Upgrade from VAX server to integrity server

[Mrityunjoy Kundu]

One of my customer is willing to replace the old VAX system hardware by Integrity server keeping O/S and the application intact. The details of the VAX system, VMS version and all relevant layered products used at various servers are attached in Excel sheet.
Please guide me with relevent specifications
of servers ,operating system,end user license ,layer product and patches.

[Heinz W Genhart]

hi mrityunjoy

in your forums profile we can see the following:
I have assigned points to 13 of 58 responses to my questions.

I think you should assign points to those people who helped you with their answers. We would also be more motivated to further help you and spend our time for finding answers for your questions.

You may also read the following article http://66.34.90.71/ITRCForumsEtiquette/after.html

Regards

Geni

Give me 0 points for this posting

[Karl Rohwedder]

I think, your question implies more than can be answered here execpt the usual:
- read the migration documents
- check for layered products availability
- check your own SW in regards of sources and required compilers...
- perhaps a translation via an ALPHA inbetween comes into play
- do you need special hardware to control the shopfloor
- in regards of performane, even the slowest Itanium system should be enough


regards Kalle

[Ian Miller.]

your question is too open to be answered effectively in a forum like this. You should buy some consultancy time from someone who knows - could be HP or one of the independent consultants (some of which can be found here).

Have you looked at the VAX to Integrity transition modules
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/integrity/transition/vax/modules.html

These provide a good starting point.

[Art Wiens]

If you really meant it when you said "keeping o/s and application intact", then you don't have much recourse other than a program like CHARON-VAX - http://www.softresint.com . Should work for you depending on how specialized the communications are with the equipment it's controlling.

At least you'll have a place to dispose of all your old equipment - Blast Furnace #2 sounds like a good resting place!! ;-)

Good luck,
Art

[Dean McGorrill]

hi mrityunjoy,
yes points help these guys. it looks like you have 5 systems to do,
if they are separate you can pick one at a
time. i'd probably upgrade everything on the
existing hardware to V7.3 and latest patches & relevent software. next I'd get alpha hardware and do
the vax-alpha port. then upgrade to 7.3-2
on to v8.3. then I'd think about upgrading and porting to integrity. if your weak in vms, as suggested I'd get consulting! be sure you
have a good dba, you have real old version
of rdb to push forward. take it in steps. good luck, hope
this helps - Dean

[Jur van der Burg]

This seems to be an excellent candidate for replacement of the hardware by the Charon-vax emulator. Could be almost plug and play.

Jur.

[Robert Gezelter]

Mrityunjoy,

Indeed, this is a complicated question that requires a careful review, quite beyond the scope of what can reasonably consider in a response to an ITRC posting.

Certainly Charon from SRI is one possibility. Another possibility is a double translation, using the VEST and AEST binary translators in sequence.

Long term, recompiling the applications natively on Integrity is the best option. It is also possible to use these approaches in combination, an approach that will be highlighted in an upcoming whitepaper (when the paper is published, it will be listed on my www site at http://www.rlgsc.com/publications.html ).

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

[Brad McCusker]

Hello Mrityunjoy,

What can you tell us about the applications running on these VAX servers? Are they all self developed, custom applications? Does your customer have the source code and is he prepared to port the applications?

Is there a 3rd party application provider? If so, has the provider made the application available for Integrity?

You have to start with the application and understand what your options are for the application with respect to Integrity. There is no point in purchasing a new server and loading it up with the lastest OpenVMS and layered prodcuts if you can't run your application.

If your application is not available for Integrity (or can't be ported), then, Charon VAX emulation is probably your best option.

If your application is available for Integrity, then, I suggest you buy some consultancy from someone knowledgeable in these topics to help you plan this migration.

Brad McCusker

Software Concepts International
www.sciinc.com

[Stanley F Quayle]

I'm looking at your list, and most things might also be available on Integrity. But I have some questions and comments:

- I don't recognize "HAMS". What is it?
- If you've written applications in VAX C, translation to DEC C could be painful. VAX C allowed all sorts of bad coding practices.
- Your Fortran code should be easy to port.
- Most DCL scripts (you didn't mention them, but you certainly have some) should be straightforward to migrate.

The mention of "Hardware" is the biggest unknown -- it could be as simple as a serial port or as complicated as a bus-connected special device.

As others have mentioned, CHARON-VAX could be simple if your "Hardware" is simple. [Shameless Plug Alert (tm) -- I am a CHARON-VAX resller.]

Please get some professional (paid) support before going much further. It will save you lots of money in the long run.