Hewlett-Packard is handing off support and development of OpenVMS to VMS Software Inc. This software is used in manufacturing, stock exchanges and other industries.
OpenVMS is an operating system that dates back to 1977, when it was owned and operated by Digital Equipment Corp. VMS Software is located in Massachussetts near the orginal location of DEC.
VMS Software plans to update the historic OS so users can take advantage of better chips from Intel. Last year, HP said it would continue support for the legacy OpenVMS through 2020. However, it would not support hardware.
HP has had rough times lately and the company looks for better opportunities in enterprise scenarios such as cloud computing products and services. As a recent Tech Times article notes, the company rolled out a new Helion hybrid cloud network. It unveiled it at the 2014 Discovery conference.
The software will be licensed to VMS Software, which will develop ports to the most recent Intel Itanium chips, according to a report. Users see this as a positive direction for HP, VSI and OpenVMS.
VMS Software also plans to support other hardware platforms including the X86 servers, according to a report. The vendor has gathered a domestic team of devlopers to handle the task of development for OpenVMS. They will work with the code provided from HP. The team includes OpenVMS veterans who were involved in developing it at DEC and who worked on the core the software has become known for over the years.
Many customers like OpenVMS for its security, stability and performance. New releases will undergo rigourous testing for validation and qualification. According to HP's current OpenVMS roadmap, HP will continue to provide support for older versions. Users can get releases from VMS Software and HP. A release date for OpenVMS for i4 Poulson will be announced soon, reports have indicated.
"This is a great day for VSI [VMS Software Inc.] and for the thousands of customers who rely on the stability and security of OpenVMS," said Duane P. Harris, CEO of VMS Software. "We are grateful and thrilled that HP has granted us stewardship over the future of this marquee operating system. "
VSI was founded by investors of Nemonix Engineering, a company with a 30-year history in hardware, upgrades and system refreshes of OpenVMS server technology. Nemonix focuses on sales and support of the legendary OS.
VMS stands for virtual memory system, which is a technology for handling data. The OpenVMS software made its name on its stability and its disaster recovery chops.
