Been so busy answering user requests and writing code
last few days have let a lot of things go.  But since
someone just reminded me, so I don't forget again:

Those of you with older 9X9 series boxes and matching
peripherals may want to be on the alert for growing
opportunities for little "surprises" on your HP
hardware support contracts.  Here's our little "oops":

We bought our 959-400 in 1995 with two C5264R external
FWD SCSI-2 disc subsystems just over seven years ago.
Been running essentially 24 x 365 since then;  no disc
problems (knock on wood).  C5264Rs come with one 4G
spindle installed.  At the time of the original purchase
we also bought four more 4G spindles for each C5264R,
for a total of two 20G mirror banks.  Hardware support
life for our 959KS-400 SPU ends per contract printout
on 2006-12-31..  *BUT*: GUESS WHAT:  While support life
for the ADD-ON spindles (C5266U) ends on 2004-09-30, I
recently noticed that those C5264R's with the one
"bundled" SAME spindle are at EOSL 18 months earlier;
on 2003-03-31...  more than passing strange, IMO...

Anyway, after thinking about it for a week or so HP
decided that ALL 10 spindles go off support in just
TWO MONTHS.    :-(

...  after all these years, what is by far the most
likely system component to fail ?? (rhetorical question).

We expect to be running our old but reliable 959-400 for
at least another two years. Therefore my answer to above
situation was:  Called COMPUTECH over in Kirkland, WA
(actually their subsidiary or sister corporation or
whatever called InnerVu Corporation).  They were happy
to support ALL of our 959-400 hardware including all
peripherals for all of 2003 (and probably beyond);  and
were significantly cheaper than HP....   What did that
old TV ad say ??..:  Sorry, but we found somebody better.
So we are no longer a customer of the HP hardware support
organization, after 20+ years:  Adios; so it goes...


FOOTNOTE:  Per standing rules, no <plug> required for
my mention of Computech / InnerVu Corp for hardware
support:  I have zero financial interest (but have been
a satisfied customer from time to time over a period of
quite a few years).  And said mention was not intended
to imply that Computech is the only reputable 3rd-party
hardware support vendor;  they are just the local that
we are most familiar with....

Ken Sletten

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