Tag: Conferences

HPE NonStop Conferences Insight and Timeline by Era

The HPE NonStop community, historically rooted in Tandem Computers’ culture of openness, has held an annual gathering since the early 1980s.

Originally known as the International Tandem Users Group (ITUG) summits, the main conference evolved into the NonStop Technical Boot Camp (TBC), now organized by Connect Worldwide and heavily supported by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. 

The conference serves as the premier annual gathering for NonStop users, focusing on technical education, mission-critical applications, and networking. 

Detailed Historical Timeline (1990–2026)

The “Tandem/ITUG” Era (1990–1996)

  • Focus: Transitioning from proprietary stack machines to MIPS RISC microprocessors, introducing Open System Services (OSS).
  • 1990: Tandem reaches peak revenue; ITUG meetings focus on fault tolerance in ATM networks.
  • 1993: Introduction of NonStop Himalaya K-series using MIPS R4400 processors.
  • 1994: NonStop Kernel (NSK) extended with POSIX-compliant Unix.
  • 1995: Introduction of ServerNet, foundational for future x86 architectures. 

The Compaq & HP Transition Era (1997–2014) 

  • Focus: Integration into larger portfolios, migration from MIPS to Intel Itanium (TNS/E).
  • 1997: Compaq acquires Tandem. ITUG summits begin navigating the new corporate structure.
  • 2003: HP acquires Compaq. NonStop conferences become key components of HP’s high-end mission-critical offerings.
  • 2005: Introduction of HP Integrity NonStop i servers based on Intel Itanium.
  • 2008: Connect Worldwide (independent user group) takes over, revitalizing the “Technical Boot Camp” name.

The HPE NonStop X & Virtualization Era (2015–2019) 

  • Focus: Migration to x86-64 (NonStop X), Virtualization (vNonStop), and cloud integration.
  • 2015: Formation of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). Focus shifts to modernized “NonStop X” systems.
  • 2016: vNonStop demoed at TBC, allowing fault-tolerant systems in virtual machines.
  • 2017: TBC highlights AI and cybersecurity, reflecting modern enterprise needs.
  • 2019: Discussions around “NonStop-as-a-Service” (XaaS) and GreenLake integration. 

The AI & 50th Anniversary Era (2020–2026)

  • Focus: Hybrid Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, 50th Anniversary of NonStop.
  • 2020: TBC goes virtual, with high attendance from a global community.
  • 2022: Continued focus on XaaS (everything as a service).
  • 2023-2024: Emphasis on cyber resilience, SQL improvements, and integration with modern DevOps tools.
  • 2025/2026: HPE NonStop 50th Anniversary. Conferences focus on AI-driven transformation, cybersecurity, and the new business track. 

Conference Insights and Evolution

  • The “Beer Bust”: A tradition started in the early days of Tandem, now a staple social event at the TBC to foster community and open communication.
  • Format: The NonStop TBC typically features 4 days of technical sessions, user case studies, and partner exhibitions (e.g., XYPRO, NTI).
  • Regional Events: Alongside the main TBC, regional events (e.g., MexTUG) occur throughout the year.
  • Key Themes: Uninterrupted performance, database integrity, and migration to x86/cloud. 

NonStop TBC 2026 is scheduled for Sept 14–18 in Orlando, FL. 

The history of Tandem Computers (now HPE NonStop) conferences is a nearly 50-year chronicle of community-driven knowledge sharing, evolving from the Tandem User’s Group (TUG) in 1978 to the modern HPE NonStop Technology & Business Conference (TBC).

These events have served as the primary venue for sharing best practices on fault tolerance, high availability, and mission-critical application design, bridging the gap between Tandem’s founding in 1974 and HPE’s current virtualized NonStop systems. 

Detailed Historical Conference & Product Timeline (1970s–Present)

  • 1974–1979: The Founding Era
    • 1974: Jimmy Treybig founds Tandem Computers in Cupertino, CA, with a mission to create fault-tolerant systems for online transaction processing (OLTP).
    • 1976: First Tandem/16 (T/16) system shipped to Citibank, initiating the NonStop era.
    • 1978: Creation of the Tandem User’s Group (TUG) in San Jose, CA, as the foundational user community. Introduction of the Encompass database management system.
  • 1980–1989: Growth and Expansion
    • 1981: TUG is renamed the International Tandem User’s Group (ITUG), reflecting global growth. Introduction of NonStop II.
    • 1983: Introduction of the Tandem NonStop Extended Processor (TXP) and Guardian B-Series OS.
    • 1984: Formation of the British Isles Tandem User Group (BITUG).
    • 1985–1986: Introduction of the entry-level NonStop EXT system.
    • 1987-1988: Large-scale adoption of Tandem systems by international financial institutions and growing ITUG conference attendance, often characterized by strong community spirit.
    • 1989: Release of NonStop Cyclone and relational database software, challenging IBM’s dominance in transaction processing.
  • 1990–1999: The Move to Open Systems & Acquisition
    • 1990: Announcement of the Integrity S2 line for Unix-based fault tolerance.
    • 1991: Release of Cyclone/R (CLX/R) based on MIPS R3000, signaling a move away from custom proprietary CPUs.
    • 1993: Launch of the Himalaya K-series, supporting the MIPS R4400 and native mode NSK.
    • 1994-1995: Introduction of Open System Services (OSS), extending the NonStop Kernel to include a Unix-like POSIX environment.
    • 1997: Compaq acquires Tandem for $3 billion. Tandem releases the NonStop Himalaya S-Series, introducing the ServerNet interconnect technology.
  • 2000–2010: Compaq-HP Merger and Modernization
    • 2001: Hewlett-Packard merges with Compaq, taking over the NonStop product line and initiating a migration to Intel Itanium processors (TNS/E).
    • 2001: ITUG is renamed to “Compaq Users Group” before transitioning to the combined Connect community group.
    • 2002: Formation of a Tandem Alumni Group, celebrating the unique culture.
    • 2005: Introduction of Integrity NonStop servers, fully leveraging Intel’s Itanium architecture.
  • 2011–Present: HPE NonStop and Cloud Era
    • 2014: Formation of HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise).
    • 2015: Introduction of NonStop X, moving from Itanium to Intel x86-64 processors.
    • 2023-2024: Celebration of 50 years of Tandem/NonStop. The platform embraces virtualization and converged infrastructure.
    • 2025/2026: NonStop TBC 2026 is scheduled for Sept 15-17 in Orlando, FL, focusing on AI integration, modernization, and hybrid cloud. 

Key Conference Themes & Insights (2026 Perspective)

  • Legacy + Future: Current TBC conferences balance supporting existing high-value transaction applications with modernization approaches like REST APIs, Java, and DevOps.
  • Virtualization & Cloud: A major focus is deploying NonStop as virtualized instances (vNS) and integrating with public/hybrid clouds.
  • Community Continuity: Despite multiple mergers (Tandem HPE), the user community has remained tight-knit, with organizations like Connect hosting the NonStop TBC.
  • Continuous Availability: The core focus remains 100% uptime, with sessions analyzing how to achieve it in modern containerized environments.