[Info-vax] OpenVMS versus Windows/GE Telemetry Control Systems.

[John Wallace]

On Jan 11, 4:08 am, cyberunlimi... at gmail.com wrote:
> I work for a large Water Utility. Our SCADA Telemetry Control System uses Alpha Servers. Management wants to scrap OpenVMS and go with a SCADA System by GE called iFix that runs on Windows. I'm told that HP can't be trusted to continue with OpenVMS and they may discontinue the Itanium Machines. Also, it's too hard to find VMS Experts in the work force. Also, I'm told that the industry is moving from OpenVMS to Windows everywhere.
>
> Can I please have your thoughts concerning my predicament?
>
> Thanks.

You don't say much about the current SCADA system (at least, not that
I could see). Is it bought in (can you name names?) or home grown (in
which case what kind of overview can you give us?)?

You've had plenty of replies about the likely continued availability
of VMS and boxes (real or emulated) to run VMS, and the availability
of VMS people. Whether those topics are more important than the
availability of people (companies?) to support iFix in ten (?) years
time is not clear to me.  iFix seems to be a descendant of Proficy
which in turn seems to be a descendent of a 1990s (?) package called
The Fix. How many more such transitions do local management want?

I haven't seen much of a mention of any dialog(ue) with the SCADA
vendors.

Subjects I might want to raise with the local folks who think iFix is
the answer, and with the SCADA vendor and/or the preferred systems
house might include:

1) Post-Stuxnet effects on SCADA and Windows. Or the lack of such
effects. Stuxnet writeups at Symantec and at www.langner.com are good
places to start.
2) Windows XP imminent EOL (XP Embedded goes on a little bit longer,
but your SCADA project would be mad to start with XP)
3a) Your vendor's (and the marketplace's) long term Windows 7 support
plans
3b) The marketplace's general acceptance that Windows 8 is largely
irrelevant in the corporate market (this will be a corporate
application)
4) MS and GE commitment to Windows 9 (or whatever it may end up being
called), especially as Windows 9 may well incorporate yet another MS
attempt to get rid of the APIs which got Windows where it is today.
Getting rid of those APIs may have benefits, especially for MS, but it
will almost certainly break a great many applications, any rewrite
will be non-trivial, and any sensible re-write will be based on multi-
platform tools not tied to Windows.

My 2p

Good luck.