Microsoft Launches Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 at N+I

Las Vegas, May 9, 2000 — Today at NetWorld+Interop 2000, Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates announced the availability of Microsoft® Windows® Services for UNIX 2.0 (SFU). Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 provides an additional set of comprehensive tools to help bridge the gap between UNIX and Windows for users and administrators. It helps create a logical enterprise network where resources are shared seamlessly and access control is simplified. Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 provides a mechanism to take advantage of existing UNIX resources and expertise while simplifying network administration and account management in a mixed Windows 2000-, Windows NT® , and UNIX-based environment.

“With Windows Services for UNIX 2.0, we are striving to ensure that the Windows platform works well with other key platforms and systems in a heterogeneous computing environment,”
said Brian Valentine, senior vice president of the Windows Division at Microsoft.

Microsoft Services for UNIX 2.0 provides robust, cross-platform file system support, central administration, familiar shell and scripting language, and command-line utilities that make integration easier and more cost-effective.

Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 enables customers to share files among Windows NT-, Windows 2000- and UNIX-based systems via the Network File System (NFS) protocol. It simplifies both local and remote network administration, and supports either graphical or character-based administration. Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 enables customers to consolidate UNIX- and Windows-based accounts in the Windows 2000 Active Directory TM service to centralize and synchronize account management.

“We are pleased to provide Windows Services for UNIX via our HP VISUALIZE Personal Workstations running Windows 2000,”
said Jim Zafarana, worldwide marketing manager for the Technical Computing Division at Hewlett-Packard Co.
“The components in Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 make it easy for customers to build on their existing investments by allowing them to utilize the benefits of Windows 2000.”

The first product to be developed at the Microsoft India Development Center in Hyderabad, Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 takes a leap forward from its previous version, adding new features and improving file access performance by as much as six times, according to research done by Microsoft.

“We are excited to use Windows Services for UNIX,”
said Kevin Hughes, systems integrator, CVS Pharmacy.
“CVS uses a variety of Windows NT-based tools to develop applications that are ultimately deployed on UNIX. The NFS features of Windows Services for UNIX allowed us to streamline the work flow in this integrated environment. And Windows Services for UNIX implements these features in a way that keeps administration simple.”

Pricing and Availability

Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 has an estimated retail price of $149 (U.S.) and is available by special order through retail outlets, the Microsoft Select and Open licensing programs, and selected online merchants. It will be available through the MSDN TM developer program starting in June 2000, and will be available through specified OEMs by the fall of this year. More information on Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 can be found online at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/sfu/ or at the Microsoft Pavilion at the N+I 2000 conference being held in Las Vegas from May 9 to 11.

System Requirements

Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 requires a PC with 60 MB of available hard disk space and 16 MB of RAM, running on top of the recommended configuration of Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows NT Workstation 4.0, Windows NT Server 4.0, or Windows NT Server Enterprise Edition 4.0 (SP4 and later) operating systems.* Windows Services for UNIX 2.0 will support Windows NT Server 4.0, Windows NT Server Terminal Server Edition (SP4 and above), and Terminal Services in Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server. It is built on the TCP/IP implementation in Windows NT and requires an appropriate Ethernet, token ring or FDDI network adapter.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

Related Posts