclaimsomefreshdatacenterrealestate,butthosewon’tbenewcustomers. HPstartedtalkingtoIntegritycustomersaboutthisatitsHPDiscovereventthissummer.ThatmessagewasbrimmingwithmoredetailonthelevelofmanagementchangeinsideHewlett-Packard’sservergroup. InanotetoNonStopusers(alsocaptivetotheIntegrityline),VPandGMofIntegrityServersRandyMeyersaidHP’scompressionofservershasnoimpactonitslevelofcommitment. “WeareanimportantpartoftheHPServerorganization,andwe’llcontinuetodeliverthequalityandvaluethatyoudependupontorunyourbusiness,”theletterstates. It’salltrue,butaNonStopcustomerhasnowseenWinstonPrather(longago,theHP3000GM)leaveNonStop,andthentherecently-promotedRicLewisdepartasNonStopGM.Lewis“hasmovedup,buthe’snotmovingveryfar.HestillownstheNonStopbusiness,andisstilldeeplyinvestedinitssuccess,”Meyerreported. EvenasaonesliceofHP’sserverindustry,HP’spackedalotofbusinessinthere.“WithinEnterpriseServers,wehavecreatedanIntegrityServersbusinessfocusedonHP’smissioncriticalportfolioincludeNonStopsystems,Integrityserver,andHP-UXandOpenVMSoperatingenvironments.” Thisisabetterexplanationofthewhatthemarket’sspeedytransformationproduces:fewermanagers,combinedresourcesandoperations,andasinglelineontheHPquarterlyreport.ItnowsaysIntegrityServers,notBCS.NowHP’sresizingitandaligningitwiththerestofitsenterpriseserverofferingsthatuseapopularIntelarchitecture.WhenthesewereIndustryStandardandServersandBusinessCriticalSystems,BCStooktheheat.ThewordIntegritywillnowsupplantBCS.

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7The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

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acoupleofexperiencedHP3000MPEresourcesverysoon,”saidoneITdirectorrecently,“andIknowtheywon’tbeeasytofind.Beenthereanddonethat.” AttheStackOverflowsite,youngerprogrammersdemonstratedashorterrangeofknowledge,askedandansweredquestionsaboutanarrowersetoftopics,andevenscoredlowerthanprogrammersintheir30saboutnouveautopicssuchasiOSandWindowsPhone7. “Basedonallthis,onecanconcludethatasprogrammersgetolder,theygetbetter;theyknowmoreaboutmoreprogrammingtopics,andtheylearnnewtechnologiesjustaswellifnotbetter,thantheiryoungercounterparts.Takethat,whippersnappers!” Thisisadevelopment,sotospeak,thatrunscountertooneofthedrivingmantrasofmigrationandmodernization:older

technicalchoices,andthehumanresourcesthatunderstandthem,aremorecostly,becausetheseprogrammersarehardertofind.Asitturnsout,thevalueinaprogrammeriscorrelatedwithknowledgeratherthanage.ButthegurusatplaceslikeGartneraredeliveringadifferentmessage. InabriefingonhowITchangedaftertheeconomicdownturnof2008,VPDaleVecchioadvisedITmanagerstocontrolcostsbylookingatacalendarofbirthdays. “Organizationsaredependentonanagingworkforcetodelivertheir

applications.It’sbecomeoneofthesinglebiggestdriverswe’veseen.WerecommendthatyouaskHRtoprovideachartofretirementdatesforspecificjobtitles.Tellthem,‘Idon’tcarewhothepersonis;justletmeunderstandwhentheseretirementsarelikelytooccur.’It’saboutmanaging

8 The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

The forgery above represents 100+ man-years VPLUS experience, and a decade-plus doing screen migrations and conversions. EZV is ScreenJet’s third-generation VPLUS toolset, and enshrines the “lift and shift is best” principle. Retraining dozens, hundreds, or possibly thousands of users can introduce a level of risk and cost that can rapidly exceed those of major parts of the migration itself. With EZV we have recreated the VPLUS UI exactly, including all features, bugs, and eccentricities that applications rely on. The aim is that users should have no idea that the underlying hardware and operating system have changed. Whilst keeping the UI the same, the underlying technology is based on “open” structured XML, and maintenance is via a new .NET EZV Designer formspec replacement product. We don’t “do” migrations at ScreenJet, so EZV has been designed to interface with any language, database or other migration technologies you choose. EZV is the only VPLUS migration technology that is also available for the HP3000, so you can test and prove it — before you migrate another line of code.

Imitation, the sincerest form of Philately?

www.screenjet.com [email protected] + 44 1684 291710Or speak to an HP Migration Partner

Older developers(Continued from page 1)

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9The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

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thisskillschallenge,managingtheretirementsofBabyBoomers.” Understand,Vecchioisn’tcrazyenoughtopresumethatthetechnologiesrunningmodernbusiness—techthat’sanythingbutnouveau—shouldbereplaced.No,COBOLwillalwaysleadbusinesstechchoices,itseems,inenterprisesettings.Butlocalschoolsshouldbeencouragedtotrainyoungprogrammersinelderskills. “Webelieveorganizationsmustengagewiththesecondaryeducationinstitutions,tohelpsupportthesedecliningskillswherenecessary.Youneedtotellthoseinstitutions,‘Ifyoutrain‘em,we’llhire‘em.’“ ItmightbeeasiertohireyoungerITpros,butthatwon’tmakethemasproductiveorasexperiencedastheolderprogrammerwho’sbecominghardertofind.Allprogrammersseemtobecomeelusiveafter50,notjustthoseschooledinMPEskills.Vecchiosuggestedthatthesolutionistoprocurefortheyoungerprogrammerabetterdevelopmenttoolkit.“Therearedevelopmentenvironmentstohelpimprovetheproductivityofyourexistingworkforce—tohelpyoumanagemorechangewithpotentiallyfewerpeopleastheyinevitablyretire.” Buttheapplicationsarenotretiringsoonenoughtomakeadifference.EvenHP-branded3000hardwareisbeingpurchasedtokeeptheappsrunning.AnITmanageratonemarketingcompanyintheNortheastsaid,“WearemovingtoanHP3000N4000-400-750box,whichisbeingbuiltwithaXP12000diskarraysubsystem.OurbackupHP3000willbetheN4000-400-500withaXP12000diskarraysubsystem—ourcurrentproductionmachine.” Olderprogrammersbestunderstandtheapplicationsinplaceonsystemswhicharemodernizationtargets.Notbecausetheywereonhandtodocumentbuildingtheapps.Thewisdomofinterviewingusersanddevelopingtoneedsishardtoreplicatewithouttheyearsofexperience.Ifyouseeanolderprogrammeravailable,seizeonthechancetoemploythem.TheUSBureauofLaborStatisticsshowsthemedianageofaprogrammeratabout42yearsold. PhilJohnson,whowrotethearticlesforITWorld,sumsitup:“Justbecauseaguyfindshimselfgettingupmoreinthemiddleofthenighttogotothebathroomdoesn’tmeanhecan’tstillknockoutakilleriPhoneappforyou.Hejustmayneedtotakeafewnapsalongtheway.”

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HP sets end of sales for OpenVMS serversVendor to halt sales for Integrity i2 at end of 2015,

launching another enterprise migration era

Ittookmorethan11extrayears,butHPfinallybegantoswingtheaxeonOpenVMS,itsnexttolastHP-craftedOSforgeneralbusinesscomputing.CustomersintheDECworldweregivenapassfortheirOSontotheItaniumarchitecturein2001.ThatroadtoItaniumwasarouteHPblockedwhenitstartedtoenditsMPEbusiness.ButtheOpenVMScustomerbasewilldieHP’sdeathofdozensofcuts,beginningwiththecuttingoffIntegrityi2serversalesfortheOSatthecloseof2015. Oneyearlater,ifHPkeepstoitsplan,thevendorwillendsalesofserverupgradesfortheonlycomputerthatrunsOpenVMS,.ThiswillstarttheerathattheHP3000enteredin2004,whennewhardwareupgradesstopped.TheOpenVMSstrategywasannouncedinaletterinJune. TheHPmovealsoextendsthemigrationexperiencefromtheHP3000customertoOpenVMSsites.VMShasservedevenlongerthanMPE/iXcouldboastonthedayHPpulledthevendor’scorporate3000plug. “Forover35years,theOpenVMSoperatingenvironmenthasservedasamission-criticalplatformuponwhichyouhavebuiltyourITinfrastructure.WedeeplyappreciateourlongpartnershipandalsotheloyaltyyouhaveshownHPduringthistime.” HPcoucheditsnewsinthecloakofa“Mission-criticalRoadmapUpdate,”andthevendorusedphraseslike“atleast”infrontofdatesforendingserversales.Butan8.5versionofOpenVMSisnotonHP’smap,justlikeanMPE/iX8.0evaporatedfromHewlett-Packardfuturesslidesin2001.TheequivalentofOpenVMS8.5isneededtosupportthePoulsonclassofItaniumchips,processorsHPwilluseinitsforthcomingIntegrityi4businessservers. ForthemostloyalandpatientOpenVMScustomers—whoviewmigratingtheirproprietarysystemsaskindlyas3000folkdid—HPwillcontinuesupportingIntegrityi2serverhardwarebeyondtheendofsales,throughtheendof2020.ThatyearalignswiththeonethatwaspickedbyHP’sexpertwitnesswhentestifyinghowlongItaniumwillremainanHPrevenuegenerator. HPappearstohavelearnedsomethingfromthe3000marketwhileendingabusinessline.OpenVMSuserswillgetmorethansixyearsofcontinuedHPsupport—longerthanthefivethatHPfirstimaginedwhenitcurtaileditsMPEbusiness.HPhasalsokeptthedooropenforextrayearsofsupport,thesamekindoferaMPE/iXearnedin2007through2010. TheOpenVMSmoveleavesjustoneHP-created,generalpurposeOSrunningonItaniumboxes,HP-UX.(NonStop,acquiredfromTandeminanacquisition,isaimedatamuchnarrowerpurpose.)LikeHP’sUnix,OpenVMSserverscomefromtheembattledBusinessCriticalSystemsgroup,wheretheHP3000livedoutitsremainingHPdays.HPhaspromisedmoreremainingsalescyclesforVMSserversthanthe3000serversgot,butonlybyafewmonths.VMSonIntegritywillserveout“atleast”aremaining30monthsonHPpricelists;the3000got24extramonthlysalescycles. HP’snodtocustomerloyaltyinaletterfromRicLewis,GMfortheEnterpriseServersBusiness,wasanechooftheletterHPsenttoitsMPEsitesin2001.TheOpenVMSuserhasoneadvantageintheadventoftheirhomesteadingera.TheirOSalreadyhasthebenefitofanemulatorcompanythat’smakinganicelivingintheDECmarketplace.Stromasyshas5,000installationsin50countriesrunningitsCHARONproducts

