January 2004

HP's Response to OpenMPE board member Ken Sletten

By Dave Wilde
HP e3000 Business Manager

HP has consistently delivered three messages since the November 2001 announcement. First, HP recommends transitioning e3000 applications to other HP platforms. Second, HP will continue to deliver the same, high-quality, software and hardware support for HP e3000 customers through HP end-of-support and where practical, will consider enhancing MPE/iX to meet customers’ evolving business needs during that period. Third, HP will work with customers who believe they will continue to depend on the HP e3000 to meet some of their business needs beyond HP end-of-support, to understand their issues and concerns, and to determine how HP can help address those issues.

The announcements and decisions that HP has made around the HP e3000 are consistent with those messages. For example, steps we have taken to date in support of customers’ use of the e3000 after HP end-of-support include, but are not limited to:

• Announced plans to help users interested in self-support: [HPWorld 2002]
-- Maintain documentation, tools, patches, and other e3000 content on-line, including Jazz and ITRC content
-- Unlock the passwording of e3000-unique diagnostics

• At the request of the user community, announced general terms for a low-cost MPE/iX license for use on emulator-based systems [February 2003]

• Looking at ways to enhance MPE/iX to make peripheral use easier after end-of-support [HPWorld 2002 & 2003]
-- Support for larger disks
-- A general “driver-hardening” effort for more flexible connectivity

• Continue the software license transfer process for used e3000 sales past end-of-support [HPWorld 2002]

• Provide for MPE/iX release tape distribution after end-of-support [HPWorld 2003]

These examples are in addition to the many things HP has done to address customer needs leading up to HP end-of-support.

While we acknowledge the customer needs that will extend beyond 2006, it has never been our intention, nor do we have any plans, to encourage the use of the HP e3000 after HP end-of-support. However, we absolutely intend to continue working directly with our valued customers, partners and with Interex and the OpenMPE Board of Directors, including work on advocacy requests regarding long-term availability of hardware and access to MPE/iX source code, to determine how to best help address the varied concerns of the overall e3000 community in the months and years to come.