Monday November 2, 9:05 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
New Compaq ProLiant 6500 Servers
Maximize Performance and Availability of
Next-Generation Clusters for Oracle Parallel Server
First to Ship 6-Node Oracle Parallel Server Cluster, Compaq Builds on Proven
OPS Success
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 1998-- Editors' Summary
New models of the ProLiant 6500 enterprise application server with 400 MHz Pentium II Xeon
technology optimized for rack-mount environments
Next-generation, standards-based, 6-node Compaq Parallel Database Cluster for Oracle Parallel
Server 8.0.5 on Windows NT
New models of ProLiant 3000 departmental server with 400/450 MHz Pentium II technology and
record-breaking TPC-C results
New models of ProLiant 800 workgroup server with 400/450 MHz Pentium II technology
Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE:CPQ - news), the PC server market share leader, today
announced worldwide the Compaq ProLiant 6500 server with 400 MHz Pentium II Xeon technology
delivering breakthrough performance and high-availability features to support 7X24, multi-server
applications. The ProLiant 6500 is the ideal foundation for the Compaq Parallel Database Cluster,
Compaq's next generation, industry-standard, 6-node cluster solution for running Oracle Parallel Server
(OPS)-based applications on Compaq ProLiant servers and Windows NT. Building on the proven
technology of early successes in 4-node OPS-on-NT clustering, the Compaq Parallel Database Cluster
delivers the performance and high availability required to support the most demanding mission-critical
applications including data warehousing, online transaction processing (OLTP), electronic commerce
and custom applications running on OPS. In addition, Compaq introduced powerful new models of its
ProLiant 3000 departmental server and ProLiant 800 workgroup server.
''Compaq is aggressively migrating its full server line to the latest technologies to provide enterprise
customers of all sizes with greater choice of platforms for running their demand-intensive applications,''
said Mary McDowell, Vice President and General Manager, Industry Standard Server Division, Compaq
Computer Corporation. ''With the introduction of more powerful server models, like the new ProLiant
6500, and the use of Fibre Channel storage, the Compaq Parallel Database Cluster delivers optimal
performance, availability and scalability while retaining the quicker time-to-deployment and superior
price/performance benefits of an industry-standard solution.''
New ProLiant 6500 Delivers Breakthrough Performance
The first vendor to ship Xeon-based servers in volume, Compaq is now completing the migration of its
entire industry-standard enterprise server line to Xeon processors with the announcement of new
Xeon-based, rack-ready models of the ProLiant 6500. The new ProLiant 6500, the industry's first
rack-optimized server designed with the space-saving 7U form factor, allows six units to be stacked in a
standard 42U rack providing the computing power of up to 24 Pentium II Xeon processors in less than
2.5 square feet of floor space. In addition, the ProLiant 6500 now includes next-generation push-button
PCI Hot Plug technology. This unique solution provides users with control directly at the server to power
on, or off, individual PCI slots or replace PCI boards without taking the server offline. The ProLiant 6500
supports a vast array of fault-resistant, redundant features including adaptive load balancing NICs, hot
plug fans, processor power modules, hot plug power supplies and hot plug drives. The ProLiant 6500's
power, high-availability features and space-saving design make it an excellent choice for running
mission-critical database, OLTP, messaging and Web hosting applications as well for the Compaq
Parallel Database Cluster.
The ProLiant 6500 supports up to four 400 MHz Pentium II Xeon processors with 512K or 1024 KB L2
Cache, up to 4 GB of ECC-buffered EDO memory for maximum performance in memory-intensive
applications and dual-peer 64-bit buses that eliminate the need for bus I/O balancing. Ideal for external
storage environments, the ProLiant 6500 is designed to take advantage of Compaq's new Smart Array
3200 high capacity RAID controller and Compaq's Fibre Channel Array storage to ensure continuous
high-performance access to massive volumes of network data.
Compaq Parallel Database Cluster Delivers High Availability and Scalability
Ideal for customers who require a highly-scalable, fault-tolerant, multi-node database solution, the
Compaq Parallel Database Cluster delivers higher availability and lower operating costs than multiple
single server configurations, while providing lower hardware, maintenance and support costs than
UNIX-based systems. It supports up to six ProLiant servers that act as a single high-performance server
for one Oracle database. This solution is well-suited for moving smaller Oracle databases running on
less robust systems onto a single, easy-to-manage cluster of powerful ProLiant servers.
