Buried under the HP label lies a gem. The Tandem platform rebranded NonStop targets critical applications by design.
A fault tolerant system running on dual hardware and software is a neat solution built to sustain. Total scalability makes it the perfect choice of platform for all business regardless of size. It has gained clients in the banking industry, emergency healthcare services and exchange markets all around the world.
To these industries NonStop is crucial.
Do you have a project and need deep knowledge in NonStop Servers feel free to contact me.
I have EXP in coding, system design and system hardware architecture.
In order to utilize the full potential of NonStop it is vital to follow and adjust to the unique technology of NonStop.
I am based in Gothenburg Sweden
System developer, system architect, proficient coder
Present : Nonstop consultant
Clients: Euroclear Brussels, Cap Gemeni, SAAB
Past employment: Tandem, HP
A few years ago I was approached by a recruiter looking for people skilled in Nonstop for an alarm call centre project. The agenda was to migrate the service from Windows SQL server to Nonstop. Benefits would be speed, scalability and fault tolerance. The Nonstop brand has a bit of a ring to it among critical systems so it would also improve the business image and certainly attract new clients.
During the presentation I quickly spotted problems ahead. The plan was to keep the existing Windows clients and database unmodified and simply move the database to Nonstop. However a lot of customized SQL was used. Nonstop would for sure choke on it and spit it out. Such as colour swap functions in the user interface...
It was obvious that focus had been on design and user experience from day one and not on system performance and function. Not all that surprising considering the intitial choice of platform. All this set aside this was an exciting project. A service with a purpose and Nonstop was the perfect platform.
I pointed out the issues and summarised that system core should be prioritised and customization and tweaks secondary and adjusted to the system function. In other words the arrival of the ambulance was more important than the application color scheme.
I was onboard and had signed up for a one year contract. Everything was ready. I had all the papers, id and access card and was to start the following Monday.
On Monday I was called up to project management. They told me they were closing down the migration project.
My input and recommendations had given them cold feet.
Well that was unexpected. I didn't even get compensated for that one day.
I would have liked to have been part of that project. It is a service I would wish to run as smoothly as possible if I ever need to use it. Let's all hope the operators pick readable themes.
A small team of 4 ppl built a complete booking system from scratch for Always (a travel agency in Sweden in the late 90s 20s). My job was to cuddle with the local Tandem CLX and write a huge amount of code. Being the team's Tandem expert I got to write all the complex stuff. I had full control of the system architecture and could do pretty much what I wanted to do.
Our time frame was 3 months and everbody said it could not be done but the target deadline was met.
At one time in Stockholm a few years later. I was in a meeting and had a disagreement with another SLG (Scandinavian Leisure Group) member about a Tandem related topic.
My final argument was that it would work and we had a whole Tandem VLX at our disposal so what was the problem? The guy got quiet and suddenly asked me if I was one of the Gothenburg guys from Always. When I said yes, he backed off on the spot, flipped side, said he trusted my judgement wholeheartedly. Now that was strange.