HP Updates Himalaya Servers

Future's so bright

• By Chris McConnell
• 06/20/2002

One of the worries of Compaq customers after the merger with Hewlett-Packard Co. is the future of server products such as the Alpha processor and the OpenVMS operating system. With its announcement of its updates to the NonStop server line, HP gave an indication for the future of one of its product lines.

The former Compaq Computer Corp. acquired the NonStop server line with its purchase of Tandem in 1997. NonStop is a line of High-Availability (HA) servers used in Datacenter applications such as flight reservations or credit card transactions.

This week’s refresh updates the CPU used in the NonStop line. The new top-tier NonStop 86000 machine will use the MIPS R14000 processor. HP also updated its older line, giving the new S76 machines the R14000. Older machines, such as the S74000 used MIPS’ R12000.

HP also updated other hardware in the NonStop server line. The new servers can support more memory, up to 16GB per processor. Faster storage systems were also introduced, which HP says improves I/O performance by 25%.

A clearer indication that HP has plans for the former tandem machines is the software updates. HP introduced a new version of the NonStop SQL/MX relational database, version 1.5. It also brought the native software in line with current Java standards. HP also partnered with Radiant Logic Inc. to bring native directory services to the NonStop platform.

Finally, HP signaled its intent to bring NonStop’s software into the Web Services age. It will support SOAP, WSDL, and other components of the Web services stack in future software releases. It also announced a partnership with EAI heavyweight TIBCO for enterprise integration opportunities.

The high-end S76000 and low-end S760 servers are available today, with other servers arriving in the third quarter. HP will hold a conference call Monday to further clarify its vision for the NonStop line.