Thursday, March 28, 2024

HP’s Product Roadmap

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Hewlett-Packard Co. executives have been busy plotting out and presenting their new roadmap to corporate users over the past few weeks as the company’s merger with Compaq Computer Corp. becomes reality. Here are some of the announcements the new HP has made:

Servers

  • HP will become the master brand for all server products, but will keep product families representing both companies;
  • Before the merger, HP and Compaq both had IA-32 server offerings: the Compaq ProLiant and the HP Netserver (and more recently under the new name of HP Server). Moving forward, the ProLiant servers will be HP’s IA-32 server offering. They will be named HP ProLiant servers. (The ProLiant Essentials software offerings will also move forward.);
  • HP and Compaq have both been selling Intel Itanium Processor Family servers. By the release of the third generation Itanium processor (Madison), HP will offer Itanium-based servers from the low-end to the high-end of its product line, including HP NonStop Itanium servers. The HP servers will be augmented by features from the ProLiant IA-64 roadmap;
  • HP will continue with the previously published roadmaps for both PA-RISC and AlphaServer systems. HP will continue development of the PA-8800 and PA-8900 processors, as well as the EV7 and EV79 Alpha processors;
  • There are no changes to the previous Compaq NonStop server roadmap, except that it now will be known as the HP NonStop Server. The two planned MIPS processor upgrades and the transition to Itanium are on track.

  • Unix, Storage

  • HP and Compaq both offered Unix operating systems – HP-UX and Compaq Tru64 Unix. HP-UX will be the long-term Unix for the new HP. Some features of the Tru64, such as clustering and file systems, will be integrated into HP-UX over time;
  • HP is slated to deliver on the previously announced Compaq OpenVMS roadmap, including the port to Itanium;
  • The new HP will adopt the Compaq StorageWorks, re-named HP StorageWorks, for storage and storage solutions, HP OpenView as the name for storage software, and ENSA (Enterprise Network Storage Architecture) as the name for its architecture going forward;
  • In terms of online storage, HP has announced that at the high end, it will continue to offer both HP XP and Compaq StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array;
  • In the high-end tape drive segment, HP will offer both Ultrium and SDLT;
  • In terms of storage management software, features from Compaq will be integrated with the HP OpenView Storage Area Manager suite.

  • Software, PCs, Notebooks

  • For software, HP will continue to invest in OpenView management solutions, Utility Data Center (UDC), Opencall telco solutions and J2EE and Microsoft .NET middleware stacks;
  • For telco software, the new HP will consolidate both Compaq and HP’s telecom software into the Opencall product;
  • Business desktop PCs and notebooks will migrate to the Compaq platform over the next 9-12 months. Both will carry the Compaq name;
    — The HP Vectra products will be phased out in line with current published roadmaps;
    — The HP Omnibook products will continue to be offered through 2002;
  • HP is set to continue to offer both the Compaq Presario and HP Pavilion lines of consumer desktop PCs and notebooks through all existing channels in regions where both brands are strong. In some countries, only one brand will be offered. The two brands will compete.
  • Workstations, Handhelds

  • Features from Compaq’s Windows NT workstations will be integrated into HP’s workstations;
  • The Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC, re-named the HP iPAQ Pocket PC, will be HP’s smart handheld platform. Features from the current HP Jornada technology will be engineered into the platform. Jornada products will be phased out of the market in 2002;
  • HP also will offer the iPAQ Blackberry device;
  • HP will continue the Compaq line of thin clients, which will be re-branded HP.
  • Imaging, Printing Products

  • All imaging and printing categories and product lines remain as is, with the following exceptions;
    — Personal inkjet printers, all-in-ones and scanners. The HP product lineup continues. They plan to phase out the Compaq-branded products;
    — As for digital projectors, HP plans to combine the HP and Compaq product line. Some specific products will be phased out, but final decisions have not been made. All digital projectors will be branded HP – a transition that will occur during the next 12 months.

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