Power Tools 1993 November - Disc 2/Power Tools Plus (Disc 2 of 2)(November 1993)(HP).iso/cpet/50916465/dec/decprof.txt

Text File | 1993-01-29 | 84KB | 1,492 lines

DEC Corporate Profile
  What's new
Since the last publication of this document, there have been significant
changes in the organization and product lines of DEC.  The following
sections have been updated to reflect these changes:
o Financials:  DEC is still on the decline.  Check out the new charts.
o Sales Strategies:  DEC has been more aggressive than ever before,
  introducing some new sales strategies in selling its new "Alpha Ready"
  VAX systems and its soon to be obsolete DECsystems.
o Strategic goals/major claims:  With Palmer as the new CEO, DEC's
  strategic goals and major claims have become more defined and frank as
  DEC struggles to become profitable.
o Operating Systems:  DEC is trying to aggressively position OSF/1
  against HP-UX.  Microsoft NT has yet to be delivered on any DEC
  systems.
o Competitive Performance Positioning:  Even with DEC's new, higher
  performance "Alpha Ready" VAXs and new Alpha AXP systems, HP still
  beats DEC in commercial performance with the HP 3000 and HP 9000.
o Mainframe Systems:  DEC introduced the "Alpha Ready" VAX 10000 and the
  DEC 10000 AXP.  (AXP is the label for "Alpha".  Wherever you see AXP
  in this document, it is referring to an Alpha system.)
o Data Center Systems:  DEC introduced the "Alpha Ready" VAX 7000 and
  the DEC 7000 AXP.
o Deskside Departmental Systems:  DEC introduced new VAX 4000 models and
  the DEC 4000 AXP.
o HP versus DEC strengths and weaknesses:  A new playing field has
  developed with the workstation and server announcements from HP and
  DEC.  DEC's announcements include new leasing, discounting, and
  support strategies.  HP has introduced user-based product pricing, a
  new HP 9000 family rollout, and server packaging.
o New Quote Section:  Don't overlook the Quote section at the end of
  this document.  It has recent quotes backing up a lot of the points
  made in this paper regarding DEC's RISC, OSF/1, Windows NT, ACE, UNIX
  products and strategies, and more
o New Cost of Ownership comparisons in the Appendix.

Corporate overview
DEC is number 30 on the Fortune 500 and currently has around 108,500
employees worldwide.
o DEC offers a full range of desktop, client/server, production, and
  mainframe systems for multivendor computing environments.  DEC places
  a strong focus on software and services.
o Applications include transaction processing, data management,
  telecommunications, finance, real-time data acquisition and control,
  vector processing, education, publishing, manufacturing, software
  development, and health care.

Key executives

Robert B. Palmer              President and Director, CEO
John F. Smith                 Senior Vice President, Operations
To be determined              Vice President, Software Engineering
  (David Stone quit)
William R. Demmer             Vice President, Alpha & VAX systems
William D. Strecker           Vice President, Chief Technology Officer
Rose Ann Giordano             Vice President, Executive Consulting
Russel A. Gullotti            Vice President, U.S. Sales Service,
                              Customer Support Group
John L. Alexanderson          Vice President, U.S. and Sales Support
                              Training

There have been some big changes since our last update earlier this
year.  Robert Palmer is the new CEO replacing Ken Olsen.  David L.
Stone, DEC's VP of software engineering, left DEC shortly after the
November 10, 1992 Alpha system announcements leaving some doubt as to
what level DEC wants to be a software player.
  DEC is said to be structuring product-specific business units along
the lines of components, storage products, PCs, and multivendor systems
integration.
  Industry-specific customer business units in the offing include
discrete manufacturing, process engineering, natural resources (oil and
gas), financial and professional services, and customer retail and
communications groups.
  DEC has attempted to create industry-related business groups in the
past, but they included a mishmash of products driven by engineering
rather than by customer concerns.  The new structure will allow the
business units to go outside DEC for products or distribution channels
if that seems feasible or to use the services of horizontal groups
within the company.
  DEC is expected to lose another 20,000 employees in the coming year as
Palmer makes substantial hardware development cuts as well as 8 to 10
percent cuts of DEC field service representatives nationwide.

Financials
DEC's 1992 business revenues are illustrated in the following diagram:

[Figure:  DEC's Financials, Caption: none]

DEC's fiscal '92 total revenues were essentially flat from the prior
year, while total operating expenses increased by $1.2 billion.
Although the company's service revenues grew, product sales declined as
a result of the declining value of VAX systems and a shift in customer
demand from high-end, higher-priced products to low-end, lower-priced
products.  DEC claims worldwide economic weakness and price competition
also contributed to its flat year-to-year revenues.
  First quarter '93 losses are $260.5 million with essentially flat
operating revenues.  A $300 million cut in research and development is
also expected for '93.
  DEC continues to derive a lesser proportion of revenues and profits
from hardware sales and a greater proportion from sources such as
software, networking, and systems integration.  Its also experiencing a
shift in the mix of product revenues from larger systems to lower-
priced, lower-margin products.
  DEC has several programs in place to promote revenue growth, with a
continued focus on its growing systems integration and software product
businesses.  DEC improved the price/performance of its VAX products and
announced its new RISC-based architecture, Alpha.  During the year, DEC
has leaked information to press and consultants regarding future Alpha
systems and introduced a line of "Alpha Ready" VAX systems designed to
be board-upgradable to Alpha.  It also introduced a number of Alpha
systems ranging from workstations to mainframe-class servers.  DEC views
Alpha as a key element for its future revenue prospects.

Sales strategies
Major marketing programs and sales tactics
o DEC's strategy of promoting server solutions helps DEC sell both
  software and hardware at attractive solution prices.  The drawbacks to
  customers are that these servers (named "Advantage Servers") are based
  on the old VAX architecture and that the middleware software packages
  bundled in the servers are somewhat based on proprietary products and
  protocols.
o DEC's strategy of maintaining its VAX installed base is best reflected
  in its "Alpha Ready" systems marketing program, in which some VAX
  high-end systems are CPU board-upgradable to Alpha.  But customers
  must port software to Alpha, which will require code re-writes and
  recompilation.  VAX 4000 systems, positioned as "Alpha Ready", are
  actually box swaps with Alpha.  These Alpha Ready systems will be
  discussed later in this paper.
o DEC's strategy to revamp the old VAX technology is best seen with
  DEC's promotion of the next-generation Alpha systems.  However, fully
  tuned, fully configurable commercial VMS environments won't be
  available on Alpha until 1H'94.  The OSF/1 Alpha environment for
  commercial production systems won't be completely available until '94
  or '95.  By DEC's own accounts, the UNIX porting schedule to Alpha is
  slipping.  In the meantime, DEC is aggressively selling "Alpha Ready"
  VAX systems for mission-critical production applications requiring
  fully configured and tuned high-end systems.
o DEC is streamlining its sales channels to only 6:  VARs, systems
  integrators, developers, technical OEMs, distributors, and master
  VARs.  DEC will be relying on third parties to provide solutions in
  smaller accounts while focusing its direct sales force on major
  accounts.  DEC has also provided sales force commissions for added
  incentive.  DEC is also experimenting with specialized sales forces in
  telemarketing and software sales.
o DEC is providing aggressive discounts on its "Alpha Ready" systems, up
  to 30 percent, and discounts as high as 65 percent on its DECsystems.
  In some cases, DEC is giving away free consultation to help customers
  move from VAX and DECsystem platforms when Alpha becomes available.
  This is often seen as a great value to customers, since DEC bills $185
  per hour for its consulting services.  When DEC isn't giving away
  these services, the customer can usually negotiate thousands of
  dollars worth of consulting at a large discount because of the high
  profit margin of these services.
o Leasing options with Alpha Ready systems are being pushed by DEC to
  alleviate customer concern about investment protection.  In some
  cases, buyers can deduct trade-in values from the purchase price and
  retain the older equipment.  In many cases, DEC can even set up
  brokers to then buy this equipment, both as an added service and to
  reduce site capacity for future sales efforts.

Strategic goals/major claims
o To attain recognition as a leader in open systems and multivendor
  connectivity.
o To improve corporate data center/mainframe penetration.
o To capture more of the growing OLTP, DBMS, and client/server markets.
o To expand its position in corporate networking environments.
o To develop leadership in enterprise system integration - hardware,
  software, consulting, installation, support, and management.
o To expand software's role as a profit entity, not constrained to DEC
  hardware.
o To lead the industry in price/performance.
o To gain leadership in the scientific/technical and engineering
  marketplace.

DEC software strategies
  Network Application Support (NAS)
NAS is a set of integrated, somewhat standards-based software products
from DEC that implements standard interfaces in products that reside
above the base platform (the hardware, operating system, and network)
and insulate applications from platform differences.  NAS makes
applications more interoperable, portable, and distributable across a
wide range of disparate computer systems from different vendors.  The
picture below illustrates how DEC sees NAS from a system perspective.

