ProCurve product line being discontinued?

[n3tm1n]

I typically do not give much creedence to post on another sites forum but I was intrigued when the person stated that HP is discontinuing the Procurve product line.

Any truth to such a claim?

[jguse]

Hello,

Just unofficially my opinion... considering the 3Com merger and the gradual move towards integrating everything into a single product line-up (while still separating by A/E/V Series), I wouldn't be surprised if eventually there were no more "3Com" and "ProCurve" products being sold, but instead a single "HPN" product line.

If, when and how that will happen we don't and won't know until it is announced though, and I don't think it would happen anytime soon.

[SCOOTER]

Same as what Justin wrote, but do you have a link to the "other" forum where the original claim was posted?

[n3tm1n]

Here is the link. Read the last sentence in the last post.

Tek-Tip post

[Richard Litchfield]

You can safely ignore the comment :

...what you want are Distribution switches that can give you "Split Multilink Trunks", to use Nortel terminology, or VSS, from Cisco, or VRFs, from HP (3COM). 
Procurve don't have anything that helps in this space. 
Which is probably why HP ar4 discontinuing Procurve. 

1.  The document referred to in previous posts is from 2005 - 7 years old - and whilst higher-end ProCurve switches (sometimes referred to a  E Series) still have this meshing feature, there are other options available from HP Networking that are possibly more relevant.
2. The terminology is incorrect: it is not VRF but IRF. IRF is Intelligent Resilient Framework, and allows switches in th same Comware (A Series) family to be linked together to appear as a single virtual entity. Simpler and more effective than SMLT or VSS, with none of the restrictions!
3. ProCurve, now HP Networking, do have options here - see point 2. There is also the 3800 switch series that support a fully-meshed stacking topology (up to 5) on 40Gb dedicated links.
4. ProCurve is not being discontinued. It is a significant part of the HP Networking business! The name ProCurve will presumably fade away along with 3com and H3C in favour of HP Networking.

[Lynn-Marie]

The ProCurve product line is not being discontinued!

In an effort to more fully integrate the combined HP Networking portfolio, the ProCurve and 3Com labels have been dropped from the product and series names.

For more information about the "old" and "new" product names, use the HP Networking Support Lookup Tool at www.hp.com/networking/support.

Thank you!

Lynn-Marie

Global Support Engineering

HP Networking Total Customer Experience

[Davy Priem]

Procurve products don't have IPv6 support in ASICS, so they are not very future-proof to buy. I also haven't seen new procurve products (on E-series, some new Wifi AP's were introduced) lately. Also software developement is very low.

[jkupski]

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@Davy Priem wrote:

Procurve products don't have IPv6 support in ASICS, so they are not very future-proof to buy. I also haven't seen new procurve products (on E-series, some new Wifi AP's were introduced) lately. Also software developement is very low.

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This is contradicted by this page, which states that, "The ProVision ASIC offers full support for IPv6 in hardware."

[Davy Priem]

5400/3500 and 6600 are the exceptions. By example, two switches commonly used as edge switches, the 2610 and the 2910 don't have IPv6 support in ASICS (and even very limited or no support in software). The 5400/3500 doesn't even have RA Guard on them. This is a basic IPv6 security requirement! This is in developement though, but takes ages. A-series (H3C's) have this onboard for quite a while.

[Davy Priem]

I found this in the release notes for latest experimental firmware for 5400 switch. Seems like they are working on a comware CLI for some products

Enhancement (CR_0000106070)

— The is the first of several phases that allows a Comware CLI proficient user

to use their Comware CLI knowledge to generate equivalent ProVision software CLI commands to manage and

configure ProVision software switches. This preliminary offering adds 21 simple Comware Display commands directly

to the ProVision CLI, with additional troubleshooting and management commands planned for future software

versions. See the

Comware CLI Commands in ProVision Software manual for more details.

[n3tm1n]

Since HP is adding ComWare commands in the ProVision Software, are they going to add ProVision commands in Comware?

