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Title: Open Client/Server Computing White Paper
Rev. Date: 02/01/94
Lexicals: None.
Notes: Source: Client/Server program Office. This paper is a
marketing document that has not been formatted for use in
a proposal.
See also document in DPDS titled Client/Server Computing
Overview.
Open Client/Server Computing White Paper
Customers Worldwide Use Digital's Experience, Technology, and Services
To Implement Solutions That Work Today
Abstract
This paper describes how Digital's single focus on open client/server
solutions is enabling customers worldwide to meet business needs and
respond quickly in a constantly changing environment. It describes
the software integration frameworks that Digital is developing to
solve basic problems associated with implementing client/server
solutions such as data integration, workgroup computing, enterprise
messaging, production system computing, technical computing, and
system and network management. It shows how Digital integrates
current and future technology through its investment in open
standards. And it describes Digital's price/performance leadership in
high-performance clients, servers, and networks for implementing
dependable solutions that are easy to manage.
Digital gains an in-depth understanding of the customer's business
through its industry- and account-focused organization. This
organizational design also facilitates collaborative partnerships with
best-in-class developers of industry-specific applications. These
partnerships, together with Digital's experience in implementing and
supporting solutions worldwide, provide customers with innovative,
integrated, and open client/server solutions today -- to
specification, on time, and within budget.
Many companies today are using open client/server computing to more
quickly identify and respond to strategic opportunities. Open
client/server computing gives an organization the means to make the
most of all its resources: information, capital, technology -- and
most of all, people.
By giving people throughout the enterprise the information and tools
they need to do their jobs -- and to work more effectively with each
other -- open client/server solutions enable organizations to better
achieve strategic objectives such as superior product quality, faster
time to market, lower costs, more responsive customer service, and
greater profitability. To the business manager, open client/server
solutions promise the ability to implement new initiatives and change
business processes -- without technology constraints.
For PC users, open client/server solutions promise the ability to find
and use the information they need -- and to work collaboratively with
other people -- regardless of geography, function, or desktop tools.
For LAN managers, network and system administrators, open
client/server computing promises new approaches and new tools to help
manage a mix of systems and networks.
For software development companies and in-house programmers, open
client/server modular applications promise more flexibility. It's
easier to respond to change and easier to maintain modular
applications. It's also possible to encapsulate existing applications
as modules in a larger open client/server system.
For systems integrators, open client/server computing promises new
ways to offer cost-effective solutions built on the applications,
data, systems, and networks from multiple vendors.
For the corporate IT manager, open client/server computing promises
the flexibility and interoperability to respond quickly to end-user
needs yet maintain a cost-effective, reliable, and secure
enterprise-wide information infrastructure.
Realizing The Promise Of Open Client/Server Computing
Realizing the full promise of open client/server computing, however,
takes more than buying the latest "client/server product."
Connecting 10 PCs to a server on a single LAN is one thing.
Integrating processes, data, applications, and end users on 10
different LANs is another.
Today PC users need access to information and people beyond their
workgroup LAN. They require access to network resources across their
company. They need the capabilities to make widely distributed
information and resources useful, on their own system, through the
graphical user interface (GUI) of their choice. They need to be able
to choose their own applications and yet work interactively with
people on different systems, using different applications. They need
to be able to use business-critical applications alongside personal
productivity packages. And increasingly, they need all of the above
on more mobile -- and even wireless -- devices. What's more,
organizations need a way to manage it all.
Digital: Putting Open Client/Server Computing To Work
Client/server technology is the next computing generation. It allows
businesses to respond quickly in a constantly changing environment.
To enable customers to realize the full power of client/server
computing in their business, Digital Equipment Corporation and its
partners are working together to deliver on the promises of open
client/server solutions today.
The Digital difference is its ability, through its technology,
organization, services, and partnerships, to embrace whatever
technology and approach will work best to meet a customer's needs.
Digital is open to any client/server approach, because truly open
client/server computing means support for all protocols, all existing
and future technology, and all types of end users.
Digital's comprehensive approach includes thousands of applications
through collaboration with major developers; easy open sharing and
information access information in a multivendor environment; the
ability to integrate current and future technology; systems with the
highest performance at every price point; and the highest availability
and data integrity to keep data and computers safe, secure, and ready
for use. Organized by industry to better apply the technology,
Digital offers extensive expertise and worldwide support to help
customers implement open client/server solutions.
Connecting PC Users to Enterprise Resources
Digital's goal is to make it easy for any client to work with any
server across any network. Today Digital offers the highest level of
logical connectivity available between multiple clients, servers, and
networks through its PATHWORKS integration software.
PATHWORKS is a good example of a product that is a client/server
solution in its own right, as well as an enabling software platform.
Introduced in 1986, PATHWORKS is one of the top three PC local area
networks with 12% of the F1000 market (1992 Computer Intelligence
Study) and an installed base of 1.5 million PC users. Today PATHWORKS
is Digital's highest growth and highest volume software product.
The PATHWORKS product enables people using different kinds of PCs and
workstations on different kinds of workgroup LANs, to share files,
exchange mail, access data, and share computing resources. Regardless
of where data and computing systems resources are located or what kind
of computing platform they run on, PATHWORKS client/server software
makes it look like part of the user's desktop system.