[Figure: Integrated Software Environment, Caption: none]

VMS, Ultrix, DOS, OS/2, Macintosh systems, and terminal users can be
integrated into this environment.  NAS is based on a variety of
standards: X11, OSF/Motif, GKS, PHIGS, NCS, X.400, X.12, EDIFACT,
ODA/ODIF, SGML, ASN.1, SQL, and NFS.  DEC has also added proprietary
services: DECwindows, DECforms, MAILbus, Compound Document Architecture
(CDA), DECimage, CDD/Plus (repository), ALL-IN-1, DECprint, and
LanWORKS.  NAS is similar to HP's NewWave Computing Architecture.
  DEC provides NAS server packages (software bundles) for VAX/VMS &
MIPS/Ultrix products, packaging several NAS products on a single tape,
for a single reduced price.  The packages include NAS 200, NAS 300, NAS
400, and NAS 250.  DEC's "Advantage Servers" are VAX systems which have
the NAS 300 and NAS 400 packages preinstalled.

[Figure: NAS Server Products, Caption: none]

NAS packaging is part of DEC's campaign to increase software revenue.
Even though these products are positioned as "open", they still contain
several proprietary software components.  DEC intends to port NAS on
non-DEC platforms, including HP-UX and MPE/iX, by the 1994/95 timeframe;
however, at this time there is no evidence that DEC will be able to
stick to this plan.  DEC is also expected to have a tough time trying to
persuade either system suppliers or users of competitive systems to rely
on DEC for such a vital piece of their environments.  With system
software, users of non-DEC systems should be concerned that DEC may be
inhibiting NAS capabilities on competing platforms to better position
its own VAX and Ultrix systems.
o The NAS 200 product for both VMS and Ultrix servers provides basic
  networking, file, and data sharing for applications running on PCs,
  Apple Macintosh systems, or workstations, and implements standards,
  such as OSI, TCP/IP, SQL, NFS, and OSF DCE.
o The NAS 300 product for both VMS and Ultrix servers provides support
  for client/server applications, features capabilities for compound
  documents, messaging, distributed user interfaces, and object-oriented
  application linking.  It supports standards such as Motif, X.400, and
  Object Management Group (OMG) specifications.
o The NAS 400 product for VMS provides extensions for high availability
  and reliability.
o Recently DEC introduced NAS 250 for Sun OS SPARCstation which allows
  NAS-compliant applications residing on Sun machines to be accessed by
  computers on an NAS-based network, or by computers running DEC's NAS
  client connectivity software.
o These packages show how DEC will put NAS on non-DEC servers.  The NAS
  "bundle" will only include items not already offered by the platform
  vendor.  For example, it would not include X.400 if the hardware
  vendor already offered it.
o The contents for each of these packages are listed in the DEC appendix
  under NAS 200 Contents, NAS 300 Contents, NAS 400 Contents, and NAS
  250 Runtime Client Package Contents.
o For more information on NAS packages and how to sell against them,
  please refer to the "Handling objections" section of this profile.

Operating systems
DEC has now a multitude of computer system platforms, and supporting
operating systems over these platforms is confusing.  The following
picture shows the current DEC plans for operating support over these
various platforms:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEC's Operating System Support
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product Line               VMS          Ultrix      OSF/1      NT
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DECstations:               no           yes         yes        future
 2100, 3100, 3100S,
 and 5000 Models
 120, 125, and 200

DECstation (5000           no           yes         yes        future
 Models 20, 25, 133
 and 240)

DECsystem                  no           yes         yes        future
 (5400, 5500, 5800,
 5900, and 5000
 Models 25 and
 240)

VAX                        yes          yes*        no         no
 (MicroVAX, VAX 4000,
  VAX 6000, VAX 7000,
  VAX 10000)

VAXstation                 yes          yes*        no         no

Alpha                      yes          no          yes        future
 (DEC 4000, DEC 7000,
  DEC 10000)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Not supported:  VAXstation 3100 Model 76, VAXstation 4xxx, VAX 4000
  Models 300, 400, 500, 600, VAX 6000 Models 610-660, VAX 7000, and VAX
  10000.

o OpenVMS Operating System:  The OpenVMS operating system is DEC's
  premier operating system for the VAX commercial environment.  It runs
  on all VAX systems from VAXstation workstations to VAX 9000
  mainframes.  Its strengths include VAXclusters, networking, and
  symmetric multiprocessing.  DEC is trying to position the OpenVMS
  operating system as open, by changing its name to "OpenVMS" with its
  support of POSIX 1003.1, 1003.2, and 1003.4, OpenVMS, "open" NAS
  middleware solutions, and its intent to license it to other computer
  vendors.
o Ultrix Operating System:  Ultrix is a commercialized implementation of
  4.2/4.3 Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) UNIXª and runs on both
  DEC's DECsystem family of RISC systems and VAX computers.  Ultrix has
  traditionally been sold as a weak UNIX alternative to the proprietary
  OpenVMS operating system on VAX platforms.  Ultrix supports a limited
  set of NAS services compared to OpenVMS.  Compared to HP-UX, Ultrix is
  especially weak in the areas of MS-DOSª integration, multivendor
  communications, mainframe access, ease of use, and fault tolerance.
  (See Sales Strategy section where Commercial UNIX is listed and
  discussed as an HP Strength.)  In addition, DEC has stated that OSF/1
  is its strategic UNIX operating system.  Ultrix will not be ported to
  the Alpha platforms.
o Ultrix Workstation Software (UWS):  UWS is an integrated system based
  upon the Ultrix Operating System V4.2 and a windowing environment
  based on the X Version 11 window standard referred to as DECwindows.
  DECwindows support OSF/Motif.  Eventually, DECwindows will be phased
  out and OSF/Motif will be used as the sole GUI.  UWS has not been
  positioned as a strategic operating system by DEC and will not be
  ported to the new Alpha DEC 3000 and DEC 4000 AXP workstations.
o Windows NT:  NT is an operating system option that DEC expects will be
  available sometime in the first half of '93.  It will run on the
  DECsystem/DECstation and Alpha platforms.  The Windows NT  environment
  is weak in systems management, network infrastructure, and hardware
  availability, and only slightly above average in MS-DOS, OS/2 and
  Macintosh connectivity.  It is not expected to be competitive as an
  enterprise server until 2H'94.

ADVANTAGE NETWORKS
ADVANTAGE NETWORKS is DEC's networking strategy for integrating
standards for local area networks, public packet-switching networks,
UNIX and IBM communication, and long-distance data transmission over
telephone networks.  DEC's strategy for ADVANTAGE NETWORKS products is
the integration of OSI, TCP/IP, and DECnet networks into a single
network utility in such a way that no matter which protocol is actually
used, it remains transparent to applications and users.  The major
component of ADVANTAGE NETWORKS is DECnet Phase V incorporating OSI.
This component has only recently been shipping and will not be available
on Alpha until mid/late '93.

Below is a table of supported network protocols under ADVANTAGE
NETWORKS.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Supported
Network Protocol    by HP?    Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DECnet              No        DEC's Proprietary network protocol
TCP/IP              Yes       Not available on Alpha until June '93?
Ethernet            Yes
Token Ring          Yes       Not available on Alpha.
FDDI                Yes
X.25                Yes       Not available on Alpha until June '93?
X.400               Yes       Not available on Alpha until Dec. '93?
X.500               Yes       Not available on Alpha until Dec. '93?
IBM SNA             Yes       Not available on Alpha until June '93?
DECmcc              No        HP uses OpenView.
NFS                 Yes       Not available on Alpha.
DCE                 Yes       Not available on Alpha until June '94?
------------------------------------------------------------------------

System and network management:  Enterprise Management Architecture (EMA)
Enterprise Management Architecture is DEC's architectural foundation for
open, extensible, standards-based management of a multivendor,
enterprise-wide computing environment.  EMA defines management services
with the objective of being implemented across multivendor platforms
including UNIX, OpenVMS, MS-DOS, OS/2, and Apple Macintosh.  EMA
performs configuration, fault detection, performance monitoring, and
services for security, accounting, and administration.  DEC focuses on
EMA's object orientation as a differentiator.  HP's OpenView beat out
DEC's EMA as the standard used in OSF's Distributed Management
Environment model to be implemented in OSF/1.  HP OpenView is also being
used today across non-HP platforms and is licensed by IBM and
implemented in NetView.  For a discussion on how HP's OpenView and DEC's
EMA compare, see Selling HP Strengths:  Network Management.

