HAL launches next-generation workstation HAL targets niche for survival By Rebecca Gold

December  1996

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Just when you thought HAL Computer Systems had gone the way of rotary telephones, it's back with a new 64-bit SPARC-compatible system. Or do you even remember HAL?

In September of 1995, HAL Computer Systems released the HALstation 300/350, the first 64-bit SPARC Solaris-compatible system. Now a little more than a year later, the Fujitsu subsidiary is releasing the next generation of its 300 series, the HALstation 375 and 385.

Both models offer what HAL considers the four integral components of the modern technical workstation: support of 64-bit applications, a strong processor, a main memory that is capable of supporting the processor, and the architecture to make everything work together successfully. The HALstation 300 series is designed to have the power of a supercomputer with the price tag of a workstation.

But how can a company of HAL's size compete with big-name Unix hardware vendors?

"HAL is a niche player in a very special market," says Rita Glover, president of EDA Today. She says the HALstation 300 series is "targeted at the high-end user who's trying to verify a large chip and needs a lot of computer power analysis."

HAL is geared towards Electronic System Design Automation (ESDA), Scientific Research and Development (SRD), Mechanical Computer-Aided Engineering (MCAE), software development, and Global Capital Markets (GCM), all which require the performance ratings (up to 8.40 SPECint95 integer and 13.6 SPECfp95 floating point) that the 300 series meets. Database and commercial markets in need of 64-bit architecture are also prime candidates.

At the core of the HALstation 375/385 lies HAL's SPARC64/OS 2.4. It offers users complete compatibility with all 32-bit SPARC/Solaris applications. HAL stands behind this promise of full binary compatibility for 32-bit applications with a money-back guarantee. SPARC64/OS 2.4 supports NFS 3.0, Veritas Volume Manager, and Jumpstart.

The HALstation 375/385 can accommodate up to three gigabytes of main memory and can run three-gigabyte applications without having to page or swap. Both models can move 1.3 gigabytes per second of data from main memory to the MCM and reserve an additional 400 megabytes per second of throughput for I/O.

Both the 375 and 385 come with a base configuration of two-gigabytes disk storage, 64-megabytes RAM, 4 SBUS slots, keyboard, mouse, and a 20-inch color monitor. The HALstation 375 performs at 141 MHz and starts at $15,995, while the 385 performs at 161 MHz for a minimum of $19,495.

--Rebecca Gold

Resources

• HAL Computer Systems home page
  http://www.hal.com
• "HAL's 64-bit challenge,"
  /sunworldonline/swol-10-1995/swol-10-hal.html

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