Today PATHWORKS supports Windows, DOS, OS/2, Macintosh (and soon
Windows NT) clients. Its server software runs on a full range of
scalable Intel-, VAX-, and RISC (MIPS and Alpha AXP)-based servers.
And PATHWORKS servers support the Windows NT, OS/2, ULTRIX, DEC OSF/1,
SCO UNIX, and OpenVMS operating systems.
PATHWORKS networking software incorporates Microsoft's LAN Manager,
Novell's NetWare, AND Apple's AppleShare network operating software.
It supports a broad range of network protocols, including IPX,
AppleTalk, and NetBEUI. And it can run over ThinWire, thick wire and
unshielded Twisted Pair Ethernet, 802.5/Token Ring, LocalTalk, FDDI,
or synchronous/asynchronous connections.
PATHWORKS also goes beyond the workgroup LAN. It provides direct
access to client/server resources on other LANs, on TCP/IP and DECnet
networks and, through gateways, to SNA and X.25 networks --across the
organization or beyond.
Designed from the beginning to provide the reliability, security, and
integrity to support distributed production applications, PATHWORKS is
an ideal platform for database access, distributed transaction
processing and business-critical client/server applications.
The newest PATHWORKS software, Version 5.0, is the first in a new
generation of PATHWORKS solutions focusing on more powerful interfaces
for accessing networked services; greater data and application
integration; and simplified management of the the diverse mix of
workgroup LANs typically found in large organizations. For example,
PATHWORKS V5.0 features a Windows-based management application called
ManageWorks. ManageWorks enables PATHWORKS servers and client systems
as well as Novell NetWare and Microsoft LAN Manager servers to be
managed through a single, consistent, and easy-to-use GUI.
The Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in Texas
links 29 schools and the district's administration offices into a
single educational community by using the PATHWORKS platform.
PATHWORKS software enables Macintosh and DOS PC users anywhere in the
district to access applications and data located on TCP/IP, DECnet,
Novell IPX/SPX, AppleTalk, and X.25 networks.
According to Mark Hyatt, Assistant Superintendent for Business, the
district chose Digital's client/server approach "to ensure
district-wide access to all our applications, allow us to go on using
our existing resources, and enable us to integrate new applications
without having to change the system every few years."
Digital's Enabling Software
Digital's enabling software makes it possible to integrate
client/server applications across multiple platforms using open
standards.
For example, Digital's ObjectBroker software was the first
commercially available product to comply with the Common Object
Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) defined by the Object Management
Group (OMG). Digital has by far the widest implementation of this
emerging standard, including the HP-UX, Sun/OS, IBM AIX, DEC OSF/1,
OpenVMS, MS Windows, and ULTRIX platforms.
Using ObjectBroker software, customers can preserve existing
investments in applications and platforms, while building modular
systems comprised of new and existing applications. Digital adds
further value by establishing easier connections from open middleware
to the PC environment -- providing a smooth migration path from
two-tier to three-tier client/server computing. For example, Digital
is building interfaces from popular desktop development tools (Visual
Basic, PowerBuilder) to Digital's CORBA implementation. In addition,
Digital will connect this object-oriented integration system with
PC-based integration mechanisms -- DDE/Ole from Microsoft -- enabling
organizations to link desktops to enterprise objects.
Digital also layers ObjectBroker software on top of DCE Security and
DCE Directory Services so that customers can deploy manageable and
secure client/server environments based on industry standards. Digital
is committed to the Open Software Foundation's DCE standard, and has
been a leading contributor of technology to the Open Software
Foundation.
Message queuing services are another example of enabling software.
They enable application developers to send messages between clients
and servers in a non-blocking, non-stop manner. Store-and-forward
journals ensure safe message delivery. DECmessageQ currently is
available on a wide variety of PC and UNIX platforms, as well as on
the OpenVMS platform, with interoperability to MVS CICS using LU6.2
conversations. This application-to-application link is often used as
a way to surround and supplement IBM mainframe applications, as in the
following examples.
The Allmerica Financial Systems Development unit provides IS services
for all of the companies under the Allmerica corporate umbrella,
including the $1.9 billion State Mutual Insurance company. When
Allmerica discovered that about half of its IBM mainframe resources
were consumed by application development and maintenance, it decided
to explore offloading COBOL development to PCs.
"We did a lot of research and realized there were no products on the
market that really suited our needs," says Renga Renganathan, who
managed the project. "When we told Digital about our vision, they
bought into it and we became partners."
The resulting client/server solution connects Windows-based PCs
running Micro Focus COBOL WorkBench to an OpenVMS server that acts as
a clearing house between the PCs and the corporate mainframe. The
server automatically delivers the appropriate software modules to a
programmer's PC and then automatically returns files to the mainframe
for production.
Lenny Roberts, director of information systems for the city of Seattle
and one of the top 100 IS directors named by CIO magazine, had a
similar need.
"We talked to a lot of data processing companies, but only Digital has
had the firsthand experience with the kind of client/server solutions
we're looking for."
