HP have released exciting news that will bring delight and relief to many organizations that have relied on OpenVMS for decades. A new company VMS Software, Inc. (VSI) has been formed with former DEC engineers to continue development of OpenVMS, adding broader support across multiple architectures and developing new layered products.
- HP will continue to support current (v. 8.4) and prior versions of OpenVMS as shown on the January 2014 roadmap.
- VSI will develop future versions of the OpenVMS operating system including support for HP Integrity i4 servers on Intel 9500 processors.
VSI’s initial Roadmap indicates a new version on x86 architecture for around 2016, although many customers are asking if that date can be brought forward. Not only have HP licensed the source code to VSI, they will conduct rigorous quality assurance and resell future releases of OpenVMS.
HP have worked closely with its global partners since it first announced the end of support for OpenVMS to devise a path forward. The OpenVMS community is delighted that customer concerns have been heard and OpenVMS is being rekindled.
While some elements of the relationship between VSI and OpenVMS customers have yet to be fully clarified, the widespread support of OpenVMS user organizations and of HP itself, make this a satisfying “win/win” for all concerned.
Organizations running OpenVMS suddenly have many more options open for consideration and should re-evaluate their strategy for this elegant and secure operating system.
RapidGen has been helping leading organizations make the most of their OpenVMS systems for over 30 years and can offer strategic advice to help you decide which path is right for your OpenVMS systems.
“HP have worked closely with its global partners since it first announced the end of support for OpenVMS to devise a path forward.”
Some would argue, perhaps convincingly so, that despite VMS’ well deserved reputation for being bomb-proof, HP was dedicated to sending VMS to the knacker-man.
Mike, thank you for your comment.
Yes we have certainly experienced how “bomb-proof” OpenVMS can be – running for decades with zero unplanned downtime.
While it may have seemed that the end of VMS was inevitable, given the economics of supporting an operating system that is 35 years, we know that HP were trying to find a positive path for the many customers that rely on OpenVMS.