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Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
scampagnolo
Member
Posts: 1
Joined: 06.07.10 |
| Posted on July 07 2010 00:40 |
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Hello,
I have seen that we can download Intigrity Layered Product PAK from the hobbyist site. But where and how can we get the layered product software ?
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
imiller
Administrator
Posts: 277
Location: UK
Joined: 24.02.06 |
| Posted on July 11 2010 23:22 |
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You can ask to see if someone near you can lend you one.
At present there is no OpenVMS Itainium Hobbyist Media kit |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
ron-t
Member
Posts: 2
Location: Halifax, Canada
Joined: 28.02.07 |
| Posted on July 13 2010 02:02 |
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I need the media as well, am located in Halifax, Canada if anyone near by can lend me a copy! |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
eMGee
Member
Posts: 87
Location: The Netherlands
Joined: 28.03.10 |
| Posted on September 16 2010 00:21 |
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ron-t, have you managed to acquire a copy yet? |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
Tim Lovern
Member
Posts: 4
Location: Chandler, AZ
Joined: 31.08.10 |
| Posted on September 16 2010 10:15 |
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I need a kit as well... |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
abrsvc
Member
Posts: 108
Joined: 12.03.10 |
| Posted on September 17 2010 01:09 |
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The order information for hte kit is as follows:
BA322AA, AJR – FOE Integrity OpenVMS media $500.00
Dan |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
eMGee
Member
Posts: 87
Location: The Netherlands
Joined: 28.03.10 |
| Posted on October 05 2010 17:05 |
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Damn, that sure is pricey. |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
R Price
Member
Posts: 36
Location: Canada
Joined: 09.12.10 |
| Posted on October 03 2011 10:48 |
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I agree, $500 seems expensive when the number is just thrown in your face.
On the other hand, when Apple had a server version of OS X it was $500. Of course OS X Server was never relevant to an Itanium user and is not even available for the Mac any more.
The pricing structure on Windows Server makes it hard to calculate a price at a quick glance but if I read the chart correctly you pay ~$1000 to get in the door. I don't know if you could still get a Windows Server 2008 Itanium license at this point but that is the last version of Windows for Itanium.
Linux is free but the Debian Itanium port doesn't work as well as the officially dead Alpha port, which at least can find a partition on which to install its own bootloader. I gather Gentoo is doable but it requires a working Debian installation to bootstrap the build process so there is a very frustrating chicken and egg problem there.
Given all that, I still think $500 for media is expensive for a hobby system but compared to the alternatives maybe not so bad. Of course it remains to be seen if HP will even sell a set of installer discs to a hobbyist. Hopefully I will get a reply to the email I sent to HP about P+A of 8.4 media for hobbyists. Even if they tell me my hobbyist membership only entitles me to download PAKs for free and not to purchase installation media at list price, at least I'll know for sure where I stand.
Edited by R Price on October 03 2011 10:51 |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
R Price
Member
Posts: 36
Location: Canada
Joined: 09.12.10 |
| Posted on October 03 2011 14:19 |
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So HP got back to me. It seems the HP Enterprise Software Depot "cannot answer product related questions". They were kind enough to send me a link to a web page where I could submit product related questions. Obviously the link they sent me takes me to the page from which I sent my initial inquiry. Also included was link to a pile of contact phone numbers, none of whom will speak to anyone outside the US. So that part was a bust.
They did include a phone number for someone in sales though so I'll try tomorrow if I get a chance. I've got chemo this week so there is a lot of running/driving around for the next few days. Plus I've got family coming for Thanksgiving this weekend so I've got to clean the house and stuff. Hopefully I can squeeze in a phone call though because I'm genuinely curious, partly about the price and availability but now mostly just to see if I can actually get anyone at HP to even acknowledge OpenVMS. |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
R Price
Member
Posts: 36
Location: Canada
Joined: 09.12.10 |
| Posted on October 04 2011 10:43 |
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I called the number provided. It was for HP North America Home sales whatever. It took no more than 5 minutes to be transferred to Small Business then Enterprise/Corporate who quickly realized they could not help me because I am in Canada. At no point did I speak to anyone who had any idea what I was talking about. All in all a very slick and professional process handled with grace and courtesy, a class act from end to end.
