Robelle | Products | Library | Support | Partners | Contact us | Site Map Today HP announced changes to the future of the HP 3000 platform that will impact all of us.
5-YEAR NOTICE
The 3000 platform has a lot of friends and supporters, myself included. HP has given us a 5-year notice that they intend to stop supporting the HP3000.
THINK 3RD PARTY
Even after 2006, I'm certain there will be 3rd party support for the machines. Just this year HP cancelled support on the 10-year old 9x7 line. And immediately a lively business sprung up to provide 3rd party maintenance for those systems.
For software support, there are incredibly talented vendors offering quality service and products you know and trust: Allegro, Adager, MB Foster, GSA Inc, Vital Soft, VESoft, Beechglen and Bradmark, to name a few.
My firm, Robelle, plans to support the 3000 with improved Qedit and Suprtool products and service as long as we have customers. I have a commitment from Neil Armstrong, the Suprtool Software Architect, to stay with the product for the long haul. And we ready to help you with your planning for the future.
If needed, our products already run on HP-UX, and have done so for 10 years. Read about HP-UX at Robelle.
KEEP MPE AND MOVE ON
I don't want to minimize the disruption that this announcement will cause users.
The cost to change IT systems is high, especially when switching from a known
reliable platform like MPE to a new platform of unknown quality. But these days
you do not need everything in your shop on one platform. HP 3000 systems can
easily share data with IBM, SUN, HP-UX and Windows, even LINUX. Our web site has
application notes on exporting 3000 data to various platforms.
(Visit our migration web page.)
We even show you how
to share your data with mySQL, a solid database solution with a great price: free. It is comforting to know that your data has an alternate home if you need it.
SHARING IS GOOD
Suprtool from Robelle is already widely used to help integrate HP systems with Windows, LINUX, Sun, and IBM systems by sharing data. One of our customers uses Suprtool to distribute their data from the 3000 to a nationwide network of HP-UX boxes, and then bring new data back to the 3000 for integration.
LIKE A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLE WATERS ...
If you don't panic, I believe you can continue to rely on your 3000s almost as long as you want. Barring technical setbacks, I expect to see faster 3000s next year - there is still the PA-RISC 8700 chip and the Fiber Channel architecture to exploit. At a time of your choice and in a manner of your choosing, you can migrate the applications off your HP 3000. But as long as you stay, you can count on support from Robelle.
ROBELLE WILL BE THERE
I started on the HP 3000 before the first system was shipped from HP and I plan to be there long after the last 3000 is shipped. Robelle is a 3000 vendor, and will remain a 3000 vendor, with the flexibility to help your 3000 accommodate whatever your IT plans envision. Our web site, www.robelle.com, will continue to act as a hub for 3000 information. The 3000 and the people who know and support it will be around for a long time.
Suprtool and Qedit are trademarks of Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. Other products and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Press Release Contact:
Bob Green
Robelle Solutions
Technology Inc.
Suite 201, 15399 - 102A Avenue
Surrey, BC CANADA
Tel:
(604) 582-1700
E-mail: bgreen@robelle.com
Web: www.robelle.com