Application development environment:  COHESION
DEC has given the name COHESION to its software development strategy and
the products and services from DEC and partner vendors.
  COHESION development tools include: language editors for C, Ada,
FORTRAN, Pascal, COBOL, PL/I, BASIC, BLISS, and DIBOL on OpenVMS; and
for Ada, C, C++, and FORTRAN on Ultrix;  graphical source-code analyzers
and debuggers, and regression testing and performance analyzers.
  Keep in mind the following points when in a sales situation where
COHESION is part of the DEC solution being pitched:
o DEC is strongly pushing its consulting services to get customers up
  and running using COHESION.  In addition, DEC is targeting solution
  areas in Aerospace and Defense, IBM cross development, and transaction
  processing environments for COHESION.  Stress our own consulting
  services in these areas.
o DEC tries to differentiate COHESION on its use of DECwindows/Motif for
  presentation integration.  HP provides this functionality via X-
  Windows and OSF/Motif on HP 3000 and HP 9000 systems.  In addition,
  the HP 9000 supports the award-winning HP VUE.
o DEC also tries to differentiate COHESION on its object-oriented
  control integration approach though NAS ACA Services.  ACA Services
  uses object-oriented technology to integrate functions from one tool
  to the next, permitting users to move from one activity to another in
  a seamless, natural manner.  HP has taken the lead with object-
  oriented technologies.  The concepts embodied in the Object Management
  Group's Object Request Broker (ORB) standard are derived from the
  Distributed Object Management Facility specifications that were
  jointly developed by HP and SunSoft.  This technology is also based
  upon OSF's Remote Procedure Call facility, NCS -- another HP
  technology.  In fact, DEC's ACA Services are based on DEC's
  proprietary RPC.
o Data integration in the COHESION environment is made possible by
  CDD/Repository.  CDD/Repository enables developers and applications to
  create, store, and access common definitions for data, objects, and
  methods.  HP provides a partial repository with SoftBench and is
  developing a full repository implementation with Informix.

PC integration:  PATHWORKS
PATHWORKS is DEC's family of PC networking software for integrating DOS,
Macintosh, OS/2 PCs, Microsoftª, Apple, Novell, and IBM LANs into a
unified client/server environment.  This software enables PC users to
access and use remote corporate computing resources and to share data
and resources with users of OpenVMS and UNIX systems.
o Microsoft integration is not complete and will not be shipping until
  next year.
o The strongest PATHWORKS support is for DECnet networks.  Although
  TCP/IP support is one of the PATHWORKS marketing messages, TCP/IP
  support is not very well integrated - especially between PC clients
  and OpenVMS servers where special add-on software from DEC and third
  parties is required.  This proves costly in price, performance
  overhead, and support.

Office and publishing applications
o ALL-IN-1 is DEC's proprietary office system.  The client/server
  version, ALL-IN-1 Phase II, has recently begun rolling out, but is not
  truly client/server.  The PCs running DECwindows are really acting as
  X-terminals to the VAX server.  Except for the display, all processing
  is performed on the server.  DEC's claims that ALL-IN-1 software
  supports 57 percent of all proprietary office system users in the U.S.
  It should be noted that ALL-IN-1 is strictly proprietary software to
  DEC and that it is not designed to be open.
o DEC's "Team Solutions" is a set of software integrating Microsoft
  Windows users into the NAS environment.  Microsoft Windows end users
  are allowed access to X.400 electronic mail, distributed conferencing,
  and local and remote DOS files.  Documents and spreadsheets may also
  be combined with text, data, graphics, and images from multiple
  sources in revisable compound documents.  This capability is provided
  by HP via Distributed NewWave.
o DEC has limited support for office applications in the Ultrix
  environment, and must rely upon a third-party software product from
  Uniplex, called Uniplex Business Software for Ultrix, to provide word
  processing, spreadsheet, and SQL-database tools to UNIX workstations.
  In addition, this software is required to provide the ability to
  communicate with OpenVMS, ALL-IN-1, and X.400-compliant MAILbus users
  via the DECnet-Ultrix Mail Connection.  HP does not rely upon third-
  party software for the same type of connectivity between its OpenMail
  and HP DeskManager office offerings on the HP 9000 and HP 3000,
  respectively.

System positioning

[Figure: Low-End Systems Performance Positioning, Caption: none]

[Figure: High-End Systems Performance Positioning, Caption: none]

[Figure: HP 3000 Systems Performance Positioning, Caption: none]

o DEC positions DECsystems as low price/high performance, yet the
  performance range of the DECsystems is extremely narrow.  These MIPS-
  based systems will be phased quickly out now that DEC is shipping
  Alpha AXP systems.  The DEC field support for DECsystems has been
  rated by customers and consultants alike as poor, with major focus
  being on the proprietary VAX platforms where the profit margins have
  been traditionally higher.
o DEC positions its VAX/VMS systems as having higher commercial
  functionality and a wider solution set than compared to DECsystems.
  These systems are now being positioned as "Alpha Ready" and the system
  of choice when mission-critical applications and development is key.
  Alpha development and production environments are a long way from
  being ready.
o One of the VAX systems strengths in the past has been compatibility up
  and down the VAX product line, for current models and former ones as
  well.  However, VAX OpenVMS is not binary compatible with Alpha
  OpenVMS, and Ultrix, which runs on some VAX platforms, is not an
  operating system option for Alpha.
o DEC's  RISC microprocessor,  the "Alpha" 21064-AA, runs at various
  speeds up to 200 MHz.  Alpha features 64-bit processing with flat 64-
  bit virtual addressing and 64-bit registers, 5-ns clock speed,
  scalability from workstation to mainframe, applicability from
  uniprocessor to multiprocessor, and support for OpenVMS, OSF/1, and
  Windows NT.  OLTP performance for these systems has yet to be proven
  where compiler performance is key and may take DEC 1 - 2 years to
  optimally tune.
o According to DEC, Alpha will receive equal support for both the
  OpenVMS and OSF/1 operating systems.  However, according to its
  announcements on November 10, 1992, OSF/1 porting is very limited and
  slower than OpenVMS porting.  DEC also announced its plans to support
  Windows NT on future Alpha platforms available in 1993.
o DEC is having a hard time convincing customers to buy VAX and
  DECsystems today because many prospective buyers are wary of the
  software migration effort involved which may be on the order of moving
  software to another vendor platform.

The mainframe systems
  The "Alpha Ready" VAX 10000
The VAX 10000 is DEC's new mainframe-class system and replaces the VAX
9000 line.  These systems incorporate DEC's NVAX CPU chip and can
support up to 4 CPUs, with expected future growth up to 6 CPUs.
Uniprocessor OLTP speed has been tested at 123 tps (TPC-A) and 4-way
OLTP speed is estimated at around 400 tps.  These systems are called
"Alpha Ready" in that they are CPU board - upgradable to Alpha when
Alpha board upgrades become available by mid '93.  For system specs, see
the Appendix.

The DEC 10000 AXP Mainframe Alternative Server
The DEC 10000 AXP server is DEC's RISC Alpha mainframe class server.
This server comes in Models 610 - 660 which are 1- to 6-way processor
configurations, respectively with a CPU chip running at a 200 MHz clock
speed.  These systems feature the same chasiss as the VAX 10000 and the
VAX 10000 can be upgraded to a DEC 10000 with CPU-board upgrades of
$30,0000 per processor.  High-availability features include redundant
power supplies and an uninterruptible power system to keep the system
running for up to an hour in case of power failure.  These systems
provide 654.6 SPECthruput89 performance in 4-processor configurations.
Performance numbers for other processor configurations were not
released.  Single-processor system prices start at $316,000 for 256 MB
memory, 1 GB disk, CD-ROM, and tape.  SMP is not supported at the
present time, so only uniprocessor models are available at this writing.
For system specs, see Appendix.  No TPC-A results were published at
introduction.

The data center systems
  The VAX 6000 and VAX 7000 families
DEC positions its VAX 6000 family as its "data center systems" and the
family includes the older 410 and 510 models and a new VAX 7000 family
which ranges from a uniprocessor model (the 610) up to the six-way
symmetrical multiprocessor Model 660.  For system specs, see the
Appendix.
  Like the VAX 10000, the VAX 7000 models are considered "Alpha Ready"
and are CPU board - upgradable to Alpha.  The OLTP performance and
system maximums for I/O throughput and memory are exactly the same for
the VAX 7000 as they are for the VAX 10000.  The major difference
between the VAX 7000 and the VAX 10000 is that the standard models come
with less middleware bundled  (NAS 300 vs.  NAS 400) and don't have the
mainframe-class support as a standard feature.  Like the VAX 10000, the
VAX 7000 has been introduced with up to 4-way CPU support with 6-way
support planned for the near future.  The VAX 7000s have a 20 percent
performance increase over the VAX 6000 models they replace and are
aggressively priced starting at $181,772 standard price.  For system
specs, see the Appendix.

The DEC 7000 Models 610 - 660 AXP Servers
These data center systems are available in 1- to 6-processor
configurations and the VAX 7000 can be upgraded to a DEC 7000 AXP
through CPU board-swaps at $30,0000 per processor.  The Alpha CPU in
these systems run at 182 MHz.  The systems have a memory capacity of 2
GB to be expanded to 14 GB in a future OpenVMS operating system release.
The systems can provide 604.4 SPECthruput89 performance in 4-processor
configurations.  Performance numbers for the other processor
configurations haven't been released yet.  Single-processor system
prices start at $168,000 for 128 MB memory, 1 GB disk, CD-ROM, and tape.
SMP is not supported on Alpha at the present time, so only the
uniprocessor configuration is available at this writing.  For system
specs, see the Appendix.