But I did get some solid info in the first few seconds of the call when I was informed that HP is XXX-rated jazzed about the TouchPad and orders placed on or before 22 August should be shipping soon. I was also invited to check out their website for more exciting info about the TouchPad.
Then I was transferred to HP Canada.
The exciting news about the TouchPad was repeated.
Then I was given instructions, en Francais of course, to press "1" for service in English, which I did.
Twenty-seven minutes later someone in India or Quebec finally answered the phone - the line was so bad I couldn't be sure which incomprehensibly thick accent I was failing to decypher. Eventually they got bored and transferred me to Pre-Sales, who had no idea what I was talking about and I was transferred to Small and Medium Business who also had no idea what I was talking about. But they did give me a number for Sales.
Called Sales. Phone number was for Sm/Med Business sales. No dice, transferred to Corp./Enterprise sales. That rep wanted to transfer me to Sm/Med Business but at that point I pulled the reins and said, "Oh, they transferred me to you. They don't handle OpenVMS stuff. It a Corporate/Enterprise product".
So she got bold and went off script. She asked if she could put me on hold while she did some checking. I was then transferred to a very nice lady working from a home office. She was less corporate and seemed completely un-scripted but had no idea what I was talking about. She did her best and got me a phone number for "Inside Sales". They had no idea what I was talking about but the nice lady there was also willing to go off-script and dig up some info. She finally came back and informed me HP does not handle pricing and sales, that is all handled through resellers.
She gave me phone numbers for three resellers. The first one I called yielded a "Number Not In Service" message. The second was in service but they were a bit perplexed about how to proceed without a customer/PO number. Still, the lady was polite and helpful and transferred me to a sales rep who, as is normal for phone sales reps, was away from his desk and would I please leave a message.
So I left my name and phone number and a very detailed description of exactly what I wanted:
Price and Availability for installation media for the OpenVMS operating system, version 8.4 and Layered Products for Integrity servers.
I was very clear this was for personal, home use under HP's OpenVMS Hobbyist program, that I had the appropriate Hobbyist License and PAKs, I just need the installer media so I can actually install and use the system.
We'll see if anyone gets back to me with a quote.
What I never told any of them, and which should be obvious to everyone here, is that I do have OpenVMS installed and running on my rx2600 - I posted this bizarre epic, after all. But I have 8.3-1H1, and no layered products. This is probably enough for my needs, even using the system as a home server. But I would sort of like support for 2 TB hard drives and the compilers for which I have hobbyist PAKs would be fun too. That is the whole point of the exercise - fun. Hobbies are supposed to be fun, right? Why do I feel like I've just been through a tax audit? I think maybe somewhere along the way I just didn't get the point.
And in case you missed it, based on the info I did manage to squeeze out of 8 or 10 HP reps in 2 countries over almost 2 hours on the phone, the point is:
HP is XXX-rated jazzed about the TouchPad and is pushing it as their flagship product, with the entire corporate might of their entire enterprise solidly backing the play.
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Edited by R Price on October 04 2011 10:54 |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
R Price
Member
Posts: 36
Location: Canada
Joined: 09.12.10 |
| Posted on October 15 2011 06:44 |
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So, it has been over a week since I tried to get any info from HP and/or their resellers. I'm sure I cannot be the first person to make the effort so it should come as no surprise I never got any response from either HP reseller I was actually able to contact.
I live about 160 km north of Toronto, Canada so I tried 4 resellers in total, all in the Greater Toronto Area.
The first number is no longer in service.
I left messages with the second and third, neither of whom called back, not even to tell me they couldn't help me.
