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- IBM Delivers Networking Power With OS/2 Warp Connect
-
- NEW YORK, May 17, 1995 ... With the theme, "Make Your Connections," IBM today used Grand Central Terminal as a
- backdrop to announce the availability of OS/2* Warp Connect, which gives small businesses and workgroups easy, open
- connections to worlds of information -- whether they are on the PC in the office next door, the Internet, or a local area
- network -- all in a powerful, refined, stable operating system.
-
- OS/2 Warp Connect follows the commercially successful, technically acclaimed OS/2 Warp which began shipping in
- November 1994. OS/2 Warp Connect combines OS/2 Warp and its BonusPak of productivity applications with a full set of
- integrated networking capabilities and software that provides peer and remote connections along with TCP/IP for dial-up
- and LAN access to the Internet, access to the most popular online services, and Lotus Notes Express.
-
- OS/2 Warp Connect includes built-in requesters for IBM LAN Server and Novell NetWare, and can coexist with IBM LAN
- Server, Novell Netware, Microsoft's NT** and Windows for Workgroups**, Banyan Vines**, and LANtastic from
- Artisoft.** It features easy and advanced installation options and Configuration, Installation and Distribution (CID) for
- efficient installation across a networked enterprise.
-
- "OS/2 Warp Connect has everything you need to connect to the world, to connect to your existing network or to create a
- peer network," said Lee Reiswig, general manager of IBM's Personal Software Products division. "It is the easiest
- networking solution to use and simplest to install for the foreseeable future. With OS/2 Warp's multitasking prowess,
- users can really optimize network resources by sharing files, modems, and printers -- simultaneously."
-
- Single Box Business Network Solution for Small Businesses
-
- OS/2 Warp Connect is a complete software solution for anybody who is starting or running a small business. The operating
- system, with its built-in peer-to-peer networking, combined with the BonusPak of productivity software and Lotus Notes
- Express gives a small business what it needs to get a staff connected and productive, in a single box. Notes Express will
- include seven productivity templates. Five of them consist of those that Lotus ships in the retail version: discussion
- databases, client/server mail, phone book, reference databases, news databases; plus two of Lotus' other most popular
- templates.
-
- Peer Networks Made Easy
-
- OS/2 Warp Connect comes with everything needed to set up a peer network right out of the box. The built-in peer capability
- gives connected users an inexpensive, easy-to-use way to share resources, such as files, printers, and modems. In addition,
- users can share resources around the office or on the road with OS/2 Warp Connect's remote access capabilities.
-
- Customers can use IBM Peer for OS/2* in a wide range of network environments. The peer software interoperates with OS/2
- LAN Server version 3.0 or later editions, Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft LAN
- Manager 2.x, PC LAN Program 1.3, and Artisoft LANtastic 6.0.
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- A Perfect Fit in Existing Networks
-
- For customers in large enterprises, OS/2 Warp Connect seamlessly links desktop machines to each other and to all major
- network operating systems, including IBM OS/2 LAN Server, Lotus Notes, Microsoft NT Server, Novell NetWare, and a
- variety of Internet servers. The OS/2 Workplace Shell* offers a graphical view of LAN resources by server and a
- hierarchical view of resources within domains.
-
- OS/2 Warp Connect demonstrates IBM's commitment to Open Blueprint by supporting communication via NetBIOS, TCP/IP
- or IPX on Ethernet, Token Ring, and FDDI networks, eliminating the need to purchase network transports or client code
- when attaching to the industry's leading servers.
-
- OS/2 Warp Connect will ship with TCP/IP for OS/2 Version 3. This version lets users simultaneously connect to local/wide
- area networks and to the Internet with a complete set of applications for browsing the World Wide Web, mail and file
- transfer. Because of its multiprotocol support, OS/2 Warp Connect provides a client/server platform so that customers can
- install DB2 for OS/2, Lotus Notes and Oracle server, for example, without any additional software.
-
- "By including connectivity to industry-leading network operating systems, full support for TCP/IP and the Internet, and
- remote access, IBM has made OS/2 Warp a solid network citizen," said Jamie Lewis, president of the Burton Group, a
- consulting firm in Salt Lake City, Utah. "Because OS/2 Warp Connect will be network-enabled right out of the box,
- managers will no longer have to scramble to get the network software they need. With OS/2 Warp Connect's streamlined
- install, customers can get connected quickly in a variety of environments."
-
- IBM is planning a release this summer of an additional CD for enterprise customers that will contain advanced networking
- support, including mobile file synchronization that enables users to disconnect from LAN Server, perform network
- operations and resynchronize their work after a session is re-established. The enterprise features include IBM System
- Performance Monitor/2, that allows system resources to be monitored on a single workstation; Personal
- Communications/3270 for OS/2 - IEEE 802.2 Entry Level, which provides 3270 mainframe emulation capability for up to
- two sessions; Communications Manager/2 SNA Application Environment, that allows users to run Advanced
- Program-to-Program Communication (APPC) applications; NetView Distribution Manager/2 (NVDM/2) StartUp, which
- provides for connection to a NVDM/2 server for easy download of the full NVDM/2 client, that is licensed separately; and
- the OS/2 Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) client, which allows an OS/2 system to participate in client/server
- applications based on the Open Software Foundation (OSF) remote procedure call.
-
- Connect Provides Network Access for Employees on the Road or at Home
-
- OS/2 Warp Connect provides remote features that allow users to remotely connect to their LANs from anywhere by phone,
- providing real-time access to network resources. The remote features are based on LAN Distance*, IBM's comprehensive
- remote LAN access software solution. With the peer software included with OS/2 Warp Connect and LAN Distance, users
- can set up a simple peer network over a telephone line.
-
- "Secure remote access to office networks is becoming a necessity for almost all business users," said Frank Dzubeck,
- president of Communications Network Architects, Inc., a consulting firm in Washington, D.C. "Whether it be for
- telecommuting from home or conducting business from your car or hotel room, OS/2 Warp Connect's rich remote access
- features will unequivocally help to create a true virtual office."
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- OS/2 Warp Connect Integrated Installation
-
- Installation is made easy through the integrated installation options with OS/2 Warp Connect. Users can select between easy
- or advanced installation options depending upon the amount of customization they want to achieve. Network administrators
- can use CID to install OS/2 Warp Connect across the enterprise.
-
- OS/2 Warp Connect will initially ship in a blue spine version that includes IBM WIN-OS/2*, also known as "fullpack" for a
- list price of $299 and will be available through IBM Direct for $215***. For a limited time, registered users of OS/2 2.1
- will qualify for a $25 rebate when they purchase OS/2 Warp Connect. Registered users of OS/2 Warp with WIN-OS/2 will
- qualify for a $50 rebate when they purchase OS/2 Warp Connect. Volume discounts will be available.
-
- OS/2 Warp Connect with IBM WIN-OS/2 is shipping this week and will be generally available in the United States and
- Canada through IBM dealers, superstores and a variety of general retail outlets by the end of May. A version of OS/2 Warp
- Connect that uses customers' existing Windows will be available this summer. OS/2 Warp Connect with WIN-OS/2 and
- OS/2 Warp Connect will be available in 20 additional languages.
-
- * Indicates trademark or registered trademark of the IBM Corp.
- ** Indicates trademark of the identified company.
-
- The IBM Fax Information Service allows you to receive facsimiles of prior IBM product press releases. Dial
- 1-800-IBM-4FAX and enter "99" at the voice menu.
-