forVaxandVMS.However,theroadisn’tyetclearedforanycompanytoofferanemulatorthatputsIntegrityontoIntelchipsinthesamewayCHARONdoeswithPA-RISC. Onemajordifferencefromthe3000wind-down:HPbrokethisnewsinthemiddleofitsannualHPDiscovershow.PlentyofdamagecontrolwasonhandinLasVegas.HP’sreachingouttosupportitsless-independentOpenVMScustomerswitha“highlevel”ofsupportaslongasacompanywantstopayHewlett-Packard.Thevendorisalsoequatingtransitionwithhomesteadingsupport,thesamekindofmisunderstandingitheldfor3000customers. “WewillcontinuetoprovideahighlevelofsupporttoyouthroughthelifetimeofyourOpenVMSenvironment,”HP’slettersaid.“Wehaveafullportfolioofservers,software,andsolutions,

includingsupportfortransitionstoNonStop,HP-UX,Linux,andWindowsenvironments.” NoneofthoseenvironmentshavemuchtoofferthatwillmakeOpenVMStransitionslesspainful,butit’spossiblethatHewlett-PackardtooksomeHP3000lessonstoheart.Thatwouldmeanthatvendor-suppliedtransitiontoolswillleadthewayinthemarketplace.

ButwhomightmovefromoneHPproprietaryOStoanother?JustaskthecompanieswhichfoundreplacementHP-UXappsfortheirMPE/iXapplicationsoverthelast11years. Hewlett-Packarddoesn’tconsidertheseproductsproprietary,eventhoughcustomerecosystemshavegrowndeepsoftwarerootsintotheoperatingsystems’remarkableengineering.There’snosignificantprofitthatHPcanmakeinsellingtheserversforOpenVMS,HP-UXandNonStop.There’splentyofsupportprofit,astherewasforMPE/iX.SoforatleastfiveyearsafterthelastIntegrityOpenVMSserverissoldfromHP,thevendorwillcollectsupportpayments.Thiswouldalignonthefive-yearmarkHPthatsettleduponforthe3000.Salesendedin2003,andHP’sformalandfullsupport—includingtheMPE/iXlab—shutdowninDecemberof2008. HPcalledtheOpenVMSupdate“arolling(uptothree-year)roadmapandissubjecttochangewithoutnotice.”HPpromised—intheroadmap’sfineprint—thatwhatit’snowcallingStandardSupportforOpenVMSwon’tbeendedunlessacustomerisgiven24monthsnotice.

VMS community responds,while 3000s remain ahead on licenses AnyrevoltandrallymightbeginwiththeOpenVMSBootCampthisfall,butthatwasneverameetingthatincludedvastexhibitsandthousandsofcustomersonhand.TheCampisthemostVMS-centriceventoftheyear,however. What’sdifferentabouttheshutdownoftheOpenVMSoperationsatHewlett-Packard,versusthetaleofthelastdecadeforthe3000?Manymomentsandpassionsaresimilar.Slideswhichwerenotevensixmonthsold(liketheoneonthefacingpage)foretoldofnothingbutclearsailing.ButgivenHP’s11yearsofextraembraceforVMSbeyondthe3000sayonara,thingsmaybekinderfortheVMSacolytes,theoneswhosefaithHPpraisedinitsexitletter.Justlikethe3000odysseyofthepreviousdecade,HPwasassuringtheVMSuserinslidedecksdatedasrecentlyasDecember. “DespiteOracle’sannouncementtodiscontinueallsoftwaredevelopmentontheIntelItaniummicroprocessor,weremaincommittedtosupportingyouandyourITenvironment.WewillcontinuetosupportOpenVMSonTukwila-basedandPoulson-basedIntegritysystemsbeyondthenextdecade.”Butthosewill

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11The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

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bealready-soldIntegritysystems. Withinadayofpostingtheletter,theVMScommunitywastryingtoorganizeanefforttogettheoperatingsystemsourcecodefromHP,re-licensedasopensource.Perhapstheydidn’ttakemuchheedofthe7-yearquestbyOpenMPEtowintherightstoMPE/iX. “IstherenoonewhocanfreeVMSfromHP?”askedonememberonthecomp.os.vmsnewsgroup.AnothermemberrepliedwithanupdatefromthegroupdevotedtoRdb,theDigitaldatabaseasvitaltoVMSasIMAGEistoMPE.HewantedtodealwithDigitalpeopleinplacebeforeacontroversialCEOservedupthefirstmerger,toCompaq. UpontheRdblist,KeithParrisraisedthepossibilityofHPopen-sourcingVMS.“WhileIwouldpreferVMStocomefromDECbefore[formerCEORobert]Palmer,thatisnolongeranoption.Ifdonecorrectly,anopen-sourceVMSmightbebetterthannoVMS.PerhapsHPshouldpayapeanuts-scalesalaryof,say,$150,000sothatsomeonecancoordinatethisfulltime.” HPgotbadgeredintoreleasingMPE/iXsourcetoaselectgroupoflicensees,whocannotimproveuponthe7.5releasebutusetheircodetocreateworkaroundsandpatches.However,theVMSpeoplecanlooktotheadvantageofathrivingemulatorcompanyforanyDigitalVMSimplementationswhichrunonolder,non-Itaniumservers.Thetechissueshavebeenlong-solvedforCHARONforVMS,buttherearelicensingissuesthattheDigitaluserwillneedtomanageforthemselves. Here’swheretheHP3000communityisadecadeaheadofthenowdrop-kicked

DECgroup.StromasysreportsthatOSlicensing,aswellasapps,hasn’tbeenanissueyetinCHARONHPA/3000’searlydaysofsales.HP’sprovidedtheMPE/iXlicense,andthatjustleavesthethirdpartysoftwareforuserstoarrange. StromasysreportedinMaythatthelicensearrangementsfortheemulatorhavetobelefttoeachcustomerwhowilltransitiontoavirtualized3000server.Usersmaketheirowndeals.ButproductmanagerPaulTaffelsaidthat“Therehavebeennoproblemswithvendors.WefinallyfiguredoutwhoyouhavetocallinIBMtogettheCognoslicense,forexample.”ThatwouldbeCharlieMaloney,at978-399-7341. WhattheDigitalfaithfuldonotseeinplaceyetisalicensearrangementfromHPforOpenVMSoneveryplatform—includingsomethatmaynotyetexist,likesomeone’sas-yet-unreleasedItaniumemulator.Intheseearliestdays,OpenVMSsitesatleastcanpointtotheemulatorcompanythat’sarrangedforsuchathinginthepastforanotherVMShardwarehost,theVax.Buttherearedoubtsanduncertaintytogoalongwithfears. “Aretheseemulatorsaseriousoption?”saidonecustomeronthenewsgroup.“Theemulatorscouldbeaseriousoption,butwhatofthem,ifHPclamsup

andrefusestolicenseVMSonthem?” Thereplyfromanothercustomerechoedrightbacktotheearliestdaysofoutrageoverthe3000transition.“ThisiswhypryingVMSfromHP’sclammyhandswouldbethefirstpriority,andnothingelsemattersifthatcannotbedone.” The3000communitymarshalleditsforcesinlate2001andinto2002totrytowresttheentire3000businessfromHP,ataprice.Hewlett-Packardwasnotinterestedthen,butthesearemoreinterestingtimes.HPjustwonalawsuit

withOracle,fightingoverthefutureofItanium.Oracledidn’twantitssoftwaretorunonItaniumanymore.NeitherdoesHPwantOpenVMStorunonItanium. Another

messagecamedownfromthemanwhowasrecentlypromotedtoheadHP’sLabs.MartinFinkwasformerlytheheadoftheBusinessCriticalSystemsgroup,whereOpenVMSserversremainforsaleuntiltheendof2015.In2011,whileHPbattledOracleinthatsuit,Finkfoundthemoxietomakearallyingstatementthatwillsoundfamiliartothe3000customer. FinktoldOpenVMScustomers,“Letmereassureyou.HPplanstocontinuethedevelopmentandinnovationofItanium-basedIntegrityNonStopandIntegrityserverplatformswithourHP-UXandOpenVMSoperatingsystemsformorethan10years.”