The deskside/desktop departmental systems and servers
  The MicroVAX 3100
This family is DEC's low-end servers for technical and commercial
environments with support for local and wide area environments serving
MS-DOS, OS/2, and Macintosh clients and different desktop workstations.
The family includes the entry-level Model 10e and the newer Model 30,
Model 40, and Model 80.  For system specs, see the Appendix.

The VAX 4000 family
DEC states the VAX 4000s are high-availability servers, supporting
Ethernet or Token Ring, with client support for OpenVMS, UNIX, MS-DOS,
OS2, X11, and Apple Macintosh desktops.  DEC tries to place these
machines in a variety of technical and commercial environments including
the office, warehouse, factory, and laboratory.  The VAX 4000 family
ranges from the small pedestal Model 200 with a performance of 5 VUPs (5
times that of a VAX-11/780) to the recently introduced Model 500
performing at 24 VUPs (24 times faster than the VAX- 11/780).  For
system specs, see the Appendix.

The DEC 3000 AXP Servers
In this family, DEC offers two systems.  The Model 400S AXP desktop
server, a 133-MHz system performing up to 109 SPECmark89, is designed
for small-to-medium-size workgroups.  It supports a 90-MB/sec bus with
three expansion slots.  Server prices begin at $18,995.
  The Model 500S AXP is a deskside system that runs at 150-MHz, achieves
121.5 SPECmark89 performance and is designed for multi-purpose workgroup
computing.  It supports up to 6 expansion slots and a 100 MB/sec bus.
Prices for this system start at $41,195.
  These servers are initially being sold with the OpenVMS operating
system, but OSF/1 support is planned for 1H'93.  I/O support includes
SCSI-2, TURBOchannel, FDDI, Ethernet, and ISDN.  See the appendix for
more system specifications on these servers.

The DEC 4000 AXP Departmental Servers
These departmental systems offer the high-speed Futurebus+ with a
throughput of 160 MB/sec.  The Model 620 dual 160 MHz processor
configuration (Model 620) can provide  up to 247 SPECthruput89
performance.
  The DEC 4000 Model 610 is a uniprocessor configuration which is priced
starting at $77,000 for 64 MB memory, 1 GB disk, CD-ROM, and tape.  Only
the uniprocessor configuration is available at this time with SMP
support expected later this year.  For system specs, see the Appendix.

The DECsystem family
The DECsystem product line consists of the DECsystem 5000 model 25, 133,
and 240; and the DECsystem 5900.  These DECsystems incorporate the MIPS
R3000 RISC chip, with upgrades to the R4000 chip planned for 1H'93.
TURBOchannel is the supported bus architecture and Ultrix is the
supported operating system.  These systems are regarded as short-term
platforms, since the Alpha AXP servers are expected to replace these
MIPS-based systems within the next 1.5 years.  See the appendix for
system specification details on the DECsystem family.

The workstation systems
Currently DEC offers two different types of workstations.  The older
MIPS-based DECstation family and the brand new Alpha-based DEC 3000 AXP
line of workstations which currently consists of two products which can
be sold as either workstations or servers.

The DECstation family
The DECstation 5000 consists of the models 20, 25, 125, 133, and 240.
These systems utilize the MIPS R3000A chip which will be board
upgradable to the R4000 chip for DECstations 1H'93.  System performance
ranges from 16 to 32 SPECmark89 and prices range from $3,995 to $11,995.
Graphics subsystems are supported through the TURBOchannel I/O bus,
providing 2D and 3D graphics with up to 24-plane color.  Ultrix is the
operating system for these workstations with planned OSF/1 operating
system support scheduled for 2H'93.  Eventually, these systems will be
replaced by Alpha AXP workstations.  For system specifications for
DECstations, see the Appendix.
  DEC is offering upgrades from DECstations to the DEC AXP workstations
(see below) at $99/SPECmark89.  DEC is also offering competitive
replacement programs for HP, IBM, and Sun workstations.  Details about
the program are not known yet.  They will be announced on the
Competitive Hotline when they become available.

The DEC 3000 AXP workstations
The Model 400 AXP is a desktop workstation that features a 133-MHz CPU
and performance of up to 109 SPECmark89.  It supports 2D and 3D graphic
options.  System prices begin at $14,995.
  When DEC announced the desktop Model 400 AXP in November 1992, it
assumed performance leadership for workstations.  However, a few hours
later HP introduced the new PA-7100 based workstations and beat the
Alpha AXP workstations in performance by 38 SPECmark89 for the desktop
and 25 SPECmark89 for the deskside.
  The Model 500 AXP offers 121.5 SPECmark89, at a clock rate of 150 MHz.
The deskside model is designed for 3D graphic applications that can run
animation and visualizing applications.  System prices begin at $38,995.
The Model 500 AXP is not priced as aggressively as the Model 400 AXP.
  I/O support for these systems includes TURBOchannel, SCSI-2, Ethernet,
FDDI, and ISDN.  I/O expandability ranges from 3 slots (Model 400 AXP)
to 6 slots (Model 500 AXP).  OpenVMS is the operating system, with OSF/1
support planned for 1H'93.  See the Appendix for system specifications.
  DEC did not introduce any entry level Alpha workstation (under $10K)
in November 1992 but is expected to announce one early in '93.

Future
Within the next six months, DEC plans to upgrade the OpenVMS AXP
operating system and update the Model 400 to support:
o 512 MB of Memory
o 3D graphics Accelerators (PXG+, PXGT+)
o VMEbus
o Multiscreen configurations
o OpenVMS clusters (Ethernet, FDDI)

The Model 500 is expected to support:
o 1 GB of Memory
o 99.7 GB of disk space
o Prestoserve (DEC OSF/1)
o Additional Ethernet ISDN (DEC OSF/1)
o OpenVMS clusters (Ethernet, FDDI)

In January 1993 DEC will introduce a workstation called DEC 3000 Model
300 AXP which is expected to deliver about 70 percent of the Model 400
performance for under $10,000.  DEC will also announce its first Alpha
PC based on an EISA bus.  Later in 1993 DEC has promised to deliver a
product that runs the 200 MHz version of the Alpha chip.  This product
is supposed to beat the  HP 755 in performance and will be available for
a price that matches that of a 755.

Competitive sales strategy
  DEC's general sales claims:
o Dec provides hardware and software investment protection compatibility
  between hardware generations and operating systems versions across the
  VAX and Alpha AXP lines.  DEC's high-end "Alpha Ready" VAX 7000 and
  VAX 10000 are CPU board-upgradable to Alpha at $30,000 per each
  processor board upgraded.  DECstations/DECsystems are box swaps with
  Alpha, but the upgrades are inexpensive - taking the SPECmark
  difference between the current system and the upgrade system and
  charging $99 per SPECmark.  Because full production and development
  commercial environments will not be ready for either Alpha OSF/1 or
  Alpha OpenVMS until 1994, DEC will still strongly push "Alpha Ready"
  VAXs as deployment systems for the next year and a half.
o DEC's NAS software makes it easier to develop production, Distributed
  Transaction Processing, and Client/Server Applications for Open
  Computing Environments.  This claim is a half-truth.  Although NAS
  software packages make it easier to purchase and in some cases support
  middleware for distributed networking, NAS also is built upon
  proprietary products as well as standards, and so-called "open"
  consulting services are designed to lock the customer into NAS, and
  therefore, DEC solutions.  In addition, complete NAS packages are not
  yet available for Alpha platforms.
o DEC delivers all the services needed to support open systems,
  networks, and applications.  This direction is a long way off from
  being a reality on DEC's new Alpha AXP systems which will not be POSIX
  compliant until late '93 or early '94 and will not contain a lot of
  necessary networking, such as TCP/IP, SNA access, X.25, X.400, X.500,
  and others until 1993 or early '94.

HP versus DEC strengths and weaknesses
The following is a table contrasting DEC and HP product strengths.  The
issues listed under parity reflect areas that may be important in a
sales situation but both vendors offer equivalent products or services.
HP's systems strengths or DEC weaknesses reflect areas that HP should
discuss and sell as being critical to the prospect's success.  DEC's
strengths reflect what DEC will discuss when trying to sell its VAX/VMS,
Ultrix, or future Alpha solutions.  HP's perceived weaknesses are where
HP can be expected to be challenged.  The "Handling objections" section
discusses tactics to discount or turn these issues into an HP strength.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       HP's Systems
                       Strengths (DEC's        DEC's Claims of
Parity                 weaknesses)             System Strengths
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Best-of-class third-  -RISC leadership        -Alpha migration claim
 party software        -Server performance     -Middleware claims
 offering              -Network management     -Processor clustering
-Server support        -RISC workstation       -Alpha SPEC performance
-Security               offering                VAX OLTP price/perf.
-User-based software   -Clear OS strategy      -System upgrades
 pricing               -Breadth of product     -Midrange workstation
                        lines                  -Price/Performance
                       -Workstation graphic
                        options
                       -RISC application support
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Selling HP strengths
  HP's RISC system stability and leadership
HP's early RISC vision has paid off:
o PA-RISC is the foundation for both the HP 3000 and HP 9000 product
  lines, providing 75 percent CAGR growth a year, complete binary
  compatibility within product lines, and thousands of applications that
  are available today.
o Unlike DEC customers, HP customers can live without the fear of costly
  application rewrites, box swaps, and the instability of mission-
  critical applications due to changing to a completely new system
  architecture.  Alpha upgrades are expected to be complete box swaps
  for the VAX 6000 and VAX 9000 lines.  In addition, it's expected that
  DEC will not develop the VAX lines beyond 1993.
o For the second time, Computerworld's Minicomputer Buyer's Scorecard
  (11/92) ranked the DEC VAX third of the four vendors evaluated.  The
  HP 3000 captured first place overall.  In fact, the HP 3000's scores
  for "Availability" were the highest scores earned by any vendor in any
  category for both years.
o DEC has no growth path on the DECsystem/DECstation line.  The high-end
  server is positioned to be the VAX, which has a CISC architecture, and
  thus is binary incompatible.  With DEC you would have to distribute
  applications over multiple systems, or convert applications (a costly
  endeavor) to a higher performance system from the same or another
  vendor.
o DEC is facing a difficult challenge to deliver the full OpenVMS and
  OSF/1 environments on a completely new architecture.  Once the full
  OSF/1 and OpenVMS environments are ported sometime in 1994, both the
  systems and application will need to be performance-tuned on the new
  hardware.  (See VMS for Alpha  and OSF/1 for Alpha rollout schedules
  in the Appendix).

