Sequent Supports BEA M3 Object Transaction Middleware System on NUMA-Q Data Center Platforms.

BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 1998--

Sequent One of First Server Vendors Licensed

to Resell BEA M3 Component Middleware Software

Sequent Computer Systems Inc. today announced that its NUMA-based systems -- NUMA-Q(TM) 2000 and NUMACenter(TM) -- will support the BEA M3 object transaction middleware system, announced today from BEA Systems Inc.

The BEA M3 component-based technology provides Sequent customers with a mission-critical application platform for integrating the data center, connecting existing applications with new applications and the Internet by leveraging object-based technology.

Sequent also announced an agreement with BEA to become one of the first server companies to distribute BEA M3 technology, either directly to its customers or in conjunction with BEA's sales force. BEA M3 component technology will be available on Sequent's data center servers in Q4 1998.

"As one of the first server vendors to resell BEA's new M3 technology, Sequent sees significant value in bringing object technology to multi-tier transaction environments in which multiple operating systems and Internet technologies come in to play," said Jeff Pancottine, vice president of worldwide marketing. "BEA M3 provides a critical middleware component for Sequent's NUMACenter -- a data center server platform which integrates UNIX and Windows NT in a single managed system."

BEA M3 provides users with object-based middleware for mission-critical transaction processing. Component-based technology helps reduce the time and effort needed to build, deploy, manage, and integrate applications for the enterprise, and can be an important competitive advantage in developing innovative IT systems.

BEA M3 is the first complete component-based middleware platform for mission-critical applications. BEA, a leader in distributed transaction processing, built BEA M3 to provide the same robust, highly scalable, proven infrastructure as with BEA TUXEDO(R).

"Sequent's data center servers provide a mission-critical platform, a key component for BEA in providing high-end middleware solutions," said Sam Cece, vice president of worldwide marketing for BEA Systems Inc. "Building on our close relationship with Sequent, BEA M3 adds object technology to our joint offering to provide an industrial-strength infrastructure that integrates object request brokers, transaction processing monitors, and message-oriented middleware for a comprehensive solution."

Sequent's NUMA-based systems are designed to deliver mainframe performance levels at a fraction of the cost. NUMA-Q 2000 is a robust, scalable next-generation SMP server that minimizes customers' risk of implementing complex business applications in an open systems environment. Sequent's NUMACenter platform is a multi-tier, multi-OS capable system aimed at managing the chaos, complexity and resulting cost of back office systems. NUMACenter will run multiple partitioned instances of UNIX and Windows NT within a single managed environment, eliminating the risk of betting on a single operating environment.

About Sequent Computer Systems Inc.

Sequent Computer Systems (NASDAQ:SQNT), the leader in Intel-based systems for the data center, is committed to the success of its end-user and system integrator customers. Sequent's platform architectures and services are optimized for the scalability, availability and manageability requirements of corporate and institutional data center environments leveraging industry-standard technologies and best-in-class partnerships.

Sequent was the world's fastest-growing server vendor between $100K and $1M in 1997 on the strength of NUMA-Q 2000, and has been the number one vendor of high-end Unix servers in the UK for the past seven years, according to IDC. Sequent supports more than 10,000 installations worldwide, including many of the world's largest and most sophisticated OLTP, DSS, business communications, and RDBMS applications. For further information, phone Sequent at 503/626-5700 or 800/257-9044, or visit our World Wide Web site http://www.sequent.com. -0- Trademarks

Sequent is a registered trademark and NUMA-Q and NUMACenter are trademarks of Sequent Computer Systems Inc. BEA is a registered trademark of BEA Systems Inc. BEA M3 is a trademark of BEA Systems Inc. TUXEDO is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries. All brand and product names appearing in this release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holder.

CONTACT: Sequent Computer Systems Inc.

Chris McManus, 415/778-5225

[e-mail]

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