[Info-vax] New VSI Community license PAK

[Phillip Helbig undress to reply]

In article <rmneg4$luc$1 at dont-email.me>, "Robert A. Brooks"
<FIRST.LAST at vmssoftware.com> writes: 

> On 10/20/2020 3:25 PM, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) wrote:
> > In article <rmna5j$mg6$1 at dont-email.me>, "John H. Reinhardt"
> > <johnhreinhardt at thereinhardts.org> writes:
> > 
> >> VSI OpenVMS V8.4-2L1 which is what VSI gives to the CLP users is
> >> compatible with EV56 and up Alphas.  It's V8.4-2L2 which is EV6 and up
> >> so you should be okay.
> > 
> > But I need V8.4-2L2 to cluster Alpha with x86, right?
> 
> You will need patches to V8.4-2Lx to cluster with X86.
> 
> We are planning on making incompatible changes to the cluster protocol
> that will require a cluster compatibility kit in order to join
> a cluster with V9.2.
> 
> That will prevent any HPE version of VMS from clustering with V9.2, but
> that's not the reason for the change.

OK.  So I have the following steps:

   1.  Move all nodes in Alpha cluster to EV6 or better.

   2.  Upgrade all nodes in Alpha cluster to V8.4-2Lx + patches.

   3.  Add x86 nodes to cluster.

   4.  Add shadow-set members served by x86 nodes to cluster.

   5.  Adapt startup to x86 if necessary.

   6.  Compile code on x86 and test.

   7.  Remove shadow-set members connected to Alpha nodes.

   8.  Remove Alpha nodes from cluster.

Step 6. could be moved to between steps 3. and 4.

Did I miss anything?

The unknown (at least to me) point at the moment is whether the x86 
community license will include HBVS and clustering and compilers.  :-|

I need to get as far as 2. before hobbyist licenses expire, but that 
shouldn't be a problem.  Of course, the goal is to move to x86, which I 
would want to do even if the community license for Alpha were 
perpetually available (or had no termination date).  However, before 
starting on this amazing journey it would be good to know if I can have 
all the features I use via the hobbyist license now via the community 
license on x86 (and, for the transition period, Alpha).