Compaq in server deal with Unisys
By Joe Wilcox
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
February 15, 2000, 12:45 p.m. PT
Compaq will likely rely on another computer company for its most
powerful Windows 2000 machines instead of building its own, sources
said today.
Compaq has cut a deal with Unisys for 32-processor server computers running
Windows 2000, said sources familiar with the deal. Under terms of the
agreement, Compaq will resell the servers under its brand but Unisys will
make them. Compaq's chief executive Michael Capellas will announce the
plan at a keynote address tonight in San Francisco, sources said.
Compaq refused to comment.
Blue Bell, Penn.-based Unisys has
been developing the technology
behind the servers for more than two
years. They will run Windows 2000
Data Center, which is expected to ship
in about 120 days.
The deal could be a big boost for
Windows 2000 as it competes
alongside large Unix servers from Sun
and other computer makers.
The arrangement also gives Compaq
a foothold against IBM, which in
September acquired Sequent.
Sequent makes a competing
technology to that used by Unisys,
which IBM has been quickly integrating in its server products. Called
non-uniform memory architecture, or NUMA, the server architecture scales up
to 64 processors with plans of 256-processor support.
Unisys' server technology brings its own strengths, such as the ability to run
disparate operating systems, such as Windows 2000 and Unix, on the same
system. This could be attractive to larger corporations looking for an
inexpensive way of supporting existing Unix installations, while investing in a
server running Windows 2000.
The deal is potentially a big boost for Unisys, which has an attractive
technology but doesn't move large volumes of servers, an area where
Compaq excels. In 1999, the Houston-based computer maker accounted for
31 percent of all server revenue, according to International Data Corp.
Capellas is scheduled to deliver his keynote at 6:30 p.m. PST during the
three-day Windows 2000 launch event.
Related news stories
• Windows 2000 launch festivities begin February 15, 2000 |