"A client/server solution structured around the mainframe, with
middleware connecting to PC development platforms gives us the
flexibility to easily accommodate ongoing maintenance while
introducing some new development. It also gives us scalability. We
can grow IS development relatively inexpensively by adding PCs or
upgrading the middleware, rather than upgrading the mainframe," he
says.
Open Software Frameworks -- Reducing Risk, Cost, Time, & Effort
Enabling software makes open client/server solutions possible. But
Digital simplifies client/server implementation by providing to
customers, independent software developers, value added resellers,
systems integrators, and others, open software frameworks based on
this enabling software. These frameworks will consist of the
application program interfaces, methodologies, tools, and facilities
to solve the basic integration problems between different data,
applications, management and control functions on multiple platforms.
As such, they act as the building blocks that enable Digital, its
customers, and others to put together multivendor client/server
solutions in less time, with less risk, less cost, and less effort.
Wherever possible, Digital's software integration frameworks are based
on standards, or, where not possible, on widely available
specifications likely to become standards. For this reason, customers
and others can be assured that their investments are protected and
that their solutions will be able to work with solutions from other
sources -- and with new technology -- over time.
Today Digital and its partners offer open client/server solutions
based on standards-based software frameworks that work, that work
together, that work today, and that will work tomorrow.
Some of these capabilities are highlighted below.
Integrating Workgroups
To redesign and streamline business processes, organizations need a
way to link existing cross-functional applications -- and to manage
and control the "workflow" that supports new processes.
The LinkWorks product is an object-oriented, client/server-based
software framework from Digital that enables people using different
desktop applications and electronic mail systems anywhere in the
organization to work together, sharing not only text, but images and
multimedia, in cross-functional project teams.
LinkWorks software manages workflow through features such as revision
control, event notification, serial, parallel, and conditional routing
and electronic sign-off. With LinkWorks, managers can easily design
and define workflow for projects and processes. Contributors can
continue to use their applications of choice, tailor their own
easy-to-use icon-based working environment, share screens, and keep
private and shared workspaces separate.
LinkWorks enables existing applications to be integrated across
departments through a unique encapsulation tool kit. Any popular
program -- for example, Lotus Notes -- can be used as an integral part
of the overall solution.
LinkWorks has been proven in real-world workgroup applications for the
past 18 months. It gives customers the capabilities to easily and
continually simplify work processes -- resulting in gains in
productivity of not just 10 percent or 20 percent, but many times
over. Currently, LinkWorks software supports about 10,000 users
worldwide.
Today the LinkWorks product supports Macintosh, MS Window-based PC,
and UNIX clients, and Intel-based SCO UNIX, RISC ULTRIX and DEC OSF/1
AXP servers. Future releases will support the Windows NT, OpenVMS
AXP, and OpenVMS VAX platforms. LinkWorks also will support
Presentation Manager on OS/2, and sometimes connected clients for MS
Windows.
LinkWorks solutions on other platforms also are available from Digital
and its partners on a project-by-project basis.
The Bank of Montreal uses a LinkWorks-based solution to integrate 44
different corporate systems. Now employees can easily gain a complete
and up-to-date picture of each customer's relationship with the bank
-- while ensuring that confidential information remains secure. The
bank estimates that the system reduces the time to prepare a credit
application by an entire day. After a one month pilot of the system,
users voted unanimously to adopt the system -- a response that
surprised even the system's most enthusiastic supporters. In fact,
employees reported that they now actually enjoyed tasks that they once
found cumbersome. The Austrian Ministry of Science and Research uses
LinkWorks software to support Macintosh and MS-DOS PCs. Initial
results have convinced the Ministry to standardize on LinkWorks as its
office platform.
Besides providing a platform for Digital's systems integration
engineers to work with customers to develop customized solutions,
LinkWorks software can be used by IT organizations, VARs, and others
as the basis for the solutions they deliver.
Volkswagen Gedas, which develops information solutions for its parent
company, Volkswagen, as well as for other clients, is using LinkWorks
software to help a customer streamline its business processes. "The
new system supports sales, logistics, and communication throughout the
company," explains Gedas' executive Stefan Wiesner, "It cuts response
time and improves customer satisfaction."
Before choosing LinkWorks software, Wiesner evaluated numerous
alternatives. "We chose LinkWorks because it's much more "in the
future" --it's completely object-oriented, it's secure, and the
workflow component is outstanding," he says.
Enabling Enterprise Messaging
Another powerful platform for client/server solutions is a single,
integrated, enterprise-wide electronic messaging capability.
Digital delivers a standards-based, dependable, and secure enterprise
messaging capability with its MAILworks messaging software. MAILworks
software provides full support for CCITT X.400 messaging across TCP/IP
and DECnet and DECnet OSI networks, including X.435 support for EDI
and full X.500 directory support. MAILworks products and services
integrate messaging products from multiple vendors into a single
any-desktop-to-any-desktop system, including users of office systems
such as ALL-IN-1 integrated office system, IBM SNADS, and PROFS.
MAILworks now also supports PC LAN mail systems such as Microsoft's
Mail and cc:Mail systems.
Integrating Data From Multiple Sources
Digital's data access and data integration solutions make it easy for
people throughout the organization to find and use the information
they need.
