6.5 performance is key to upgrade path

HP rolled out its PowerPatch 1 for 6.5 on schedule this week, making the operating system more of a production-level option for its conservative customer base. But while the release delivers the first support for large files that power users need for performance, some of its implementations may actually slow down some HP 3000s.

The 6.5 penalty kicks in when a 3000 using it is near its memory (RAM) capacity, according to Steve Macsisak of the division's R&D labs. In a series of chats on 3kworld.com, the engineer said that systems running with less than 128Mb of memory installed could experience slower performance using 6.5. The new release takes more resident memory than its 6.0 predecessor. On systems with a high number of users and tight memory, things slow down under 6.5. HP's numbers indicate that a correct ratio of users to memory should be 4Mb per user, 16Mb per batch job and 64 Mb on top of those numbers.

Some other customers are reporting that the FCOPY command runs slower under 6.5. Macsisak said that "copying of files may be slower on 6.5 if the records are small and you don't have much memory. People should really use the COPY command, not FCOPY."

The advantages of the new release are best felt on systems with multiple processors, or those handling applications that need large file support, such as Amisys' Payor Solutions software. HP 3000s with 10 and 12 processors -- at the moment, only the Series 997s have these 10-way and 12-way options -- "would run [as slow as] a 3-way system when we went beyond 8-way. The queue lengths for system resouces got very long," Macsisak said. Stan Sieler of Allegro Consultants added in the chat that "on 6.0 vs. 6.5, if at all possible, test performance before committing."

HP is offering a LaserRX alternative: Lund's SCOPEUtil

HP is pointing its 3000 customers toward third party solutions more often these days, and its behavior toward those who bought and used HP's Laser RX shows that new cooperation. A letter has gone out to customers who used the HP performance tool advising them that Lund Performance Solutions " has quickly come to the aid of system managers regarding Scope data issues. With the phasing out of Laser RX, Lund Performance Solutions saw a need for a conversion tool to keep new and existing Scope files from becoming obsolete."

Independent Software Vendor Program Manager Kriss Rant of HP's 3000 division authored the letter to point out that Lund sells ScopeUtil, which works with the Laser RX Scope data files that the HP software generated. HP's letter said that Lund "has provided a simple yet comprehensive set of utilities to help you get the most in performance from your HP e3000." LUND's SOSLOGX historical data tool or its windows-based graphing tool, Performance Gallery Gold, use the Scope data once it's been through ScopeUtil.

It's the kind of letter HP wouldn't have dreamed of sending years ago, when the company wanted to compete with its software suppliers in the 3000's tools marketplace. Now the division knows it has better work to do, missions only it can accomplish -- improvements in the system's operating environment and integrating tools like Perl and Python for the platform.

Cutting edge beta: the 3000 uses Jserv servlets

HP has put up beta-test-grade code on the its Jazz Web site that lets customers use Java Servlets for MPE/iX -- add-on, Web server functionality which executes server-side Java code on an HP e3000. Java servlets are similar to Java applets, except that they run on the e3000 instead of in a browser. The Jserv beta code is at http://jazz.external.hp.com/src/jserv/

HP reports that "Servlets can be used wherever CGI might normally be used. Servlets allow for session persistence and have faster startup times than traditional CGI once the Java Virtual Machine has started (on first servlet invocation)."

The mod_jserv beta software for MPE/iX is designed for use with the Apache 1.3.9 beta for MPE/iX and HP WebWise Secure Web Server for MPE/iX. The servlets will not work with Apache 1.3.4 for MPE/iX -- the version bundled with the new 6.5 MPE/iX release -- since that version lacks DSO capability. The Secure Web Server, available at prices between $1,290 and $1.995, is based on the 1.3.9 Apache code. Customers who want to try out the newer 1.3.9 code before it's integrated into a future release of MPE/iX (some say by PowerPatch 2 of 6.5), can download beta 1.3.9 Apache/iX at http://jazz.external.hp.com/src/apache/139beta/.

Perl does a CGI speedup for the 3000

HP isn't officially supporting it yet, but the Perl programming language we highlighted in our August issue is already getting more integration with MPE/iX from an engineer whose day job is working on the HP 3000 operating system offerings. Mark Bixby, a Perl advocate who's also responsible for the port of the Apache Web server to the platform, announced that he has created a DSO that executes Perl-based CGI scripts fast.

