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Case Studies

Bringing Decades-Old VAX Systems onto a Modern, Supported Platform

The Client

The client is a global aerospace and industrial manufacturer operating in the aerospace and manufacturing industry. The company relied on legacy OpenVMS systems running on DEC VAX hardware to support critical business operations. To modernize its infrastructure while maintaining application compatibility, the client engaged Salem Automation to perform a two-node migration, including platform emulation, data migration, and system migration to a modern environment, with each node completed over approximately four days onsite as part of a 4–8 week project.

The Challenge

Business-critical applications ran on aging DEC VAX systems — a VAX-11/785 and a VAX 8700, both decades-old machines underpinning everyday operations. The hardware was obsolete and risky.

  • Scarce spare parts, failing mechanical disk and tape drives, and ongoing maintenance contract costs
  • Backups still dependent on obsolete track-tape drives, with no clear repair path on failure

The Solution

Salem replaced both VAX systems with a VAX emulator on hardened Windows Server hosts running HP DL380 G5 servers. The turnkey scope covered software, data migration, hardware, onsite installation, system-manager training, and a one-year Gold support agreement backed by a 3-year 24×7, 4-hour on-site response — with no application changes or recertification.

The Results

  1. Licensing & Setup — Secured sanctioned OpenVMS transfer licenses to legally move the VMS environment onto modern PC hardware.
  2. Data Migration & Configuration — Migrated data from backup tapes into virtual disk containers and matched serial/tape ports and peripherals on each node.
  3. Testing & Cutover — Ran Telnet-accessible testing and completed roughly four days of onsite installation per node.
  4. Training & Optimization — Delivered system-manager training and enabled modern CD/DVD/tape backups with 3–20× faster disk I/O.

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