[Info-vax] X86 first boot? - A Really Stupid Question

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 3/29/19 11:57 AM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 3/29/2019 10:35 AM, David Turner wrote:
>> Seeing as how incompatibilities exist even on 1 Alphaserver or Integrity
>> server, how the hell is VSI going to maintain drivers/support for
>> options and servers and workstations running VSI x86-64 VMS?
>>
>> I mean, just buy a DELL server for example.
>> Even under the same part number,  1 server may have a Broadcom network
>> chip on the board, while the other may have an intel chipset.
>> Same goes for SAS controllers, with ever changing firmware levels...
>>
>> And the support for a multitude of different branded servers using ever
>> changing chipsets and cpus?
>>
>> Even Proliant servers, which are more parts-vendor stable, come from the
>> manufacturer with different firmware levels. Everything seems to go out
>> to the highest bidder on memory products, USB chips.....
>>
>> This is going to be TRUE HELL unless there is a very small and finite
>> date code, product code, firmware version etc.
>>
>> Otherwise it is going to be a Sh*tstorm for VSI Support.....
>>
>> Methinks 2 very specific servers - HPE only - with some seriously
>> limited options and expansion capabilities, is the only way forward...
>>
>> My opinion but experience does sometimes trump logic.
> 
> One simple option David.  VirtualBox.

I never found VirtualBox good enough for a production environment.
Maybe it's changed since  my latest retirement, but I doubt it.

> 
> Or put another way, let others handle all the different configurations, 
> in the case of VirtualBox, that would be Oracle.  In the case of VMware 
> it would be, I believe, Dell.

VMWare is another option but it adds a substantial additional cost
on any production system.

> 
> Will everyone like this solution?  I doubt it.  I didn't until recently. 
>   Some will feel they just have to have things running on "bare metal". 
>   Some may need that.
> 
> I'm not one who advocates HPE servers.  Perhaps I'm wrong in feeling 
> that way, but I'm more than a little upset about how HP treated VMS. 
> Just call me "Grudge".  Then again, I've usually suggested "don't cut 
> off your nose to spite your face" and "don't burn bridges behind you".
> 
> Or, you David could set up an operation to mfg and sell systems that 
> meet rigid specifications, which VSI could support.

While this sounds like a nice solution, sadly, I doubt there
would be enough business to make it work.

bill