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

[dsnyder]

On Jan 13, 2:00 pm, John Wallace <johnwalla... at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> 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 atwww.langner.comare 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.

iFix was purchased by GE several years ago. GE has a product whose
name
has morphed over the years. In 1988 GE developed and marketed a
product
called Cimplicty. This ran on VMS and provided "graphical" screens
using Regis.
Over time Cimplicity ran on VMS, UNIX and finally Windows. It's
current version
is v8.2 and seems to allow painless migrations from older versions.

iFix is not Cimplicity, different roots.

V Systems still markets a product that operates on VMS. Very robust
and
stable.

Swapping out a SCADA (old term these days) is not for the faint of
heart, especially
on the system as described.

Good Luck

Note: I am not an expert, talk is cheap, comments are free. I have
been doing "SCADA"
systems for over 30 years and have picked up a few tid bits in that
time.