HP slide from December for VMS

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12 The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

Emulator speed working up to N-Class peak

Staff’s collective age triggers 3000 migration

Fastest three N-Class servers that HP ever built remain on the horizon for CHARON HPA/3000 lineup

Thelong-termfutureof3000virtualizationlookssunny,inpartbecausethere’stheremainderofourlifetimesfortheStromasysenginetogetfaster.Usingthismonth’sofferingsfromthecompanyshowsthere’splentyofperformancetomakeup,simplytogettoHP’s3000benchmarksfrom2003.Migratorswon’tcarelikehomesteaderswill. InalookatthepartoftheStromasysCHARONproductlinewhichhasbeenshipping,it’seasytoseetheproductwillrunasfastasnearlyalloftheA-ClassandN-Classservers.ButHP

alsobuiltandsoldthreemodelsofN-Classstilloutofthereachoftoday’svirtualizationenginespeed.ThosemodelsrepresentthethresholdCHARONmustbreaktooperateasfastasthefastest,hamstrungHPiron. Hamstrungisawordfromhorsesandpeoplemeaningtocripple.It’sanacknowledgedpracticethatthe3000’sCPUs

weredown-clockedbyMPE/iX.Insomecases,likethelowest-endA-Class,theoperatingsystemdialedbacktheprocessorby75percent.A440MHzCPUwasforcedtorunatagenuine110intheentry-levelA-Class.Thisisonereasonwhyafully-revamped,1-processorA-ClassHP3000,withafasterbus,stillonlyran70percentfasterthanaSeries918.Evenatthedawnofanewgenerationof3000s,HPwaskeepingtheserversincheck. Ifacompanyisconsideringanemulationscenarioonthewaytoamigration,theselimitsmightnotmatter.AtoneDallas-areae-commercecompany,consultantDougSmithreportsthe3000wasmovingtoarchive-systemstatus.Amigrationwasinthewings.Butforothercompanies,hopingtomatchthosethreebiggest-sized3000s,June’sCHARONproductlinewillleavethemshortofamatch. MigratorsmightnotmakeupmuchoftheCHARONcustomerbase.Ifthey’veconcludedthatamidrange3000willdotheinterimjob,however,evencompaniesleavingtheplatformwill

haveenoughhorsepower.OneofthereasonsforthisinvolvesaddingextraCPUsfortheunreleasedCHARONversions.UnlikeHP,Stromasyswillsupporta6-wayor8-wayN-Class. Thevirtualizationlineupwon’tsupportthesetoday,unlessyoucounttheabilitytoprovidemodelnumbersinthelineupStromasysthatshowedatitsrecentTrainingDay.TheN4060andN4080offer50percentand100percentmoreCPUsthanHPeverwouldfora3000.Atthemoment,CHARONwillneedthoseextraCPUstorunasfastasHP’sfastestN-Classconfigurations. Whenitwasstillaproductforsalefromthevendor,thiskindoftop-endN-Classwouldcostmorethan$100,000.Atthat,itwasacomplexhardware-basedserversubjecttotheindignitiesofiron:CPUboards,specializeddisks,proprietarymemory—allmightfailinthewayphysicalcomponentsdo.Butyoucouldgetveryfast,withenoughmemoryinanN-Class500MHzor750MHzserver. AICSResearch,whichsoldQueryCalctohundredsof3000sitesformorethan25years,stillhoststhecomprehensive3000RelativePerformanceMatrixonallMPEservers.ThelistingofbenchmarkedsystemsgoesallthewaybacktotheSeries30,asunderpoweredatthetimeastheearlySeries930wasatthestartoftheFirstGenerationofPA-RISCCPUs.HPwrappedupitsbenchmarkingwithamuddledpicture.In1998itchangeditsprocessorcomparisonratingtothe“HPPerformanceUnit.”Sinceitwasnearthetimeoftheofe3000,

OneofthemoreentrenchedMPEadvocatesinthe3000communityhasseenhisservermoveintoarchivestatus.JohnWolff,whowasformerlytheViceChairmanoftheOpenMPEgroup,reportsthattheSeries928thatdroveself-storageproviderLAACOhasbeenreplacedwithaWindowsapp.However,theMPEarchitectureandthehealthofthe3000didnotdrivethisreplacement. “Thiswasactuallydoneforaninterestingreason,”Wolffsaid.“Myprogrammerwas72yearsoldandanexpertatTransact,andIam67yearsold.Lookingatthefuture,itwouldbeverydifficulttofindreplacementsforusgiventheecosystemfortheHP3000atthispoint.” Wolffadded.“Ithinkthehardwarecould

bekeptgoingforanother10years,butthepersonnelcouldnot.” Sotheprogrammerretired,andthecomputeroperationsweremovedtoaWindowsapplication.It’slessefficientthanthe3000—somuchsothatLAACOhashiredtwoadditionalstafferstodoprocessesmanuallywiththeWindowsappthatMPEandTransactdidcompletelyautomatically,Wolffsaid. ThemigrationmantrasaysthatretainingandfindingMPE-savvystaffisthehardestpartofhomesteading.Thiscasestudyisaboutareplacementoftheapplicationhowever. Changeisacommonelement,butreplacinganappislessdependentonknowingthecode’sinternalstructure.Areplacingcompanyismakingatransition.

DespitethecostofacquiringtheWindowsapplication,andhiringtheextrastafftodowhatMPEandTransactdid,plusthecapitalcostofmorecomputepowerforanexistingserver,WolffsaidLAACOisinbettershapeforthefuture. “Naturallywetransferredourdata,whichwasnobigdeal,”saidtheveteranmanager.“ThenewapplicationdoesnotrequireanyWindowspros,asitistotallymaintainedbythevendor.Judgingsupportcostsbetweenthetwosystemswasnotevenconsidered,astheyarebothnominal.TheWindowshardwarewasalreadyleveragedbecauseitrunsasavirtualserver.So,costsofownershipwerenotevenconsiderations.Ithadmuchmoretodowithspecializedfuturehumanresources.”

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thisbecameknownastheHPEPU. “Ineffect,”wrotethelate,greatWirtAtmarinhisnotestohismatrixatAICS,“whattheydidwastobegintouseanewsetoftestsuiteswhichtheyfeltweremoreappropriatetothewaythatHP3000swerebeingused.” Thenumbersaren’tabsolutemeasurementsofanythingotherthanthetimethevarioussystemstaketoprocessoneoftheseveralHPtestsuites,buttheydoallowyoutocomparewithsomeaccuracytherelativeperformancesthatyoushouldexpectwhenupgradingtohigherperformingsystem. Youmustdivideby10togetasetofEPUsthatmakesenseinHP’sfinal3000productlineup.TheSeries918becamea1.0whenHPrecalculatedbenchmarks.Thatmeansthe4-way500andboth750MHzmodelsatrightarecominginat49.9,60.6and76.8EPUs,respectively.TheStromasyslineupdoesn’tgothathightoday.AsAtmarsaid,thosearejustnumbersfromatestsuite.Yourmileagewillcertainlyvary. Migrationprospectsthesedaysaremostlikelytobesmallercustomerswhodidn’tseeagoodbusinesscaseforleavingthe3000from2003to2013.Theyneedhelpfromthirdpartiestomaketheirmove,andusefuladvicemightbetostartthemigrationwhileusingmorereliableironthanHP’s3000“kit,”astheBritishwouldsay.ThesepeoplehavegotwhattheyneedfromStromasystoday. However,astheeconomyrises,someofthelarger3000homesteadersmaybereplacingHPhardwarethatmakestheirboardroomdirectorsnervous.Emulationcanhappenevenatthesametimethebighomesteadersmakeamove—likeAmisyshealthcarehostedsitesaredoing—tosomethingnon-MPE. Thebiggesthomesteadersdon’thaveaplacetogoyettomatchtheirtop-end

13The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

N-Class(Continued from page 12)

performanceontoday’svirtualizationengines.However,usingextraCPUcoreswillletStromasyskeepaddingCPUs. CHARON-HPA/3000systemsusetwocorestoemulateeachPA-RISCCPU–onecorefetchesinstructionsandinterpretsthemon-the-flyintoequivalentIntelinstructionsequences,whiletheothercoreworksinparallel,pre-fetchingcodepagesandapplyingvariousanalysisandoptimizationalgorithmstoidentifyhigher-leveloptimizations. ThisMoreCoresstrategyputssomeofemulation’slimitsinthehandsofIntel.That’sacompanythathasnotbeenshyaboutaddingcorestoitsXeon-x86lineofCPUs,thelinethatdrivesCHARON.ThelevelofinnovationonthatlineismovingatmanytimestheevolutionspeedofIntel’s

otherenterprisechip,Itanium. It’sagambletoguessatfutureperformanceneeds,soselectingahardware-based3000alwaysinvolvedpredictingthelifespanofuse—theheadroomforasite’sapplicationgrowth.Virtualizationisn’tmuchdifferentintheforecasting,butmovingupwillbeanewexperience.Whatmakesvirtualizationattractiveistheeaseofupgradingtoafastermodel.HPmighthavecalledthisaboardswapbackinthedaysthatitsoldhardware.Thiskindofswapwasstillontheorderof$20,000foranyleap.AndthatwasafteryouturnedbackyouroldprocessortoHP,soitcouldberesold.Nobody’sgoingtohavetoturnbackamodelofCHARONsoftwareinordertoturnuptheirperformance.

