A few days ago, HP Software sent out a critical support alert, informing us that QC Server is being discontinued.
The message and the page it refers to, http://support.openview.hp.com/encore/qc-server.jsp?jumpid=em_alerts_us-us_Jun13_xbu_all_all_2075340_150659_software_critical_006_0/hpss_obs, are both very confusing in my opinion. No clear explanation is given as to what concrete versions they are referring to by "QC Server".
But starting August 1, six weeks from now, you will no longer be able to buy additional licenses for "QC Server". End of support is announced for November 30, 2014. "QC Server" is being replaced: "HP recommends that all customers upgrade to High-Availability QC Server".
The FAQ provided doesn't give any concrete answers as to what concrete versions are hiding behind these labels. I asked a HP employee yesterday what all of this means practically. He told me that the "High-Availability QC Server" in this case seems to mean the Jetty based ALM/QC 11.5, as opposed to the 11.0 JBoss application server setup.
I find it quite annoying that HP doesn't talk straight about this to their customers. This is a big change, and unless HP rethinks its policy, many customers will be pushed to upgrade a lot earlier than they might have preferred.
And those that were planning to buy more licenses later this year will have a problem:
"Question: Can I still purchase additional licenses for QC Server If yes, how?
Answer: Additional licenses may not be purchased for versions that are discontinued and past their end of sale date." (From the FAQ)
And remember, end of sale date is August 1.
