Not sure if this information made it to the 3000-L

Not much in it anyway, in fact there is nothing of great interest
just a bunch of smoke and no mirrors. Nothing we have not already said
and seen.

So why are we getting updates that tell us NOTHING?

Speaking for myself of course
Joe


-----Original Message-----
From: OpenMPE Support Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
Mike Paivinen
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 8:37 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: March 2005 Update from HP


Hi everyone,

Since we are now well into 2005, I think it’s a good time to send
another update to the OpenMPE community about vCSY activities of
interest.  I also want to thank the OpenMPE Board of Directors for
continuing to provide us feedback on matters of interest to its
membership.  Here is the summary of recent vCSY activities.

*  In January, Jeff Vance sent out a status summary of those SIB items
    that the R&D lab is actively pursuing.  Two of those items, “Make
    sure MPE can mount any disk up to ~1TB” and “Enhance MPE/iX to allow
    applications to send SCSI commands directly to SCSI devices ...,”
    may help to meet customer needs after HP’s end-of-support date.  We
    have made very good progress implementing the “Large Disk” item and
    intend to release the 7.5 version of the patches in the next few
    months.  Also, we have reviewed the results of the “SCSI Pass-Thru”
    investigation and have added its recommendations to the short list
    of projects to be prioritized for future staffing.

    Also, on March 22nd, Jeff sent out an update on SIB ‘05.  In
    conjunction with SIGMPE and the MPE Forum it was decided that “there
    is not sufficient customer interest to have a formal SIB '05, but
    vCSY will evaluate some targeted enhancements that may have benefit
    for customers willing to update their systems.”

*  In an April 2004 OpenMPE community update, Ross McDonald discussed
    some of the steps we are taking now in support of future decisions
    on ”whether to license MPE/iX source code to one or more third
    parties.”  The first step, “the creation of a standardized inventory
    of the build, integration, and test processes that are used to
    create a distribution of MPE/iX,” is nearing completion.  So, we
    have begun working with the OpenMPE Board of Directors to select “a
    non-HP, e3000-knowledgeable contractor to evaluate the process
    documentation for completeness [and sufficiency].”  The date that
    the contractor begins work will be somewhat dependent on the
    recommendations from the investigation.

*  In the FAQ that accompanied Ross McDonald’s June 2004 OpenMPE
    update, we said that “customers with a clear business need for
    another HP e3000 and who find themselves in a situation where they
    have exhausted all possible channels to buy a used HP e3000 should
    contact HP to discuss their specific situation.”  To respond to
    those situations, we set up an internal process for handling e3000
    hardware inquiries.   Since June 2004, we have used this process to
    support a few customers by identifying potential solutions to their
    needs for additional e3000 hardware.

*  As a follow up to discussions held at the HP World 2004 SIGMPE
    meeting, we are in the process of developing a web site on Jazz that
    will be updated with the list of patches that are in Beta Test (BT)
    status but are not yet ready for General Release (GR).  The URL for
    the web site will be distributed when it is ready to go live.

    A patch cannot move from BT to GR status unless it has been tested
    at one or more customer sites.  By publishing a list of BT patches,
    we hope customers will volunteer to become a Beta Test site for one
    or more patches.  To request a BT patch, customers with a valid HP
    Support contract should contact the HP Response Center.

*  MPE/iX Release 7.0 PowerPatch 3 is underway, targeted for a release
    at the end of April.  This is a traditional PowerPatch that simply
    consolidates the existing 7.0 GR patches.  Our current release plans
    call for additional PowerPatch releases on 6.5, 7.0, and 7.5
    spanning from the end of 2005 through the first half of 2006.

Remember, if you are having difficulty meeting your business needs
during this HP e3000 end-of-life period, we encourage you to contact
your HP sales, HP support, or authorized reseller reps, as appropriate.
We will work with you to try to help you to resolve your problem.

Regards,

Mike Paivinen, MPE/iX R&D
Project Manager

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