Conference 44.370::system_management

35.0. "The Software Upgrade debate starts again!!" by RDGE00::HAYES (Ian Hayes, ext. 4992) Thu Oct 09 1986 10:37

    New European IS plans for the next round of software upgrades...
    
    From:	GABRIEL JIMENEZ
	FUNC: ISOP-RESOURCES PLNG
	ADDR: GEO
	TEL: 821-4661 <77166@DECMAIL@GVAML2@GEO>

We plan to migrate all European production machines to VMS V4.5. 
You'll find attached the minutes of the last project meeting, for your 
information.

If you have any questions or comments regarding these plans, please
feel free to get in touch with any of the following people, all
members of the project team : 

		Margaret Carpenter - ADG, GVA
		Pierre Roblin - Rel. Mgmt, FYO
		Gabriel Jimenez - ISOP, GVA

NOTE to country managers : Could you please ensure that there are no
conflicts with locally developped applications and/or with the users.
Please could you confirm to me that the date of Feb 13 - Mar 16
doesn't cause you a major problem. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
    08-Oct-1986
Subject: VMS V4.4 and Cluster Upgrade Project - status

1. According to the two experts invited, Jeanine Lambert and John Shade,
there are only 2 known bugs in VMS V4.4, one in DBMS and one in BASIC 
Run time library. Both are under control.

The decision was taken to migrate to VMS V4.5 because :

	- VMS V4.5 is a bug-fix of VMS V4.4
	- The V4.5 release date doesn't impact our plans.

2. An extract of technical documentation is being prepared by Pierre
Roblin and will be sent to ADG groups and datacenters. 

3. There will be no special recommendations as it seems that no 
particular problems are expected.

4. It is foreseen that each ADG group will have to test, in a cluster
environment, each one of the applications they own using the products
shown in the "Frozen list of VMS V4.5 migration products" here below.
This task should start and be completed as soon as possible in order 
to be able to plan or re-plan this project. 

Per application, there are three different cases that have been identified
which are significant for the project team : 

	a. The application runs as it is. No modification needed, 
(maybe some kind of recommendation will be issued).

	b. The application needs some modification. A new kit will be 
made available according to target dates.

	c. The application is impossible to migrate or to make it run
in a cluster environment. 


5. The local applications have always been an issue during any migration 
process. The local development organisations must be made aware of our 
plans.

ACTION : Gabriel to communicate our plans to the country managers.


6. PROJECT PLAN, TARGET DATES :

	- DECEMBER 26th - based on testing, ADG knows and communicates 
to the project team if the applications they own will run as they are 
or will need modifications (new kit or procedures to upgrade).

	- JANUARY 30th - All new kits and/or procedures are in the
hands of Release Management for installation testing. 

	- FEBRUARY 16th - All new kits and/or procedures are available 
for distribution to datacenters.

	- FEBRUARY 16th to MARCH 13th is the "migration window". All 
datacenters must have completed the migration by March the 16th.


Best regards.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Frozen list of VMS V4.5 migration products

	
	Product			Availability
	-------			------------

	VMS V4.4 (pre-requisite)Available

	VMS V4.5		October

	BASIC V3.0		October

	COBOL V3.3		available

	C V2.2			available
			
	PASCAL V3.4		October

	FORTRAN V4.5		Available

	PL/1 V2.4		available

	RDB V2.1		September

	DBMS V3.1		September

	ADA V1.3		October

	CDD V3.3		September

	ACMS V2.0		Available

	TDMS V1.6		September
                                                                         
	FMS V2.3		available

	DATATRIEVE V3.4		available

	DECGRAPH V1.4		available
  

Triffic!



We are developing SIM, with DBMS 2.2 and VMS 4.3 to go into production
under VMS 4.5 and DBMS 3.1. We need to have access to the features of DBMS 
V3, apart from anything, because of its cluster handling. DBMS v 3.0 is
fault laden. DBMS 3.1 requires VMS 4.4 as a minimum.

ADG has a cluster reflecting today's state of IS machines, but we are 
developing for tomorrows state.

Proposal:

'De-couple' the cluster, into 2 machines and one, with the one machine 
running the latest versions of layered products. That machine to be used by 
those teams developing who require such a resource. 

Just saying NO to this proposal will not make this problem go away.

    I agree that we should have some computer resource to use for running
    the latest version of software to cope with this situation which
    seems to arise about once every three months!
    
    I disagree that we should start dismantling what we have worked
    so hard to get (some of us more than others - thanks Vicky + Steve).
    Rather we should get additional resource to provide this service.
    
    The hardware strategy proposed by the consultants yonks ago had
    in it an R&D machine which would have been used for precisely this
    purpose. What a shame it never materialised.
    
    We should not 'make do' with what we've got - it is barely sufficient
    as it is. Rather we should make strong representations to get the
    extra that we need to ensure that DEC'S business applications don't
    go down the tubes! How much is that worth??!

>    I disagree that we should start dismantling what we have worked
>    so hard to get (some of us more than others - thanks Vicky + Steve).
>    Rather we should get additional resource to provide this service.


I agree entirely Ian, I suggested the de-coupling of the cluster in order 
to raise the temperarure of the debate. I would have thought that a 750 as 
a minimum would be appropriate for such an R&D machine. Being asked to 
design to exploit a software environment we havn't even worked with is 
verging on the ludicrous.

Jerry