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Thank you for your interest in the TechWise paper entitled "VAX and Alpha 2010: Real Challenges, Solid Solutions." TechWise Research is an independent, primary market research firm specializing in the design and implementation of custom quantitative market research studies for the computer and other high technology industries. Since 1998, TechWise has published a number of white papers, including several about VAX and Alpha systems. To receive your free copy of this paper, please complete the form below and press "Submit."

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Excerpts from "VAX and Alpha in 2010: Real Challenges, Solid Solutions"


OpenVMS is seen by many as a gold standard of reliability, availability and longevity. Yet the hardware underlying many OpenVMS systems, VAX and Alpha, are aging and at real risk of hardware failure for a variety of reasons. For some owners of OpenVMS systems, these risks are hidden and even unanticipated. This paper describes those risks, the costs of ignoring them, and the solutions available to extend the operating life of VAX and Alpha. These solutions reduce cost of ownership and enhance the performance of mission critical applications. This paper shows that replacement of failed components with new ones is more cost effective than replacing them with used ones. It also shows that proactive replacement of these components is much more cost effective than the inevitable losses associated with unplanned downtime.

Worldwide a total of 500,000 Digital VAX and 250,000 Alpha systems were sold before these products were discontinued. HP invested considerable time and money to facilitate customers’ transitions, first from VAX to Alpha, then from Alpha to HP Integrity. TechWise Research published several white papers including detailed analyses about these upgrade decisions. In most cases, an upgrade pays for itself in as little as 12-18 months. The initial hardware and installation costs are offset by ongoing savings in management, downtime, and service. Despite these benefits, many estimate that hundreds of thousands of VAX and Alpha systems remain in use today. These systems are susceptible to hidden vulnerabilities that, if not addressed, put them at risk for failure.

There are legitimate business and technical reasons why companies continue to use VAX and Alpha systems. First and foremost, they work. Thanks in no small part to OpenVMS, VAX and Alpha have earned reputations as reliable servers for business-critical applications. Other business-related reasons for staying with VAX and Alpha include: 1) Current economic uncertainty precludes "optional" IT investments, 2) Lack of funds for initial purchase, and 3) Contractual and/or certification requirements. Technical barriers to upgrade include: 1) Risk that the upgrade process and procedures will introduce technical problems, 2) Legacy third-party applications are not supported on Integrity, 3) Custom code would require extensive re-writing and testing, and 4) Lack of expertise to modify old custom code.

Past studies show that the average cost of downtime for companies using VAX or Alpha range from a few thousand dollars, to hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour. Downtime can result in lost worker productivity, lost sales, damages to a company’s reputation, and in some instances loss of life.

Despite their vaunted reputation for reliability, VAX and Alpha systems are not immune to the affects of time. Physical components such as disk drives, fans, power supplies, and batteries can and do "wear out." In addition, power supply problems can lead to voltage spikes that damage electronic components such as cache, memory, and the CPU.

VAX and Alpha replacement parts are no longer available from the original OEMs. When a component fails, companies often turn to third parties to purchase replacement parts. Unfortunately, these parts are used and are often old. They typically come with very short warranties (e.g., 30 to 90-day) because there is the very real chance they will fail in a short period of time. Nemonix Engineering, an HP partner based out of Northborough MA, offers an alternative. Nemonix manufactures new replacement components for VAX and Alpha that meet, and often exceed, original factory specifications. This means a 20-year old VAX drive that just failed can be replaced with a new drive that was manufactured in the past few months that is covered under a three-year warranty. Perhaps the best testament to the quality of Nemonix products is that HP often uses them when repairing VAX and Alpha systems that are under extended break-repair service contracts.

For more information, please enter your information to receive a free copy of the white paper.