HP's more efficient RISC architecture
The Alpha AXP architecture uses an extremely fast chip.  However, to
reach these speed levels, efficiency had to be sacrificed.  With a chip
running at a 50 percent higher clock speed than PA-7100, the Alpha AXP
implementation reaches performance levels of 25 percent to 30 percent
LESS than PA-7100.  This lack of efficiency can also be seen when
comparing peak MFlop ratings for the two architectures.  DEC Alpha AXP,
running at 150 MHz, achieves a peak of 150 MFlops.  PA-7100, running at
99 MHz, achieves a peak of 198 MFlops.  Fast clock speeds for Alpha do
not translate into real-life application performance.

HP's superior server system performance
o HP's new systems provide superior OLTP performance when compared to
  DEC's VAX and DECsystems product lines.  (See competitive performance
  positioning section.)  DEC has yet to announce OLTP estimates or TPC-A
  results for its new Alpha line, but they are expected to be poorer in
  VAX TPC-A performance due to tuning and scaling problems.
o Over time, HP will sustain its leadership in high-end performance,
  while remaining competitive in the high-end price range.  HP's 9000
  and 3000 families will achieve at least two times yearly high-end
  performance growth through 1995, with increased MP scaling.

HP's standards-based, flexible network management
HP's systems not only provide data center performance, but also provide
flexible and complete data management solutions that meet the needs of
the entire enterprise-wide organization.
o HP OpenView is the foundation of the Open System Foundation's
  Distributed Management Environment (OSF DME) specifications.  HP
  OpenView forms the framework for HP's solutions in the storage,
  performance, and operations area.  No DEC technology was chosen for
  OSF DME.
o HP's management platforms are standards-based: UNIX and DOS.  DEC
  requires the proprietary VAX OpenVMS.
o Several vendors are using HP OpenView as a foundation for their
  network management solutions.  DEC's partners are merely providing
  access to their products via DECmcc, DEC's network management product
  family.  HP OpenView was also designed to integrate third-party
  applications.  HP OpenView has been chosen by over 120 OEMs and
  several have already announced products.  In addition, HP OpenView is
  also sold and supported on Sun platforms and IBM has announced that HP
  OpenView will become the foundation of the AIX management environment.
  DECmcc is only available on DEC systems and relatively few vendors are
  proclaiming support for it.  DEC appears to be using DECmcc as a
  method of account control and as a device to sell more DEC hardware or
  networks.
o HP OpenView also supports several features that DECmcc doesn't.
  DECmcc (VMS) with TCP/IP SNMP AM does not support SNMP MIB extensions
  required for support of third-party devices, for example CISCO
  routers.  Also, DECmcc currently has no ability to automatically draw
  and update network maps.  HP OpenView's Autodiscovery feature provides
  this critical feature.
o HP OpenView is the least costly of all networking management options.
  A dedicated HP 9000 workstation and a single end-user license costs
  about $21,000.  Compare this to DEC's management modules costing
  approximately $75,000.

HP's commercial RISC UNIX strategy
When comparing functionality between HP-UX and Ultrix, Ultrix is weak in
the areas of system and network management, MS-DOS integration, and open
system standard support.
o DEC's commitment to MIPS-based DECstations and DECsystems is believed
  to be weak at best and not long-lived beyond 1993.
o There continues to be no viable high-end UNIX system offering from
  DEC.  Ultrix, in a select few cases, has been sold to run on the VAX
  platform, however DEC support of this configuration is especially
  weak.  DEC will continue to try to sell OpenVMS on VAX platforms since
  the highest performance DECsystem available is the DECsystem 5900 at
  an estimated 30 TPS!   An end-user OSF/1 operating system will not be
  available on Alpha until March '93.  Alpha OSF/1 application support
  is expected to be only about 300 applications by the end of '93.
o PA-RISC outperforms the MIPS R3000/3000A by a factor of at least 2 to
  1 in MIPS (integer performance), 3 to 1 in SPECmarks (integer &
  floating-point performance) and nearly 7 to 1 in LINPACK Mflops
  (floating-point performance).
o DEC is not well-focused on the open systems workstation front.  As an
  example, the ACE initiative has proven to be somewhat of a
  contradiction in terms.  The goal of ACE, to provide a common
  workstation and PC platform, has become fractured.  Members are
  carrying out private agendas which often contradict the direction of
  the initiative.  Compaq and SCO have both departed, and the general
  perception is that the ACE initiative is dead.
o Currently, DEC does not provide a UNIX SMP platform.  (It is
  interesting to note that the DECsystem 5800 series which is a
  multiprocessor server, was discontinued in 1991 due to poor SMP
  performance.)

HP's superior software development environment
o HP is very strong in software development with robust CASE environment
  tools and development languages.  In particular, HP is the first
  hardware vendor to supply a full AT&T-compliant C++ environment
  including a true C++ compiler (as opposed to an interpreter), C++
  class browsing and construction tools, and a strong symbolic debugger
  at the C++ source-code level.  C++ is becoming the application
  development language of choice and the HP C++ offering is unmatched by
  any other workstation vendor.  Ultrix offers Glockenspiel C++  from
  Oasys which lists for $3,000 and $1750 (Nov '91) for the DECstation
  5000/M200 and the DECstation 3100 respectively.  This third-party
  offering of C++ is not nearly as robust as HP's total C++ environment.
o FORTRAN 77 comes standard with HP-UX and is a superset of the ANSI
  X3.9-1978 FORTRAN standard and includes most of DEC's VMS FORTRAN
  extension.  Furthermore, an optimizing FORTRAN preprocessor detects
  opportunities in FORTRAN applications which manipulate large floating-
  point arrays, then selects the most efficient methods of execution,
  not unlike a vectorizing compiler.

HP's superior RISC compiler technology
Application performance with RISC is very much dependent on compiler
design and tuning.  DEC's compiler technology is unproven and an
unknown.  One of the biggest challenges that faces DEC is to tune its
compilers to optimize application performance.
  The Aberdeen Group reported on workstation performance with respect to
the SPECmark and noted that HP's advanced compiler technology
"dramatically improves some floating-point operations, particularly
matrix math.  During a preprocessing phase, HP's compiler transparently
reorders FORTRAN source code for optimal execution on HP's PA
architecture.  The result in the HP 9000 Model 730 is a 77 SPECmark
machine that races through the Matrix 300 codes (FOOTNOTE: a FORTRAN
kernel that exercises the LINPACK routines in double precision on
matrixes of the order 300) at a remarkable 415 times a VAX I1/780!  When
results are normalized to SPEC's per-clock-rate, HP's compiler
techniques on the Model 730 deliver 2.5 times the overall floating-point
efficiency compared to last year's Series 9000 Model 835."

HP's clear operating system direction
DEC gives its application developers three theoretical choices of
operating environments: OpenVMS AXP, DEC OSF/1, and Windows NT.  Which
one should they choose?  End users may have no choice, as it is highly
unlikely that software providers have the resources to port, test, and
maintain their applications on all three platforms.  Remember, an
OpenVMS application will not run on DEC OSF/1 or Windows NT unless the
software provider has ported and tested it.  All three operating
environments are new, and are running on a new architecture.  There are
bound to be bugs in these environments initially.  DEC will have to
invest a lot of resources to get all three operating environments into
stable, mature versions.  The question is this: Will DEC have the
resources required to maintain three operating environments over the
long term?
  Today, DEC cannot deliver an Alpha AXP UNIX version.  OSF/1 is only
available in a software developers' version.  The reasons for the delay
in offering an end-user DEC OSF/1 version are probably problems with
software quality, resiliency, and usability.  DEC OSF/1 for Alpha AXP is
a very heavily modified version of OSF/1.  Some parts of OSF/1 were
completely rewritten; for example, the virtual memory management is DEC
proprietary.  DEC had to take this step because they have no solid UNIX
offering they can rely on.
  The lack of an OSF/1 version for Alpha means that DEC will continue to
ship MIPS R3000 and R4000 products until well into the middle of 1993.
These systems are based on a completely different architecture, a
different operating system, and different tools from the new Alpha
platforms; in short, the two systems are not compatible.
  HP-UX is a mature, robust, proven operating environment, with
functionality required in a real-life working environment.  For
customers who want to implement OSF standards, HP-UX is a good choice:
all the OSF DCE and DME elements are implemented on the HP platform
today.

