ChatCom Inc. announces PentiumPro/200 MHz server module; server module offers scalability and high availability for file-server environments.CHATSWORTH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 1997--ChatCom Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :CHAT), a leading manufacturer of highly managed, consolidated-server products, announced a PentiumPro-class server module to complement its line of Pentium and 486 ChatExpress products. ChatCom manufactures a fault-tolerant, hot-swappable application server platform called the Corporate Series ChatterBox into which up to 28 PentiumPro/200 MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. ChatExpress server modules can be placed. ChatCom is the first among consolidated-server vendors to be in full production of products with this level of processor performance and density. The initial large-volume orders for the PentiumPro server module are scheduled for shipment to several telco companies, which intend to utilize the high-performance, fault-tolerant ChatterBox systems as part of their Internet infrastructure for their business and residential customers. ChatCom's consolidated-server products give network managers a highly manageable alternative to ordinary desktop- or tower-based PC products by designing the server modules to be front loading Front loading is USA's Defense Department jargon for a method used by the Military-industrial complex to increase defense funding. The phrase is commonly used together with "political engineering" Quote from Franklin C. and hot swappable See hot swap. . This architecture hosts existing PC-based applications on a hardware platform that can be rapidly adapted and scaled to future, and often unforeseen, changes. ``The ChatExpress PentiumPro/200 expands the capabilities of ChatCom's product lines to include full-scale, high-availability file, Web and Internet servers,'' said Jim Mariner Mariner Any of a series of unmanned U.S. space probes sent near Venus, Mars, and Mercury. Mariners 2 (1962) and 5 (1967) passed Venus within 22,000 mi (35,000 km) and 2,500 mi (4,000 km), respectively, and made measurements of temperature and atmospheric density. , president and chief executive officer of ChatCom. ``The ChatExpress PentiumPro server module, in conjunction with our fault-tolerant system
Fault-tolerance or graceful degradation architecture, far surpasses other computer systems in the price/performance and data-availability categories.'' Designs Integrate Standard, Off-the-Shelf Technology All ChatExpress products, including the PentiumPro/200, are fully functional, completely independent PCs, which use standard, off-the-shelf, baby-AT motherboards as the server engine. This architecture ensures that network managers receive the latest in completely compatible technology, while staying off the ``technology treadmill,'' which affects many proprietary designs. Further, the use of this off-the-shelf technology significantly reduces the cost of upgrades and replacements. Built for Expansion and Change The computer industry is undergoing change at a rate it has not experienced in a decade. As a result, network managers have a lower confidence level that today's purchases will continue to meet future requirements. ChatCom's ChatExpress PentiumPro server modules address this problem through modularity and accessibility. Modifications to server configurations are accomplished by removing the front-loading server module, making changes (replacing hard drives, third-party cards, etc.) and reinstalling the server module. Tasks as simple as replacing memory on an ordinary desktop PC-server can take almost ten times longer than on a ChatExpress server module. Seven PentiumPro/200s in a Single 19-inch Enclosure The ChatExpress server modules slide into the front of Chatcom's ChatPowerPlus rack-mounted enclosure, where it receives redundant power, cooling and systems-level management capabilities. The ChatPowerPlus enclosure fits into all standard 19-inch RETMA RETMA Radio Electronics Television Manufacturers Association (rack spacing) racks. Each ChatPowerPlus enclosure can host up to seven independent PentiumPro ChatExpress server modules, and four redundant, hot-swappable, load-sharing power supplies. In addition, six high-capacity cooling fans provide more-than- adequate cooling for a fully loaded PentiumPro server system. All ChatExpress server modules plug into a passive backplane A backplane that adds no processing in the circuit. See backplane. , which provides power, systems-level management features from ChatCom's IntelliManagement subsystem and peripheral sharing. Only a single monitor, keyboard, mouse and floppy drive See floppy disk. floppy drive - disk drive are required for an entire array of ChatExpress server modules. The PentiumPro server module includes all of the features of a standard desktop PC and more. Each PentiumPro server module comes standard with 8MB of DRAM, a 2Gbyte hard drive, 512K L2-cache, PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). and/or ISA (1) (Instruction Set Architecture) See instruction set. (2) (Interactive Services Association) See Internet Alliance. (3) (Internet Security and Acceleration) See .NET. support and an on-board 10/100BT NIC (1) (Network Interface Card) See network adapter. See also InterNIC. (2) (New Internet Computer) An earlier Linux-based computer from The New Internet Computer Company (NICC), Palo Alto, CA. . Other features of the ChatExpress server modules that are impossible to implement with a desktop PC include patented Reset on Loss-of-Carrier and Line-Busy logic. These features are essential for enterprisewide remote access and dial-up applications. High-Availability Through On-board Health Monitoring and Control Among the advantages of ChatCom's architecture is the ability to manage the hardware in ways not achievable using desktop computers. Each ChatExpress server module contains sophisticated hardware- management circuitry giving network managers direct or remote control of many lower-level functions of the entire ChatPowerPlus system, including cold reset and power off. In the event of a software lockup See hang and abend. , the hardware-management circuitry can automatically initiate a cold reset to the processor, or report the anomaly to ChatCom's IntelliManagement module for network-administrator intervention, or both. To eliminate trips to the computer room, ChatCom's IntelliManagement can redirect screen and keyboard data from any ChatExpress to any PC on the LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. or WAN, or through a dial-up connection. IntelliManagement is fully SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) A widely used network monitoring and control protocol. Data are passed from SNMP agents, which are hardware and/or software processes reporting activity in each network device (hub, router, bridge, etc. compliant, and works with Novell's NetWare, Microsoft's NT, Windows 95 or 3.1 or DOS. Pricing and Availability The ChatExpress PentiumPro server module is available immediately. Prices for the ChatExpress PentiumPro/200 with the standard configuration begin at $4,495, and are available through ChatCom VARs worldwide. About ChatCom Founded in 1982, ChatCom is a leading supplier of award-winning managed, consolidated-application and communication server systems to Fortune 1000 companies worldwide. Located in Chatsworth, ChatCom is publicly held and traded on NASDAQ under the symbol CHAT. ChatCom can be reached at 800/456-1333, or on the Web at http://www.jlchatcom.com CONTACT: ChatCom Inc., Chatsworth Kathleen A. O'Donnell, 800/456-1333 kodonnell@jlchatcom.com |
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