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Got Questions About HP Project Odyssey - Single Platform Mission Critical Computing?

by cjdreher on 12-06-2011 02:12 PM - last edited on 12-07-2011 02:01 PM

I thought I'd follow up from our General Manager of Business Critical Systems, Martin Fink's blog with some common Questions and Answers about Project Odyssey.  We encourage readers to post additional questions they have here on the blog, or to contact their HP account manager for any additional information desired.

 

 

Q. What is HP announcing with Project Odyssey? How does it impact plans for HP-UX and Integrity systems?

 

A. On November 22, 2011 HP announced "Odyssey" a project to redefine the future of mission-critical computing with a development roadmap that will unify UNIX® and x86 server architectures to bring industry-leading availability, increased performance and uncompromising client choice to a single platform.

 

HP is committed to HP-UX and will continue to enhance HP-UX on Integrity systems; it is the cornerstone of HP’s mission-critical strategy. Ongoing innovations to Integrity systems and HP-UX are and will continue to be a source of innovation for x86 environments.

 

Plans for Project Odyssey include enhancing the HP-UX operating environment on HP Integrity servers and delivering blades with Intel® Xeon® processors for HP Superdome 2 enclosure (code named "DragonHawk") and the scalable c-Class blade enclosures (code named "HydraLynx), while fortifying Windows and Linux environments with innovations from HP-UX within the next two years.

 

Once "DragonHawk" is available, clients will be able to run mission-critical workloads on HP-UX on Intel Itanium® -base blades while simultaneously running workloads on Microsoft Windows® or Red Hat Linux on Intel Xeon-based blades in the same Superdome 2 enclosure.

 

Q. When will mission-critical capabilities on industry standards begin to roll out?

 

A. HP began cascading mission-critical attributes to x86 with the launch of the HP ProLiant DL980. For example, the PREMA architecture in the DL980 takes advantage of some of the scalability and reliability capabilities offered on Integrity servers. HP will continue to cascade its mission-critical IP over time across hardware, software and services to deliver the full mission critical experience on x86.

Ongoing innovations to Integrity systems and HP-UX are and will continue to be a source of innovation for x86 environments.

 

Q. How does this announcement impact the Integrity/HP-UX environment?

 

A. HP’s new development roadmap includes ongoing innovations to HP Integrity and HP NonStop servers and the HP-UX and OpenVMS operating systems. Plans for Project Odyssey include enhancing the HP-UX operating environment on HP Integrity servers and delivering blades with Intel® Xeon® processors for HP Superdome 2 enclosure (code named "DragonHawk") and the scalable c-Class blade enclosures (code named "HydraLynx), while fortifying Windows and Linux environments with innovations from HP-UX within the next two years.

 

Once "DragonHawk" is available, clients will be able to run mission-critical workloads on HP-UX on Intel Itanium® -base blades while simultaneously running workloads on Microsoft Windows® or Red Hat Linux on Intel Xeon-based blades in the same Superdome 2 enclosure.

 

Project Odyssey provides assurance to current and new clients that HP-UX / Integrity environments will continue to be supported and enhanced through the decade and beyond. Clients investing in a mission-critical Converged Infrastructure today with Integrity and HP-UX, if desired, can evolve to a mission-critical Linux/Windows environment in the future.

 

Q. How does this strategy impact the mission critical computing landscape?

 

A. Clients have been asking HP to bring the mission-critical experience that is delivered today with HP-UX on Integrity to an x86-based infrastructure. Project Odyssey will allow HP to transform the server landscape for mission-critical computing by utilizing the flexibility of HP BladeSystem, key HP technology innovations from Integrity and HP-UX and transition them to the x86 ecosystems. As a result, clients will be empowered to run their applications on the best platform at the right TCO in a simplified environment.

By expanding our HP mission-critical Converged Infrastructure strategy, HP is transforming the server landscape with an open, integrated, single platform approach for mission-critical computing that is independent of the underlying architecture.

