Number 101 (Update of Volume 8, Issue 10)

HP patches move slowly through test

HP expects its customers to become more cautious about patching HP 3000s, according to lab engineers at the HP World conference. The caution is extending the beta-test time an HP repair to the 3000’s operating system. Members of SIG-MPE at HP World Chicago discussed prospects for getting HP’s patches into the community without beta testing. HP’s ITRC Web site was proposed by SIG-MPE chair Donna Garverick as a prospective repository for beta-class patches, which might be posted in a special subdirectory.

“We’ve got a funny situation here, one where we need to get these beta patches into the customers’ hands,” Garverick said. 3000 customers have also suggested the beta-class patches be posted on the HP Jazz Web site along with the unsupported MPE software that’s up there. HP’s 3000 lab managers offered little comment on the proposal at the SIG meeting, except to ask why posting the patches on a Web site would be better than getting beta patches through the a call or e-mail to the HP ITRC.

HP said at HP World that the number of beta testers has gotten so small that HP now only requires a single beta tester’s report to put a patch into General Release. HP also said that the slow progress of patches into GR status won’t necessarily trigger a slowdown in lab projects for patches between now and December, 2006.

PatchWatch: Large File problems reduced

3000 sites which use files of 1 GB or larger can install patch MPEMXE5A to help eliminate some system aborts caused when using Large Files. HP reports that “System Abort 1007 (SA1007) can occur on MPE/iX release 6.5 or later. On releases 6.5 and 7.0, it can occur when patch MPELXH5 or superseding patch is installed. On release 7.5, the problem can occur on the base release. The problem only occurs in a small timing window. However, installing patch MPEMXA9 or superseding patch makes the problem more likely.”

HP said that the problem can occur when several large files (around 1 GB or larger) on the HP 3000 have been opened and closed. Closed files are kept on the 3000’s Least Recently Used (LRU) list. The problem can occur when a large file on the LRU is selected for de-allocation and reuse of its internal data structures, concurrently with another process which is performing a “partial map-out” of the same file. HP introduced partial map-outs in patch MPELXH5.

Patch MPEMXE5A reduces the risk of the system abort, but it will only address the timing window introduced by patch MPEMXA9. HP reported that “the fix for the actual root cause will be introduced in a later patch, since that fix will be complex and time-consuming.” HP estimates that patch MPEMXE5A will cure at least 95 percent of all SA1007 occurrences.

Problems with the 3000’s Large Files are leading support specialists to advise customers to avoid using Large File datasets. Jumbo datasets are an alternative, according to Rene Woc of Adager.

Another Large File-related patch, MPEMXQ1A, helps reduce the chance of System Abort 650 or System Abort –995. The SA650 can occur if the file limit of a Large File is truncated to a limit of less than 4 GB. System Abort –995 occurs if Subsystem Dump is enabled. This problem can occur on releases 6.5 and later, starting with 6.5 patch MPELX71.

For the failures to occur, a Large File’s EOF must equal 4 GB before the file is truncated. HP’s patch advisory said “The way a file is typically truncated is to first modify the data pointer of the file to the intended new EOF via a call to the FPOINT intrinsic, followed by an FCONTROL 6 intrinsic call to set the EOF. The system abort subsequently occurs when the file is closed via the FCLOSE intrinsic, when the disposition parameter, bits 11: 2, is set to a value of 1. This value means that, during the final close of the file, the file limit will be set to the EOF, and any disk space for the file beyond the EOF will be released.”

Patch MPEMXQ1A is a replacement for patch MPEMXN3. HP’s 3000 patches are available from the HP IT Response Center, www.hpitrc.com.

Heads roll over HP’s weak quarter

HP called a pre-dawn analyst briefing to report weak sales in its enterprise servers and storage unit, and by the same afternoon the company had fired three top executives in that unit. Peter Blackmore, Jim Milton and Kasper Rorsted were dismissed in the wake of more than $200 million in red ink at the unit that sells HP’s Unix, Alpha and NonStop servers.

Blackmore was a former Compaq executive VP named to head the group which included the HP 3000 operations when HP announced its merger plans. After a string of troubling quarters for HP’s enterprise server business, Blackmore was moved to a new Customer Solutions Group at HP in December to manage direct sales to enterprise customers. Blackmore was never quoted on the HP 3000 business during his tenure, but he held a post that oversaw the 3000 on the day HP decided to step away from the server. He will be replaced by former Compaq exec Mike Winkler, HP’s chief marketing officer, who will keep those responsibilities while he takes on Blackmore’s duties.

