HPE NonStop and the Tandem story
HPE NonStop is a platform designed so that no single failure stops the work. It began with Tandem Computers, founded in 1974, passed to Compaq and then HP, and is now sold by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Card payment switches, ATM networks, stock exchanges and telecom systems use it where every transaction must go through.
From Tandem to HPE
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Tandem Computers is founded to build fault-tolerant computers for online transaction processing |
| 1976 | The first NonStop system ships |
| 1997 | Compaq acquires Tandem |
| 2002 | HP merges with Compaq; NonStop becomes an HP product |
| 2015 | HP splits; NonStop moves to Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) |
The hardware has changed several times, from Tandem's own processors to MIPS and Intel Itanium, and today Intel x86 servers (HPE NonStop X). NonStop is also available as virtualised NonStop. Applications have moved across these generations with little change.
What 'NonStop' promises
A NonStop system is built from many independent processors, each with its own memory and its own copy of the operating system. If one processor, disk, path or power supply fails, the work continues on the others. Repairs and many upgrades are done while the system runs. The design goal is continuous availability for transaction processing.
Where you find it
- Payments: card authorisation and switching between banks, ATM and point-of-sale networks; ACI's BASE24 is a well-known payments application on NonStop.
- Financial markets: trading and settlement systems.
- Telecoms: subscriber and network databases.
- Other always-on services in retail, healthcare and government.
Which company founded the NonStop line in 1974?
Show a hint
The platform is still often called by this name.
Show the solution
Tandem Computers.
Common mistakes
It is a different platform with a different design, though it serves similar industries. People who work on it say NonStop or Tandem.
Components fail; the design makes sure the work continues and the failure is repaired online.
HPE sells and develops NonStop, now on x86 and as virtualised NonStop.
What you will see at work
- Payment switches on NonStop often handle every card transaction of a bank or country, so their operations teams work like mainframe teams: 24 hours a day, with strict change control.
- NonStop skills are scarce, and many experienced people are retiring.
- Incidents in card payments often need both the NonStop and the mainframe teams on the same bridge call.
Key terms
Check your understanding.
Take this lesson's quiz and save your progress. Free.