IMAGE to get consolidated code base

Bedrock 3000 database will work with uniform feature set

As the latest HP World conference wound to a close, HP opened a new future for the 3000’s database. This year’s meeting of SIG-IMAGE/SQL included a report that the vendor will make a single code base for the database that includes the LargeFile enhancement for maximum dataset capability.

LargeFile datasets first surfaced with the 7.5 release of MPE/iX, and the feature drew praise from database experts as a more stable and efficient way to handle datasets bigger than 4GB. LargeFile datasets can be dynamically expanded, and they accommodate greater stores of data without stitching together multiple 4GB chunks. But until last month’s SIG-IMAGE meeting, the enhancement looked to be locked up in an MPE release the majority of the customers could not use.

Adager’s Alfredo Rego chaired the SIG meeting in the absence of Ken Sletten, the SIG’s chair who was unable to attend the Atlanta conference. When Rego proposed that LargeFile datasets be delivered for the widely-installed 6.5 and 7.0 MPE/iX releases, HP had a rapid delivery date in reply.

“They will be,” said HP’s Jeff Vance at the meeting. A PowerPatch for the 6.5 and 7.0 releases will be ready by the end of this year to bring LargeFile capability to the majority of 3000 customers.

“This will help a tremendous number of people who are still running on Series 9x7s,” Rego said at the meeting. “There are still many people running on those HP 3000s.” The 9x7 family of 3000s only runs MPE/iX 6.5 among the supported versions of the OS. HP estimated at the conference that half of the customer base is using 6.5 or an older release on their HP 3000s.

Dynamic expansion on detail datasets has become mainstream, according to HP 3000 database experts. Some use it as an insurance until they schedule database capacity maintenance, while others deploy it as a permanent solution to forget about capacity maintenance. During the eight-plus years that dynamic expansion has been available, HP has gradually fixed the technical obstacles to adopting dynamic expansion.

“Users will be relieved when they find out they won’t need to upgrade their MPE/iX version just to have access to LargeFile datasets,” said Adager CEO Rene Woc. “There may be some issues in supporting LargeFile datasets unconditionally on 6.5, since on MPE these were gradually implemented via PowerPatches and/or Express releases.”

Datasets created in newer versions of the 3000’s operating system wouldn’t work when restored on systems with older versions of MPE/iX and IMAGE. The common code base — delivering TurboIMAGE C.10.05 to all three releases — will resolve this problem while extending the LargeFile features.

SIG-IMAGE and SIG-MPE leaders briefly mentioned a possible merger of the two groups during the coming year. Sletten was returned to his SIG leader post by acclamation, but SIG-MPE co-chair John Burke said discussion of merging the SIGs would take place on the 3000-L mailing list.

“Will there be a meeting of SIG-IMAGE next year?” Rego asked HP’s Vance, who replied, “I assume so.”