HP's superior application availability
Application availability on Alpha systems is a really weak spot for DEC,
at least initially.  At introduction, there were only 50 applications
running on Alpha AXP.  And no indication was given as to which operating
environment those 50 applications run on.  Given DEC's goal of
protecting their large installed base, most of the available
applications can be assumed to run on OpenVMS AXP only.  HP has a real
window of opportunity here.  Currently, there are over 5000 applications
available on the HP 9000 and HP 3000  families.

HP's superior workstation performance
DEC, with its new Alpha AXP architecture, has failed to conquer the
high-performance market systems.  With the Model 735 and Model 755, HP
is the clear performance leader.  DEC marketed the DEC 3000 Model 400
AXP "the world's first desktop system with over 100 SPECmarks" and the
Model 500 AXP as "the world's most powerful and versatile workstation".
This claim lasted only until HP's announcement of the 735 and 755.  The
735 is now the world's fastest desktop system with 147 SPECmarks, AND it
offers 50 percent more performance on the desktop than DEC's fastest
desktop model.  The 755 is the industry's fastest deskside workstation.


HP's superior workstation graphics offering

HP's graphics family of products delivers the fastest X11 performance in
the industry.  Outstanding 2D and 3D vector performance and leadership
in data animation capabilities can't be matched by any of DEC's graphics
products.  DEC did not introduce new graphics systems for its Alpha-
based workstations, and current performance numbers are below any of
HP's performance benchmark numbers for the Series 700 workstations.

Handling objections
o DEC promises Alpha migration will be painless.
Counter with:
There is no binary compatibility between VAX/VMS and Alpha/VMS.  In
addition, there is no binary compatibility between MIPS-based OSF/1
DECsystems and Alpha/OSF/1.  A "compatibility mode" does not exist as an
option for DEC customers needing to port their code to the new Alpha
platforms.  Instead, DEC is providing a special compiler that will take
OpenVMS code written for the VAX and OSF/1 code written for DECsystems
and compile it so that it can run on the new Alpha platforms.
Applications recompiled in this fashion will not run at full native
Alpha speed, and may experience up to 50 percent performance degradation
when compared to the performance of applications originally written to
run on Alpha.
  In addition, a full-scale OpenVMS production environment will not be
available with Alpha until 1994.  DEC is extremely biased towards
building a OpenVMS environment, versus an OSF/1 environment, first on
Alpha.  See the VMS for Alpha Rollout Schedule in the Appendix.

o DEC claims that NAS is the most complete middleware solution
  available.
Counter with:
HP has announced new HP 9000 middleware "building block" packages
focused on the needs of end users of IT, builders of applications, and
administrators of enterprise-wide systems and networks.  Pre-
installation and consulting packages are available for information
access, document and text management, electronic messaging, workflow
automation, CASE tool integration, and network and system
administration.  For more details order the "Delivering on the Promise
of Client/Server" sales guide, p/n 5091-5659E.
  The first step in countering the NAS promise from DEC is to understand
what NAS is, which seems to be difficult not only for HP's sales
representatives, but also for DEC's.  The following is a breakdown of
the NAS packages.
  NAS 250 provides the necessary software components for VAXstations and
VAX 4000 workstations to integrate into a distributed client/server
environment.  It includes:
  - DECnet/OSI - DECnet-VAX extensions provide interoperability with
    other computer systems through OSI protocols, including remote file
    transfer, access from public packet networks, and management of OSI
    layers.
HP has long been a leader in OSI communications products, and provides
interoperability between HP 3000 and HP 9000 products as well as other
vendor platforms via the OSI protocols FTAM (File Transfer Access
Method), X.400 electronic mail, X.25 networking, and HP OpenView, based
on CMIS/CMIP protocols, which provides management of OSI layers.
  - PATHWORKS Server for DOS, OS/2ª, and MS-Windows - This software
    enables RISC/UNIX systems to act as file, print, and mail servers to
    PCs.  The Servers link PCs into an overall corporate network and
    allows access to PCs and servers on remote LANs, through DECnet/OSI
    or TCP/IP protocols, enabling PCs to share applications,
    information, and resources such as printers.
  HP has been a leader in PC integration using OSI and TCP/IP protocols
for several years now, with support for Microsoft LAN Manager and Novell
NetWare.  Not only do HP products provide the sharing applications,
data, and network devices, but also unattended PC backup and software
distribution.  OS/2, DOS, Apple Macintosh, and MS-Windows clients are
supported.  HP 3000, HP 9000, and PC-based servers are supported at this
time.

The NAS 300 RISC/Ultrix package includes:
  - Object-oriented DECmessageQ and ACA Services DECmessageQ enables
    application-to-application message communication using a queued
    message bus.  ACA Services enables an application to ask for other
    applications to perform some processing on its behalf, or to
    dynamically share data with other applications across a multivendor
    network.  Both these services are proprietary.  HP has been leading
    the standards effort in object-oriented technology with its work on
    the Object Management Group's Object Request Broker (ORB) standard
    derived from specifications that were jointly developed by HP and
    SunSoft.  This technology is also based upon OSF's Remote Procedure
    Call facility, NCS - another HP technology made into a standard.  In
    fact, DEC's ACA Services and DECmessageQ are based on DEC's
    proprietary RPC.

The NAS 250 for OpenVMS package includes:
  - DECnet/OSI:  This is described above under NAS 250  for Ultrix
  - PATHWORKS server:  This is described above under NAS 200 for Ultrix
  - OpenVMS/Ultrix connection:  This software promotes the
    interoperability and resource sharing between OpenVMS and most
    common UNIX systems.  The Network File System (NFS) support allows
    OpenVMS or UNIX systems to act as file servers for UNIX clients.  HP
    provides NFS and a full line of TCP/IP services for both the HP 3000
    and HP 9000.
  - Rdb SQL services.  These are SQL database services for DEC's
    proprietary Rdb database.  HP provides the same SQL services with
    its ALLBASE SQL product available on both the HP 9000 and HP 3000
    systems.
  - Remote System Management (RSM) Client:  This software product allows
    for remote software distribution and installation, file backup and
    restore, and system administration (including user accounts,
    directories, software licenses, and libraries) of a system or server
    running RSM Client.  HP provides this functionality via a variety of
    products through NCS technology as well as third-party applications.

The NAS 300 for OpenVMS product includes:
  - DEC MessageQ and ACA Services:  This is described above under NAS
    300 for Ultrix
  - OpenVMS DECwindows Motif:  This is a graphical user interface based
    on the X-Window System and Motif standards.  HP provides this
    functionality via X-Windows and OSF Motif on HP 3000 and HP 9000
    systems.  In addition, the HP 9000 supports the award-winning HP
    VUE.
  - DECforms:  Implementing the ANSI FIMS standard, this software
    product provides forms processing.  Access from video terminals or
    terminal emulators and from VT terminal windows under DECwindows is
    provided allowing applications to solicit information from and
    present information to the user in a structured format.  HP provides
    form management via JAM on both the HP 3000 and HP 9000 systems.
  - CDA:  DEC's Compound Document Architecture provides services that
    make it easy for users to share revisable text, graphics, images,
    tables, voice, and other data types.  Optional gateways provide
    support for the ODA and SGML document standards.  HP provides
    compound documents via HP NewWave.  HP also provides gateways for
    ODA and SGML document standard support.
  - Rdb/VMS runtime option:  This is a SQL-compliant relational database
    management system.  HP provides the same functionality in ALLBASE
    SQL.  HP also has strong  partnerships with Oracle, Sybase, Ingres,
    Informix, and other leading RDBMS vendors.
  - ALL-IN-1 Mail:  This product allows users and applications to send,
    receive, and forward mail throughout a network using X.400-compliant
    software.  HP and its partners provide HPDesk and OpenView which
    have connections to X.400, SNADS, UNIX Send Mail, ALL-IN-1, and
    PROFS electronic mail networks.