 

Q. What mission-critical capabilities will HP extend to Linux and Windows ecosystems?

 

A. HP will enable clients running Linux, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or Windows to:

  • Increase scalability with 32-socket "DragonHawk" symmetrical multiprocessing x86 systems that will scale to hundreds of cores and support large, complex workloads. The systems will enable clients to deploy the smallest to the largest workloads in a dynamic, highly scalable pool of IT resources.
  • Increase reliability and flexibility with two-, four- and eight-socket "HydraLynx" scalable x86 server blades with mission-critical virtualization and availability, all packaged in the robust c-Class enclosures of HP BladeSystem.
  • Increase availability of critical Linux applications with the HP Serviceguard solution, which automatically moves application workloads between servers in the event of a failure or an on-demand request.
  • Boost flexibility and availability of x86 systems with HP nPartitions technology (nPars), which provides precise partitioning of system resources across multiple or variable workloads. HP nPars is electrically isolated to eliminate failure points, which allows clients to "scale out" within a single, robust system.
  • Enhance business continuity with HP Analysis Engine for x86 embedded into the system firmware. HP Analysis Engine goes beyond error logging to ensure efficient diagnoses and automatic repair of complex system errors while restoring system stability in seconds.
  • Boost reliability and resiliency of x86 systems with fault-tolerant HP Crossbar Fabric that intelligently routes data within the system for redundancy and high availability.
  • Achieve higher levels of availability with HP Mission Critical Services, which identify and resolve possible sources of downtime.

Q. Will there be service offerings surrounding the mission critical X86?

 

A. Yes. HP will offer a comprehensive set of services to deliver the full mission critical experience. These set of services would be similar to what a customer currently experiences with the HP-UX environment.

 

Q. What other information is available about Project Odyssey?

 

A. We will continue to add to the resources available to you and talk about our steps together along this path.   Here are two good places to learn more:

1. Project Odyssey web site

2. Independent blogger Jake Luddington's Interview with our Chief Technologist, Kirk Bresniker from our HP Discover event (youtube video)

 

I hope you find this information useful, and that you like the direction we are taking with this announcement.  We are listening to what you have to say.

 

 

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by Ian Miller(anon) on 12-15-2011 10:46 AM
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"HP is committed to HP-UX and will continue to enhance HP-UX on Integrity systems; it is the cornerstone of HP’s mission-critical strategy." :smileysad:

 

I see only one mention of OpenVMS here and not a particularly inspiring phrase.

 

HP own the finest Mission Critical platform on the planet (and I don't mean HP-UX) - any chance of getting Martin Fink to write about OpenVMS ?

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by cayemberg on 12-15-2011 09:54 PM
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As long as HP is only implementing a technology transfer of HP/UX technologies to Linux and Windows Server on their new mission-critical x86 platform, it will never come close to reaching the A-Grade Best-of-Class Enterprise Mission Critical capabilities of OpenVMS-based systems. The OS architecture already established on OpenVMS by 1984 has yet to be matched by any Unix or Windows based OS derivative today. OpenVMS has evolved far beyond that historic level of capability.

So-called security and availability experts that don't understand this didn't study the design principals behind OpenVMS in enough detail and with a enterprise mission-critical unbiased point-of-view. The devil is in the details and in the integrated sum of them. A simple checklist of feature comparisons is also not adequate to judge this intelligently.

The most secure and reliable OS kernel architecture design to date is the "layered kernel" as implemented in MULTICS and OpenVMS.Together with the inherent internal firewalls established by the descriptor based OS Services in its modular layered kernel with 4 protected privilege modes, OpenVMS starts with a secure, reliable base architecture that already outclasses the mission critcal attributes attainable by a microkernel or monolithic kernal design within a Unix, Linux or Windows OS. No amount of multi-year bug-fixing or tacking on of security & availability enhancement features will make up for these inherently non-mission critical OS kernel designs.

If you tear-out the kernels of Unix, Linux or Windows and try to replace them with an OpenVMS protected-layered kernel you won't have an OS that is compatible with most of the design assumptions inherent in most of the important software that currently run on top of those OS's. ISV's would need to learn to program differently and better to take advantage of the better OS design. Such a grand-scale renovation of the software industry is not in HP's hands alone.

If HP wants the best mission-critical capabilities to be offerred on thei new x86 based mission critical platform then they should put OpenVMS on it. This would normally be a multi-year project with some risk of how viable the resulting market would be, since the customers needing or even understanding such high mission-critical differences are relatively few.Also ISV would need to be convinced to port their applications to the new x86 OpenVMS combination.

Fortunately since only a couple months there is a finished x86 compatibility layered engineered for OpenVMS by a private company. Any vender offerring their SW product for the OpenVMS on Alpha platform (existing since 1992) can today run it on OpenVMS on x86 without changing any code or even needing  to recompile the code. I suggest HP should look investigate some sort of cooperative relationship with this company to provide a native OpenVMS on x86 offering on their DragonHawk platform.

