HP-UX EOSL (End of Support Life)

[Rikki hinn Ogurlegi]

Hello all,

The end of support for 11iV3 is a year away now.   It's scheduled for december 2025.

Is it known what HPE plans to do at that point?   I have inhereted some IA64 systems from previous clients they are not using any more and I would love to be able to play with them but over the years HPE has had a VERY strange approach to access to install media and more importantly standard patchbundles (HWE, QPK)..  They have even refused to sell me HP-UX licenses without support access.  Just personal use. No corporate angle here at all.

After working with every release since 8.X on everything from the MC68000 300 series to the PA-RISC 700 and 800 systems and then Itaniums for a full quarter of a century, the system is dear to me.

Is there any chance for example that HPE will choose to either open up access to the software or better still Open Source the operating system?

[Greeshma21]

Hi @Rikki hinn Ogurlegi 

 I believe that the HPE may not provide the OS as an open source.

Regards,
Greeshma

[Supreeth_B]

Hi @Rikki hinn Ogurlegi 

Im happy to hear your love for our product. As you noted, HP-UX 11iV3’s end of support is scheduled for December 2025, that said there is a small ray of hope for it to get extend too (take that with a pinch of salt). HPE’s support for older IA64 systems, especially in the case of ITanium processors, has dwindled in recent years, as we’ve pivoted towards more mainstream platforms.
It's true that HPE has historically been strict about selling licenses, especially for personal use. Our policy has focused primarily on enterprise customers with active support contracts. It’s unlikely that HPE will ease these restrictions, especially given the decline in demand for Itanium-based hardware and HP-UX in general.

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Regards,
Supreeth.

[Rikki hinn Ogurlegi]

Perhaps this decline in demand is a Self-fulfilling prophecy?   After all, this strictness does nothing except anger your loyal customers.

[dedmonst · Accepted solution]

I think you have to consider that the strictness in licensing terms is not all of HP/HPE's making. There is code in the OS which is licensed from third parties (The Veritas Filesystem being the obvious example; glance and the performance agents are now owned by Micro Focus). Even if HPE wanted to make "hobby" licenses available, they would need to get the agreement of a bunch of other software vendors, all of who expect to be paid for their IP. As for making the source code available - I think this is even more unlikely for the same reasons.

If you want to use HP-UX as a hobbyist, I advise purchasing install media from eBay and such places. Some of the darker corners of the Internet may even have ripped ISOs available. None of this is strictly legal, but I doubt HPE would waste valuable time coming after a hobbyist. They have never come after the many people who have operated HP9000 workstations for fun over the years.

[Rikki hinn Ogurlegi]

Yes, I know you are right regarding the source code and even an x86_64 port    But you can always hope...

But other than that, you are ofcource completely right.  Maybe ISO's and/or patchbundles will somehow make their way to me

[dedmonst]

Little known fact... an x86_64 port got as far as initial kernel boot in the HP-UX development labs, but was discontinuued. The rationale was that very few ISVs would port their software to anything apart from Linux or Windows on x86. For previously mentioned reasons, I doubt any of this code will ever see the light of day... more's the pity.