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1990-10-23
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Gary Wolfe or Jennifer Jester
Banyan Corporate Relations
(508) 898-1000
BANYAN ANNOUNCES VINES SUPPORT FOR
IBM MEDIALESS WORKSTATIONS
WESTBORO, Mass., October 10, 1990 -- Banyan Systems today announced
support for the new IBMR medialess PS/2TM 55 LS workstations, Model
LT0 and Model LE0, as full VINESR network clients. By means of
IBM's Remote Program Load (RPL) communications software resident in
on-board IBM Network Adapter cards, these workstations are capable
of booting and accessing VINES from a network server without need
for local storage media.
In addition to the Models LT0 and LE0, VINES RPL support will
enable any other medialess workstation that supports these IBM
Network Adapter cards and associated RPL protocol to boot and to
access VINES without need of local storage media.
Advantages of VINES RPL Support
Support of RPL within VINES addresses the unique security or
environmental issues found in corporate, university and government
establishments. Medialess workstations on networks offer the
following advantages:
- Prevent unauthorized duplication of sensitive data or programs
- Reduce the possibility of the introduction of viruses into the
network
- Present a more robust client workstation for harsh operating
environments
- Allow for greater control by network administrators
- Lower the cost per workstation
- more -
BANYAN TO SUPPORT IBM MEDIALESS WORKSTATIONS/ Oct. 10 / Page 2
"VINES support for RPL builds upon the options available to network
planners to tailor VINES to their specific needs. Our work with IBM
clearly demonstrates Banyan's commitment to work closely with
industry leaders to incorporate new technology into VINES in a
timely fashion," said James D'Arezzo, Banyan Vice President,
Marketing.
RPL is an IBM-developed communications protocol which permits
workstations that do not have a diskette drive or fixed disk drive
to boot from a network server. RPL is contained in PROM
(Programmable Read-Only Memory) chips inserted onto the Network
Adapter cards. A workstation with a Network Adapter card uses the
RPL PROMs to send requests to the VINES network to obtain the
programs needed to boot DOS.
The new VINES software will support the IBM RPL communication
protocol used in the Network Adapter cards that are mounted inside
the new workstations: the IBM 16/4 Token RingTM Network Adapter/A
in the Model LT0, and the newly announced IBM PS/2 Adapter/A for
Ethernet Networks (Ethernet Adapter/ A) in the Model LE0. VINES RPL
support enables the PS/2 55 LS models and any other workstation
using the same Network Adapter cards and RPL software to boot. IBM
sells both cards separately for use in other workstations.
Availability
Banyan will begin shipping VINES RPL software during the fourth
quarter of calendar 1990. ###
About Banyan Systems
Banyan is the leader in corporate-wide PC networking. Its flagship
product, VINES, is a standards-based distributed network operating
system for local or global internetworking of personal computers,
minicomputers, and mainframes. VINES is recognized for its ability
to make multivendor networks of any size easy to use and manage.
Banyan products are marketed worldwide through a network of
authorized value-added resellers (VARs) and country partners.
IBM is a registered trademark, and PS/2 and Token Ring are
trademarks of
International Business Machines Corporation.
Banyan and VINES are registered trademark of Banyan Systems
Incorporated.