Please see the descriptions of this compatibility layer here...

http://www.vax-alpha-emulation.com/p/emulation/alpha/alpha-virtualization-products.html

http://www.avtware.com/vlog/

OpenVMS native on Proliant

http://www.openvms.org/stories.php?story=11/11/15/0833545

Also an HP OpenVMS Technical Journal article here...

http://h20195.www2.hp.com/V2/GetPDF.aspx/4AA3-7823ENW.pdf

PS:  I and my employer (to my knowledge) have absolutely no relationship to this company.

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About the Author
  • Kirk Bresniker is the Vice President/Chief Technologist for HP Business Critical Systems where he has technical responsibility for all things Mission Critical, including HP-UX, NonStop and scalable x86 platforms. He joined HP in 1989 after graduating from Santa Clara University and has been an HP Fellow since 2008.
  • Cynthia is part of the BCS marketing team. Interested in all things mission-critical and what's next on the horizon.
  • Jacob works on HP's CloudSystem offerings. He focuses on the strategy for CloudSystem Matrix and the tighter integration of Matrix and other HP Software offerings.
  • Joe Androlowicz is a Technical Communications and Marketing manager in HP’s NonStop Product Division. Joe is a 25 year journeyman in information systems design, instructional technologies and multimedia development. He left Apple Computer for Tandem Computers to help launch G03 and hasn’t looked back yet. He previously managed the program management team for the NonStop Education and Training Center and drove the development and growth of the NonStop Certification programs.
  • I am with the Business Critical Systems marketing team, focused on mission-critical resiliency.
  • Kevin has worked at Tandem/Compaq/HP for 23 years in a variety of roles ranging from QA/Dev to Release Mgmt to Escalations. Currently he works in the BCS/Nonstop TCE group. In additon, he works closely with HP Connect and is on the Customer Advocacy Committee, representing BCS.
  • Hello! I am on the HP Enterprise Servers, Storage and Networking team, focused on Interactive Web and Social Media Marketing for (ISS) Industry Standard Servers. I will be sharing relevant ISS and HP news & info as it crosses my path.
  • Greetings! I am in the HP Converged Infrastructure team focused on Server, Storage & Networking group at HP and will be sharing news & info as it crosses my path.
  • Lorraine Bartlett leads the worldwide strategy and marketing organization for the Business Critical Systems unit of HP. In this role, Lorraine and her marketing team are responsible for creating positive experiences among market influencers and customers for HP’s mission critical offerings based on BCS products and technologies while preparing the market for our next generation Integrity solutions. The BCS marketing focus is on providing the infrastructure that is absolutely fundamental for the success of the business. Because of the criticality of the servers, BCS customers and our marketing efforts are focused on availability, scalability, performance, flexibility and total cost of ownership. Additionally, Lorraine is responsible for establishing the overall strategy of the BCS business. Prior to this role, Lorraine Bartlett led the Worldwide Server Marketing team responsible for product planning, product management and product marketing for the HP Integrity, HP 9000, and HP AlphaServer families. While heading Server Marketing team, Lorraine oversaw the successful launch of the Integrity blades and the 8 socket ProLiant DL785 server. Over her 25 year career at HP Lorraine has worked in numerous business units in a variety of marketing and engineering positions, including business strategy and planning, solutions marketing, product marketing, product management, technical support and software engineering.
  • In my current role, I work closely with ISVs and drive a program focused on bringing new applications onto NonStop platform. I also lead the 'CI-ready' program for NonStop partners. Previously, I have performed a variety of roles in NonStop's Engineering department. I have been associated with the IT industry for the past 20+ years.
  • Greetings! I am on the HP Converged Infrastructure marketing team focused on Business Critical Systems. Topics I am interested in include mission-critical computing, scale up x86, and Converged Infrastructure
  • I am with the BCS Server Marketing team, focused on networking and storage connectivity options.
  • Vinay Gupta is an HP Distinguished Technologist and the NonStop Manageability Architect. He joined Tandem in 1994 after graduating from Indian Institute of Technology. He has worked on many NonStop manageability applications over time. He works across various groups within NonStop and HP to ensure consistency and interoperability in manageability interfaces and applications. He is also a member of DMTF workgroups.
  • Wendy Bartlett is a Distinguished Technologist in HP’s NonStop Enterprise Division, and focuses on dependability – security and availability - for the NonStop server line. She joined Tandem in 1978. Her other main area of interest is system architecture evolution. She has an M.S. degree in computer science from Stanford University.
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