A year on from HP's announcement that it would phase out its 3000 server line, many enterprises plan to extend the minicomputer's life through open-source development, emulation, outsourcing or other arrangements.

Last November, HP said that it would discontinue production of the 30-year-old line - now named e3000 but better known by its original nomenclature - and associated MPE software. The decision, which reversed a previous plan to port MPE to run on Intel Itanium-based servers, will take effect next October.

Although it will continue to provide support for the 3000 until 2007, HP is offering substantial trade-in discounts on HP-UX, Windows and Linux servers. The firm has also been working with third-party developers on tools and middleware to help move applications to other platforms.

However, many current HP 3000 users have said they plan to continue running MPE programs for several years longer, because of the platform's robustness and security features. One way to achieve this is to run HP 3000 operations via a managed service provider that undertakes to host and maintain systems.

Unique capabilities

Some users have also called on HP to stop password-protecting unique capabilities in MPE; to open up licensing terms for the server line; to put documentation in the public domain; and to open source code and create emulation software so MPE programs can be run under alternative systems.

Other users will look to competing providers. A survey carried out by HP user group Interex earlier this year found that 16 percent of users plan to move away from HP, and 29 percent were undecided.

IBM has allied with migration software and services firm Sector 7 to sell its iSeries as an alternative, offering free migration assessments as an incentive. The iSeries, formerly the AS/400, resembles the 3000 in that it is an integrated server built on a proprietary architecture and offers a similar applications roster. Sun's sales force has also been targeting HP 3000 users.

Firms moving away from the 3000 can also use middleware to support longer-term migration to open systems. Quest Software's BridgeWare, for example, is a joint development between Quest and Taurus Software to move data from HP 3000 to other platforms. Also, Interex has posted Web seminars describing how to port MPE software to other environments.

In September, HP 3000 services company Burke Consulting criticised HP for tardiness in responding to the requirements of users. "HP reneged on a publicly stated promise that was re-stated multiple times publicly over several years," the firm pointed out in a written statement. "People and companies made career and business decisions based upon this promise."

However, a number of observers have approved the decision to cut the 3000 adrift, citing the high costs of maintenance needed to support proprietary systems. "The line has served customers well for more than 30 years, but the time has come to phase it out," wrote Andy Butler of analyst firm Gartner in a research note at the time of the announcement. "Customers are being offered reasonable terms for moving to other HP products."

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