The contents of NAS 400 (for OpenVMS only) includes:
  - VAX Applications Control and Management Systems (ACMS):  this is a
    transaction monitor providing high performance and high availability
    plus inherent distribution capabilities for OLTP applications.  HP
    has the transaction monitor, Tuxedo, on the HP 9000 and has a built-
    in transaction monitor in MPE/iX.  HP also has a direction to
    support Transarc's ENCINA, a transaction monitor based on OSF DCE
    technology.
  - VAXcluster software:  VAXcluster software allows a number of CPUs
    and devices on a network to act and be managed as a single system.
    This software is proprietary to DEC and is not based on standards.
    Through third-party software, QUEST NETBASE, processor clustering
    support is provided on the HP 3000.
  - VAX Volume sharing:  Proprietary software from DEC that allows the
    contents of one disk to be copied to another in case of disk
    failure.  HP provides the same functionality with Mirrored Disk/XL
    on the HP 3000 and DataPair/UX on the HP 9000.  In addition, with
    HP's "RAID" disk-arrays, fault-tolerant disk devices are available
    without the need of specialized system software.
  - VAX RMS Journaling:  Provides data integrity for the RMS file in
    case of system failure.  This file system integrity functionality is
    provided via the built-in transaction monitor on the HP 3000
    systems.
  - DECps Data Collector: Gathers and manages system data for use in
    tuning and planning system resources.  This functionality is built
    into MPE/iX system software.
  - DECtrace:  Collects workload and performance information for the
    optimal design and tuning of system databases and applications.
    This capability is provided by HP via HP GlancePlus, LaserRX, and
    RXForecast.

o DEC claims NAS equals open.
Counter with:
NAS is not based on customer needs.  It does not include many major
platforms today such as AS/400, Tandem, OpenVMS, and MPE.  DEC has
announced that it intends to put NAS server software on five UNIX
systems in 1992 - 1993, including HP-UX in 1993.  There still is no
proof that this will happen.  Customers are taking a tremendous risk
that DEC will actually port to these platforms as scheduled.  DEC has
almost no history of offering software on other vendors' platforms and
has a long history of being significantly less "open" than it talks.

Standards Adherence in NAS 200, 300, and 400
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Package             Product             Standard
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAS 400             ACMS                XA, (future  support)
                    Journaling          none
                    VAXclustering       none
                    Volume Shadowing    none
                    VAX Perf. Advisor   none
                    DECtrace            none

NAS 300             Motif               OSF/Motif (de facto)
                    DECforms            ISO FIMS
                    X.400 Mail Server   X.400
                    ACA Services        OMG ORB
                    DECmessageQ         none
                    CDA                 ISO ODA/ODIF
                    Rdb                 SQL

NAS 200             SQL Services        SQL
                    PATHWORKS           LAN Manager (de facto)
                    RSM Client          none
                    DEC TCP/IP          TCP/IP
                    DECnet w/OSI        OSI
                    NFS w/RPC           NFS/ONC (de facto)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

o DEC claims clustering provides the most flexible high-availability
  solution.
The following table outlines DEC's theoretical maximum performance
improvements when using multiprocessors and VAXclusters.  Multiprocessor
systems are often placed in VAXclusters, so these numbers may be
combined.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of           Performance         Performance
Processors          Ratio with SMP      Ratio with Clusters
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    1                   1.0  1.0
                    2                   1.9  1.8
                    3                   2.7  2.6
                    4                   3.4  3.4
                    5                   4.0  4.2
                    6                   4.5  Unknown
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Counter with:
  - HP has been able to deliver 75 percent compound annual growth in
    processor performance on the high-end from 1988 to the present, and
    it's going to continue.  HP anticipates 75 - 100 percent growth in
    the future.  HP's strategy is to focus on the uniprocessor
    performance and then multiprocessor performance beyond that.  This
    creates a balanced architecture for both online transaction
    processing and batch applications.
  - Many DEC customers are finding out that VAXclusters pose a
    management challenge in the areas of system overhead, higher I/O
    bandwidths required, increased hardware maintenance costs,
    unsharable CPU, I/O, and memory resources, and cluster reboot time.
  - Processor clustering will not even be available on Alpha platforms
    until 1994.
  - Processor clustering is not an option with DECsystems.

o The HP 9000 Series 700 can be clustered.
  - SharePlex, an HP 3000 and Quest "Netbase" solution, allows multiple
    systems to be strung together, much like a VAXcluster so that
    performance can be grown horizontally.  Horizontal growth supports
    automatic load leveling among the systems.  In other words, if the
    demands on one system are too high another HP 3000 system in the
    "complex" can transparently pick up the workload.  This can allow
    the customers to transparently support well over a 1000 users while
    meeting their mission-critical application needs.  Please refer to
    the Appendix for more information on this solution.

o DEC claims thousands of third-party applications.
Counter with:
  - DEC has a thick third-party software catalog, however one must
    realize that these are all VAX/VMS applications.  These applications
    will have to be ported over to DEC's Alpha platforms.  Also keep in
    mind that many of these applications are older, following a
    terminal-to-host design and are not based upon open client/server
    technologies.  As previously noted, there are only 50 Alpha
    applications that have been ported, and DEC is targeting 1,000 by
    the end of '93.  Only one-third of these will be OSF/1 based with
    two-thirds being OpenVMS or Windows NT based.  Compare this with the
    over 5000 applications that run on HP 3000 and HP 9000 systems
    today.
  - HP has developed its relationships and partnerships with
    consultants, software conversion specialists, and systems
    integrators such as Andersen Consulting, Coopers and Lybrand, as
    well as leading open systems integrators such as Cambridge
    Technology Partners who can provide entire solutions.
  - One of HP's third parties, Software Translations, Inc., provides
    conversion tools and migration services that recompile programs
    written for DEC's VAX/VMS systems so that they can run on HP-UX
    without rewriting code or making extensive modifications to the
    application design.  (For more information, contact Gary Bryan,
    Sales Manager for Software Translations, (512) 327- 6001.)

o DEC claims DECstation/DECsystem upgrades are easy and inexpensive.
DEC's new lineup of DECstations provide upgrades to large processors
with higher performance through a simple CPU daughter-card change.  They
are also upgradable to the full 64-bit R4000 processor.
Counter with:
  - This is equivalent to HP's 825 upgrade to the 835 and 845 - the
    trouble is the 835 and 845 are noncompetitive in today's market.
  - DEC's customers need to purchase two processors from DEC to get the
    same performance from HP in a system that is already tested and
    running.
  - Today, DEC can deliver a 40 MHz R3000 at approximately 30 SPECmarks
    with an upgrade to the R4000 when it is available.  The problem for
    DEC is that the R4000 will only deliver performance at HP's 720 or
    730 level.
  - DEC's upgrade path leads customers to noncompetitive systems.

o DEC claims DECstations provide a wide range of graphics options, the
  highest performance options bus, and a rich open software environment.
Counter with:
  - DEC's graphics options do not compare with the performance and
    options offered by HP.
  - DEC's bus is good but does not increase the speed of the CPU and in
    overall performance HP has a better offering.
  - Compare the functions available in HP-UX versus Ultrix.

o DEC claims workstation-standards leadership.
DEC delivers performance through standards with software technology for
X11, PHIGS, and PEX.  DEC has agreed to assist SGI implementing PHIGS,
and DEC will support the GL graphics library on DECstations.
Counter with:
  - DEC's implementation generated outstanding X11 performance results
    until HP leapfrogged to a leadership position.
  - Few ISVs are taking advantage of PEX currently.  However, usage is
    expected to grow and  HP will have a PEX offering coming out 2H'92.
  - SGI's standards graphics story has not been good and DEC's
    partnering with SGI does not enhance DEC's offerings.
  - HP offers a port for software written in the GL language.

o DEC claims workstation compatibility.
All of the DECstations are ACE compatible since their software is binary
compatible with the ACE SCO/ODT UNIX release.
Counter with:
  - DEC needs to be a leader in system integration - DEC's PC, VAX VMS
    station, DECstation, and VAXstation are all different architectures
    and DEC needs to understand how these systems can be tied together.
  - Many of DEC's tools are focused on integrating MACs and PCs versus
    DECstations and PCs.
  - Being compatible with ACE may be like being compatible with a non-
    entity.

o DEC claims DEC support for workstation multiscreen, FDDI, and
  multimedia.
All the DECstation 5000s support multiscreen, FDDI, and multimedia
directly from DEC, plus IPI disks, and the VME bus through third-party
TURBOchannel options.
Counter with:
The fact that supporting the VME bus through a converter will have a
performance degradation.  In addition, HP also offers an adapter from
EISA to VME.

o DEC claims it has the highest midrange workstation price/performance.
DEC states that the DEC 3000 Model 400 AXP has the best
price/performance.
Counter with:
DEC does not offer a system under $10,000 yet.  It has one great price
point, for a midrange workstation that is not attractive for entry-level
users.  HP's systems still outperform DEC's systems in processor power
and graphics and if X Stations can be sold in combination with the
Series 700 workstations, HP's solution can be attractive for the price-
cautious customer.  HP's graphics and CPU performance leave all of DEC's
workstations clearly lacking in competitive value.

o  DEC claims the DECstation 5000 Model 240 offers competitive
  performance in its CPU, graphics, performance, and high memory
  capacity.
Counter with:
Although the DEC 240 has a 100/MB/sec TURBOchannel, HP's implementation
is a two-tiered approach using, SGC for graphics and other high-
performance I/O requirements.  HP uses EISA and 33 MB/sec.  However,
your high-performance needs are serviced by the SGC at approximately 120
MB/sec.  For additional information check the Series 700 white paper
system design for a low-cost workstation, P/N 5091-1135E.

o DEC claims their new AXP workstations have better expandability than
  HP's Series 700 workstations.  The Model 400 offers 3 TURBOchannel
  slots and the Model 500 offers 6 TURBOchannel slots.
Counter with:
Find out if the expansion slots are really necessary for the customer.
HP's graphic subsystems don't require EISA slots, where DEC's graphics
options take up one, two, or three TURBOchannel slots.