[jguse]

They're merely adding the Comware commands to K-Software to make it easier for admins used to Comware switches, as the note also mentions. Nothing to do with anything being discontinued.

I don't know if they'll do the opposite, but considering you can already use the "command-alias" feature to essentially do this for yourself however you want to...

[Comware] command-alias enable

[Comware] command-alias mapping display show

[paulgear]

FWIW, here are the aliases i've defined. On 5500-EI it requires Comware 5.20 rel 2208; the default 2202 that comes with the switches i've bought doesn't have this feature.

 command-alias enable
 command-alias mapping display show
 command-alias mapping undo no
 command-alias mapping return end
 command-alias mapping quit exit
 command-alias mapping save write
 command-alias mapping info-center logging

The hotkeys are pretty handy, too.  More info about Comware from a ProCurve perspective in my blog here: http://libertysys.com.au/blog/initial-thoughts-on-the-hp-a5500-ei-switch

[n3tm1n]

On thing I noticed is that except for the recent firmware release for the 3500/5400/6600/82xx series, the 3800 switches have had firmware updates except a recent firmware that only contains fixes and no enhancements.

Seems like they are slowing down on builds. I wonder if the Procurve are being reassigned to the "A" series product group as part of the company overhaul. 

Also, other than the recent 19xx switch, no new ProCurve(ProVision) switch has been release nor announced.

Just my observation.

[Marcus J]

Yes unfortunately it seems like all procurve's are being discontinued.

No new procurves for a very long time, software development seems to have stalled completely.

The fact that they are discontinuing procurve manager.

HP Certifications are geared more and more to H3C switches and commands.

For us that have been working with procurves for more than 10 years this is quite sad, i never thought this would be the case when HP purchased 3com/H3C.

However i don't think i will ever do the move to H3C. The price difference compared to a equivalent cisco-switch is too small.

[paulgear]

Lynn-Marie already answered your objection above. If you think her facts are incorrect, counter with real facts, not hearsay.

ProCurve Manager deserves to die - i have had nothing but bad experiences with it, and by all reports IMC outstrips it in every department.

I've been working with ProCurve gear for 10 years as well, and i was really glad to see their portfolio extended with Comware. I tried the Comware switches and i was glad i did. http://libertysys.com.au/blog/initial-thoughts-on-the-hp-a5500-ei-switch

[tschaps]

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@Marcus J wrote:

...The fact that they are discontinuing procurve manager...

They certainly don't give it much attention, but do you have some source for this? I don't dispute it, but you list it as a fact, yet I can't find any announcement to that effect.

Thanks

[Marcus J]

IF HP starts releasing some new series of the more advanced "procurve line" , like a new hotter 5400zl or 8200zl they would show us that the "procurve line" is not dead, but personally i doubt they will.

Lately there have been only been some smaller switches released, like 2620.

Unfortunately HP have done similar things in the past, as when they purchased colubris, it did'nt take long before they discontinued their own "Wireless egde services" module and all accesspoints.

This caused very much annoyance with customers, many of them later changed to cisco wlc's just because they wanted a equipment that would'nt be discontinued in a few years.

What will happen to the "colubris line" now when they have purchased "3com wlan" i guess we will have to wait and see.

[MichaelM55]

Well,

from what I found within google cache (that one should really be forbidden)

- HP´s Colubris based MSM series will have a major update, soon.
- New MSM controllers will be available.

- Everything gets Comware Like Interface.
- HP´s H3C based Wifi access point series will also be available in future wihin Asia, but not in REST OF World countries.

- I myself like to see a 8200zl => V3 <= Haven´t found anythong about that one, yet.

[n3tm1n]

That is interesting... What key words did you use for google to find that info. If this was on an HP site, what is the URL for it?

[MichaelM55]

No file I found was on HP´s homepage at all. open ftp directories, file hosters, open file directories,.

Just google for:  HP, NDA, update, technical, training ,roadmap, it´s nothing special.