Issues Needing Resolution

Technical Issues

The first issue is technical: Whatever version is available at EOL time will be the definitive HP-supported version of MPE. Interex wants to make sure everything essential for the long-term use of the e3000 is completed in time for inclusion in this release. The SIB process determines the priority of these enhancements and fixes, and Interex will continue to gather the SIB data and present it to HP.

User Support Issues

The second issue is user support: The HP e3000 9x7 is still in use by a lot of companies. When HP announced the A- and N-Class boxes and MPE/iX 7.0, it said that MPE/iX 7.0 and future releases would NOT be supported on the 9x7 boxes. Before Nov. 14, this seemed an acceptable policy. However, this is no longer the case. There are several enhancements in 7.0 and 7.5, which need to be made available to the users of 9x7 boxes. For example, one of these enhancements is the expansion of the 4 GB limit on Ldev 1. There are a lot of 9x7 users who will choose to homestead with their current boxes. In a few years, they will not be able to find a disk drive smaller than 160 GB. When their Ldev 1 disk breaks and needs to be replaced, it would be a shame to be only able to use a 4 GB capacity disk. Interex is talking with HP to convince them to "see the light." At the same time, Interex is also working with HP to see if there is a proper way to get users, who have not been on maintenance for some years, to catch up and be able to legally get the definitive HP version of MPE/iX.

Performance Issues

The third issue is one of performance: It is important that HP enable the full use of the hardware that may be in production for several years beyond EOL by companies that are having difficulty migrating or that simply choose not to migrate. They will not be able to get larger, more powerful boxes as their needs increase. Therefore they must be able to fully use their machines, without restrictions. They must also have the capability to support whatever size disk drives will be available in the future as their current ones break down and cannot be replaced with similar-size disks.

Concerning the Future

The fourth issue concerns the future: What does HP intend to do about MPE after EOL? There are movements that have been launched such as OpenMPE, Inc., which wants to get a copy of the MPE source code and further enhance it and possibly even migrate it to other platforms in an open source fashion. Interex wants to help these movements and enable them to get the things necessary to push forward. There are also initiatives to create an MPE emulator on another platform like Linux.

What is needed for these initiatives to move forward? A commitment from HP. These groups want to know if HP will, at the appropriate time, make the MPE source code available to them, and they need to know this sooner rather than later. HP has been totally focused on getting the migration aspect underway as this is what most HP e3000 users are doing. But HP needs to start paying attention to the homesteaders and other movements and initiatives. So far these groups have only received an assurance that HP wants to do the right thing. But the right thing is to inform these groups that HP will either support them and start working with them or that they will get no support from HP, in which case the initiatives come to a screeching halt. The time for making decision is now.

Historical Significance of MPE

The fifth issue is the historical significance of MPE: Whatever HP decides to do with MPE in the future, Interex wants to be the repository of the MPE source code. This is not an either/or situation. It does not matter if other groups also get the source code; Interex wants to be the guardian of the HP-developed final version of MPE/iX-the definitive version of MPE/iX. This is both for historical and hobbyist purposes. Interex is already the repository of the RTE operating system and is working with HP to finalize that issue as HP's end of support for it approaches. Interex wants to do the same for MPE and any other operating system that HP might abandon in the future. Interex will not develop or enhance MPE as that is not its mission, but it would like to make it available to anyone who wishes to try to do something with it and also preserve it for posterity. If MPE is not released to Interex, or anyone else for that matter, it will be lost after HP's CSY unit is disbanded and its people move on to other projects and positions.

Staying with your HPe3000 by Wirt Atmar

Plan B: Staying on the HP3000 indefinitely
Wirt Atmar, a long time HPe3000 professional presents a "homestead" approach to your HPe3000,
"A number of people, including HP itself, have been recently describing staying on the HP3000 indefinitely as being very risky. I completely disagree with that assessment. In fact, I believe that it may well be the least risky thing you can do, thus I've spent the day writing a general reply to that assertion. Because I wanted to include pictures in my response, illustrating what we do in our own circumstances, I've put the reply up as a web page. It's at: http://aics-research.com/planb.html"

Plan now, Migrate later by Gavin Scott

Another HPe3000 professional, Gavin Scott, writes, "My personal advice would be, 'plan now, execute later' (click to view story) and in the interval be aware of things you are doing that you might be able to do slightly differently so as to minimize your dependence on the 3000 if you actually get to the 'execute' phase."

Join the OpenMPE Discussion

OpenMPE Possibilities and Discussion
It is the intent of this group to carefully and calmly evaluate the viability of the MPE/iX Operating System moving to an alternative entity that would allow for it's support and enhancements to continue beyond the scheduled December 31, 2006 end of support date from Hewlett-Packard. Members of this group include Hewlett-Packard, MPE 3rd party utility vendors, MPE application vendors, and many long standing members of the MPE community.

Please Add Your MPE Company To The List (maintained by the Tech Group)

A listing of companies that use the MPE/iX platform for some aspect of their business, including the "canned" applications they use, Fortune 500 ranking, and an optional hyper-link to their company web site, is being maintained. Since it's inception, the list has grown nicely and continues to grow. The list is NOT for commercial use but strictly to show solidarity amount MPE users. Application vendors use the list to show prospective customers how large and diversified the platform's installed base is and users have used the list to show their upper management the same thing.

If you are so inclined, please feel free to checkout the list and join in. Also, pass word along to other MPE shops that you know about.