I've decided to leave a trail for all of us to review when this is all said and done. Consider it my gift to all of you. This is the start.
Digital and Microsoft Announce Expanded Alliance to Accelerate Adoption of Windows NT Across the Enterprise
Technology Collaboration
Scalability
Digital and Microsoft will collaborate on a new generation of high-performance servers for Windows NT Server. Joint work is under way on a revolutionary Windows NT-based hardware architecture that will drive symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) scalability and application performance to unprecedented levels. These efforts will combine Digital's proven expertise in developing highly scalable enterprise servers with the next implementation of Windows NT Server Enterprise Edition. Digital's new server has a design goal of linear SMP scalability using advanced Alpha chip and system technology, while maintaining absolute applications compatibility with all Windows NT-based systems.
Based on a design that incorporates a massive SMP architecture and support for very large memory (VLM), the new Windows NT Enterprise Server family will provide a quantum leap in performance beyond the fastest Windows NT Server-based systems running today. Digital's experience as a leader in providing highly scalable SMP systems, combined with optimized operating system software and high-performance processors, is expected to drive tenfold performance increases in many types of applications. Initial Digital systems will use 32, 64 or more Alpha processors and are expected to debut in early 1999. Microsoft and Digital will contribute engineering and management resources for this joint development effort out of company facilities in Washington and New England.
In addition, Digital and Microsoft will do the following:
Collaborate to enable the first 64-bit systems to ship with Windows NT 5.0 and SQL Server. The work is focused on optimizing performance of Windows NT Server and SQL Server for VLM on 64-bit systems such as Alpha.
Collaborate in application development to expand the capabilities of clusters on
Windows NT. This will include the development of sophisticated resource-sharing models to operate on top of Microsoft Cluster Server.
Lower Total Cost of Ownership
As part of a joint effort to lower the total cost of ownership for enterprise customers, Digital will continue to market a complete client family of low-cost, manageable PCs and will continue to support NetPC and the Windowsr operating system-based terminal initiatives. Both companies will ensure that the implementation of Microsoft's cost-reduction initiatives in Windows NT Server 5.0 execute flawlessly on all Digital clients.
Support for Digital's Alpha-Based Systems
Building on the strong support and commitment currently provided for Alpha and to facilitate the integration of Windows NT Server into heterogeneous environments, Digital and Microsoft will extend technology collaboration in the following areas:
Windows NT 5.0 will provide a tightly integrated and supported emulation and translation environment on Alpha, based on Digital's FX!32 technology, to allow seamless execution of x86 binaries. This run-time environment, combined with the new development tools, will greatly expand the range of software available on Alpha systems.
The companies will cooperate on a single programming model and a single API for 64-bit Windows NT running on Intel and Alpha systems. This cooperation will provide source code compatibility between Intel and Alpha systems for Windows NT application developers.
The current policy for concurrent release of Microsoft Server-based products on Alpha and x86 systems will continue and will be expanded to include the IA-64 architecture in the future.
The collaboration and release strategy will be extended for many client-focused products, including the complete set of Microsoft tools to enable application development on Alpha-based systems in native mode. In addition to the currently available Visual C++r and Visual Basicr development systems, developers will be able to use components of the Visual StudioT development system to develop applications on Alpha for execution on Alpha.
Added-Value Software for BackOffice
Digital will develop and implement added-value software to enhance and extend the scalability, availability, manageability and security of Windows NT Server. Digital's software solutions will enable customers to expand the functionality of mission-critical applications on Windows NT Server. Initial product offerings will provide increased capabilities for enterprise computing and application development based on Microsoft Exchange Server. Digital will also provide integration and implementation services for the new software products, which include these:
Collaboration solutions for Microsoft Exchange. Digital, the premier supplier of Exchange-related services, now offers software and a portfolio of services to help customers fully utilize their investment in the Microsoft Exchange messaging infrastructure. DIGITAL Expeditor for Microsoft Exchange enables customers to build, implement and deploy mission-critical work management and collaborative solutions using Microsoft Exchange as the communications infrastructure and the Microsoft OutlookT messaging and collaboration client as the universal electronic desktop. Software pilot projects begin in March. Pilot service prices begin at $20,000.
DIGITAL Visual Batch. This fully visual, enterprise-class batch job scheduler brings mainframe-caliber automated processing to Windows NT Server. Automating job scheduling and processes saves time and computer resources, enabling customers to take full advantage of their distributed computing environment. DIGITAL Visual Batch will be available from Digital and its authorized partners beginning in late February. A single license is $799.
AltaVista Process Flow. This scalable business process management software automates multistep, multiparticipant workflow across existing production systems and new Web applications. AltaVista Process Flow helps customers dramatically reduce development costs and protect investments in existing systems and applications. Initial software to pilot AltaVista Process Flow is available now and costs $75,000, which includes two weeks of Digital on-site service.
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