FirePower demo's first SMP PowerPC system running windows NT.LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 1994--The first desktop system/server that incorporates dual high-end PowerPC microprocessors and runs the Microsoft(R) Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. (TM) operating system is being demonstrated by FirePower(TM) Systems, this week at the COMDEX The former, premier computer trade show in the U.S. Although it grew into an end user event, it was originally created for dealers and distributors (it was the COMputer Dealers EXposition). show. The design elements of FirePower's Powerized(TM) MX4100/2 SMP (Symmetric MultiProcessing) A multiprocessing architecture in which multiple CPUs, residing in one cabinet, share the same memory. SMP systems provide scalability. As business increases, additional CPUs can be added to absorb the increased transaction volume. (symmetric multi-processing) system place it well along the path toward meeting the new hardware reference platform announced last week by Apple, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) and Motorola. The MX4100/2 is the first system to combine multiple PowerPC 604 processors, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, New York, www.ieee.org) A membership organization that includes engineers, scientists and students in electronics and allied fields. 1275 Open Firmware, PCI bus, and the complete hardware reference platform I/O (Input/Output) The transfer of data between the CPU and a peripheral device. Every transfer is an output from one device and an input to another. See PC input/output. I/O - Input/Output on the main logic board. The COMDEX demonstration, the result of a joint effort by FirePower and software development partners Microsoft, Motorola and IBM, features the Powerized MX4100/2 running Windows NT Workstation. The MX4100/2 illustrates the unique symmetric multiprocessing scalability of PowerPC 604 processors which, combined with Windows NT's support for SMP multiprocessing with automatic scheduling, can deliver scalable power not previously available to desktop and server users. Multiprocessing has advantages for virtually every user, whether he is running multiple applications simultaneously as in multimedia production or 3D design; or viewing multiple windows within a single application such as software development or financial transactions. "The Powerized MX4100/2 shows the power we can deliver to users exploiting the multiprocessing capabilities of PowerPC and Windows NT," said Dr. Glen Miranker, FirePower Systems' vice president of hardware engineering. "The hardware reference platform specification gives us the ability to deploy forward looking, fully compatible products like the MX4100/2." The MX4100/2, which runs Microsoft Windows-based 16- and 32-bit applications using the Windows NT operating system, is part of FirePower's new Powerized family of PowerPC Reference Platform- compliant systems, introduced last month. Designed for sale to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and computer suppliers, the Powerized family also includes single- processor systems based on the 603 and 604 versions of the PowerPC. Powerized MX products, expected to be available to end users during first quarter 1995 for approximately $6,000, will feature two PowerPC 604 processors each rated at up to 160 SPECint and 185 SPECfp. The systems deliver up to 320 MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second) The execution speed of a computer. For example, .5 MIPS is 500,000 instructions per second; 100 MIPS is a hundred million instructions per second. , offering more performance and functionality than many workstations, and up to four times the performance of the fastest single-processor Pentium- based PCs on the market. Initial OEM customers of the FirePower products are Canon Computer Systems, Inc., of Costa Mesa, Calif., and IPC (1) (InterProcess Communication) The exchange of data between one program and another either within the same computer or over a network. It implies a protocol that guarantees a response to a request. Technologies of Austin, Texas. FirePower Systems, Inc., headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., is dedicated to providing the industry's leading computer suppliers with systems based on the PowerPC(TM) microprocessor and compliant with the PowerPC Reference Platform PowerPC Reference Platform - PowerPC Platform (TM) specification. FirePower's innovative products, which range from designs to complete systems, are supplied to OEM customers for license or purchase. The company was formed in 1993 as a partnership with Canon Inc., of Japan. FirePower and Powerized are trademarks of FirePower Systems, Inc. PowerPC and PowerPC Reference Platform are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other products, brand names or companies are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. -0- Note to Editors: Fall '94 COMDEX -- Room LN210 CONTACT: FirePower Systems Inc.
Phil Schiller, 415/462-3025
Ulevich & Orrange, Inc.
William Orrange, Janis Ulevich, 415/329-1590
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