HP Visualize B1000 Supplementary Manual page 2

Introduction
02/04/00
This paper describes tools and techniques for migrating and porting UNIX technical
environments to Windows NT. The ideas provided here assume that the decision to
migrate to NT has been thoughtfully made. These ideas are centered around the following
two concerns:
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How to transition UNIX technical environments to Windows NT
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How to port UNIX technical applications to Windows NT
Windows NT systems are being integrated into the traditional technical UNIX
environment. With this integration comes the challenge to ensure that engineers being
provided NT workstations have the same functionality and environment they have come to
expect from their UNIX systems. This of course involves interoperability at the file/print
and security levels. The transition of these systems into the technical environment includes
the migration of scripts and desktop environments for continued access to UNIX-based
technical applications and data. The quest for higher performance and seamless integration
of engineering functionality onto an NT desktop platform may eventually require the
migration of many parts of today's UNIX-based technical applications to Windows NT.
The decision to transition engineers, scientists and technical personnel to an NT platform
must be balanced with the transition considerations of this platform:
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Are all required applications available?
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Is sufficient application performance available?
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Is the network infrastructure ready to support Windows NT?
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Can the current UNIX system environment be duplicated on Windows NT?
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Is the IT infrastructure ready to support Windows NT?
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Is there enough long-term cost and productivity justification for the transition?
Although Windows NT is not identical to UNIX, a transition to this platform for a
technical workstation can be managed with the use of appropriate migration tools and
techniques.
There are three paths available for migrating technical workstations from UNIX to
Windows NT. These migration paths can be characterized as follows:
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Migrating all of the UNIX environment, data and code to Windows NT platforms
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Migrating some of the UNIX environment, data or code to Windows NT workstations
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Migrating only the minimal client piece to Windows NT while all data, production
code and system environment remains centralized to UNIX
Each of these paths has a cost associated with it. These costs can be described in terms of:
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Ease of migration
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Risk to current systems infrastructure
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Acceptance of current personnel
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Impact on current system procedures and processes
The amount of UNIX centricity or uniqueness imbedded into tools, applications and
processes will greatly effect the amount of agony or pleasure associated with each of these
cost factors.
HP VISUALIZE WORKSTATIONS 1