Newsgroups: bit.listserv.dectei-l
Date:         Mon, 14 Sep 1992 21:35:23 EDT
              <DECTEI-L@UBVM.BITNET>
From:         Ta Fuh Chiam <chiam@VULCAN.CBA.OHIOU.EDU>
Subject:      RE: LPS and RTNV for Pathworks clients.

>        We are beginning to install networks throughout our institutions
>        and have decided on Pathworks. We have brought it up throughout

... stuff deleted ...

>        all of our expenses covered when someone from DEC service contracts
>        called about our new agreement for the upcoming fiscal year and
>        he began talking about the requirement of buying Layered Product
>        Support for each and every desktop device (DOS or MAC) that we have

In order to use Pathworks, you do NOT have to purchase LPS. You need LPS only if
you want telephone support and RTNV. Of course, most people do need telephone
support for Pathworks, unfortunately. :-)

>        licensed for Pathworks.  This additional expense was never mentioned
>        in any of our many meetings with DEC concerning our networking plans
>        nor did it show up in any written proposals from our local DEC sales

I am not sure whether this is a point problem or a common problem. Perhaps more
people on this list can give us some ideas?

>        office.  When these two networks are fully configured we will easily
>        have over 240 desktop devices networked. DEC tells me that it will
>        cost us $1550.00 per month to have the right to use the software on
>        that many workstations. I am sure there are networks out there that

Be very careful here. Once again, you do NOT have to get LPS to have the rights
to use Pathworks. You need LPS if you want telephone support and the rights to
use new version. You have the rights to use the software once you purchase the
license for it (the current version of the software when you make the purchase,
of course.) If you do not get LPS and when a new version of Pathworks is
released, you have the option to purchase an upgrade license which may or may
not be cheaper than purchasing LPS, depending on the price of the upgrade
license and how often a new release of Pathworks is released.

Now, I wonder how much you are paying for your ESL now (if you do subscribe to
ESL.) If you are paying $20,000 a year for ESL excluding Pathworks, I think it
is cheaper to simply put all your 240 desktop PCs under ESL to get telephone
support and RTNV (essentially LPS) since the next break for ESL is at $30,000
for 100 systems and above and your cost for LPS is $18,600 a year for all the
240 PCs. In other words, if you put all your PCs under ESL, your cost for
Pathworks LPS is only $10,000, assuming that you are currently paying $20,000
for your ESL. If you are currently paying $30,000 for your ESL, then your cost
for putting these PCs under ESL to get your telephone support and RTNV is $0.

>        have many more networked devices than that and if they buy LPS the
>        operational expense for the network must be astronomical!

I know DEC is trying hard to figure out the mess of Pathworks and PC products
pricing and licensing but it is not an easy problem.

>        My questions to the net are : Are other sites paying this? It seems
 that
>        this additional expense, over and above licensing, makes Pathworks
>        a prohibitivly expensive network solution even with the CSLG program

It is a funny situation.

Not if you do not purchase LPS. It really is a funny situation. If you look at
the other PC LAN products, many sites do not purchase "Rights to new version"
simply because they do not need it or the vendors simply do not have such a
thing as "Rights to New Version" or telephone support. Same for other PC
products. You simply buy the product and then purchase an upgrade when a new
version is released.

With Pathworks, you have the option of purchasing LPS because DEC has it.

>        and educational discounting. What are the ramifications of not
>        carrying this service? Are there any DEC programs available to help

If you do not carry LPS, you simply do not have telephone support and rights to
use new version of the software. You can continue to run what you have
purchased. No telephone support? Well, there is DECUServe, the VAX NOTES
conferencing system owned by DECUS, and there is COMPUSERVE. DEC has a forum
called DECPCI on Compuserve where there is DEC Pathworks engineers presence.
Keep in mind that there is no commitment from DEC to resolve your problem if you
go this route. But if you have ESL, your problem is smaller as I described
above. :-)

Ta Fuh Chiam
============================================================================
Ta Fuh Chiam
Ohio University, College of Business Administration / Phone: (614)593-2088
Management Information Systems                        FAX:   (614)593-0319
Copeland Hall 22                   INTERNET : chiam@vulcan.cba.ohiou.edu
Athens, Ohio 45701, U.S.A.            or    : chiam@ouvaxa.ucls.ohiou.edu
                                   BITNET   : CHIAM@OUACCVMB
                          Use my first Internet address if at all possible.
Disclaimer: What I have said are my opinions, not of anyone else.
============================================================================
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