Jim Milton was managing director of HP’s Americas region for enterprise servers. Milton, whose responsibilities also included marketing of HP servers, was famous for telling HP staffers, “This is the most important quarter of your life.” In more than one quarter. He’ll be replaced by Jack Novia, senior VP and GM of HP’s Technology Solutions Group.

Rorsted, managing director of HP’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region, is being replaced by Bernard Meric, who’s a senior VP in the EMEA’s Imaging and Printing Group. HP’s European server sales of Intel-based systems came under heavy pressure from Dell this year. Dell said it was using the direct-sales approach that it has polished in the US to win European business from HP. All three HP executives who were fired came to the company from Compaq.

Despite the firings, HP said that a problem installing its new SAP orders system led to the weak sales in the enterprise unit. HP executives say the SAP-based problems won’t be eliminated until next month, but the company promised a rebound in sales for enterprise servers during the next quarter.

HP makes Itanium servers, training a bargain

After selling out two of the HP and Intel Developer Forums this summer, HP was reporting there’s still some room for the Sept. 21-23 installment of the seminars in Phoenix. The $2,000 fee for three days of training includes a significant party favor: an rx2600 Integrity developer server, loaded with the operating system of your choice.

HP has been promoting the Itanium-based Integrity servers as an alternative to HP 3000 PA-RISC systems. Customers are reporting the Itanium servers outpace the PA-RISC systems – at least those in the 9x9 and K-Class tier of servers. HP promises that attendees at the Forum will receive “the latest software development tools at the end of the event.” Latest estimates from HP show about one server in six which it ships uses Itanium 2 processors. The Integrity line will run HP-UX 11i, OpenVMS, SUSE Linux or Windows Server 2003.

The training is three days of “interactive lectures in proctored, hands-on labs,” which might mean video presentations, but the classes are supposed to help “rapidly migrate your applications to HP Integrity Servers.” For more details, see the Web site at www.hp.com/go/itaniumdeveloperforums.

European partners, customers tee up

HP is hosting a two-day event for its HP 3000 partners and their customers next month in Bad Griesbach, Germany, a Bavarian town known for its swank hotels and spas and lush golf courses. Jurgen Probst, the Transition Manager for HP’s European, Middle East and Africa 3000 operations, reports that more than 70 customers and partners were already registered for the Sept. 26-28 event.

Customers who will talk about their migrations away from HP 3000 will include Peter Herpich, whose 3000 shop had pioneered the use of the Enhydra application server with its parts ordering system. But the company had implemented Oracle on its 3000, and so had to face declining support from the database vendor as well as HP’s exit from the market.

Other European customer sites scheduled to speak at Bad Griesbach are Salomon and SCI from France, Gould Electronics from Germany, and IT services supplier and HP partner Oy Porasto from Finnland. HP will be presenting talks on Support and Consulting Services, the HP Renew remarketed hardware program, and keynote from e3000 Business Manager Dave Wilde.

The meetings will be held at the Maximilian Hotel in Bad Griesbach, while the golf will tee off at the Jaguar course. European partners can contact Probst for details of the event at juergen_probst@hp.com.

Amisys Synertech names new COO

Healthcare application vendor Amisys Synertech named David R. Beaulieu as chief operating officer. Beaulieu will be responsible for all customer service operations, including software product account management, technology and application hosting, implementation services and business process outsourcing services.

An Amisys release reported that Beaulieu has 24 years of health insurance management experience, including a dozen years with CIGNA Healthcare, where he last served as vice president, strategic planning and reengineering. Most recently, he served as a managing director and vice president with First Consulting Group and directed its government healthcare consulting practice, working with the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institutes of Health.

Amisys Synertech CEO Kevin Brown said that Beaulieu’s experience in the health insurance sector, as well as his consulting and managing experience “make him ideally suited to manage all aspects of our BPO and customer service operations. Amisys Synertech is entering an aggressive growth stage and David’s leadership of all our customer service offerings will be key to our continued success.”

Amisys customers met in a Special Interest Group at HP World, examining the alternatives in the Unix environment for products such as MPE/iX spoolers and batch job schedulers. No official Amisys representative attended the meeting, but development manager John Schick traveled from Iowa to Chicago.