Latest Tandem middleware extends reliability in mainstream open systems; open solutions on all levels; operating system, databases, connectivity and distributed object management.NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 1995--Tandem Computers Inc. today announced a series of new open middleware products, along with new versions of existing middleware offerings, as part of its ongoing strategy to bring enhanced levels of reliability and scalability to open computing. The new middleware offerings allow customers to enjoy a broad choice of off-the-shelf applications and continues Tandem's strategy of allowing easy integration of high-performance, parallel processing solutions with the company's other open systems. The new open middleware products span a variety of categories, including database management systems, database connectivity, operating system enhancements, distributed object management, and mainframe alternative solutions. The later category includes the industry's first parallel processing implementation of the CICS (Customer Information Control System) A TP monitor from IBM that was originally developed to provide transaction processing for IBM mainframes. It controls the interaction between applications and users and lets programmers develop screen displays without application programming interface (API) for migrating CICS API-based transaction processing applications off of mainframes and onto Tandem's more flexible -- and even more robust -- open platform. "Our commitment is to deliver the industry's most robust open computing for business-critical applications," said Bill Heil, Tandem's vice president of product management and product marketing. "Open middleware is the key in that it reduces porting and development costs and allows users to enjoy hardware and software independence for their applications. Thus, customers are not locking themselves into Tandem, or anyone else, yet they can benefit from our well-known reliability and scalability attributes." Robust Open Middleware Tandem's new middleware offerings encompass a full range of categories and represent a foundation for the development of portable, enterprise-ready distributed applications. The categories include: -- Operating Environment Release 2.0 of Tandem's Open System Services API extends the company's capability to support robust open applications based on the X/Open Portability Guide An earlier name for standards that specified compliance with X/Open's Common Application Environment (CAE). XPG3 (1989) and XPG4 (1992) define operating systems, languages and protocols, etc. About half of the Single UNIX Specification (formerly Spec 1170) was taken from XPG4. Standards (XPG See X/Open Portability Guide. XPG - X/open Portability Guide 4). Release 2.0 includes support for Berkeley sockets, NFS (Network File System) The file sharing protocol in a Unix network. This de facto Unix standard, which is widely known as a "distributed file system," was developed by Sun. See file sharing protocol and WebNFS. NFS - Network File System support, native language support, symbolic links and many performance enhancements. -- Database New features and performance improvements have been made to Tandem's NonStop SQL/MP since 1987, the first parallel implementation of the structured query language See SQL. Structured Query Language - SQL . The new features enhance NonStop SQL/MP's position as the most reliable and most scalable database for large-scale OLTP (OnLine Transaction Processing) See transaction processing and OLCP. OLTP - On-Line Transaction Processing and data warehousing and include support for system managed storage, 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) ESCON (Enterprise Systems CONnection) An IBM S/390 fiber-optic channel that transfers 17 Mbytes/sec over distances up to 60 km depending on connection type. ESCON allows peripheral devices to be located across large campuses and metropolitan areas. channel connect, and a load append facility. -- Transaction Processing In addition to Tandem's previously announced NonStop Tuxedo, the new API called Parallel Transaction Processing (PTP (1) See peer-to-peer. (2) (Picture Transfer Protocol) An ISO standard for transferring photos from a digital camera to a computer or photo printer. ) Services for the CICS API is the first product to extend the domain of the popular IBM CICS API transaction processing monitor to the realm of large-scale parallel processing. PTP Services is compatible with applications for IBM's CICS products. PTP Services for the CICS API allows companies with business-critical CICS API-based applications to lower their operating costs and gain much needed flexibility to accommodate change, while preserving their CICS API investment. -- Distributed Computing Tandem's new NonStop DCE (1) (Distributed Computing Environment) Software from The Open Group that allows applications to be built across heterogeneous platforms in a network. DCE includes security, directory naming, time synchronization, file sharing, RPCs and multithreading services. provides support for the industry-standard Distributed Computing Environment See DCE. Distributed Computing Environment - (DCE) An architecture consisting of standard programming interfaces, conventions and server functionalities (e.g. naming, distributed file system, remote procedure call) for distributing applications transparently across networks from the Open Software Foundation, which allows applications to be fully distributed and interoperable in a heterogeneous environment. NonStop DCE provides a robust and scalable DCE environment and incorporates such enhancements to DCE as a Cell Directory Service based on the high-performance NonStop SQL/MP database and provides an extension to the Remote Procedure cell server model called Distributor Agent. This extension ensures that the server workload is balanced evenly across the entire agent cluster and takes advantage of Tandem's parallel architecture. -- Object Support Customers can leverage Tandem's reliability, scalability and parallel performance in object-based heterogeneous open distributed environments through Tandem's new NonStop Distributed Object Manager (DOM). NonStop DOM is based on the popular IBM System Objects Model (SOM) and is fully CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) A software-based interface from the Object Management Group (OMG) that allows software modules (objects) to communicate with each other no matter where they are located on a private network or the global 2.0 compliant. Availability The suite of new Tandem middleware products and solutions will be available in the first half of 1996. Tandem Computers Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) A technology that transmits multiple signals simultaneously over a single transmission path. Each lower-speed signal is time sliced into one high-speed transmission. ) is the leader in continuously available, open parallel processing, reliable client/server solutions, decision support systems and enterprise networks. The company manufactures, markets and provides services and systems ranging from the desktop to the data center, as well as software to deliver complete customer solutions. Tandem, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., has offices worldwide. -0- NOTE TO EDITORS: Tandem, Himalaya, NonStop, Parallel Transaction Processing, PTP, and the Tandem logo are trademarks of Tandem Computers Inc. CICS is a trademark of IBM Corp. X/Open is a registered trademark of X/Open Co. Ltd. Tuxedo is a registered trademark of Novell Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. For media information, telephone 408/285-6000. CONTACT: Tandem Computers Inc., Cupertino Michael Hakkert, 408/285-6933 World Wide Web Home Page: http://www.tandem.com |
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