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1990-09-12
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.RF;29
.AT/E;BANYAN/COMPAQ TEAM UP TO DELIVER POWERFUL PC NETWORK SOLUTION
.IDENT;Release_Date=9/11/90
.FLAGS;NOGO
.FLAGS;NOPAGENUM
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.br;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Gary Wolfe or Jennifer Jester
.br; Corporate Relations
.br; Banyan Systems
.br; (508) 898-1000
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.br; BANYAN AND COMPAQ TEAM UP TO DELIVER POWERFUL PC NETWORK SOLUTION
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.br; VINES Symmetric Multi-Processing Implementation
.br; Unleashes Power of the COMPAQ SYSTEMPRO
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.br;DALLAS, Texas., September 11, 1990 -- Banyan Systems today
.br;announced the September availability of VINESR SMP, the Symmetric
.br;Multi-Processing version of VINES, designed to maximize the
.br;utilization of any Intel-CPU-based symmetric multi-processing
.pg
.br;hardware. Fully compatible with existing versions of VINES which
.br;support 286, 386TM, and i486TM-based single processor platforms, the
.br;initial release of VINES SMP supports the COMPAQ SYSTEMPRO
.br;(configured with either two 386 microprocessors, two 486
.br;microprocessors, or one of each CPU), and takes full advantage of
.br;the SYSTEMPRO's dual-processor architecture and other performance
.br;features.
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.br;Banyan is the first... and only... Network Operating System vendor
.br;to offer a product that supports true symmetric operation of
.br;multiple processors. With VINES SMP, all server-based network
.br;applications and services can run on whichever CPU is available,
.br;thereby eliminating bottlenecks while maximizing the utilization of
.br;the available processing power. The thousands of applications that
.br;previously ran on VINES networks will run unmodified on VINES SMP
.br;faster and more efficiently than ever before. VINES SMP has been
.br;architected to support eight symmetrically-implemented Intel
.pg
.br;processors. Although the initial release of VINES SMP supports the
.br;dual-processor COMPAQ SYSTEMPRO, the software architecture will
.br;allow VINES SMP to support other symmetric hardware platforms.
.br; - more -
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.br;BANYAN AND COMPAQ TEAM UP TO DELIVER.../Sept. 11/Page 2
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.br;Said James Allchin, Banyan Senior Vice President, "VINES SMP
.br;provides the greatest power and capacity of any NOS available
.br;today. The combination of VINES SMP and the SYSTEMPRO provides
.br;Banyan and Compaq customers with a perfect price/performance
.br;solution for organizations wishing to downsize from minicomputer-
.br;and mainframe-based environments. Here, too, is an extremely high-
.br;performance, scalable network combination ideal for organizations
.br;who need to run powerful, mission-critical network applications, or
.br;who need the industry's fastest basic network services, such as
.br;file and print."
.pg
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.br;According to Gary Stimac, Senior Vice President of Systems
.br;Engineering, Compaq Computer Corporation, "When Compaq first
.br;announced the SYSTEMPRO, we knew it would be a superb platform to
.br;support downsizing by organizations seeking a high-performance,
.br;cost-effective alternative to minicomputers and mainframes. The
.br;advent of Banyan's VINES SMP, with its impressive support for the
.br;SYSTEMPRO, immediately projects the full value, power, and
.br;versatility of multi-processing into the realm of networks and
.br;server-based applications."
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.br;VINES SMP and COMPAQ SYSTEMPRO Yield Unparalleled Network
.br; Performance
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.br;Through VINES SMP's dynamic and automatic full utilization of the
.br;symmetric multi-processor hardware architecture of the COMPAQ
.br;SYSTEMPRO, server performance and throughput has been improved by
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.br;as much as 1.5 - 2 times compared to that of a comparable single-
.br;processor server. (Results are based on AIM network load tests and
.br;PC Magazine tests performed by Banyan Systems.)
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.br;These improvements translate to a number of important user
.br;benefits, including:
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.br;1. Increased overall processing power -- Maximum power enables
.br; downsizing of applications where CPU performance had
.br; previously been a limiting factor.