The top-end 500MHz and both 750MHz models of N-Class servers remain

faster than CHARON’s current model lineup

(shown on facing page)

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ReviewbyJonDiercks

TTermProisa$49.95terminalemulatorforiPadfromTurbosoft,onewithsupportformultipleIBMandHPterminalemulations.IrecentlyhadtheopportunitytotestTTermwiththeCHARONFreeware

HP3000emulator.IselectedTTerm’sHP700/92emulationmode,pointeditattheCHARONemulator’sIPaddress,andgotrightin—theopeningscreenfortheiPadappisshowninFigure1. Asyoucansee,TTermprovidesanexpandedon-screenkeyboard.Inportraitorientation,thekeyspresentedareprettystandard,withtheadditionofblock-modeenter.Butwhenrotatedtolandscapeview,additionalHP-specifickeysappear(seeFigure2). Thosefamiliarwith“real”HPterminalswillfeelrightathome.SinceIuseanexternalBluetoothkeyboard,Iclosedtheon-screenkeyboardtolettheterminalscreenhavemorespace(seeFigure3) Blockmodeworksasexpected,asshownintheiPadscreenshotinFigure4. TTermsupportsbothTelnetandSSH,butsincethereisnoSSHserverforHP3000,TTermcannotspeakSSHtoMPEdirectly.However,TTermcantunnelaTelnetsessionthroughSSH—soIsetupatunnelthroughmyhomerouter,andthenranTTerm’stelnetconnection

14 The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013

Terminals on tablets open new screen doorsBrief test of iOS app shows it knows HP 3000 terminals, including block mode

throughtheSSHtunnel.Withthissetup,IcanaccessmyCHARONMPEsystemsecurelyfrommyiPad,anywherewithinternetaccess. Overall,Ididn’tencounteranyproblemsinTTermconfiguration.It’sprettystraightforward;thereareafairnumberoftweakableoptionsinthereifIneededthem,butthedefaultsettingsseemedtoworkfine.ImissedthetunnelingconfigurationinFigure 1: Portrait mode startup

Figure 2: Landscape mode, with on-screen keyboard

Figure 3: Using external Bluetooth keyboard with the app

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15The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

Figure 4: Block mode screen, working as expected

theversionthatIreviewed,atfirst.TheonlysuggestionIhaveforthedeveloperwouldbethatthereshouldbeamore-obviousoptiontotunneltelnetthroughSSH. JordanFoneskaofTurbosoftrepliedinanotefromme,“Itmaybethatweneedtolookatouruserinterfaceandfindamorelogical,obvioushomefortheSSHtunnelingsettings.AtpresenttheuserisrequiredtoselectTelnetandeditthesecuritysettingssectiontoenablecommunicationswitheitherSSLorSSH.” Inmytestdrive,TTermappearstodoexactlywhatit’sdesignedtodo.Ithasacleanuserinterface,andperformswell.Inmylimitedtesting,therewerenocrashesorunexpectederrors.IwouldrecommendTTermforanyonewhoneedstouseaniPadtotalktoanMPEsystem.

Jon Diercks consults on HP 3000 proj-ects and is the author of the only book about MPE/iX management, The MPE/iX Administration Handbook (available in online versions at the Safari bookstore.) Diercks can be contacted at [email protected]

Hewlett-Packardbrokeastringoflosingquartersbyreportinga$1.1billionprofitonitsfiscalQ2of2013,butthefigureswerenotbuoyedbytheHPsegmentwhichdevelopsandsellsHPreplacementsystemsforHP3000migrators. TheBusinessCriticalSystems—thegroupwhereItaniumsystemsaresold,alongwiththeHP-UXthatrunsonlyonthatserver—sawitssalesdrop37percentfromQ2offiscalyear2012. ThecompanywouldbereportingitsQ3financialnumbers—includingthefirstfromareorganizedenterpriseserversunit—onAugust22.InformationonHP’slatestearnings,includingadditionalfinancialanalysisandanearningsoverviewpresentation,isavailableonHP’sInvestorRelationswebsiteatwww.hp.com/investor/home.HP’sQ3FY13earningsconferencecallisaccessibleviaanaudiowebcastatwww.hp.com/investor/2013Q3webcast. TheoverallQ2newswasnotasgrimfromtherestofHPEnterpriseGroup,theorganizationwhereLinux-capableProLiantserversaresoldalongwithnetworkinggear.EnterpriseGrouprevenuedeclined10percentyearoveryear.Networkingrevenuewasflat,butthoseIndustryStandardServers’revenuethatdrivesLinuxhostswasdown12percent.Storagesalesfell13percentandTechnologyServicesrevenuewasdown3percentyearoveryear. HPcombinedalloftheseunitsinareorganizationthisyear(seestory,page1). HPCEOMegWhitmandecidedtoshinethespotlightonHP’soverallabilitytobeatthemarket’sestimatesforprofits.Thecompanypostedatotalof$27.6billioninoverallsales,whichwasadropof10percentfrom2012.WhitmanhadtopointattheNon-GenerallyAcceptedAccountingPracticesnumbers—alwaysmorefavorable—toclaimawin. “Webeattheupperendofournon-GAAPdiluted[EarningsPerShare]EPSoutlookforthequarterby5centspershare,driven

bybetterthanexpectedperformanceinEnterpriseServicesandPrinting,coupledwiththeacceleratedcaptureofrestructuringsavingsandimprovementinouroperations,”saidWhitman. HPestimatedits2013earningswillbeintherangeof$2.50to$2.60,inlinewithHP’spreviouslycommunicatedoutlook.For2013,HPisaccountingforafter-taxcostsofapproximately$1pershare,“relatedprimarilytotheamortizationofpurchasedintangibleassets,restructuringchargesandacquisition-relatedcharges. “Iamencouragedbyourperformanceinthesecondquarter,andIfeelgoodabouttherestoftheyear,”addedWhitman.“AsIhavesaidmanytimesbefore,thisisamulti-yearjourney.Wehavealongwaytogo,butweareontracktodeliveronourfiscal2013non-GAAPdilutedearningspershareoutlook.” SupportrevenuesshowedjustabouttheonlysignificantuptickontheHPreport.Supportrevenuewasup12percent,whilelicenserevenuewasdown23percentandservicesrevenuewasdown5percentyearoveryear.Printingrevenuedeclined1percentyearoveryear.Totalhardwareunitsweredown11percentyearoveryear.Commercialhardwareunitsweredown5%yearoveryear,andConsumerhardwareunitsweredown13percentyearoveryear. EnterpriseServicesrevenuedeclined8percentyearoveryear.ApplicationandBusinessServicesrevenuewasdown10percentyearoveryear,andITOutsourcingrevenuedeclined6percentyearoveryear.Softwarerevenuewasalsodown3percentyearoveryear. HPalsoannounceditsboardofdirectorshasdeclaredaregularcashdividendof14.52centspershareonthecompany’scommonstock,whichreflectsa10percentincreaseinamountcomparedtothepreviousquarterlydividend.Thedividend,thethirdinHP’sfiscalyear2013,waspayabletostockholdersofrecordasofthecloseofbusinessonJune12,2013,adateofownershipaboutthreeweeksafterthereport’snumberswerereleased.

Server replacement unit at HP continues skid

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16 The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

Would you like fries with that?New UPS, sir! is the order for true UPS protection, after a storm fells a 3000

Editor’s note: Intrepid veteran developer Alan Yeo of ScreenJet in the UK had a pair of HP 3000s felled recently, despite a sound strategy of using an UPS in his IT mix. We offer Yeo’s report of the rescue of the 3000s, ones which logic said were UPS-protected. As Yeo said in offering the article, “We’re pretty experienced here, and even we learned things through this about UPS.” We hope you will as well.ByAlanYeo “SmartUPS”nowhasanewmeaningtome.“You’regoingtosmart,ifyou’redumbenoughtobuyone.”Thisisoneofthosestorieswhereifyoudon’tlaughyou’dcry.Onwiththelaughs. Bytheendofthistale,youshouldknowwhyyourUPSmaybeapileofjunkthatshouldbethrowninthetrash.Andwhatyoushouldreplaceitwith. It’saFridayinearlyJune,anditwasincrediblywindy.ApparentlyweweregettingthefagendofalargestormthathadtraversedtheAtlanticafterhittingtheUStheweekbefore.Sortofreverseofthesaying“Americasneezes,andEuropecatchesacold.”Thistimeweweregettingthelastsnortsofthestorm. Anyway,withourofficesbeingrurallylocated,strongwindsnormallymeanthatwearegoingtogetafewpowerproblems.Theoddpowerblipandtheveryoccasionaloutageastreesgentlytaptheoverheadpowerlines.Alwaysworstinthesummer,asthetreesareheavilyladenwithleafanddroopingclosertothelinesthantheyareinthewinter,whentheycomeroundandcheckthem. Sothissituationisnotnormallysomethingweworryabout.Wearefairlywell-protected(orsowethought)withanumberofAPCUPSunitstokeepourserversandcommskitsafefromtheblipsandsurges.TheUPSunitsarebigenoughsothatifthepowerdoesgoout,wecankeeprunninglongenoughforeitherthepowertocomeback—orifwefindoutfromthepowercompanythatitslikelytobeawhile,forustoshutdowntheservers. Wekeepallthecommskit,routers,switches,firewallsandsoforthonaseparateUPS.ThisUPSwillkeepthemrunningnearlyallday,sothatwaywestillhaveInternetaccess,Web,emailandmore,socankeepfunctioning,aslongasthelaptopbatteriesholdout. Thewindpickedupduringthemorningandwehadtheexpectedaflickofthelights,andtheoddbong,ping,andbeepfromthecomputerroomastheUPS’srespondedtotheoddvoltagefluctuationsandthemomentaryoutages.Around12:30wehadaquicksequenceofpowerblips,followedbyacoupleofminutesofpowergone,atwhichpointtheUPS’sstartedbleepingloudlyastheytooktheload.Thisisnormallythetriggerformetowanderinthereandjustdoavisualglanceatbatterylevels.Iwasstoodinthereasthepowercamebackandwaswatchingastheserver’sUPScamebacknormally.Thenthecomm’sUPSflashedallitslights,beepedandwentdead!

