Up-to-the-minute news on Sun's rivals
September 1998
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Up-to-the-minute news on Sun's rivals |
September 1998
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WebSphere, announced in May, consists of Java-based application servers, a Performance Pack of scalability, caching and other software, and tools for designing and deploying Web sites.
IBM today said it will integrate into WebSphere the transaction processing and distributed component software contained in IBM's TXSeries, Net.Commerce and Component Broker products. In addition, the company announced it will offer three versions of WebSphere: a standard edition and an advanced edition, and, with the newly integrated technologies, an enterprise edition.
The different versions of WebSphere "will provide a simple entry point" for users getting started with a Web site and will let them migrate to the advanced or enterprise versions as their needs change, according to Paraic Sweeney, vice president of Web server marketing at IBM.
The standard version is available now for US$795 per server, Sweeney said. Pricing has not yet been announced for the other versions, but the advanced one will be available in the first quarter of next year and the enterprise one will ship during the second quarter, he said.
One analyst said that WebSphere's newly integrated transaction capabilities will help users tie together the new Web-based way of doing business with their companies' pre-Web data.
"Users will have less hassle and an easier road to doing commerce transactions between (their) Web site's front end and legacy back ends," said Greg Blatnik, an analyst with Zona Research Inc. in Redwood City, California.
The integration is also important strategically for IBM, for which WebSphere is a core product, Blatnik said.
"If e-business is the mantra for IBM, and it certainly is, ... this is the mechanism that's going to enable e-business transactions and e-business activity," he said.
Also today, IBM announced that Lotus Domino, the flagship server from IBM subsidiary Lotus Development Corp., will share WebSphere components for use as a connected server environment. The components are designed to enhance Domino's appeal as a Web application server by letting it connect to transaction processing monitors, according to IBM.
--Rebecca Sykes, IDG News Service
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Boston (September 10, 1998) -- Compaq Computer Corp. and Microsoft Corp. today outlined a broad agreement aimed at making their competing operating system platforms more interoperable, and adding some high-end features to Windows NT.
Compaq will work to help Microsoft incorporate into Windows NT technologies available in Compaq's Tandem NonStop Kernel, Digital OpenVMS and Digital Unix operating systems, according to officials from the two companies speaking during a press conference today.
The project involves the exchange of "intellectual property, know how and people" that will lead to more robust use of NT, said John Rose, senior vice president and group general manager of Compaq's Enterprise Computing Group. "The customer base is telling us that they're spending a lot of time and money on year 2000 initiatives and Euro initiatives, but there are a lot of pent-up initiatives that are going to exist for the enterprise when they get past those two hurdles."
To assist with those enterprise projects, the companies said that the following Compaq technologies will be incorporated into NT:
In addition, the companies will add support for Microsoft's COM (Component Object Model) to Compaq's Digital Unix, and will work on interoperability in the areas of security, Active Directory, transaction processing, data management. According to the companies, some of these technologies will also be implemented on OpenVMS and the Tandem NonStop Kernel platforms which will enhance interoperability between them and Windows NT.
Rose and Paul Maritz, Microsoft group vice president, platforms and applications, declined to offer specifics about how the technologies will be integrated into Windows NT. Maritz also refused to reveal whether Microsoft is paying for use of the technologies or to provide details regarding terms of the agreement.
The initiative with Compaq is designed to "accelerate suitability of Windows NT for the most demanding enterprise applications," Maritz said.
The project will encompass versions of Windows NT after the release of 5.0, Maritz said, adding that a lot of work is going into improving Windows NT's use for high-end enterprise applications in the next version. The launch date for Windows NT 5.0 has not been officially set and although it had been expected out this year, it is likely to be released next year, a Microsoft official said last month.
Whatever the likely schedule for NT 5.0, Rose said the agreement means that "customers can buy safely today," investing in whatever operating system they choose, from OpenVMS to Digital Unix to Windows NT.
While it's hard to forecast how well the initiative will work for enterprise customers, one analyst thinks that the joint effort is likely to reach its intended interoperability goals.
"I think over time it shows promise," said James Gruener of the Boston-based Aberdeen Group.
In recent years, Windows NT has been used to operate more enterprise-level applications such as online transaction processing and the Internet, so "the line between where you divide business critical applications (on different operating systems) is starting to blur," he said.
But compared to Unix, Windows NT remains a young operating system.
"It's just really getting its training wheels," Gruener said, adding that Windows NT still has some a way to go before it is ready to handle deployment across the enterprise.
It's not likely that NT will take over that market from Unix, he suggested. Rather, corporations are finding that they need to maintain mixed environments with, for instance, NT running on the front side of database applications and Unix on the back end, making interoperability all the more crucial.
The deal between Microsoft and Compaq was reached just yesterday, although it has been in the works for some time, Microsoft's Maritz said.
The announcement surpasses word yesterday that Microsoft arch rival Sun Microsystems Inc. will integrate its Solaris servers with the Windows NT operating system, according to Maritz.
"Sun's announcement yesterday was really just them trying to catch up" with the rest of the industry and represents a "begrudging acceptance" of the use of Windows NT, he said.
Sun made its announcement at a company-sponsored New York event where its enterprise-computing strategy was detailed. (See, "Sun's enterprise pitch includes integration with NT.")