Digital solutions provide PC users on multiple desktop systems with
transparent access to data -- in multiple databases -- across multiple
networks. They automatically and transparently reconcile inconsistent
data formats to make data more useful. And they offer services such
as database browsing and data ordering in which users can select
specific sets of data to be sent to their PCs on a regular basis.
ACCESSWORKS software provides transparent access from MS-Windows, DOS,
Macintosh, OS/2, HP/UX, AIX, Sun/OS, ULTRIX, and OpenVMS clients to
more than 50 data sources supported by Enterprise Data
Access/Structured Query Language (EDA/SQL) -- all across multiprotocol
networks. Data sources for ACCESSWORKS include leading relational
databases such as Digital's Rdb, ORACLE, Sybase, Informix, Borland's
dBASE, and Software AG's ADABAS, as well as mainframe databases and
file systems such as IBM's DB2, IMS, IDMS/R, VSAM, and Allbase/SQL.
The University of California at San Diego uses ACCESSWORKS software to
make data on an IBM mainframe available to a hundred college
administrators who use IBM PCs, Apple Macintosh, Sun workstations, and
other UNIX systems. As a result, UCSD administrators can get
information within minutes that used to take weeks to be extracted
from the mainframe, transferred to tape, converted to floppy, and
printed out in hardcopy report form.
"We are making data directly available to the campus administration,"
says Rod Cressey, manager of client/server services for UCSD. "They
can manipulate the data with the front-end tools they have, whether
Lotus 1-2-3 or Paradox or Excel."
DEC DB Integrator software makes data stored in multiple formats in
multiple databases appear as if it were in one logical database. DEC
DB Integrator is itself database independent.
Digital has announced DEC DB Gateways for Sybase, DEC DBMS, DSM
(Digital's implementation of industry-standard MUMPS) and EDA/SQL.
These gateways complement existing DEC DB Gateways to Rdb, ORACLE, and
IBM DB2 databases; RMS, and VSAM file systems; and any number of
proprietary file and database systems through the DEC DB Gateway for
Custom Drivers.
Digital has also announced that it will provide the ODBC Driver for
MS-Windows, free, as part of its Rdb database and DEC DB Integrator
software.
DEC Data Distributor software provides automated distribution of data,
performing such transactions as data extraction, rollups, and
replication on a regularly scheduled basis. The source database for
DEC Data Distributor can be any DEC DB Integrator database. The
target database can be any of the relational databases supported by
the DEC DB Integrator software.
Supporting Production System Applications in an Open Client/Server
Environment
Digital simplifies the development of open client/server production
system applications by enabling customers and developers to choose the
best transaction model, database, and forms package for an
application.
The DECadmire product, for example, makes it easy for customers or
developers to generate production quality client/server applications
using the ACMS transaction processing (TP) monitor, Reliable
Transaction Router (RTR) transaction software, the DECforms forms
package or the TFM PC client development tool on MS Windows.
The ACMS TP monitor provides the security, integrity, and performance
to manage TP-based client/server solutions where processing is
distributed among multiple processors. In addition to conforming to
Multi-Vendor Integration Architecture (MIA) standards, the ACMS
monitor will comply with emerging OSF DCE, X/Open-TP, and OSI-TP
standards for transaction processing.
The ACMS TP monitor was designed from the beginning for client/server
environments. Its design center is the network and it offers the
broadest range of desktop client support, including Windows NT (on
Intel or Alpha AXP), MS Windows, Macintosh, SCO UNIX, ULTRIX and
OpenVMS clients, of any monitor today. The ACMS software which runs
on OpenVMS is currently being ported to DEC OSF/1 AXP and is being
engineered to be portable. In addition to ACMS, DEC OSF/1 supports
industry-standard TUXEDO and the CICS TP monitor from VIS/TP.
Reliable Transaction Router (RTR) software is fault-tolerant enabling
software for building widely distributed systems and applications with
no single point of failure. Proven in real world applications for
more than three years, RTR includes global site disaster protection
for business-critical applications.
In addition to enabling software products, Digital offers a number of
specific client/server application consulting services. For example,
consultants worldwide are available to help customers with planning,
implementation, and management through such services as Client/Server
Distributed Application Planning, and Rapid Application Prototyping,
Workgroup/End User Services, DECathena Management Services,
Information Architecture Planning, and migration services for
multivendor environments, including MVS and UNISYS, among others.
These services are available from Digital's global network of
professional service centers. Digital also delivers customized
solutions for customers worldwide.
Managing Systems and Networks in a Multivendor Client/Server
Environment
Digital and its partners offer a comprehensive range of products and
services for managing multivendor, distributed client/server
solutions.
Digital's new DEC DBA WORKcenter product, for example, provides an
integrated easy-to-use GUI for complete database administration of
multivendor database environment. It pro-actively monitors database
and application performance and gives the database administrator full
control over multiple distributed multivendor databases, CPUs, and
applications. Administrators can use DEC DBA WORKcenter to show all
of the components of a distributed client/server production system
and/or to manage very large database (VLDB) applications, such as
those typically implemented on Digital's Rdb databases.