''For companies looking to push the ceiling for business applications on Windows NT, Compaq and
Oracle have proven solutions to provide a high-performance database deployment environment,'' said
Gary Bloom, Executive Vice President, Oracle Corporation. ''Oracle is the recognized leader in the
Windows NT parallel database market, and according to industry surveys, the Compaq ProLiant server
is the number one platform chosen by 45 percent of Oracle on Windows NT customers in the Americas
market.''
The Compaq Parallel Database Cluster combines OPS cluster software and Oracle 8 release 8.0.5 with
two to six ProLiant 6500 or ProLiant 1850 servers, Ethernet or ServerNet interconnect technology and
high-speed Compaq Fibre Channel Storage. It is supported by a suite of professional services designed
to help customers design and implement the solution best-suited to meet their database needs.
Enhanced ProLiant 3000 Delivers Record-Breaking TPC-C Results
Compaq is now offering the new ProLiant 3000, the world's best-selling departmental server, with up to
two Pentium II 400/450 MHz processors with integrated 512K L2 cache. New models of the ProLiant
3000 with two Pentium II 450 MHz processors achieved record-breaking results of 10,179.1tpmC at
$26.31/tpmC under Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Enterprise Edition and Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise
Edition.
Delivering a superior combination of performance, availability and value, the ProLiant 3000 server can
support up to 4 GB of system memory - four times more than any Pentium II server and two times more
than any dual-processor Pentium II Xeon server available today - and features the Highly Parallel
System Architecture for maximum performance when running database, Internet, intranet and file/print
applications. For superior investment protection and the ability to meet growing departmental or branch
office needs, customers will be able to upgrade the ProLiant 3000 to four Pentium II Xeon processors in
early 1999.
The ProLiant 3000 features hot plug drives and power supplies, with redundancy option and supports
optional redundant fans, NICs and off-line processors. For reliable and manageable deployment at
remote sites, the ProLiant 3000 includes Automatic Server Recovery, Integrated Remote Console and
supports the optional Remote Insight Board.
Compaq's new ProLiant 800, the workgroup server that delivers next generation performance and still
meets demanding budget requirements, now supports up to two 400 MHz or 450 MHz Pentium II
processors, up to 1 GB of memory, dual channel Wide Ultra SCSI-3 and up to 72.8 GB of internal
storage.
Pricing, Availability and Services
All pricing is based on U.S. estimated street prices. Reseller prices may vary. Prices for an entry-level
6-node ProLiant 6500-based Compaq Parallel Database Cluster start in the $120,000 range. Prices for
the ProLiant 6500 server with one Pentium II Xeon 400 MHz processor with 512KB of L2 cache and 256
MB of buffered EDO memory start at $12,784. Compaq is also offering a Pentium II Xeon upgrade
program for ProLiant 6000, 6500 and 7000 models. New models of the ProLiant 3000 start at $4,431 and
new models of the ProLiant 800 start at $2,283. Each product announced today is available
immediately.
Compaq Services supports the products announced today with a full line of lifecycle services. These
include but are not limited to: Installation and Startup Services for NT systems; Microsoft Exchange
Installation and Startup Services; four channel-ready, packaged levels of Priority Service Plans to suit
customers' hardware, software and warranty support requirements; and Availability Assessment for high
availability systems. Future announcements will include additional services targeting the availability
needs of small, medium and large enterprise customers.
Company Background
Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation is a Fortune Global 100 company. Compaq is the
second largest computer company in the world and the largest global supplier of personal computers.
Compaq develops and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services, including industry-leading
enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, networking and communication
products, commercial desktop and portable products and consumer PCs. The company is an industry
leader in environmentally friendly programs and business practices.
Compaq products are sold and supported in more than 100 countries through a network of authorized
Compaq marketing partners. Customer support and information about Compaq and its products are
available at compaq.com or by calling 1-800-OK-COMPAQ. Product information and reseller
locations are available by calling 1-800-345-1518.
Compaq, Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of
Intel Corporation. Xeon is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Product names mentioned herein may be
trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
|
