Actually, we at HP have said that some very old HP 3000 servers will not be
supported with MPE/iX Release 6.5.  The 9x7 Servers are not included in this
list.
However 9x7 Servers are expected to end their support life on April 1, 2002
(two
years away).  I would not expect this date to move out.  This end-of-support
date is
over 5 years after HP stopped selling these servers.

Now for the MPE/iX operating system that runs on 9x7 Servers.  We expect to
end
support of MPE/iX Release 5.5 at the end of this year.  We are planning on
ending
support of MPE/iX Release 6.0 at the end of 2001.  We have not stated when
the
planned end-of-support for Release 6.5 will be but it will be awhile (we
just began
shipping this release).

If you choose to upgrade to MPE/iX Release 6.5, the 9x7 Server will be
supported
until its end-of-support date on April 1, 2002; however, you need to be
aware that
devices that use the very old HP-IB  and HP-FL I/O connections (some disks,
tapes
and printers) are not supported with Release 6.5 (the code is not there,
items will not
work).  We did this to free up engineering resources to work on the next
generation
PCI I/O bus that will be seen in next generation servers due out in 2001.

Finally, if you are interested in upgrading that 9x7 Server, HP is running a
promotion
through the end of July 2000 to help you upgrade to a 9x9KS Server.  If
interested,
see your local reseller.

Hope this helps clarify the situation.

Dave Snow
HP CSY Product Marketing


Odor, Robert E. wrote in message ...
>We have a 9x7, which HP says they will not support on MPE 6.5.  They also
>say they will stop supporting the 9x7's themselves (the machines with the
>HP-IB bus) when they stop supporting MPE 6.0 sometime in 2001.  We are
>looking into replacing our 987 with a used 995 or 996, but I am wondering
>how long those machines might be supported.
>
>If any of you on the list have a 9x7, I would be interested in hearing what
>you are planning to do.  Do you plan to keep running your 9x7 without HP
>support?   Or do you think that HP will reverse itself and continue to
>support the these machines?  I also saw in the March 3000 Newswire that at
>the SIG3000 MPE meeting there was discussion of HP-IB and the possibility
of
>"open sourcing" the HP-IB drivers.
>
>I  would appreciate any ideas that anyone has to share on the 9x7
situation.
>
>
>Bob Odor
>Computer Operations Supervisor
>Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services
>8004 Franklin Farms Drive
>Richmond, VA  23229
>Voice:          (804) 662-7481
>Email:          [log in to unmask]
>