Most OpenVMS ports from Alpha to Itanium are relatively quick and simple, with few modifications to the original code. One area in which ports can require additional expertise shows up when code has an intimate dependence on the OpenVMS calling standard.
IMS MAXIMS has a Hospital Administration system which was originally developed in Cobol and designed to run on OpenVMS. Most of the application ported from the Alpha to the Intel Itanium platform without problems and with no changes to the original code.
However, some of the system is developed using Object-Oriented Cobol and this code depends upon a small set of macro routines which make use of the OpenVMS calling standard. This macro code, originally written for the VAX and ported to Alpha macro, needed to be re-developed for the Intel Itanium platform.
IMS contacted BRUDEN-OSSG about porting these macro routines. The code was analyzed and ported to Itanium assembler by BRUDEN-OSSG staff in about 5 weeks time. The code was written on the BRUDEN-OSSG lab systems in the U.S. and supplied to IMS in Dublin, Ireland for testing. BRUDEN-OSSG staff worked closely with the IMS staff to complete the testing and debugging phases for the code. This effort was highly dependent on the cooperative effort between IMS and BRUDEN-OSSG staff.
With the port complete, a major obstacle in allowing IMS customers to move from Alpha to IA64 platforms was removed, allowing the product to remain alive and vibrant through the next generation of OpenVMS hardware.
Kieran Quigley, the Product Manager for IMS Patient Admin Systems, was the IMS focal contact for the port and offered the following commentary on the BRUDEN-OSSG services:
"BRUDEN-OSSG worked on porting some essential Alpha Macro components of the IMS Hospital Admin Systems from OpenVMS Alpha to the Intel Itanium platform. We found that the depth of knowledge and experience and professionalism which BRUDEN-OSSG brought to the project to have been an essential element in the overall success of the project."
This effort illustrates that BRUDEN-OSSG can help companies complete the move from Alpha to Itanium at a variety of levels, from basic ports to the internals of the system architecture.
For more information contact BRUDEN-OSSG.