  Parallel OpenVMS Environments? 
 The Question is:
 
Currently, we're running OpenVMS v7.1 on an ALPHA 4100.  On this system, we
 provide database support that requires us to run 2 different versions of
 Oracle, both of which we would like to upgrade to a more current version.
 However, we do not have a separ
ate test platform, and in order to upgrade the Oracle instances, we need to
 upgrade the OpenVMS to version 7.2.  Therefore, before attempting any
 upgrades, I'm researching the possibility of of seeing if we can run 2 OpenVMS
 operating systems on the same
ALPHA, so that we can install a newer version of Oracle with the OpenVMS v7.2
 for testing, and keep the live product databases going on OpenVMS v7.1. So, my
 question is...Can I run 2 separate OpenVMS operating systems (v7.1 and v7.2)
 on the same ALPHA 410
0 server?
 
 The Answer is:
 
  Yes, assuming sufficient disk spindles are present.  In addition to
  simply bootstrapping from alternate system disks as needed -- given
  the availability of sufficient hardware and sufficient software
  licenses -- you can also operate OpenVMS V7.2 and later in parallel
  with another OpenVMS V7.2 or later release using the OpenVMS Galaxy
  capabilities of the AlphaServer 4100 series platform.
 
  You could also simply perform image BACKUPs of the disk(s) involved,
  restoring entire disks to revert to the older (known-stable) version.
 
  Please contact Oracle for assistance with configuring and operating
  Oracle products, and with the recommended BACKUP and restoration
  procedures for Oracle databases.
 
