Compaq and Polaris Partner to Offer High-Bandwidth Link to Mainframes.

BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 2, 1999--

-- Technical partnership improves movement of SNA traffic between

Compaq NonStop processors and S/390 class mainframes --

In a move intended to address the explosion of shared data in OLTP, server consolidations, and new business intelligence applications, Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE:CPQ) and Polaris Communications, Inc. have announced a technical and marketing alliance to provide direct channel connections between Compaq NonStop computers and IBM or plug compatible mainframes.

Under the agreement, Compaq will use Polaris Communications' high-speed PCI-to-ESCON adapter cards to run with ServerNet, a core interconnect technology built into Compaq's NonStop systems.

Solution Links ServerNet and ESCON 

The product, ES Connect, takes advantage of ServerNet, an advanced I/O architecture that replaces conventional bus and channel technologies in Compaq servers and provides any-to-any connections at speeds up to 50 MBytes/sec.

"ES Connect is an ideal solution for high data rate applications," said Wil Marshman, product manager at Compaq's Tandem Division. "Along with the enterprise level processing capabilities of the Himalaya systems and the speed of ServerNet, our customers now have access to a high-bandwidth pipes to move data to and from mainframes. The solution scales easily to allow additional high-speed connections as volume demands."

The connection between ServerNet and ESCON is through a standard Compaq ProLiant NT server with an embedded Polaris PCI-to-ESCON adapter card. ESCON, a fiber optic based technology running at up to 17.5 MBytes/sec, is used extensively by IBM and plug compatible mainframe vendors to connect processors and peripherals. Polaris has been a pioneer in using ESCON and other channel-based technologies to connect servers to mainframes.

Performance Boost Seen for SNA Applications

The Compaq NonStop system handles all aspects of the link -- from downloading software to the Polaris adapter card to link initialization. Once a link between ServerNet and ESCON is established, data flows directly across the PCI bus with minimal overhead.

Speaking in Seattle, WA, at the "Windows NT Wizards Annual Symposium" sponsored by Compaq, Peter LaPorte, Polaris vice president of marketing, said, "Although it is the dominant protocol used for mainframe applications, SNA has not been known for record-breaking performance. However, when used with ServerNet, Compaq NonStop kernel users can now expect real SNA throughput of over 8.2 MBytes/sec."

An added benefit according to Compaq's Marshman, is that direct connections of NonStop servers to an ESCON channel relieves strain on LANs and routed networks. Marshman said, "Many Business Intelligence applications require moving large amounts of data between mainframes and Compaq NonStop servers in just a couple hours. That often places strain on networks and degrades user response times. Direct ESCON connectivity provides the high performance and reliability to move the data with no effects on the network."

About Compaq Computer Corporation

Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation is a Fortune Global 100 company. Compaq is the second largest computer company in the world and the largest global supplier of personal computers. Compaq develops and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services, including industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, networking and communication products, commercial desktop and portable products, and consumer PCs. The company is an industry leader in environmentally friendly programs and business practices.

Compaq products are sold and supported in more than 100 countries through a network of authorized Compaq marketing partners. Customer support and information about Compaq and its products are available at www.compaq.com.

About Polaris Communications, Inc.

Polaris Communications, Inc. develops and markets solutions to directly connect S/390 class mainframe channels with open systems. These board-level interfaces improve the performance and reduce the costs associated with a variety of data intensive applications, including web to host access, data consolidation and storage area networks. A pioneer in channel connectivity, the Oregon based company complements its interface hardware with device drivers for TCP/IP, SNA and bulk data transfer applications. Polaris solutions are available worldwide through OEMs, VARs and directly from the company. Information about Polaris products is available on the web at www.polariscomm.com.

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