Hi, I'm new to this Unix world and have taken over looking after the I.T side of things at work, which includes the internal ERP system which runs on a UNIX SCO platform.
My initial worry is what state this is in as its been on site over 20 years.
What would be the first things to check on this ?
Version: UnixWare danapak 5 7.1.3 i386 SCO UNIX_SVR5
Well, there have been patches. It might be good to build a parallel server with new OS, software, hardware before the fans give out or something. You could buy a brand new PC based server w/good old free LINUX. Most x86 LINUX/UNIX code used to be portable, but I haven't checked if x86_64 systems run old 32 bit coff/elf executables and files. I do not see your O/S here: The SCO Group, Inc. | Support | SCO Product and Maintenance Download Page
ELF ought to work given matching libraries, but ELF was 1995 and later. There's still options for ECOFF in the Linux kernel, but they might need to be built-in custom; I can't imagine a standard kernel having them enabled.
Whether a program from 1992 will work without its corresponding libraries is another question. I have no idea how shared libraries would need to be set up for COFF. I doubt the standard ld.so system would touch them.
Try migrating to newer OS and hardware. What is the ERP solution you are using?
IBM Power systems with AIX could be great for SAP/ERP in terms of performance and stability, but with high maintenance cost. A good Intel based server with Linux on top will save you money a lot. Even you can go for Solaris on Intel (again Sparc servers are costly). But still when you think of Intel platform, Linux is the best bait.
I know UnixWare 7 (release 7.1.4) is the latest one and I use this OS for my testing purposes. What's your hardware configuration by the way?
BTW, I am using a Progress database running a PECAS business solution.
---------- Post updated at 11:26 AM ---------- Previous update was at 11:23 AM ----------
Compaq ProLiant ML370 G2
Processor: Intel Pentium III 1.4 GHz*
Upgradability: Upgradable*
Cache Memory:*
Type: L2 cache - Advanced Transfer Cache*
Installed Size: 512 KB*
Cache Per Processor: 512 KB*
Mainboard:*
Chipset Type: ServerWorks ServerSet III HE-SL*
Data Bus Speed: 133 MHz*
RAM:* Installed Size: 256 MB / 6 GB (max)*
Technology: SDRAM - ECC*
Memory Speed: 133 MHz*
Memory Specification Compliance: PC133*
Form Factor: DIMM 168-pin*
Features: Registered*
Upgrade Rule: Max 1 GB module*
Storage Controller :*
Type: 1 x SCSI - integrated*
Controller Interface Type: Ultra160 SCSI*
Channel Qty: 2*
Storage Controller (2nd): 1 x IDE - integrated*
Controller Interface Type: EIDE/ATAPI*
Storage: 3.5" 1.44 MB floppy*
CD-ROM - IDE*
Networking:*
Networking: Network adapter - PCI - integrated*
Data Link Protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet*
Compliant Standards: IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u
Well, how's the performance of the server (IO, network, memory stat etc. )? Are you getting any issue? I have seen many admins with "if things are working, why bother!" approach. This is good as things could be broken easily when you deal with such an old system. You may check for Virtualization solutions as well. There are P2V solutions around.
As far as the application you are running on the machine, I am not really sure of migration of that to a newer platform. Migration always becomes a pain in the neck. :wall:
The system has worked fine for years, we wont attempt to fiddle with it, I've just purchased an identical server for �24, just to use as a backup if anything should go wrong, I need to take an image of the HDD so I can just transfer if the unthinkable happens. Basically if this server fails, the business grinds to a halt. No orders, no invoices, no nothing !
The current disk space also concerns me slightly:
Total Disk Space: 49,185 MB of 60,604 MB <81.16%>
You should be able to upgrade to a ML370 G5 or G6, just make sure that the RAID controller is either a P400 or a P212. The newer P410 controllers are not supported. Don't use any of the disk imaging software to replicate the drive, as most don't handle SCO file systems well so you cannot change partition sizes,
Do a fresh install of the OS on the backup system and just restore the backup of the main system to it each day (week?), then if anything happens to the primary system all you have to do is move the network cable.
Maybe LINUX needs an emulator to run old code, something to do coff to elf conversions and run/link the elf ?
Google guy says "you can convert from COFF to ELF using the objcopy tool."
I was wondering if LINUX would be more versatile running old and new 16, 32, 64 bit Windows apps under wine than Windows 7-64 or even Vista-32.
Strongly advise that you find out what version of Progress you are running.
If your system is set up correctly, just type this command:
version
The command should respond "Progress version ....".
Your hardware is not 20-years-old but it is possible that your software is.
Well, start building, in parallel, an open source web-based version on cheap, powerful, modern x86_64 HW and disks. You can migrate the current data and changes back and forth in the background in near real time, and have two systems online at once.
When I type Version, it returns:
UX:sh: ERROR: Version: Not Found
---------- Post updated at 10:50 AM ---------- Previous update was at 10:45 AM ----------
However, when I type uname -a I get this...
UnixWare 7.1.3 i386 x86at SCO UNIX_SVR5
You are one release and several maintenance packs behind.
Current Pricing US Dollars
The command is version all in lowercase.
An example of an old one:
version
PROGRESS Version 8.3B as of Fri Jan 29 19:01:10 EST 1999
It's actually a script. The default location is /opt/dlc/version .
In newer releases version is a text file which you can read with cat .