Hewlett-Packard To Ship 64-Bit Unix Upgrade

HP-UX 11.0 could put vendor ahead of Sun in performance

By Mary Hayes

ewlett-Packard will start shipping this week the first major upgrade to its Unix operating system in two years. Highlights of HP-UX 11.0 include 64-bit addressing, which speeds the performance of very large databases and files, and features to improve reliability, administration, and Internet access.

HP is shipping the upgrade to a few customers and will offer general availability in November. The upgrade brings HP-UX up to par with 64-bit operating systems from Silicon Graphics and Digital Equipment. More important, the combination of HP-UX 11.0 and HP's new high-end V-Class servers, to be available when the upgrade ships in volume, may let HP machines surpass the performance of those from its chief Unix competitor, Sun Microsystems. "The V-Class and HP-UX 11.0 put them as the leader in the industry," says Ray Shei, VP of IS at cookie maker Keebler Co. in Elmhurst, Ill.

Shei says Keebler will benefit from the 64-bit capabilities and from enhancements that will let the company get more performance from its 32-bit applications, such as optimal page-sizing. Other enhancements include Ignite/UX, which allows rapid deployment of HP-UX to servers over the Internet, and a feature that lets administrators detect a failing CPU and "deallocate" it online.

Rich Fichera, an analyst with Giga Information Group, says new reliability features will appeal to enterprise customers. But Ken Graham, CIO of Romac International, a staffing firm in Tampa, Fla., says he won't roll out version 11.0 until all applications the firm uses are certified for th e upgrade.

Vendors such as SAP, Baan, and PeopleSoft will have certified versions within two months of the November rollout, HP says. Oracle, Sybase, and Informix have promised 64-bit HP-UX versions of their databases immediately.

Back to News in Review

Send Us Your Feedback

Top of the Page