It’s not dead, its just sleeping after a long squawk! Humm…FirstIthoughtitmustbetheoverloadswitch,sodisconnectedalltheload,grovelledaroundbehinditandpressedtheresetswitch.Nothing.SoIdisconnectfromthemains,reset,poweritbackon,nothing.Checkthefuseinthe

plug,allokay,itsstilldead.DigouttheAPCmanual,whosesymptomssay“don’tuse,returntoyoursupplierforservice.” Atthispointthepowergoescompletelyfor10minutes,andasIcanseethattheserverUPSbatteriesarealreadyhalfempty(orhalf-fullifyou’reanoptimist).“TheymusthavebeentakingmoreofaloadduringthemorningthanIthought,”Isaytomyself.Idecideditwastimeforacontrolledshutdownoftheservers,whichIdid.NowIwasgoingtohavetorejigthepowercables,sothatwecouldfeedpowertothecomm’skit(whichwasnowonadeadUPS)fromtheserver’sUPS.Acoupleofminutesofworkcommenced,tomovetheirsuppliestospareoutletsontheAPCSwitchedRackPDUthatisfedbytheUPS.ThePDUisanetwork-addressablePowerDistributionUnit,onethatcanpowerup/downindividualpoweroutlets,—andthuswecanremotelyshutdownorresettheserversifneedsbe. Soatthispointthepowercomesback,andIpowerupthecomm’skit,leavingtheserversoff.DecideI’llgoforlunch,letthebatteriesrechargeabit,andmakesurethatthepowerisstayingonbeforeIrestarttheservers. Lunchpasses,withaglassofMerlot. Nowthepowerseemstobestable,soit’sbacktothecomputerroomtobringupjusttheessentialservers.OurmainHP3000testserver.AWindowsmailserver,andaWindowsfileserverthatalsohandlesourVPNconnections(becauseeveryoneworksremotelynow). I’minthemiddleofthiswhenthepowergoesoutagain.IlookatthePDUwhichtellsmethatwearedrawing3amps(240v*3=720watts)=about10minutesworthonahalf-charged2200VAUPS.Notworthit,soIshuttheserversdown(butIdon’tthrowtheirpowerswitches).Fireworks! Atthispointthepowercomesbackandstaysonforaboutfiveminutes.There’smestandingtheretryingtodecidewhattodo,whenthepowergoesoffagain,andthencomesback.AtwhichpointthesoleremainingUPSgoesBANG!Itflashesitslightsabitwhilstbeepingmaniacally,andthengoesdead.Theroomfillswiththesmellofover-heatedinsulation,soIpulltheUPSpowerplug. Okay,“SodthisforabunchofSoldiers,”thinksI.WasgoingtofinishearlythatdaytohelpsomefriendssetupforaweekendCharityClayShoot.“I’llgonowandcomebacklater—whenhopefullythewindhasdieddownandthepowerisbacktonormal—andthenpickupthepieces.” Backinthedatacentreat8PMandthewindisgone,withpowerbacktonormal.Okay,shouldjusthavetimetogeteverythingworkingbeforedinner.PlaywiththeUPSfor10minutes,butit’sdead.Sowearegoingtohaveto“walkthetightropewithoutsafetyharnessornet”andruneverythingdirectfromthemains. Notexactlycompletelyunprotectedcomputing,becausewhenwehadthenewofficewired18monthsago,weinstalledsurgeprotectiononthemainssupply.Itslikeacoupleofcartridgesthatsitnexttothedistributionpanelthatabsorbasurge,decayingintheprocess,untilthepointtheyneedreplacing.Theyhaveastatusindicatoronthemtellingyouiftheyneedchanging,buttheywereshowinggreen,soIthoughtI’driskitforafewdays,untilwecouldsourceanewUPS. Whydothesethingsalwayshitataweekend?

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17The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

YOU May be one of the few people in the world that this advert is targeted at!If you’re running TRANSACT or DICTIONARY/3000 we now have a lift and shift solution to other platforms. Transact has been reborn as TransAction.For further info just contact [email protected].

Commscomebackokay,althoughInoticedthatanolddialupmodemwasdeadthatwasstillhookedupfordireemergencyremoteaccessifInternetaccessfailed.Okay,nowfortheservers:poweruptheSeries917andletitstartitsselftestcheck(whichtakesages,andlotsofmemory);poweruptheSeries918(itdoesitsmemorytestsmuchquicker);poweruptheWindows2008fileserverandaWindowsmaildatabaseserver.Plus,anolderWindows2003serverthatstillrantheSMTPsoftware,whichshouldhavebeenmovedtothe2008server,buthadn’tbecausewehadnevergotaroundtoit. TheHP3000918comesupclean,theWindows2008servercomesup,theWindowsmaildatabaseservercomesup.ButHP3000917isdownedwithanFLTerror,theWindows2003Serverisloopingaroundbootstart-upintoWindowslaunch,thenstraightbacktobootstart-up.Wonderful!Sodit,goandhavedinneranddecideifI’mcomingbacklater. Feelingmellower,withnothingIreallywanttowatchontheTV,Idecidetotakeaprodattheserversandseewhattheproblemsare. DecidethatI’llneedinputtodiagnosetheWindowsproblem,sothatcanwaituntilthemorning.Power-cyclethe917towatchtheself-testcycleandgettheerror,doitagain.(Wellsometimesthesethingsfixthemselves,don’tthey?)Nope,it’sdead! “Takeoutmylongspoonandsupwiththedevil,”astheysay,withaWebsearch.Nope,Googleturnsupnothingontheerror,apartfromacoupleofoldHP-UXworkstationthreads,wheretheadviceseemstobe“timetocallyourHPsupportengineer.”Nothingonthe3000-Lnewsgrouparchives,either.(I’dtellyouthe3000errorcode,butI’vethrownawaythepieceofpaperIhadwithallthescribblesfromthatweekend).

Where’s a guru when you want one? Ireallywantedtogetthe917backupandrunningovertheweekend,asithadallourTransacttestsoftwareonit.DaveDummer(theoriginalauthorofTransact)wasdoingsomeenhancementstoTransAction(ourany-platformreplacementforTransact)andwehadplannedtogetsometestingdoneforearlythefollowingweek,tohelpamajorcustomer. Soit’s11:30PMUKtime,butit’sonly3:30PMPDT!Iwonder

who’saroundatAllegro?AquickSkypecallgetsholdofSteveCooper,whowiththeotherAllegroids(interesting,myspellcheckerthinksAllegroidisavalidword)diagnosewithinfiveminutesthatthe3000hasgotamemoryerror.Thelastdigitoftheerrorindicateswhichmemorybankslothastheproblem. Okay,I’mnotgoingtostartclimbingaroundthebackoftherackatthistimeofnight.Ileaveituntilthemorning,butatleastIknowwhattheproblemis.