Digital also continues to extend its family of POLYCENTER multivendor
network and system management tools. New products include: POLYCENTER
System Census which enables system managers to automatically keep
track of their inventory of PC hardware and software -- and to
integrate this inventory with other inventories for other systems. A
new POLYCENTER Capacity Planner gives managers the tools to predict
the impact of making hardware or application changes in real world
client/server environments, where applications are split among more
than one system.
Recently, Digital entered into an agreement with IBM to license and
support its NetView 6000 network management product as POLYCENTER
NetView software. The agreement includes joint engineering and
development of future releases. Digital and IBM will also jointly
recruit applications for the platform. By partnering with IBM,
Digital's intention is to create a stable, industry standard for
network management that Digital, its partners, and customers can build
on. Digital will initially support POLYCENTER NetView software on DEC
OSF/1 and Windows NT systems and provide porting tools for DECmcc
system users on the OpenVMS platform, while migrating DECmcc
capabilities to the POLYCENTER NetView product. DECmcc will continue
to be sold and supported and components will be enhanced and ported to
DEC OSF/1 AXP for use with the TeMips product set which is important
to the telecommunications market. In addition to enabling software,
Digital offers a comprehensive range of consultative and hands-on
operational support services for multivendor open client/server
environments.
Digital's new System Healthcheck service, for example, provides a
quick and broad assessment of computing operations, security, and
performance. New DECathena system management services simplify the
management of distributed, heterogeneous UNIX workstations. DECathena
services improve on the industry average of one system manager for
every 25 workstations, requiring only one system manager for up to 200
multivendor UNIX workstations. Digital's Remote System Management is
a customized solution for day-to-day systems management -- delivered
remotely -- that augments customers' existing resources. Digital's
System Management Support service provides technical expertise to
complement and supplement customers' resources for improved system
management and performance. Asset Management, a comprehensive
service, helps customers manage multivendor information technology
assets from planning, procuring, tracking, distributing, reporting,
and billing to manage their costs. Digital also announced its new
Software Publishing Service, a customized service that assists
customers in improving their productivity. This service puts
Digital's software replication and distribution capabilities at the
service of ISVs and corporate IT organizations.
Chemical Banking Corporation of New York is the third-largest bank in
the United States. It ranks number one worldwide in trading
currencies and number one nationally in lending to large corporations.
Its 1992 earnings exceeded $1 billion. With the recent merger of
Chemical Bank and the former Manufacturers Hanover, Chemical Bank
worked with Digital's management experts to consolidate multivendor
data centers.
As a result, Chemical Bank was able to consolidate six data center
sites into three locations that function as one with extended capacity
for contingency backup. It manages the operations of seven different
systems platforms from one software platform using POLYCENTER
management products from Digital and its partners. And it supports a
200 percent larger user base with less staff and less cost.
No Compromise Clients, Servers, & Networks
Clients, servers, and networks provide the infrastructure for open
client/server applications. As such, companies need to be able to
choose the systems and networks that provide the performance,
price/performance, functionality, openness, and growth they need to
support even their most critical business operations today -- and
tomorrow.
Digital is working hard to minimize the traditional tradeoffs between
price and performance, innovation and reliability, functionality and
openness to deliver what it calls "no compromise computing."
A Choice of Commercial-Strength Operating Systems
Digital offers two commercial server platforms today: DEC OSF/1 and
OpenVMS -- as well as new migration services which facilitate
downsizing mainframe applications to these environments. Digital has
also committed to delivering tools and services for Windows NT that
will enable customers to choose it as a server platform for
business-critical open client/server applications.
DEC OSF/1 -- A Complete UNIX Environment for Solving Commercial and
Technical Problems
UNIX-based systems are playing an increasingly important role in
helping customers control and manage their business operations.
Digital's increasing investment in delivering industrial-strength
commercial computing solutions, with products and services and global
business partners, provides customers with an opportunity to move into
the future of open/client server business computing today.
Digital recently announced more than 40 new products that make DEC
OSF/1 a full commercial environment -- supporting desktop integration,
system and network management, data, transaction and storage
management, application development and integration, and application
availability and performance. New capabilities include:
symmetric-multiprocessing (SMP), journaling failover, a rapid recovery
file system, C2 level security, new transaction and database software,
networking products, PC integration software, and full System V
capability.
The DEC OSF/1 operating system fully supports the multiple standards
of Berkeley (BSD), OSF AES, and System V.4 UNIX --bringing it to the
closest compliance with the common set of APIs adopted by leading UNIX
vendors. These standards ensure the broadest possible compatibility
for distributed UNIX applications. Over time, Digital will bring full
mainframe functionality to UNIX.
The DEC OSF/1 operating system is modern UNIX, based on a microkernel
implementation. Because DEC OSF/1 is a full 64-bit operating system
running on the full 64-bit RISC Alpha AXP platform today, customers
can take advantage of 64-bit performance immediately -- and avoid the
prospect of upgrading in the future. New capabilities such as C2
security, high level file integrity, symmetrical multiprocessor and
parallel processing support, expanded PC connectivity and networking
make the DEC OSF/ 1 operating system a robust platform for commercial
open client/server solutions.
Digital is porting its production quality ACMS TP monitor to the DEC
OSF/1 environment, in addition to TUXEDO, the leading UNIX TP monitor.