--Nancy Weil, IDG News Service
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IBM's PowerPC 750 copper microprocessor operating at 400MHz is available now for US$605 per chip in quantities of 1,000, said Bill O'Leary, manager of media relations for IBM Microelectronics in Fishkill, New York. The company will also release its PowerPC 740 microprocessor in the first quarter of next year. Copper microprocessors will also be used in IBM's S/390, RS/6000 and AS/400 server lines. Prototypes should be out later this year and production systems are expected next year.
Using copper in chips enhances microprocessor performance and allows chip makers to decrease die size and power consumption, O'Leary said, predicting that the use of copper represents a "major revolution" in microprocessors which will become more widely used in electronics products.
Copper eventually will become mainstream in chip making, he said, but that requires retooling manufacturing facilities. IBM's standard foundry services will also create copper chips for other companies and is not ruling out the possibility of eventually licensing its technology to other vendors.
"Copper is going to become the metal of choice used for chips," O'Leary said, adding that copper is "superior" to other materials used to make chips.
IBM is the first chip maker to roll out copper-based microprocessors and embedded processors for electronic products, O'Leary claimed, although other vendors also are working on developing products.
The push toward using copper is driven by what is expected to be a boom in the use of small handheld devices and network access machines, O'Leary said.
--Nancy Weil, IDG News Service
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The managed desktop switches start at US$55 per port and the plug-and-play autosensing Ethernet hubs start at $10 per 10Base-T port and $30 per 100Base-T port. Not only are the prices competitive, but customers also benefit from HP's comprehensive customer support and can simplify their service arrangements if they already use other HP products, an analyst said.
"There's no great distinction between hubs and switches anymore, but there is a distinction between vendors you can buy them from," said John Armstrong, principal networking analyst at Dataquest Inc. in San Jose, California.
"In the case of HP, we're talking about a company that has a tremendous reputation in the marketplace as being a very reliable vendor and more and more this is what users are looking for," he said. "Since there's not a huge technological differentiation, (users) are looking for a vendor that can provide them with a high level of competence" in service and support.
HP even provides support for networking products from other vendors, such as Cisco Systems Inc., Armstrong noted. "You can't underestimate the value of that kind of support for their (HP's) products," he said.
HP's new switches are the HP ProCurve Switch 212M and ProCurve Switch 224M. They are geared to small workgroups and high-performance users and have either 12 or 24 10Base-T ports and a 10/100 autosensing port for a high-speed uplink. A high-speed transceiver slot allows customers to choose an additional high-speed 100M-bit-per-second Ethernet UTP or fiber connection.
Both switches are bundled with HP TopTools for Hubs & Switches software for network management, monitoring and performance analysis. HP TopTools offers a browser interface and integrates with the Web-based management agent embedded in the switches. The switches also include port mirroring for monitoring and trouble-shooting.
The HP ProCurve Switch 212M for 12 ports has a U.S. retail price of $829, or $64 per port, and the HP ProCurve Switch 224M for 24 ports has a retail price of $1,379, or $55 per port.
The new HP ProCurve 10/100 Hub-12 and Hub-24 offer easy migration from 10Base-T to 100Base-T workgroups, while the new compact HP ProCurve 100Base-T Hub-8 and 10Base-T Hub-8 hubs are targeted at homes and small workgroups because of their small footprint and relatively easy installation, according to the company.
The HP ProCurve 10/100 Hub-12 and Hub-24 can be used for interconnecting a mix of 10M-bps and 100M-bps workstations, servers and peripherals. They offer 12 or 24 dual-speed autosensing ports, along with a cascade port for expanding networks through interconnected hubs. Both hubs include an internal bridge for connecting communications at 10M bps and 100M bps speeds. They require no configuration, no modules and no add-ons.
The HP ProCurve 10/100 Hub-12 will sell in the U.S. for $649, or $54 per port; the HP ProCurve 10/100 Hub-24 for $999, or $42 per port; the HP ProCurve 100Base-T Hub-8 for $229, or $30 per port; and the HP ProCurve 10Base-T Hub-8 for $79, or $10 per port.
The new switches and hubs will be available worldwide tomorrow through resellers, dealers and distributors. Prices outside the U.S. will vary.
--Elinor Mills, IDG News Service
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With the Windows NT Workstation License Advantage promotional offer companies that purchase five or more copies of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 also buy the rights to any upgrades or enhancements to the system that are delivered over the next two years, Microsoft said.
The licensing offer costs US$38 over the cost of a single license of Windows Workstation NT, Microsoft said. The promotion is available from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31, 1998.
The offer is part of the company's Open License Program, which has been around for a number of years, according to Craig Beilinson, a product manager for Windows NT workstation. This is the first promotion designed specifically to allow small to medium-sized companies to buy the appropriate number of copies of the Windows NT operating system at a discounted price, he explained.
"Smaller companies need to know that NT is the operating system that they should be moving towards," Beilinson said.
Eligible companies can buy Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with upgrades and enhancements at a total cost of $276, compared to $238 for NT alone, said Beilinson.
Microsoft is currently working on the second beta testing of Windows NT Workstation 5.0 and no tentative release date has been scheduled, Beilinson said.
Microsoft feels that the Windows NT Workstation is its most reliable operating system, said Beilinson. Compared to Windows 95 or Windows 98, Microsoft receives 38 percent fewer calls on NT on its help desk line. "For the type of PCs that users are purchasing today, the NT system is 26 percent faster than Windows 95 or 98," he added.
In order to be eligible for the promotional price, users must also be members of the Open License Program, which provides volume-based pricing for small and medium-sized companies with five or more desktops.
--Cheri Paquet, IDG News Service
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