False Dawn Feelingrefreshed,let’sgetthesehardwareproblemssorted.GettheWindowsserverbootedwith“HirensBootCD”magicsetoftoolsforfixingloadsofstuff.Diagnosesthatthereareacoupleofmissing.DLL’s.Okay,patchthemin,stillproblems!Seemstobeahallofmirrorseverytimewepatchsomethingin,thenextmissingfileisfound.Thiscouldgoonforages. TryvariousWindowsrecoveryreinstalls,buttheyallfail,Windows2003doesn’tthinkit’sinstalled,butwouldhappilyinstallifIletitreformattheharddrive.NottherecoveryIwaslookingfor.Runsomedisc-checkingutilitiesandbasicallywhilstthediscchecksoutokay,thefiledirectory(orwhateverit’scalled)issmashed.DowespendalotoftimerebuildingaWindowssystemthat’sonlyrunningonepieceofsoftwarethatshouldhavebeenmovedoffanyway?Simplechoice,no.Leaveittomyco-workerMarktofigureoutwhattodotogetmailflowingagain,whilstItakealookatthe917memoryproblem. Pullingthememorycardisnoproblem.Workingoutwhichofthefivebanksisbadtakesabitmorework,butabitofplugengineeringandacoupleofrebootsshowsthatwehave64MB(2x32)ofbadmemory.Noproblem,plentyleft,soremoveitandreboot.Great,gettotheISLprompt,doaSTARTNORECOVERYandgogetacupofcoffeeandacigarette,andI’llsoonhavethissystembackup.SYSTEMABORTfromSUBSYS143SYSHALT7,$0267FLTDEAD Oh,hell.Long Story Short (or another one bites the dust) Okay,it’sabouttimewecutthisstoryshort—althoughI

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amcertainyouwanttoreadaboutsomeoneelse’strialsandtribulations,evenasIsuspectyou’reonlyreadingtofindoutwhyyourownUPSisuseless.Sufficeittosaythatthe3000’sLDEV2hadalsobeenfried,whichwereplaced,thentheDATdrivewasdead,whichwasreplaced,butwasstilldead. Sointheend,wedecidedourfastestrecoverysolutionwastoscrapthe917andmergeitsdatawitha918thathasacloneintheshop.It’sachoicewhichmakesDRrecoveryalotsimpler,alsoonelesspieceofkitburningelectricity,thatshouldhelpsavetheicecaps! SowhatgotFried?HP3000,DellIntelServer,onemodem,oneDTC16—andofcoursethetwoAPCUPS’sthatweresupposedtobeprotectingeverything. Why?Okay,okay,I’vefinallygotaroundtotheMeatandPotatoesbit.GiventhattheAPC“Smart”UPS’shaddonesuchawonderfuljobofprotectingeverything,itdidn’tseemmuchpointsendingthemoffanywhereforrepairandputtingthembackintoservice. Also,IneededtogetsomereplacementsinASAP.Buttheconundrumwaswhytheyhadn’tprotectedeverythingashadbeenmyexpectation,soit’sabouttimetodosomeresearchonUPS’s. Itturnsoutthereisalittlebitofaclueinthethreeletteracronym.The“U”standsfor“Uninterruptible”not“Clean.”IdiscoverthattherearetwomaintypesofUPS:thenormalLine-Interactive.Everyonemakesthem,everyone’sgotoneUPSliketheAPCSmartUPS.Thenthere’sthe“On-line”ones.Themajordifferenceisthatstandard“Smart”UPS’s(mostofthetime)feedamainssupplyouttoeverythingpluggedintoit.Incontrast,theon-lineversionsfeedeverythingfromaninverter100percentofthetime. ButIhearyousay(andasIthought)“MyAPCUPCfiltersthepower,choppingdownovervoltage,boostingundervoltage,andsupplyingpowerifthemainsfails.”Welltheanswerinclassic3000-Lmodeis,“Yes,butitdepends.”NowI’mnoelectricalexpert,butI’veworkedupalayman’sinterpretation. There’ssomethinginthemixcalledDirtyTransfers. LineInteractiveUPS’sdoAVR,AutomaticVoltageRegulation.Insteadofgoingtobatteryduringloworhighinputvoltages,thissortofunitwilluseanAutotransformertoincreaseorreducethevoltagetoasafeoperatingrangewithoutrunningonthebattery.Withintheirstatedtolerances,theycanrunalmostindefinitelydoinganumberofthings. •AVRBoost,wheretheUPSiscompensatingforalowutilityvoltage; •AVRTrim,whenitiscompensatingforahighutilityvoltage. •Ifthevoltagefluctuatesoutsideasetrange,oronsomeofthemiftherateofchangeofthevoltageexceedsagiventhreshold,thentheywillTransfer,usingthebatterypowerviaaninverter.TheUPSthenmonitorstheACsupplyandwhenitdeemsitisbackwithintoleranceittransfersbacktothemainssupply. ItisthisTransferTime(TT)thatcancausesomeproblems.Suchasthoseatourshop.Firstoff,theanswertotheproblem:DoubleConversionUPSunitsarewhatyouwant.

TheyaremoreexpensivethanLineInteractiveones,butitisclaimedtheyarecheaperinthelongrun,duetoincreasedbatterylife. WhilstaLineInteractiveUPSclaimsthatattachedequipmentshouldn’tbeatriskduringtheTTwindow,asfarasIcanreaditcanbebeforeitisdisconnectedfromthemains.APCforexamplehaveacompensationschemewhichwouldn’tberequiredifthiswasn’tpossible.Note:It’sinterestingthatAPConlyofferthisprotectionpolicyon120Vproducts,forthoseofususing220/240Vsuppliestheriskisobviouslydeemedtobetoogreattocover.Thefineprint: IfyourelectronicequipmentisdamagedbypowerlinetransientsonanACpowerline(120volt)whiledirectly

andproperlyconnectedtoastandardAPC120voltproductcoveredbytheEquipmentProtectionPolicy(EPP),youcanfileaclaimwithAPCforcompensationofyourdamages.CoverageofdamagesisdeterminedbythelimitsoftheEPP. TTseemstoberelatedtotheSensitivityLevel:High,MediumorLow.AndtheSensitivityLevelscanbealteredbyhowyouconfiguretheUPS,forexampleonmanyUPS’syoucanadjustatwhatupperandlowerinputvoltagesitshouldtransferto/frombattery.On120VUPS’sthisrangeistypically127-136attheupperend,and97-106atthelowerend. InHighSensitivitymodetheTTis

somethinglike2millisecondsandifsetLowaround10milliseconds.Switchingto/frombatteryfrequentlyisbadforbatterylife,asisprotractedrunningfromthebatteryonaLineInteractiveUPS.SothecompromiseisbetweenHighSensitivitywithpossiblyfrequentbutlowTT,andLowSensitivitywithlessfrequentbutlongerTT. TheoreticallyduringtheTTthereisnopowergoingtotheconnectedequipment,solongTT’smaybeaproblemforsomeequipment,alsoiftransfersarefrequentequipmentmayseeapulsedpowersupply.

Keeping it cleanKeeping it On-Line IfLineInteractiveUPStechnologycanfail,whatshouldyouuse?On-LineorDoubleConversiontechnologyseemstobetheanswer.Thesecanbehardtospotastheword“Online/On-Line”isusedtodescribeamodeofvirtuallyanyUPS:i.e.aLineInteractiveUPSisdescribedasbeinginonlinemodewhenitisfeedingmainsdirecttotheattachedequipment. Soit’sprobablybesttousethetermDoubleConversion,

asthisislessmisleading.InaDoubleConversionUPStheequipmentisalwaysfedfromtheinverter,whichhastandeminputsupplies,onefromthebatteryandonefromamainsfedrectifier.Thismeansthattheequipmentneversees“Mains”power,andthereisneveranyTT.Thesupplyfromtheinverteriscontinuousregardlessofwhichpowersourceitisusing.

DoubleConversionUPS’saremoreexpensivetobuythanLineInteractiveones,butitisclaimedtheyarecheaperinthelongrunduetoincreasedbatterylife. InjustcheckingafewfactsIdiscoveredthatWikipediahasagreatpagethatclearlycoversthedifferenttypesofUPStechnology,atUninterruptiblePowerSupply.Thereisalsoagreatwhitepaper,TheSevenTypesofPowerProblems,inPDFformatontheWeb.Youcanfinditatwww.apcmedia.com/salestools/VAVR-5WKLPK_R1_EN.pdf

18 The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

Fries With That(Continued from page 17)

It turns out there is a little bit of a clue in the three letter acronym.

The “U” stands for “Uninterruptible” not “Clean.” I discover that there are two main types of UPS.

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Wow, are we an HP customer again?

Surprise,Surprise.Apartfromtheoddprintercartridge,wehaven’tboughtanythingHPsince2001,andIcouldn’tseemuchlikelihoodthatwewould.ButwehavejustboughtanewHPUPS!Itappearsthatasaresultofthe“Invent”

phase(whichIunderstandhasnowbeenterminated)HPareoneoftheleadersinadvancedUPStechnology,andtheydoarangeofDoubleConversionunits.WewerefortunateandpickedupareallyniceHPunit,plusahugeauxiliarybatterypack(wenowhaveanestimated2hoursfullloaduptime)forlessthanthecostofasmallernewAPCLineInteractive.Okay,theywerecustomerreturnsduetodamagedpackaging,butwerebrandnewandunopened. ThesadpartforHPiswhywegotitsocheap!IhadtoasktheUPSresellerwhytheHPonewasalotcheaperthanothermakesofsimilarDoubleConversionUPS’shehadforsale,especiallyasthenewlistpricewasashighorhigherthantheothers.Hisanswersurprisedme. “Theyaredifficulttosell,becausenobodyrecognisesHPasaUPSsupplier.”HetoldmethatcustomerswhorandatacenterswithHPServerswouldbuynewHPUPS’s,butthatinhisexperiencenobodyelsedid.Soiftheygotreturnsorcancelledorders,theyfoundthemveryhardtoshiftunlesstheydiscountedthemheavily.Hedidsaythatinhisopinion

thatitreallywasnicely-madeequipment,andthatweweregettingagreatdeal(wellheisasalesman!). TheremighthavebeenHPsupportonsaleforusatonetimeaswell,toreturnustotheHPfold.WegotourabortfortheSeries917becausesoftwarelocatedonLDEV2wasmissing.Whichwereplaced,butthenneededtodoanOSinstall,wecouldn’tdobecausetheDATwasalsodead.Whichwhenreplacedstillcouldn’tbeseen,probablymeaninganIOcardorsomethingwasalsodead,thatwasthepointwegaveup. AgoodHP3000engineerwouldhavecarriedonfindingoutwhatwasbrokenandthenreplacingit—well,maybe.

