[Info-vax] Quiet?

[Jan-Erik Söderholm]

Den 2022-04-01 kl. 19:20, skrev Dave Froble:
> On 4/1/2022 11:40 AM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> On 4/1/2022 10:48 AM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>> On 4/1/22 09:43, Jan-Erik Söderholm wrote:
>>>> We have other issues. Alpha only supports up to 2 Gb FC cards.
>>>> The SAN group wants to go to 8/16/32 FC switches. They have
>>>> now kept 2 pcs of 2/4/8 Gb switches just for our servers, but
>>>> these are end-of-support in April 2024, and the SAN group do not
>>>> want to run FC switches that are unsupported...
>>>
>>> And that's how it's done.  Push VMS out the door without ever
>>> even mentioning its name.
>>
>> They don't mention VMS because they are not targeting VMS specific -
>> they are targeting all systems that cannot run with modern/supported
>> hardware.
>>
>> Alpha was fine, but it is more than 20 years since HP killed
>> (announced EOL) Alpha. This is very old systems. No surprise
>> that they do not support current (up to 20 years newer) technology.
> 
> At first I thought Jan-Erik was joking about an "upgrade" to DS25 systems.

Not at all. It would be a simple box-swap. Just boot up the (dual 1 GHz)
DS25's from the same SAN disks as the current (single 666 Mhz) DS20 boxes.

> Not all that familiar, but, I thought the DS25 was just a DS20 with faster 
> CPUs.

Faster CPUs. Faster memory interface. 16 GB max instead of 4 GB max.
My feeling (had one DS25 as my "play system" for some years) is that
they are somehere to 2-3 times faster then DS20/666.

And yes, adding the second CPU to the current boxes has also been
discussed. We can have them for free with a low installation fee.
But we'll still be locked at 4 GB max.

> 
> As for the networking, I've got to believe that there is something 
> available, that is new, and supported, that could talk to the Alpha FC 
> cards.  But, perhaps not.

OK, right. I'm also think so. But then it has to be from the same brand
and prefered supplier that my customer works with.

> 
> I do understand wanting support.  Open the hood on a new auto, and one will 
> understand why one might not want to keep it past the warranty period.
>