REDMOND, Wash./SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 26, 1996 — Amdahl Corp. and Microsoft Corp. today announced they have achieved the industry’s fastest channel connection between the Microsoft ® Windows NT® Server network operating system and a host S/390 server. Ten MB per second on a single ESCON channel is more than double the previously published results from Amdahl and Microsoft. The companies achieved this milestone between an Amdahl® EnVista® enterprise server and an S/390 mainframe using Microsoft SNA Server version 2.11 software and the EnVista ESCON Channel, a PCI channel interface built around Polaris Communications’ Model 6900 PCI/ESCON adapter. This new, industry-leading connection supplies the bandwidth needed for a series of enterprise-ready solutions based on EnVista servers and the Microsoft BackOffice®
family.
“We’re extremely pleased with the performance optimization we’ve achieved in collaboration with Microsoft and Polaris,”
said David Anderson, chief technology officer at Amdahl.
“The benefit for customers is that they now have the bandwidth necessary to implement robust client/server applications such as data warehousing and branch plant implementations with even greater confidence. This performance is a key differentiator in Amdahl’s solutions offerings.”
“Once again, Microsoft and Amdahl have raised the bar in high-performance ESCON connection, making it the fastest that we’ve seen from any PC-based platform,”
said Vesa Suomalainen, general manager of the host integration product unit at Microsoft.
“This high-speed host connectivity provides unrivaled performance for enterprisewide solutions.”
EnVista Enterprise Connectivity
EnVista ESCON Channel is a high-performance bridge to mainframe data, providing a direct connection from EnVista enterprise servers to S/390 mainframes. The ESCON Channel works with Microsoft SNA Server to provide fast, easy and economical access to mainframe applications from LAN-based PCs and servers. EnVista ESCON Channel emulates multiple channel controller protocols and can support thousands of client connections. Amdahl currently offers 3174 emulation for SNA support. Future releases will include 3172 emulation for TCP/IP support and 3490 tape emulation for bulk transfer support.
EnVista Enterprise Solutions
Amdahl offers a number of enterprise solutions based on Windows NT Server-based EnVista solutions, LVS 4500 storage systems and Microsoft Windows NT Server and the Microsoft BackOffice family. Solutions include the EnVista SNA Gateway Server, EnVista Replicated Server for branch office implementation, EnVista Database Server, EnVista Groupware Server and EnVista Intranet Server.
“SNA host connectivity is the underlying element of all our solutions,”
Anderson said.
“By working with Microsoft to obtain this industry-leading benchmark, we bring customers enhanced benefits such as vastly increased download times and the ability to support greater numbers of host connections. With the enhanced features in SNA Server 3.0, this could not have come at a better time.”
Microsoft SNA Server
Using advanced client/server architecture, Microsoft SNA Server offloads the communications processing from host computers and desktop PCs. Each PC uses a standard LAN protocol to connect to one or more servers; SNA Server then connects to S/390 mainframes using SNA protocols. SNA Server 3.0, announced on June 17 and in widespread beta testing, supports up to 5,000 clients and 15,000 host sessions, offers hot backup and load balancing, and comes with advanced tools for easy system setup and centralized graphical administration. A key component of the Microsoft BackOffice family of products, SNA Server takes full advantage of the Windows NT Server network operating system to deliver the power, scalability and security of this robust platform.
About Amdahl
Amdahl Corp. (AMEX:AMH) provides integrated enterprise computing solutions designed to meet the needs of the leading, most compute-intensive corporations around the world. Amdahl combines proprietary hardware and software products and service methods with best-of-breed offerings to create customized solutions that help clients gain a competitive advantage in their industries. Press announcements and other information about Amdahl Corp. are available on the Internet via the World Wide Web at (http://www.amdahl.com/) .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, Windows NT and BackOffice are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Amdahl is a registered trademark and EnVista is a trademark of Amdahl Corp. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
