REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 10, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that it and Compaq Computer Corp. have jointly set the industry’s first price/performance record below $100 per tpmC (transactions per minute) and set an all-time performance record on Intel-based servers in the results of an audited Transaction Processing Performance Council Benchmark C (TPC-C). With these results, Microsoft® SQL Server
™
now holds seven of the top 10 price/performance results.
Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, running on a Compaq ProLiant 5000 server with four 200MHz Pentium Pro processors, achieved 6750.53 tpmC and $89.61 per tpmC, demonstrating that Microsoft SQL Server delivers the best TPC-C price/performance in the industry and the highest performance on the Microsoft Windows NT® Server network operating system.
“We are delighted to announce these new record benchmark results achieved with Microsoft SQL Server and Compaq’s ProLiant 5000 server,”
said Jim Ewel, group product manager, desktop and business systems division at Microsoft.
“These benchmark results demonstrate our commitment to provide a reliable, scalable database platform required by enterprise customers for business-critical database applications, all at the industry’s lowest total cost of ownership.”
The results announced today indicate that Microsoft continues to work on providing value to customers. Only 11 months ago, with results of 2454 tpmC and $242 per tpmC, Microsoft and Compaq brought the price/performance down below $300 per tpmC for the first time in the industry. Two months later, Microsoft SQL Server published the first price/performance result below $200 per tpmC. Today’s announcement brings the price/performance results below $100 per tpmC.
“This is truly a landmark event in the history of the TPC-C benchmark,”
said Omri Serlin, founder of the TPC and an industry analyst.
“It is amazing to see how fast customer values are improving due to standardization, and Microsoft and Compaq are definitely leading the way.”
In terms of performance, today’s results are better than a large number of results published on systems with up to 16 processors:
These TPC-C benchmark results are also another industry first for a symmetric multiprocessor system using a Web-based front-end. Today, customers are looking for ways they can leverage the Internet and intranets. This benchmark approach designed by Microsoft shows the integration between Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Windows NT Server and Microsoft Internet Information Server.
“Today’s announcement is the result of close cooperation between Microsoft and Compaq under the Frontline Partnership,”
said Mike Perez, vice president and general manager of Compaq’s server products division.
“Last year, we worked together to complete the first TPC-C benchmark with Microsoft SQL Server 6.0. Three months ago, we more than doubled that performance with the ProLiant 5000 166MHz and SQL Server 6.5. Now we’ve become the first to break through the $100/tpmC price/performance barrier with the ProLiant 5000 200MHz. These latest results of 6750.53 tpmC at $89.61/tpmC mean that together, over the past year, we’ve increased performance 275 percent while dropping cost 63 percent.”
These industry-leading benchmarks highlight the ongoing commitment of Compaq and Microsoft to provide enterprise customers with the best price/performance database platforms available.
Microsoft and Compaq Frontline Partnership
Microsoft and Compaq have been working together for more than 10 years to offer customers seamless integration of industry-standard systems technology for distributed enterprise computing environments including corporate Internet and intranet solutions. Compaq and Microsoft entered into their most comprehensive agreement to make personal computers easier to use and to further the development of new products and markets.
Termed the Frontline Partnership, the alliance represents a commitment from both companies to work together to develop products that are the easiest to use and the simplest to install, with the best performance and value in the industry. 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.
N.B.: Unless otherwise noted, references to TPC-C results are as of Sept. 6, 1996. For more information on the TPC-C benchmark, visit the TPC Web site at (http://www.tpc.org/) .
Microsoft and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
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