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.br;2. Higher throughput -- Under an equivalent application and
.br; network load environment, VINES SMP on a COMPAQ SYSTEMPRO can
.br; support 50-100% more users than an equivalent single-
.br; processor-based server.
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.pg
.br;BANYAN AND COMPAQ TEAM UP TO DELIVER.../Sept. 11/Page 3
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.br;3. Better response-time for network operations -- VINES SMP's
.br; unique ability to process concurrent network I/O requests
.br; across multiple processors at once improves response times to
.br; the user for these requests by 60% or more, depending on
.br; application and network demands.
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.br;4. Consistent performance -- VINES SMP sustains its optimal
.br; performance characteristics even when CPU-intensive
.br; applications are being executed simultaneously on the network.
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.br;5. Improved economy:
.br; a. Reduced number of servers in a network -- The performance
.br; gains offered by VINES SMP can be recognized by
.br; consolidating, onto a single multi-processor platform,
.br; many (or all) network services that might otherwise have
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.br; required multiple single-processor servers to provide
.br; adequate performance. These include:
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.br; - Global directory services (StreetTalkTM) and
.br; security (VANGuardTM)
.br; - Electronic mail and external mail gateways
.br; - SNA, bisynch, and asynch terminal emulation
.br; - TCP/IP, X.25, Appletalk, and other communications
.br; protocols
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.br; This consolidation yields two key benefits: A reduced
.br; investment in LAN hardware and complexity; and less
.br; administrative overhead (time) to operate, administer,
.br; and manage the network.
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.br; b. Scalability -- VINES SMP allows customers to begin with
.br; a single-processor server to support their user
.pg
.br; communities. As the network grows, customers can simply
.br; add the second processor (in the case of the SYSTEMPRO)
.br; in order to increase the capacity and performance of
.br; their network. This is often less expensive than adding
.br; a second server, in terms both of hardware and software
.br; dollars.
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.br;VINES SMP Supports All Standard SYSTEMPRO Features and EISA Bus Too
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.br;Besides supporting the SYSTEMPRO's multi-processor architecture,
.br;VINES SMP also provides full support for standard COMPAQ SYSTEMPRO
.br;features including:
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.br;* EISA Bus-Master Devices
.br;* Native-Mode Intelligent Disk Array
.br;* Disk Mirroring
.br;* Data Guarding
.br;* 160MB/265MB RAM (single-/multi-processor configuration)
.br;* Compaq Internal 150MB/250MB Tape Drive
.pg
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.br;Thus, SYSTEMPRO owners can take advantage of the wide range of
.br;designed-in features to maximize performance and data availability,
.br;as required by many LAN server applications and environments.
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.br; - more -
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.br;BANYAN AND COMPAQ TEAM UP TO DELIVER... /Sept.11/Page 4
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.br;In addition, Banyan has integrated a wide array of add-on hardware
.br;to maximize the strengths of the SYSTEMPRO as a LAN server. A wide
.br;variety of EISA-based LAN cards, including Token Ring (such as the
.br;Proteon 1990 and Madge Smart 16/4 EISA Ring Node) and Ethernet
.br;adaptors (such as the Racal-Interlan ES3210 and Novell NE3200) are
.br;supported in the initial release of VINES SMP. Numerous ISA-based
.br;devices are supported by VINES, including many popular 8- and 16-
.br;bit LAN adaptors, as well as Banyan's Intelligent Communications
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.br;Adaptor (ICA) for X.25, SNA, and wide-area communications. External
.br;disk and tape devices are also supported using the industry
.br;standard SCSI interface, furthering SYSTEMPRO expandability for
.br;even larger disk and tape capacities.