In addition, the CICS application re-hosting and migration product
from VIS/TP systems has been ported. All three products take
advantage of the 64-bit performance of the DEC OSF/1 environment on
the Alpha AXP platform.
All major third-party databases run under DEC OSF/1, including ORACLE,
Sybase, INGRES, Informix -- and Rdb, the leading database on Digital's
OpenVMS platform.
Digital's Hierarchical Storage Management product moves data and files
between local magnetic and networked optical storage devices. This
provides for extended on-line storage capacity, faster data access and
lower data storage costs. The POLYCENTER NetWorker Save and Restore
product allows for on-line backup of networked workstations and PCs in
a very flexible manner. User data can be backed up dynamically, in a
very rapid fashion, without user and/or operator intervention, in a
way that enhances data access and integrity while reducing overall
costs.
In the business computing environment, where the business operations
rely on the availability of the applications to end users, reliability
and scalable system growth are essential. Digital's Symmetric
Multiprocessing (SMP) implementation provides a high degree of
quality, reliability and scalability resulting in a leadership
price/performance position. High availability features include the
Advanced File System, the DECsafe Available Server, RAID storage, disk
shadowing, and Digital's Alpha AXP Farms. In addition, Digital
intends to deliver full cluster functionality, equivalent to OpenVMS
clusters, over a 3-4 year timeframe, beginning with the
high-availability features delivered now. Higher performing balanced
server platforms provide the industry's best TPC-A performance on the
leading class of volume-priced DEC OSF/1 AXP servers.
The needs of end users, developers and system integrators are
addressed through a comprehensive portfolio of application development
and integration products. Digital and its partners provide a full
suite of compilation systems, including C, C++, COBOL, FORTRAN, ADA,
and others. Digital's business partners provide a full array of 4GL
and development tools for the DEC OSF/1 environment. CASE and
Application Generation capabilities are provided through the COHESION
program, which includes products and services from Digital and
independent software developers.
Digital leverages the strengths of its software engineering partners
through the COHESIONworX framework, providing an integrated UNIX
development environment. DEC FUSE, an integral part of COHESIONworX,
was judged by UNIX REVIEW to be superior to HP's SoftBench, IBM's
WorkBench, Sun's SPARCworks, CenterLines' ObjectCenter, Lucid's
Energize or SBI's CASEVision products. The latest version of
COHESIONworX features distributed object invocation and new, intuitive
"drag and drop" GUI.
In addition, the eXcursion product allows a Windows PC to access and
display an X application from a DEC OSF/1 AXP server. More than 1,500
applications are available for the DEC OSF/1 AXP platform, and
hundreds of new business applications are being developed.
The OpenVMS Environment
Digital has completed porting major OpenVMS capabilities to the Alpha
AXP platform, including support for volume shadowing, clusters, and
disaster recovery -- thereby protecting and enhancing the computing
investment of 10 million VAX users and attracting a new class of
customers who want to downsize or deploy business-critical solutions
using client/server technology. Today more than 1,500 OpenVMS
applications are shipping on the Alpha AXP platform.
The OpenVMS operating system is on a par with UNIX systems and far
ahead of other leading "commercial" operating systems when it comes to
supporting open and de facto industry standards such as: XPG3 BASE
branding, POSIX, Motif, TCP/IP, SNA, LAN Manager and NIST FIPS 151-2.
Digital will continue to leverage the strengths of the OpenVMS
operating system. For example, over the next 18 months, Digital will
dramatically increase the capacity of the OpenVMS environment in two
ways. First, OpenVMS will support 64-bit files and data bases.
Second, the OpenVMS operating environment will incorporate a new file
system that can store 10 Terabytes on-line, do 10 Gigabytes/day
updates and recover one Terabyte in 8 hours. These new capacity
levels will enable OpenVMS servers to fully harness emerging
applications using technologies such imaging, full-motion video, and
multimedia. (Digital supports imaging, voice/video, and multimedia
today with the industry's leading backup and restore capabilities on
its Rdb database.)
Clients and Servers with Price/Performance Leadership
o PC Clients and Servers
The quality, price/performance, and service behind
Digital-engineered and-manufactured DECpc LPv and DECpc LPx Value
Line Personal computers have made Digital the fastest growing PC
supplier in the United States. In fact, today Digital is ranked
as one of the top ten PC vendors.
Digital offers the highest performance 486 PC clients on the
market -- better than Compaq, better than Dell, better than IBM
-- and at a comparable or better price.
And Digital offers a complete line of PC servers, including the
Industrial Strength Family of DECpc ST i486 and Pentium
Miniservers and the applicationDEC 560xP Pentium Server.
Digital's Family of PC Servers are powerful enough to act as
workgroup print and file servers, as well as departmental
application servers.
Digital's PC client and server systems are certified to run a wide
range of PC operating systems, including: MS DOS, MS Windows,
Windows NT, SCO UNIX, OS/2, and NeXTstep 486. Digital
factory-installs the MS DOS, Windows and Windows NT operating
systems.