Quotes
  On DEC's organization
"What prompted a number of key executives to jump ship?  Dominic LaCava,
John Rose, and Grant Saviers were vice presidents.  Pier Carlo Falotti
was president of DEC's International Division.  Robert Glorioso, the VAX
9000 manager, took a leave of absence.  Richard Nortz was director of
DEC's U.S. Customer Service arm.  Gary Eichorn had been chief of the
company's General Systems Group.  David Grainger headed DEC's U.S. sales
operations.  David Smith was a key UNIX analyst at DEC.  James Osterhoff
was finance chief.  Rick Witek was co-engineer and developer of Alpha.
Even the captain has bailed out.  Ken Olsen announced that he will
retire in October.
  "The new captain of the ship has little time to plot his course.
Robert Palmer has to swab the decks of personnel and costs to improve
the bottom line, steer the delivery of Alpha systems, and rig the ship
to offer OpenVMS, OSF/1 and Windows NT on the Alpha platform.  It's a
tall order for the DEC ship."
Karen Detwiler,
VAX Professional
Sept - Oct 1992

DEC on DEC
"`Our products are difficult to understand and to sell,' reads a memo
routed to DEC engineers from the new Supply Chain Program Office, which
Palmer (DEC's CEO) has charted to oversee changes.  `...Overall, our
business practices, processes, services, and products are not
competitive and are not satisfying our customers' requirements.'"
PC Week
September 28, 1992

On Alpha
"DEC's (RISC) entry is painfully late into a market where IBM, Hewlett-
Packard, and Sun have been shipping products for several years.  And
these companies have also signed up other computer makers to use their
RISC chips...DEC has only one sizable Alpha partner so far, Italy's
Olivetti."
Gary McWilliams
Business Week
August 3, 1992

"Alpha's super number-crunching power doesn't help customers unless they
can run their software on the computers.  And DEC must catch up with
software designed for Alpha.  That gives Sun and HP a big advantage:
They have been shipping their RISC-based computers for several years,
and there are sizable software libraries that work on the machines."
Gary McWilliams and
Robert D. Hof
"Will Alpha Mark a New Beginning for DEC?"
Business Week
May 4, 1992

"Perhaps the most critical, if last discussed, issue concerning Alpha
and its impact on both DEC and DEC's customers has to do with software
conversion.  Alpha was not intended to be binary compatible with
VAX/VMS.  While DEC presumably could have included a "VAX compatibility
mode" in Alpha, this would have penalized performance for what in
retrospect would likely have been a few-year transition issue for
users."
Aberdeen Group
Alpha Status Report
April 17, 1992

On DEC's ACE strategy
  "After a brief life of 18 months, the Advanced Computing Environment
(ACE) initiative is virtually dead."
Corporate Computing
November 1992

"Intangibility is symptomatic of the chronic malady that has plagued ACE
since its inception.  No champion, no leader, no single person or team
emerges.  As a result, the message is unclear - and it varies depending
upon which ACE member you talk with.  ACE appears to be a committee with
only an ideology holding it together.  As Paul Cubbage of Dataquest put
it, "There is no one driving it - no owner.  This isn't a group of
people whose careers live or die with ACE."
UNIX Review
September 1992

On DEC's OSF/1 Operating System Kernal "Standard"
"While DEC plans to deliver an end-user version of OSF/1 in 1993, both
Hewlett-Packard and IBM have decided to augment their existing UNIX
System V kernels with layered software such as Motif and the distributed
Computing Environment developed by the Open Software Foundation.
Meanwhile, Sun Microsystems, Unisys, AT&T, Data General and Silicon
Graphics are committed to using UNIX System V release 4 kernels.  So,
outside of DEC, the majority of UNIX implementations will be based on
variants of UNIX System V for the foreseeable future.
DEC News and Review
September 14, 1992

On DEC's UNIX strategy
"I love to watch tennis.  But the back-and-forth-line antics of the
likes of Agassi and Becker pale in comparison to the back and forth line
antics between DEC and its base of loyal customers intent on using UNIX.
The serve-and-volley began in late May with DEC's announcement that it
had no intention of supporting OSF/1 on Mips Technologies platforms.
What DEC was really saying is that users should junk all those Ultrix-
based DECsystems and DECstation 2000s, 3000s and 5000s and buy Alpha-
based machines running OSF/1 or OpenVMS or perhaps even Microsoft's
Windows NT....I am uneasy about how well DEC will do in the UNIX
marketplace of the future with such a flip-flop approach."
DEC Professional
September 1992

On HP versus DEC UNIX strategy
"Outside the HP market, other vendors are scrambling to provide similar
solutions to those already supplied by HP.  DEC struggles mightily to
overcome internal turmoil and deliver its much-ballyhooed Alpha RISC
chip without further delays...Clearly HP has stacked its upper
management tier with people whose careers are tied directly to HP-UX and
open systems.  And that's a strong indication that the company's
leveraged hardware strategy and the ongoing convergence of its two
midrange product lines are paying off.
  "This is not the case - at least not yet - at other major vendors.  In
DEC's latest shakeup, for instance, Robert Palmer, a manufacturing
manager and efficiency expert, replaced the retiring Ken Olsen."
HP Professional
September 1992

"Of course, Ultrix is a dead-end system, with only maintenance updates
to support new hardware options, whereas OSF/1 is under active
development.  It is to DEC's credit that it responded in this way, yet I
am uneasy about how well DEC will do in the UNIX marketplace of the
future with such a flip-flop approach."
  "Not all applications require 50 or more MIPS of computing power.  The
bottleneck is software - the operating system and the applications.  And
this shift does not seem to be fully realized by DEC's UNIX-based
software planners."
  "DEC seems to be ignoring the shortcomings of OSF/1 and concentrating
on support of layered products.  However, while good, integrated layered
products are important, they are worth nothing if the underlying
operating system does not live up to its expectations."
DEC Professional
September 1992

On Windows NT
"The Windows NT promise goes like this:  NT will run on both Intel and
other types of CPUs; versions for DEC's Alpha and MIPS' chips are
already in the works.  NT applications will run on any NT system.
Buyers will consequently be able to pick the hardware platform they like
best."
  "On simple fact makes this promise false:  Different types of CPUs run
different executables.  Even if the operating system is the same, the
same bit patterns will execute differently - if at all - on two
different types of systems."
  "...To move from a so-called P5 running NT to an Alpha, you'll have to
buy new copies of all your applications for the Alpha system or the
application vendors will have to develop trade-in policies."
  "...We're not denying that Windows NT has a lot of promise, and we're
not saying you shouldn't buy it.  You should, however, know the cage
you've entered before the door slams shut behind you."
PC Week
August 24, 1992

DEC fortune needs Alpha and more
"Analysts spoke approvingly of the new systems and services - for the
most part.  "The pricing on a performance basis for new systems is
extremely low, but there are a lot of missing pieces right now," says D.
H. Brown & Associates, a market research firm based in Port Chester,
N.Y.  He added that critical software and applications will not be ready
for another year or 18 month, especially for commercial customers with
clustering volumes.  `Without the actual application, they are going to
be in a tough situation; for existing customers, they can push Alpha
ready solutions and say that they will migrate them over later,' said
Steve Widen, senior analyst at WorkGroup Technologies, Inc., a market
research form based in Hampton, N.H.  `But new customers aren't going to
opt for one architecture today and move in the  future.  The window of
opportunity is closing for DEC.'"
Computerworld
November 23, 1992

The DECstation 5000 model 25 (Tested Mettle)
"Despite these upgrade possibilities, DECstations have a downside.  DEC
has developed the Alpha RISC chip, which is clearly the company's
processor of the future.  While the expected lifetime of a particular
DEC MIPS-based system will not be shortened, there is no indication that
another generation of higher-performance, compatible systems will
follow, thus orphaning DEC's MIPS-based systems.  DEC may offer trade-
ins from MIPS to Alpha machines, but these will require recompilation of
all applications.  The future of these DECstations should be considered
when making a purchasing decision."
  "Our biggest problem with DEC, however, is that about 50 percent of
the technical questions we have, either pre-sales or after receipt of
equipment, are answered incorrectly...DEC manuals are difficult to use."
UNIX Review
October 1992

From Selling Against the Competition Competitive Binder, 5091-6465E,
9301
Associated files:  DEC01.gal, DEC01.hpg, DEC03.gal, DEC03.hpg,
  DEC04.gal, DEC04.hpg, DEC05.gal, DEC05.hpg, DEC06.gal, DEC06.hpg,
  DEC07.gal, DEC07.hpg, decprof.doc
DEC Corporate Profile