Bixby's demo is at http://jazz.external.hp.com/dso_demo/. This kind of technology is too often cited as the kind of stuff that a system as old as the 3000 doesn't know how to execute. Bixby notes:

"Part of what mod_perl can do is to make your Perl CGI scripts execute incredibly fast without the hefty initial overhead of Perl process startup and interpretation. The above demo illustrates this difference. First run the traditional Perl CGI script, and observe the response time. Then run the same script under mod_perl and note the incredible difference!"

"Please be sure to read the demo setup notes that explain in detail what is happening and under what conditions the amazing response time will be attained. To learn more about mod_perl (and it can do a lot more besides just fast CGI scripts), please see: http://perl.apache.org/

To obtain Perl and mod_perl, please see http://www.bixby.org/mark/perlix.html

The jazz demo environment is HP WebWise MPE/iX Secure Web Server A.01.00 plus Perl and mod_perl from bixby.org. Mod_perl is a DSO, and requires a version of Apache capable of loading DSOs on MPE (such as WebWise). "

DSO's are going to be supported in the future on the HP-supported version of Apache/iX. In the meantime, Bixby's latest freeware Apache/iX port (1.3.12) also supports DSOs, but does not include any of the HP WebWise SSL features. Download it at http://www.bixby.org/mark/apacheix.html

No Carly live at HP World: Superdome calls instead

After making her HP debut in public at last year's HP World conference, HP CEO Carly Fiorina will be skipping a personal appearance at this year's event that begins Monday, Sept. 11. Fiorina will introduce Ann Livermore at the show in a video address only. One reason for this is the CEO is scheduled to appear just up the East Coast in New York City the next day to unveil Superdome, the HP computer that's supposed to put the company's Unix offerings in front of those from Sun and IBM.

Sun will be playing leapfrog with the HP offering in the Unix market, promising a Serengeti successor to its E10000 server that's been outselling the HP V-Class Unix servers. IBM's in the running as well with a successor to its S80, code-named Regatta, that will use 32 processors. Superdome will be released with 32 processors, and is ready for IA-64 chips when they arrive. It's also expected to cost more than $1 million.

Livermore's address at HP World is the speech most likely to include new corporate references to the HP 3000, according to HP press sources. The 3000 division was also working hard on the final touches of general manager Winston Prather's speech for the show, to be delivered the day after the Superdome announcement surfaces.

No SIB improvements on this year's MPE/iX

An item that's likely to be discussed at the HP World conference next week is HP's discouraging response to this year's System Improvement Ballot requests from MPE/iX customers. After hours of debate and the heavy lifting of prioritizing highly technical requests, Special Interest Group (SIG) members have been dismayed to learn that not a single one of the top 10 improvement requests has a green light from the CSY labs. Only two are even under consideration. (You can see the top requests at the Interex site, http://www.interex.org/advocacy/survey/2000mpesib.html)

Lab responses usually indicate more hope for getting some of the requested enhancements, but replies on the current requests show a lab maxed out with other work, apparently. Language from the labs uses phrases like "we have no one looking into this enhancement at this time," "we have no extra engineers to start the work, and we believe that our currently staffed projects are still at a higher priority." One request, for a new IMAGE GETUPDATE intrinsic, has been prototyped -- but put on hold "because we don't know how many users can benefit from it."

It's possible we don't understand how CSY values today's SIB ballot process. But it seems that anything that gets onto a top 10 list from the most adept users of the system would have its benefits already proven. The chairman of the MPE SIG said that the responses make it appear that user requests for improvements will have to wait for another season:

"With all due respect, I have never felt as 'ignored' by our SIB than I have this year," Kell wrote in a posting to the Internet. "It seems that we can't ask for anything anymore. What is the purpose of our SIGs, our ballots, our SIBs, if everything we ask for is pushed aside? I could understand if we were asking for major innovations, but several of the top 10 (or 15 or 20) are trivial, even to the point of the SIGIMAGE request to bundle Allbase (one module short of IMAGE/SQL) with FOS. That's a marketing decision that requires little or no CSY effort."