The fourth HP reseller had a phone menu system so convoluted I spent ~5 minutes failing to find an option which would either let me leave a message or talk to a living person who could at least transfer me to a voicemailbox where I could leave a message.
I had a faint hope that maybe HP would be somewhat supportive of hobbyists showing an interest in OpenVMS and helping to keep the whole thing going at a grass-roots level. I guess not. I get the impression HP sees the hobbyist program as a nuisance they inherited with the Compaq merger. Oh well, corporate politics aside, OpenVMS is still an interesting system to use. HP does provide lots of documentation online so I guess that is something.
Best of all the OpenVMS hobbyist community, while apparently small, has proven very helpful and that is what makes the whole thing fun. Thanks to everyone who has offered and provided help behind the scenes. |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
FranciscoRaulOrtega
Member
Posts: 19
Joined: 01.12.09 |
| Posted on November 27 2011 10:35 |
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I need media too. I'm in Miami, FL 33183
thanks |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
saq
Member
Posts: 60
Joined: 24.05.08 |
| Posted on November 27 2011 16:42 |
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R Price wrote:
So, it has been over a week since I tried to get any info from HP and/or their resellers. I'm sure I cannot be the first person to make the effort so it should come as no surprise I never got any response from either HP reseller I was actually able to contact.
...
I had a faint hope that maybe HP would be somewhat supportive of hobbyists showing an interest in OpenVMS and helping to keep the whole thing going at a grass-roots level. I guess not. I get the impression HP sees the hobbyist program as a nuisance they inherited with the Compaq merger. Oh well, corporate politics aside, OpenVMS is still an interesting system to use. HP does provide lots of documentation online so I guess that is something.
Best of all the OpenVMS hobbyist community, while apparently small, has proven very helpful and that is what makes the whole thing fun. Thanks to everyone who has offered and provided help behind the scenes.
The really sad bit is that someone wanting to buy a commercial install would probably be put through the same maze. Somebody needs to get through to Marketing that the proper way to sell a product is not to make your customers go through an ordeal to prove their worthiness prior to charging them a whole lotta money.
BTW $500 for the media is still kind of expensive. The other quoted numbers (Mac OS X Server and Windows) include media and license. With OpenVMS the license isn't included. |
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| Author |
RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
R Price
Member
Posts: 36
Location: Canada
Joined: 09.12.10 |
| Posted on November 28 2011 13:54 |
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I was thinking of hobbyist use, where the OpenVMS license is free, when I speculated that $500 is not so bad compared to OS X Server or Windows Server. I don't know how the whole price structure works with Windows but with OS X the price for the server edition media/license worked out similar to OpenVMS with a hobbyist license.
For hobbyist use $500 is nuts, to be sure. The only reason I went through the hassle of spending that much time on the phone was because I knew there was no way I'd end up committed to paying that price. HP has shown no interest in supporting hobbyist use of OpenVMS, not even bothering to put the HP brand on the hobbyist licenses, which still reference Compaq so I never considered they might actually be willing to sell me the media, even though I have license to use the software.
I agree, based on what I experienced with HP and their re-sellers I would hate to be a real paying customer with a big dollar corporate account if that is the kind of service they provide. It really was a sad experience, especially all the hype about the TouchPad, which was discontinued for weeks before I made my phone calls.
I'll say again though, the people I spoke to were all courteous, professional and aas helpful as their scripts allowed. A couple even went beyond their scripted responses, but even they were ultimately frustrated by the reality of the situation. Too bad, but that's life. |
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
eMGee
Member
Posts: 87
Location: The Netherlands
Joined: 28.03.10 |
| Posted on November 29 2011 09:56 |
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R Price, are you still looking for media? Contact me.
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RE: Integrity Layered Product Media Kit |
Tim Lovern
Member
Posts: 4
Location: Chandler, AZ
Joined: 31.08.10 |
| Posted on December 06 2011 07:04 |
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I'm still on a quest for media.... |
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