ProCurve

HP ProCurve was the name of the networking division of Hewlett-Packard from 1998 to 2010 and associated with the products that it sold. The name of the division was changed to HP Networking in September 2010 after HP bought 3Com Corporation.

History

The HP division that became the HP ProCurve division began in Roseville, California, in 1979. Originally it was part of HP’s Data Systems Division (DSD) and known as DSD-Roseville. Later, it was called the Roseville Networks Division (RND), then the Workgroup Networks Division (WND), before becoming the ProCurve Networking Business (PNB). The trademark filing date for the ProCurve name was February 25, 1998.^[1] On August 11, 2008 HP announced the acquisition of Colubris Networks, a maker of wireless networking products. This completed on October 1, 2008.^[2] In November 2008, HP ProCurve was moved into HP's largest business division, the Technology Services Group organization,^[3] with HP Enterprise Account Managers being compensated for sales.^[4] In November 2009, HP announced its intent to acquire 3Com Corporation for $2.7B.^[5] In April 2010, HP completed its acquisition.^[6]

At Interop Las Vegas in April 2010, HP began publicly using HP Networking as the name for its networking division^[7][8]

Products

A variety of different networking products have been made by HP. The first products were named EtherTwist while printer connectivity products carried the JetDirect name. As the EtherTwist name faded, most of HP’s networking products were given AdvanceStack names. Later, the then-ProCurve division began to offer LAN switches, Core, Datacenter, Distribution, Edge, Web managed and Unmanaged Switches. The ProCurve was also used with Network Management, Routing and Security products.

Distinguishing features

HP ProCurve built a loyal Reseller Channel base, selling the majority of its products through resellers and not directly.^[9] Their division was one of the first in the industry to offer a "lifetime warranty - for as long as the owner owns the product" distinguishing itself from competitors with limited lifetime or non lifetime warranties. It covered fans, power supplies and accessories, with next business day advanced replacement terms. It was not limited to the initial buyer.^[10] Low energy consumption. Miercom, an independent testing lab found HP Networking E-series switches significantly outperformed the networking industry in energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.^[11] Several models are so efficient they do not require cooling fans. Fanless models are available with up to 26 ports.

Notable uses

The International Space Station makes use of customized HP switches (model 2524 Switches) sold while the HP division was known as ProCurve.^[12]

CERN uses HP switches throughout their campus including providing the networking needs for the Large Hadron Collider.^[13]

References