Don’t expect any support at all for the upcoming MPE/iX 7.0 on the many 9x7 systems still in service. HP has announced that end of life for these products is April 30, 2002, and it’s taking another step to ensure the newer hardware looks more stable. HP 3000 lab manager Dave Wilde said that “The cost to support and test on an additional platform was prohibitive and, as well, would put undue strain on our lab resources which would prevent CSY from completing other enhancements and future technologies in a timely manner.

This, coupled with the fact that the series 9X7 will reach end of support in early 2002 assisted in our decision. HP says that 7.0, which is expected to ship in the first half of 2001, “will not have code to support any HP 3000 9x7 Servers. This is similar to MPE/iX Release 6.5, which did not have the ability to support the 925/935/949, 920/922/932/948/958 or 950/955/960/980 families. HP explained that 7.0 wasn’t tested on the 9x7s, and so “in order that our 9x7 customers do not run into supportability issues, MPE/iX 7.0 will not run on the 9x7 family.” HP is also predicting that “As the end of support for the HP 3000 9x7 Servers approaches, parts will be in shorter supply and support prices are likely to rise.” By all accounts, the 9x7 Series is the most widely installed computer in the HP e3000 base, but HP appears to be taking steps to change that.