HP-UX

HP-UX
source
Name	HP-UX
Developer	Hewlett-Packard
Source model	Closed source
Kernel type	Monolithic kernel
Ui	CDE / Motif
Family	Unix
Released	February 1984
Latest release version	11i v3 (11.31)
Latest release date	February 2007
Marketing target	Servers, Workstations
Working state	Discontinued
License	Proprietary
Supported platforms	HP 9000, HP Integrity
Predecessor	HP Multi-Programming Executive

HP-UX. It is a proprietary implementation of the Unix operating system developed by Hewlett-Packard for its HP 9000 and later HP Integrity server and workstation lines. Based originally on System V and incorporating features from BSD, it became a major platform for enterprise computing, particularly in sectors like telecommunications and finance. The final version, 11i v3, was released in 2007, and official support ended in 2020, marking the conclusion of its long development history.

History

Development began in the early 1980s, with the first version released in 1984 for the HP 9000 Series 500, which were based on Motorola 68000 processors. A pivotal shift occurred in 1986 with the introduction of the PA-RISC (Precision Architecture) RISC processors, which became the defining hardware platform for decades. Throughout the 1990s, it competed strongly with other commercial Unix systems from Sun Microsystems (Solaris) and IBM (AIX). A major strategic transition was announced in 2001 when Hewlett-Packard partnered with Intel to port the system to the Itanium (IA-64) architecture, aligning with the launch of the HP Integrity servers. This move was part of a broader industry shift following the dissolution of the TRON project rival architectures. The last major update, 11i v3, focused on enhancing virtualization and partitioning capabilities before the platform entered its end-of-life phase.

Features

It was known for robust high-availability and disaster tolerance features, such as Serviceguard for clustering and MirrorDisk/UX for storage management. The operating system included advanced logical volume management through the LVM and the VxVM from Veritas Software. Security was a cornerstone, with features like Trusted Computing Base (TCB) auditing and integration with Kerberos for network authentication. System administration was facilitated through the System Administration Manager (SAM) and later the HP Systems Insight Manager. For application development, it supported standards like POSIX and provided the ANSI C compiler, alongside compatibility layers for running software from other Unix systems.

Architecture

Originally designed for Motorola 68000 CISC processors, its architecture was fundamentally re-engineered for the proprietary PA-RISC RISC chips, which dominated its run. The kernel is monolithic and was derived from System V Release 3, with significant enhancements from BSD 4.2 and later System V Release 4. With the transition to the Itanium platform, the architecture shifted to a modern 64-bit computing model, requiring a new boot loader and support for the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI). Key architectural components included the Journaled File System (JFS) and support for both SMP and NUMA system models to optimize performance on large HP Integrity servers.

Versions

Early versions (through 8.x) were closely tied to PA-RISC hardware evolution. Version 9.0, released in 1992, introduced significant networking and NFS improvements. The 10.x series, launched in the mid-1990s, brought full 64-bit capability for PA-RISC and features like AdvFS. The 11.0 release in 1997 was a major milestone, unifying the PA-RISC product line and adding enhanced workload management. The subsequent "11i" branding denoted an "Internet-ready" suite, with 11i v1 (11.11) supporting both PA-RISC and early Itanium, and 11i v2 (11.23) adding critical infrastructure features. The final release, 11i v3 (11.31) in 2007, focused on virtualization with Integrity Virtual Machines and HP-UX Containers, and was the only version to support the final Itanium 9300 series processors.

Related software

The operating environment was typically bundled with the CDE or Motif windowing systems for graphical user interface. Key database products like Oracle Database, Sybase, and Informix had optimized versions. Middleware support was extensive, including BEA WebLogic and IBM WebSphere application servers. Development tools included the HP C Compiler, the Apache HTTP Server, and runtime environments for Java. High-performance computing was supported by MPI libraries and the Parallels virtualization stack. Management and monitoring were handled by tools like OpenView and its successor, HP Operations Manager.

Category:Unix operating systems Category:Hewlett-Packard software Category:Discontinued operating systems Category:Proprietary software