It’s an ill wind that blows no good Wellthewindmayhavecausedthis,butitscertainlyblownawayafewmisconceptionswehadabouthowprotectedwewereandhowgoodourbackuprecoverystrategywas.IthinkwehadOKstrategiesforeithertotalloss,orlosingasingleServertoaspecific

problem.ButIdon’tthinkwehadanticipatedmultiple(butnottotal)failuresatthesametime,oranHP3000outagethatwascausedbymultipleproblemsthatcouldonlybediscoveredinaserialmanner.Ourtotalrecoverytimewasdays,nothours!Theupsideisthatwearenowbetter

protected,havelesskitrunningandplansforevenless(feetontheground,headinthecloud)andarenowworkingonarecovery/disasterplanthatencompasseswhatwehavelearnt. HopefullythissagamaybeawarningtootherstopulloutthemanualforyourUPSandseeifitreallymeetsyourneedsandexpectations.AboutthatDualConversionclaimofincreasedbatterylife,I’llletyouknowinafewyears.HP3000sarecertaintostillberunningbythen!

Alan Yeo’s firm ScreenJet delivers the TransAction any-platform replacement for Transact, as well as ScreenJet software — plus interface modernization services for 3000s which rely on VPlus.

19The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

What’s New at Robelle

For more information contact [email protected] or Tammy

[email protected]

robelle.com

• Suprtool & Qedit run on Stromasys Emulator • Robelle introduces Suprtool scripting services • SuprtoolOpen Linux has been shipped and

demos are available • HP-UX/Open Suprtool supports 512 fields• $SubCount function added to all versions

of Suprtool• Extract has three new functions $first/$last

and $all • June 2013 Newsletter at

robelle.com/newsletter/latest.pdf

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Rich Pugh describes himself using a term that’s far from a virtualized IT pro. Pugh, who’s the new senior VP of worldwide sales and services at virtualization vendor Stromasys, says he’s “carried a bag” since the middle 1980s. The term refers to a salesman who’s working on a commission basis, someone who visits customers to close sales. That was not unusual at any size of IT customer in 1985, when Pugh started at Digital Equipment. Today these kinds of visits from such computer hardware vendors are reserved for large accounts. That’s what makes Pugh’s current job selling the Stromasys CHARON HPA/3000 emulator such a profound echo. His company is replacing the 3000 hardware which once required a sales call to spark an install. Stromasys has been ramping up its executive and strategic team over the last 18 months, all while the company has rolled out and refined its server virtualization software for the MPE marketplace. Bill Driest was introduced to the community at this May’s Training Day as Stromasys GM in the Americas Region. Driest now works for Pugh, since the latter arrived this June. All was explained to us by CEO Ling Chang, who joined the company herself in 2012. In the fall of that year, Chang was introduced to us by Stromasys founder Robert Boers in a joint Q&A — in much the same way she introduced Pugh to us this month. We wanted to check on the outlook for selling a virtualization engine which emulates a server that was cut loose by HP more than two years ago. Emulators often surface while system support is still in place but manufacturing has ended. In the case of HPA/3000, everything was dropped by HP before Stromasys could sell a single unit. Of such challenges are heroic stories made. Vendors have given up on creations or developments that had much life remaining, and Pugh and Chang believe they’ve got a good shot at replacing some mission-critical HP 3000 systems. Driest said that the North American rollout of HPA/3000 began with that May Training Day. Three months later the prospects still have interest and questions, but fewer of the queries are about technical capabilities. Pugh said he’s been pitching large companies this summer on 3000 replacements using the

CHARON virtualization engine. We interviewed Pugh and Chang at the start of August, a month when HP 3000 users often gathered at a North American conference. In the week we talked, Google’s founder was announcing a burger built in a lab using 20,000 cow stem cells. A product that puts MPE software on Intel chips might seem as much of a surprise. Pugh is working to give the 3000 community a taste for the CHARON novelty, one that wants to eliminate HP’s iron like Google wants to remove the cow, but with genuine flavor.

What industry experience since Y2K led you to Stromasys, Rich?

WirelessdatasalesteamleadershipforATT.Thenforthelasteightyears,IworkedatInsight,alargeglobalreseller.HPwasInsight’slargestpartner,andtheyrantheNewYorkmarket.

North American GM Bill Driest said he considered your May event the rollout for the product. How does your sales organization work?

Oursalesmodelisquitedifferentineachoftheworldwideregions.InAmericawehaveourdirectsalesorganizations,ledbyBill.Icomefromanenterprisebackground,whereIsoldasaglobalaccountmanager.I’mveryproudofthefactthatIcarriedabag,withtherecognitionisthatyouhavetodriverevenuetothecompany.It’ssomethingthatItakeverypersonallyandseriously. Butwiththatsaid,I’mveryfamiliarwiththechannelmodel.Forexample,Insightwasa$5billiondollarcompanythatdidn’tengineerathing,buttheintellectualpowerofourpeopletherewasreallythevalueweprovidedtothe

market.However,withtheexperiencethatIleftDigitalwith,IwantedtogetmyarmsarounddirectclientinterfacewiththelargercompaniesthatwewanttosellCHARONto.

What can you say about the large prospects you’ve been visiting?

Ithinkthey’drathernothavetheirnamesused,butoneprovidestaxreturnsforthefinancialservicesindustry.They’vegottwoofthelargest3000sthatwereeverbuilt.TheyhaveaproductionsiteandaDRsiteinseparatestates.They’reveryinterestedinusingusasanalternativetotheirplatformgivenacatastrophicfailureintheirproductionenvironment. Theconversationwehadwiththemwasonthebasisofriskmanagement.Notcompetingonrefurbsystempricingortechnicalproblems.WhenIaskedhimwhatcompelledhimtoassemblehisstaffforourmeeting,hesaid,“Ittookusaweektogetourproductionsystembackup.Wecan’taffordthatgiventheobligationwehavetoourclients.”Theirapplicationhastobesupporteduntil2035. ThechoiceswereaCOBOLconverter,afullmigration,orourvirtualizationplatform.Hesaidhecouldnotaffordtouseanythingfromtheold[3000]hardwarearchitecture.Evenifhegotthemoststableboxintheworld,itwasalltheperipheralsthatwouldbeunstable.

That’s one prospect. How about a different industry?

There’salargeinsuranceclaimsprocessingfirm.They’vealreadyputitthroughtheproofofconceptandnowit’sjustamatterofaddressingtheshorttermandlongtermimplementationoftheCHARONsolution.Thenthere’sacooperativeoffarmerswhoruntheirbillingsystemthroughanHP3000.Thebusinessreasonthey’relookingatusistogetofftheirolderhardwareplatform,outofthemaintenancecosts.Ourcontactthereisconvincedwe’retherightsolution,andit’samatterofgettingthebudgetinplacesotheycanmoveonit.There’salsoacompanythatrunsSoftwareasaServiceforthefinancialservicesindustry.Ontheirown,they’veusedthefreewareversionofourproduct,andthey’reconvincedthatit’stheright

20 The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

Making Real Customers from VirtualizationRich Pugh

Rich PughStromasys Senior VP

Worldwide Sales & Services

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moveforthemtomake.Again,it’ssoldonabusiness-levelconversation.It’srefreshingtotakeoursalesstrategytothislevel,whichIbelievewillshortenoursalescycleanddriveanearlieradoption.

Is there anything that seems to be in common among these prospects’ installations, regarding horsepower needs? I know that CHARON was going to get a 1.3 refresh for greater performance.

Atonesite,there’s11separateapplicationsthatrunandoneovernightbatchjob.Thewaywebrainstormeddoingtheirsolutionisnotalike-for-likereplacement,butconsideringbreakingaparttheapplication,andpossiblystackingmultipleprocessors.There’sDatapipe,acloudcompanyandhostingprovidersimilartoRackspace,anddoourproofofconceptfromthecloud.TheplanistoreducethespacetothepointofeliminatingtheserverfromtheDRsite,andletthephysicalassetsresideintheproductionenvironment. Thisisthekindofdialogueofflexibilitythatwe’retryingtoposition,insteadofthetraditionalmethodologyofjustbuyingalicenseincapitaldollars.

So would that change the investment level for the customer?

Notreally.TheanalogythatIwoulduseisMicrosoftOffice365:justanotherwayofusingwhatyoumightneedpermanentlyortemporarily,overthecloud.AtStromasyswe’vehadavaluepropthat’sjustbeentraditional.Buyalicense.WhatLingandIaresuggestingisthatthisisclearlyanareathatmakessense,tousethecloudforproofofconcept.

Have any of the major third party application suppliers — Ecometry, MANMAN, Amisys, or others — had their customers use CHARON as of today?

Directaccesstothatapplication-usingcommunityhasn’tbeenasrobustaswe’dlike.Idon’thaveaspecificresponsetothatquestionyet;wemayhaveanupdatesoon.

Is that access important in any way? Is the first-year business going to come from customers who have their own application code?

Weexpectthatthedirectsaleseffortwillgiveusmoreinsightintothatoverthenext90days.