Regardless of whether customers are upsizing their PC client
requirements to more powerful 486 Windows-based platforms or are
strengthening their PC server requirements to include Pentium and
Alpha AXP systems, Digital has the perfect PC to meet their needs.
o True 64-bit RISC Clients and Servers
Digital's 64-bit RISC Alpha AXP systems continue to lead the
industry with competitive price/performance at every price point.
The second generation Alpha AXP microprocessor -- the world's
fastest -- is scalable from desktop to mainframe and implemented
in a whole new line of client and server systems.
Digital's new Alpha AXP PCs provide a smooth growth path for
client/server applications that need more power.
The new DEC 3000 Model 600 AXP workstation outperforms comparable
systems from HP, SUN, IBM and SGI -- at half the price or double
the performance. The newly announced entry-level DEC 2000 Model
300 AXP workgroup server offers up to three times the performance
of comparably priced HP, IBM and Sun systems.
And at the high end, the DEC 7000 AXP family of systems provide
the industry's highest performing single and multiple processor
servers -- with up to two times more I/O bandwidth, up to seven
times more memory capacity and up to 10 times more disk capacity
than large servers from HP, IBM and Sun.
What's more, Alpha AXP systems are operating system neutral,
supporting DEC OSF/1, OpenVMS, and Windows NT -- as well as a
number of other operating systems today -- and with the capability
to support new or additional operating systems in the future.
More than 3,000 Alpha AXP applications are shipping today -- and
leading ISVs have committed to delivering more than 700 Windows NT
applications on the Alpha AXP Windows NT platform within the year.
Robust, High-Performance, Peer-to-Peer Networks
Peer-to-peer networking, enabling all systems on a network, from PC to
mainframe, to act as both client and server -- and to access services
directly -- is crucial to client/server performance.
Digital's networking products and services can integrate all major
networking protocols -- including TCP/IP, DECnet, OSI, Novell's IPX,
AppleTalk, Microsoft's LAN Manager, and IBM's SNA, APPN and NetBEUI --
into a single, manageable, enterprise-wide peer-to-peer network.
A new set of IBM interconnect products from Digital brings mainframe
access to DEC OSF/1 and OpenVMS operating systems running on the Alpha
AXP platform -- as well as providing the capability to link these
environments to the new IBM AS/400 line of systems.
And Digital offers customers a choice of high-performance,
competitively priced connections -- including new wireless and mobile
solutions such as WAVElan, a wireless Ethernet and MiST, a new mobile
interconnect software technology.
No other vendor can match Digital's GIGAswitch when it comes to
supporting bandwidth-intensive client/server applications like imaging
and multimedia. GIGAswitch can accommodate up to 22 dynamic FDDI
network links with an aggregate throughput of 3.6 gigabits per second
and a client-to-server-to-client throughput of 117 megabytes per
second.
Digital's newly-announced second generation DEChub 900 multiprotocol
switch can connect up to 18 LAN segments on mixed Ethernet, Token
Ring, FDDI, (and soon, ATM) networks. The DEChub 900 switch offers a
unique upgrade path because modules by enabling units to work
standalone or to plug into the hub backplane for LAN-to-LAN
connection.
Putting It All Together
Digital's Systems Integration (SI) and industry-solution focused
business units leverage the experience, technology, and expertise of
Digital -- and its partners -- to put real world client/server
solutions to work for customers today.
Systems Integration Services
Digital is recognized as one of the leading systems integrators in the
industry with more than $2.3 billion in revenue from systems
integration (SI) last year. Digital's network experts have helped
customers plan, design, install, and manage tens of thousands of
multivendor networks. Digital's data management consultants and
software engineers offer a range and depth of multiplatform expertise.
And Digital's SI project managers have the experience, tools, and
methodologies to deliver to specification, on time, and within budget.
An essential part of Digital's systems integration capability is its
successful partnerships with best-in-class applications, hardware, and
networking companies. As a result of these partnerships Digital can
offer customers a broad portfolio of solutions -- as well as a team
that knows how to work together to get the job done. Digital
frequently acts as the prime contractor, providing the customer with a
single point of accountability and control.
Digital is partnering with MCI Telecommunications to provide the
NASDAQ stock market with a high-speed electronic trading network that
will replace the current private line network and expected to triple
current capacity. Digital will provide specialized software,
hardware, and services to synchronize the trading information and
deliver it within milliseconds to subscribers across the United States
and Europe.
Queensland Electricity Commission of Queensland, Australia recently
awarded Digital a $30 million contract to re-engineer its information
systems. "As prime contractor, Digital brought together a team that
included a number of Queensland-based companies. This shows they can
supply our long-term information systems needs cost-effectively," says
Tony McGrady, Queensland's Minister for Minerals and Energy.
Industry Solutions
Digital is the first open client/server IT provider organized by
customer business units with worldwide services, sales, and support.
Digital's industry units are responsible for identifying the unique
client/server requirements in their particular industry. They
contract with Digital's engineering, product and service groups, as
well as outside suppliers, to ensure that Digital offers the
client/server solutions their customers require.
By partnering with leading application and other solutions providers
in key industries, Digital is able to offer more integrated solutions.
