It's 'Tru,' Compaq Drops Intel Port Plan
Oct. 01, 1999 (InternetWeek - CMP via COMTEX) -- I F Compaq's TRU64 is your favorite flavor of Unix, plan
on running it on Alpha servers, not machines based on Intel's forthcoming 64-bit processor.
In its latest attempt to tighten up its hardware portfolio, Compaq has jettisoned plans to port Tru64 Unix to
the Intel IA-64 processor, code-named Merced.
Compaq said the change in plan-announced in an internal memo to employees late last month-is intended
to focus its mission-critical systems on Alpha servers running Tru64 Unix.
"We want to have a clear message that this is our focus," said Tim Yeaton, vice president of the Unix
systems business unit for Compaq. The move follows Compaq's earlier decision this summer to cancel
further development of Alpha processors that support Windows NT and Windows 2000. As a result, Compaq
has been left with a lot of server products to juggle, including Windows NT, Linux, SCO Unix and Novell
NetWare on both the IA-32 and upcoming IA-64 architecture, and, on Alpha, Tru64 Unix (formerly Digital
Unix), OpenVMS, Linux, and-beginning in early 2002-the Tandem NonStop operating system (InternetWeek,
Sept. 21, 1998).
Instead of Tru64 Unix, Compaq's Unix for IA-64 will be Monterey, a next-generation version of SCO Unix
being developed by SCO in conjunction with IBM.
Killing off Tru64 on IA-64 was a good decision, said Tony Iams, an analyst with D.H. Brown Associates. "I
think it's too early to tell whether this will result in true leadership for Tru64 on Alpha, but it's a step in the
right direction," he said.
Compaq's springtime commitment to support Monterey left the company with redundant Unix plans on the
IA-64 architecture, Iams said. Monterey is likely to be a better operating system for Compaq users than
Tru64 Unix would be, for the simple reason that Monterey's backwards compatibility with SCO Unix will give
Monterey the far greater application support.
The decision by Compaq is a deviation from what other Unix vendors are planning, as other operating
systems suppliers line up their support for the upcoming IA-64 chips. The first IA-64 chip, code-named
Merced, is due out from Intel next year. In addition to Unix suppliers, Microsoft plans to make Windows
2000 on IA-64 part of the foundation of its strategy for making its servers more powerful and stable than they
have been to date. Microsoft said it has gotten Windows 2000 up and running on Merced. Sun
Microsystems said it will offer Solaris on IA-64, and that it has gotten Solaris up and running on a software
simulation of Merced. IBM plans to replace its existing AIX operating system with Monterey, which will run
on the company's RS/6000 systems as well as IA-64.
And Hewlett-Packard said last week that it has its HP-UX operating system up and running on Merced. HP
plans eventually to replace its HP9000 line, running HP's own PA-RISC chips, with IA-64-based systems,
although the company declined to provide a timetable for the switchover. HP also said the actual
discontinuance of the PA-RISC line may not occur for several years into the new millennium. HP has
already introduced RISC systems that are board-upgradeable to IA-64.
Compaq said it plans to keep a March commitment to help the China National Computer Software and
Technology Service Corp. develop Tru64 Unix for IA-64. But the Chinese Unix will be designed specifically
for that local market, and will not carry the Tru64 brand.
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COMPAQ'S UNIX PLAY
Several moves point to the computer giant's more focused Unix plans:
-Running Tru64 on Alpha architecture only
-Compaq IA-64 systems will support IBM/SCO Monterey Unix project, along with Windows NT, Linux and Novell NetWare
-Compaq cancelled plans for Windows NT on Alpha this summer
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