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.br; How VINES Supports the Compaq Multi-Processor
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.br;The VINES SMP symmetric multi-processing network operating system
.br;incorporates a scheduler to assign application and network tasks
.br;equally to each processor on a first-come first-served basis. When
.br;a task has been queued for processing, the scheduler checks which
.br;processor is available and assigns the task to that processor. The
.br;scheduler then returns to the queue and assigns the next task to
.br;the next available processor. Of particular note, in symmetric
.br;multi-processing, individual tasks are not dedicated to a
.br;particular processor; a task handled by one processor at a given
.br;instant may be handled by another processor at the next instant.
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.pg
.br;The symmetric multi-processing methodology differs substantially
.br;from asymmetric approaches which associate each processor with a
.br;specific group or type of tasks; consequently increasing the risk
.br;that one processor becomes overloaded with tasks while the other
.br;sits idle. As the demands upon a network server are extremely
.br;dynamic, ranging from high volumes of small requests to smaller
.br;volumes of server-intensive operations, an asymmetric design cannot
.br;provide maximum performance under varying network loads.
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.br; - more -
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.br;BANYAN AND COMPAQ TEAM UP TO DELIVER... /Sept.11/Page 5
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.br;A symmetric software design assures that all processors are fully
.br;utilized under dynamically changing network demands. If the loads
.br;at one point in time are network I/O intensive, the server tasks
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.br;are distributed across the processors to maximize response times.
.br;If at another instant in time, the user demands are more CPU or
.br;I/O intensive, such as might be seen with server-based databases or
.br;protocol gateways, a symmetric approach allows all processors to be
.br;utilized in completing these tasks. This dynamic application of
.br;multi-processing technology is the technology utilized by VINES SMP
.br;to provide the fastest server platform in virtually any networking
.br;environment.
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.br; Banyan and Compaq to Cooperate In Market Development Programs
.br; to Promote Sales of the "VINES SMP-SYSTEMPRO Solution"
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.br;The two companies are planning to jointly implement a suite of
.br;marketing and distribution programs to include field sales and
.br;reseller training, cooperative support funds and reseller
.br;certification, third party developer and promotional efforts. The
.br;two companies also have plans to allow selected Banyan resellers to
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.br;obtain certification through the Compaq Dealer Associate Program.
.br;In addition, Compaq intends to allow their cooperative marketing
.br;funds to be used by Compaq dealers for training on Banyan's VINES
.br;SMP.
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.br;Already, the two companies have done extensive training of Banyan
.br;and Compaq support personnel. VINES SMP on the SYSTEMPRO
.br;demonstrations are being set up in both companies' demonstration
.br;centers domestically and plans are being made to extend this
.br;internationally. Additionally, the two companies will work with
.br;independent software developers to generate advanced applications
.br;designed to take full advantage of multi-processing capabilities.
.br;The two companies have also agreed to share product updates and
.br;plans for VINES SMP and the SYSTEMPRO to ensure a continuing
.br;"solution sale."
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.br; - more -
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.br;BANYAN AND COMPAQ TEAM UP TO DELIVER... /Sept.11/Page 6
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.br; VINES SMP To Ship This Month
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.br;VINES SMP has been in Beta Test for the last three months, and the
.br;first shipment will be in September, 1990. Suggested U.S. list
.br;price is $13,995. A VINES SMP Upgrade Kit to bring a single-
.br;processor SYSTEMPRO running VINES Version 4.0 up to VINES SMP
.br;Version 4.0 has a U.S. list price of $7,995.
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.br; ###
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.br; About Banyan Systems
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.br;Banyan is the leader in corporate-wide PC networking. Its flagship
.br;product, VINES, is a standards-based distributed network operating
.br;system for local or global internetworking of personal computers,
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.br;minicomputers, and mainframes. VINES is recognized for its ability
.br;to make multivendor networks of any size easy to use and manage.
.br;Banyan products are marketed worldwide through a network of
.br;authorized value-added resellers (VARs) and country partners.
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.br;Banyan and VINES are registered trademarks, and StreetTalk and
.br;VANGuard are trademark of Banyan Systems.
.br;COMPAQ is a registered trademark and SYSTEMPRO is a trademark of
.br;Compaq Computer Corporation.
.br;386 and i486 are trademarks of Intel Corporation.