By collaborating with customers and vertical-and cross-industry
application partners, Digital develops industry-specific client/server
frameworks. These "reusable" frameworks enable customers to build
custom client/server solutions with less risk, time-to-implement, and
cost. They provide a way for customers to make use of the
applications, systems, and devices they already have. And they enable
customers to plug in new technology or applications into their
client/server solutions in the future, without starting over.
Digital's strategy is to focus its resources on the industries where
it is or has the potential to be the number one or two solutions
provider. Concurrently, it has renewed its commitments to OEMs that
embed Digital components in their products and VARs and other
resellers who add value to, package, market, and sell Digital
solutions in other markets.
Digital's Communications, Media and Entertainment business unit is
working with The Daily Herald, Illinois' third largest newspaper to
use client/server technology to develop an "electronic pre-press"
solution. The new system will give the paper the capability to
electronically manipulate both color and pagination. It will even
enable the paper to eliminate its darkroom operations by scanning
color negatives directly into digitized form.
Although the system is leading edge, it is based on the integration of
standard, off-the-shelf software applications.
"We were very impressed with Digital's ability to integrate the
software packages of our choice," says Dan Baumann, president of the
Daily Herald. As the prime contractor, Digital takes responsibility
for all applications, integration, networking, training,
implementation and maintenance.
Supporting It All -- Multivendor Services
Not the least challenge of implementing open client/server solutions
is how to support it. Who does the customer call when a distributed,
business-critical, multivendor client/server solution doesn't work?
Digital offers a comprehensive set of services and a single point of
contact and responsibility for multivendor hardware, software,
applications, and networks. These services include: procuring,
staging, installing, training, help desk support, operational support,
diagnostic and remedial services.
Today Digital supports more than 14,000 different hardware and
software products from more than 1,300 vendors including Novell,
Apple, Microsoft, HP, IBM, and Sun.
Digital's advanced service technology, including remote diagnostic and
logistics management capabilities, enable it to deliver high-quality,
responsive service cost-effectively. Digital's flexible service
packages mean customers can get all of the support they want, without
paying for more services than they need.
Today Digital offers local support, globally, from more than 450
locations in 100 countries worldwide.
Getting Started
By assessing current operations and clarifying objectives, Digital's
management and technical consultants help customers devise detailed
plans of action that integrate the people, business, and technology
aspects of any client/server solution.
Digital's global consulting practices include: Strategic Services,
Integration Services, and Operations Management Services.
By utilizing a range of flexible and proven methodologies and tools,
including simulation and modeling, rapid prototyping, and piloting,
Digital's consultants enable customers to explore and evaluate all of
their options quickly, thoroughly, and cost-effectively -- before
committing to a course of action.
An example of Digital's consulting service focused on helping
customers move to open client/server computing brings a management
consultant and technical consultant to the customer's site. Over a
two week period the consultants lead customer teams through a
collaborative process to examine the company's goals in relation to
the business climate, its cultural and organization issues, and the
information technology already in place. As a result of this
engagement, the client is presented with a written evaluation and set
of recommended actions and steps for applying client/server computing
in their business.
In conjunction with this service, Digital sponsors an Open
Client/Server education program for executives. Arnoldo Cruz,
director of strategic analysis and planning at Alcoa Corp. in
Pittsburgh found the program a catalyst, saying, "I'm much better
prepared to take a strong leadership position than I was in the past."
Digital: Helping Customers Implement Open Client/Server Computing
Open client/server computing joins the power and flexibility of
client/server computing with the protection and adaptability of open
standards. Leading companies in all kinds of industries around the
world are working with Digital to implement open client/server
solutions in their businesses today.
Why Digital? The best applications available through best-in-class
partners. Easy information access and sharing. The ability to
integrate existing systems with new technology, exceptional system
availability, security, and data integrity for the most critical
business applications, and the best price/performance at every level
with a choice of operating systems.
And Digital incorporates open client/server computing across all
product lines -- not just one or two.
Digital's management team, customer-driven organization, and single
"open client/server" focus have created a new clarity of purpose. A
whole new range of business practices, marketing programs, licensing,
and pricing philosophies are leveraging Digital's traditional
technical strengths in the growing open client/server marketplace.
In short, Digital has the technology, the partnerships, and the
experience to simplify the complexity of building client/server
solutions that deliver competitive advantage. Digital's ability to
integrate the business, technology, and people aspects of open
client/server solutions is giving customers more than "new ways of
doing things" -- it is giving them "new ways of doing new things."
How do customers capitalize on Digital's expertise in open
client/server computing?
Mark Livings, manager of Distributed Computing Services at Quaker Oats
has worked with Digital for years. One of his goals has been to make
information on databases throughout the company available -- and
useful -- to all the people who need it.
Today Quaker is well on its way to realizing that goal. It uses a
client/server solution that enables 500 dialup PCs, several hundred
other PCs on PATHWORKS and Novell LANs, two dozen VAX systems, two HP
computers, and IBM AS/400 and an Alpha AXP system to work together
across nearly 30 sites to provide up-to-the-minute MRP information to
people in different functions across the organization.
"It's incredible," he says. "I can write a program on a Windows PC
that can send a transaction to a VAX system that can talk to a process
that queries a database and then sends the information back." "No
other company can do what Digital is doing right now."
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