Kell is grateful for the additions to the OS done by CSY engineers on their own. "If not for the generosity of Jeff Vance, Mark Bixby, and a few select others, MPE functionality would be at a standstill," he said. "Granted future growth (64-bit and/or IA-64) are important) but surely you can spare someone to look at these relatively minor issues."

Be at HP World in spirit: post roundtable questions

The largest part of the HP 3000 community won't be at the HP World conference next week, but that doesn't mean they won't be heard from. Questions for the roundtables at the conference were still in short supply as of the Friday before the conference, as shown on the Interex advocacy section of the user group's Web site. Anyone can post a question for the CSY division leaders to answer. The most comprehensive roundtable, covering all e3000 issues, doesn't start until 4PM EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 13. Browse to the Interex advocacy page for 3000 issues at http://www.hpworld.org/advocacy/issues/hpworld2000/bbs_forum.cgi?forum=hp Interex promises that answers to the questions will be posted at the same location after the show. We'll have full coverage of the roundtable in our next issue.

TraceRT will get more stable

HP has made some improvements to the TraceRT utility available for the HP 3000, another Unix standby that has made the transition to MPE/iX. Doug Werth of Beechglen Consulting said that "TraceRT is a great tool, and there are times that you must run the TraceRT from the machine you are having the problem on, not another node on the same network. Politically it helps by knocking out yet another brick in the mythical wall between MPE and other "open" operating systems. If I had a nickel for each time a network tech snidely said, 'You mean your machine can't tracert?' While there are many answers to that statement, some less offensive than others, a simple "Sure it can tracert" is the best!"

Adding the patch for the utility still requires a reboot of the system, however. According to HP support engineer Damian Coffey, who says the patch does more than add TraceRT:

"It's more than just adding the TRACERT program. Quite a number of changes have been made to IP code to accomodate the TRACERT facility. Thus, as IP code is in the NL, we need to create an SLT.

However, do NOT install the TRACERT patch if you have Token Ring or FDDI links on your system, otherwise system aborts will occur. Later NS Transport patches -- including the current GR patch, NSTFDM1(for MPE/iX 5.5), NSTFDM2 (for 6.0) -- no longer include the TRACERT code due to this problem. "

Coffey said that new patches for at least 6.0 and 6.5 (possibly 5.5) to include TRACERT again, with a fix for the above problem, are expected soon.

PURGELINK can be your friend

MPE Forum executive committee member Duane Percox passed along some first-hand experience with PURGELINK, an MPE command not as widely known as some, but with the ability to replace in-use files with newer versions:

"You may not be familiar with the PURGELINK command. It is a handy command that can be used to remove files that are in-use and replace them with an updated copy of the file. In the past this was not always possible since MPE wouldn't let you PURGE a file being accessed.

However, the existing users of the file you have PURGELINK'ed continue to use the old version and any new users will use the new/updated version. Once the last user of the old version closes the file it is removed.

Typical operation is:

:PURGELINK oldfile :COPY newfile,oldfile

You can also use RENAME in place of COPY.

From our experience we have successfully used this to accomplish the following:

* Install a new version of a NM/CM program while it is being used by one or more users.

* Install a new version of a NM library (XL) while it is being used by one or more users.

* Update a UDC file while it is locked (being used by one or more users).

* Install a new version of a file (like a vplus file) while it being used)."

Percox warns that "we have had NO success using PURGELINK with SL files. In fact we have had system hangs as a result."

There is another way to perform this kind of swap, noted in our own John Burke's HiddenValue column from a prior NewsWire. Glenn Cole reminded us of the Posix way:

"If you use the POSIX shell instead, you can

$ mv OLDFILE OLDSAVE
$ mv NEWFILE OLDFILE

(or some variation on that theme). This has the advantage of keeping the old file around (and visible) for those currently accessing it, but moving the new file into production for new users. (I have no idea if it would work any better for SLs.)"

US-based 3000 sales outlets have online Web pointers

HP 3000 customers who are wondering who their reseller might be have answers on the Web, as HP and Client Systems put together a geographic roundup of US hardware sources for buying HP 3000s. The Web page at http://www.businessservers.hp.com/buy/resller_content.html shows a map of the US, with pointers to the current hardware solution implementers and independent software vendors. These are the resellers who retained the right to sell new HP 3000s after HP de-authorized about a third of its US outlets for the server.