How might you overcome the late start HP created for this product with MPE customers? This is a new situation for a Stromasys product.

CEOLingChang:That’sagoodpoint.Thisisamarketthatremainsundefined.Itisourchallengetofindthosewhoareremaining,andstillruntheirbusiness-criticalapplicationsontheHP3000.Rightnow,basedonpreliminaryinformationwereceivedfromtheserviceprovidersatourtrainingdayevent,thenumbersvary.Butit’sintermsofthethousands.Notthehundredsofthousands,asintheoldDigitalproductline.

Ourchallengeistogivethoseremaining3000customersabridgetotheirnextstep—whetherit’stomigrate,orstayon.

With the OS already off HP’s support list before the product became available, is there enough customer base remaining to succeed?

Chang:It’ssomethingwehavetobalance,becauseStromasysisstillaverysmallcompany—andyetwe’regoingintothe

enterprisemarket,whichrequiresresources.Whilewedothatbalance,we’restillearlyintheprocess.OurgoalistoteamwithHP3000partnerswherewehavemutualintereststohelpgetthewordout.

Pugh:WhenGartnerdescribeswhat’sgoingonintheemulationspace—wherewewerenamedaCoolVendor—theysaythattheoperatingsystemisjustthepersonality.Inthepastoperatingsystemswerelikeareligionthatyou’dneverbreach.PutMPEagainstVMS?Givemeabreak,don’tgothere.Nowitreallydoesn’tmeanathing.Thesearejustpersonalitiesofwhatwedo,whichisa

hardwareemulation. Alotoftheproblemacustomerhastosolveisabusinessproblem:riskmanagement,notnecessarilywhenthedecisionwasmadetochooseaplatformtorunthatapplication.I’mnotminimizinganyofthestrengthsofMPE.Butit’sjustnotastechnicallyimportantasitwasbackinthedaywhenITarchitectures—becauseoftheproprietarynatureofeveryelement—matteredsomuch. IcanappreciatethatGartner’spersonalityconversationwouldresonatewithtoday’sMillennials.ACFOatthecompanyI’msellingtoisinhis30s.Theydon’tknowwhatMPEmeans

tothebusiness.

What’s the difference in length of project between going to CHARON vs. an application replacement onto a non-MPE platform, or a rewrite?

Chang:Asyouknow,anytimeyou’relookingatarewriteyou’retalkingaboutmultipleyears.Those

projectsdonotusuallycomeinontime,orunderbudgetforthatmatter.Butevenwhileacustomerisdoingthat,wecanbeasolutiontokeeptheapplicationupandrunning.Wecanimplementoursolutioninamatterofdays.

Is there a structure or process in place to develop a network of resellers and consultants for CHARON in the 3000 market?

Chang:Wewouldlovetoexploretheopportunityforacompanytobecomeareseller.Wecandoasell-withmodel,tomakeitawin-winforaconsultant.

Pugh:We’rerefiningourchannelmodel.Therearecertainlycompaniesthatcouldofferpresales,orsalesandpresalessupport.Andthentheycouldbeavalueaddedreseller.We’regoingtobeintheprocessofintroducingaprogramthatallowsacompanyoranindividualtogetstartedandgettheirfeetwet,andthenbecomeafullVAR.Justafewmonthsagowedidn’thavethatopportunitytogivesuchpartnersastair-stepapproachtobuildingabusinessaroundthisproduct.

21The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

It’s sold on a business-level conversation. It’s refreshing to take our sales strategy to this level, which I believe will shorten our sales

cycle and drive an earlier adoption.

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JustasIwasclosingoutthisissue,our139thinpaper,wegotwordaboutanewentryintotheHP3000emulationmarket.Youmightnotevencallthisoneamarketentry,becauseit’sopensourced.It’snotreallygoingtobeforsale,notanymorethanLinuxwaseversoldinthefirst15yearsofitslifespan.Butopensourcereliesonthevolunteertimeofbrilliantminds.MarketingandsalesmightsomedaybehandledovertheWebaswellasGitstoresprogramcode.However,forplacingsoftwarethatwillberunningacompany,there’snothinglikeanold-schoolvisitinperson,inameetingroomwithcustomertechniciansonhand. Wemightbeheadedtowardadaywhentheold-schoolstandardsseemjustold,ratherthanclassicandproven.Thismomentumisgatheringquicklyintheworldofwordsforpublication.ThissummerwesawthedepartureofInformationWeekfromtheranksofprintedpublications.TheweeklythatcoveredtheHPdeparturefromthe3000world,aswellasHP’se3000rebrandingofthebox,isnowaweeklypublicationofaboutfivearticlesperissue.That’saround20amonth,orthesamenumberweputontotheWebinourblog. Web-basedpublicationcandosomethingsthatprintstrugglestodothesedays.Itreachesreadersnobodyknows,peoplewhocareaboutthesubjectbuthaveescapedthecommonplaceradar.AnybodyhearofInnovestasa3000site?Wedidthismonth.In18yearsofcollectingcustomernames,thisonefromNewYorkescapedus.ButthensodidTurbosoft,theAustralianfirmthatstartedtomarketits$49.95iPadappupontheHP3000CommunityofLinkedIn.Arollout,onalocalizedwebsite. TheWebprovideswaystochangetheformulaforinformationindustries.Somecompaniesneverclimbonthebackofthistiger,whileothersworktomaketheirpaperversionslookandbehavejustlikeprint.ThreeyearsagoacompanycalledZiniowasreadytotakeadvantageofthejuggernautoftabletslaunchedbytheiPad.Thissummerthey’vegotscoresofmagazinesonline,

readablethroughanappordisplayedinglorious27-inchcoloronadesktopscreen.IreadEsquireandlovetheonlineversion—whichIpayfor—betterthantheprint.Istillkeepprintcopiesaround

forreference,butthey’renoteasytodiginto.There’sthatindexandsearchingthingthat’stoughtoofferonpaper. Thesamesortofquantumleapisontheedgeofthecloudrevolution.We’veheardthismonthofaprojecttoofferproofofconceptinstallationsfortheStromasysemulator—that’sthetestedemulator,provenatsitesandfullylicensedforMPE—viathecloud.AcompanycalledDatapipeisworkingwithStromasystooffertheseproofs.Some3000customersdon’twantthehardwareintheirshopanymore.JustMPE,IMAGEandaprovensetofapplications.TheWebtakesawayold-schoolhabitswheneveritcanimprove,andthenprove.Whatwillnevergoawayisourneedforstories.Howwedeliverthemcanalwaysevolve.

22 The 3000 NewsWire • August 2013 • 3000newswire.com/blog

Ron Seybold, Editor

Summer 2013 Articles Only on the Blog

HomesteadingReplacing LDEV 1 drives: many options Aug 19, 2013Open source enables MPE enhancements Aug 7, 2013Community experts explore Opening SSH Aug 6, 2013Keeping XP and MPE follows same path Aug 1, 2013Baking Up the Layers to MPE on iPads Jul 26, 2013Software as Service: Answer to OS’s Ebbs Jul 19, 2013OpenSSH may get unquiet for 3000’s users Jul 15, 2013A New Opening for Old 3000 Skills Jul 11, 2013Will MPE spell its end date in 2028? Jul 1, 2013Backing up proves an emulator just works Jun 27, 2013Open source resource: Secure FTP on 3000 Jun 24, 2013Making Headway with a Static OS May 20, 2013

Migration & TransitionsHaving support is a matter of needs Aug 14, 2013Glossary to the Future: ITIL, APM, and rank Aug 13, 2013Bottoms up delivers a bubbling MPE future Aug 5, 2013Resource planning options can be cloud-y Jul 30, 20132013 economy continues to delay transitions Jul 29, 2013Ecometry’s clan plans for JDA changes Jul 16, 2013Learn about the 1 migration for all: data Jul 10, 2013Steps for Doing a Final HP 3000 Shutdown Jun 26, 2013Ops and apps watched, tracked in emulation Jun 19, 2013How infrastructure survives heated times Jun 18, 2013The Last 5 Percent, and Toughest Surprises Jun 13, 2013

Users & Reports Terminal emulation app tested via LinkedIn Aug 20, 2013Tools trace patterns of IMAGE databases Jul 31, 2013As legacy iron ebbs, virtual servers swell Jul 3, 2013

News Outta HPHP wins suit on strength of weak standard Aug 15, 2013Glossary to the Future: SDN Jul 12, 2013Latest HP exiting outrage may be delayed Jul 2, 2013How shooting off Moonshot can hit your IT Jun 10, 2013Find invention at Discover’s web, or garages Jun 7, 2013

MPE’s Hidden ValueTechniques of CSV Importing, Revealed Aug 9, 2013Delete disks completely after replacement Jul 24, 2013An MPE Power Tool: Byte Stream Files Jul 17, 2013How to Transfer Data Files on a 3000 Jun 21, 2013Many Different Ways to Move Your Console May 17, 2013

NewsmakersIT’s print populace loses a weekly citizen Jul 23, 2013When needed, 3000 can stick to the fax Jul 22, 2013What Else Everyone is Doing These Days May 31, 201310 Simple Steps to Security Compliance May 30, 2013How to Comply with Security Audit Requests May 28, 2013

Get first notice of news on Twitter: @3000newswire

newswire.com/blog

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