Year 2000 Wire/Tandem Leads IT Industry with Year 2000-Ready
Hardware and Operating Systems
Users can now upgrade NonStop Himalaya servers to handle Year 2000 transition
CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 1998--A leader in reliable, business-critical computing, Tandem, a
Compaq company, today marked a major Year 2000 milestone with the announcement that its fault-tolerant NonStop
Himalaya servers, both hardware and operating system, are Year 2000-ready.
This announcement, among the first in the industry, strengthens the ability of Tandem's Himalaya servers to provide high quality
continuous availability during and after the turn of the century.
In addition to its announcement of Year 2000-ready hardware and operating systems, Tandem has also announced a
corporate-sponsored effort to encourage Tandem Alliance Partners to verify that their Himalaya-based applications are also
Year 2000-ready.
Tandem's provision of Year 2000-ready hardware and operating systems permits partners and end users to focus on the
critical task of testing applications to verify that they will function accurately during the transition to and beyond the new
millennium.
Enrico Pesatori, president of Tandem, said, ''This is a significant milestone for both Tandem customers and for the industry. It
shows that the Year 2000 problem is not without solutions, that business-critical systems can be upgraded to provide
operational stability through the millennium transition. We will continue to work closely with our customers and partners to help
maintain the high-quality availability that they have come to expect from Tandem.''
Before 1999 turns to 2000, computer hardware and software systems throughout the world must be analyzed, tested, and
upgraded to verify that they will properly recognize the Year 2000.
While there are no universal industry standards for Year 2000 compliance, Tandem has adopted its own Year 2000-ready
guideline stating that Year 2000-verified products should, when used in accordance with their associated documentation,
correctly receive, process, and provide date data within and between the 20th and 21st centuries, provided that all other
products (for example, hardware, software, and firmware) used with the Year 2000-verified products properly exchange
accurate date data with them. Tandem is asking that its software partners and suppliers align with this Year 2000 guideline.
In migrating to Year 2000-ready operating systems, Tandem's Himalaya customers will be able to take advantage of the
efficient operating system migration that Tandem architecture has always provided.
Himalaya K-Series Year 2000-Ready Now; S-Series to be Ready this Quarter
The Himalaya operating system has two major versions, D3x and D4x. The D38 and D45 release versions, for the Himalaya
K-series servers, meet Tandem's Year 2000-readiness requirement for those products in the plan for Tandem's Year 2000
program. The G05 release, the Year 2000-ready version for the Himalaya S-series servers, will be available in March.
Year 2000-ready Interim Product Modifications (IPMs) are also available to customers who have Himalaya K-series servers
with specific earlier releases. Year 2000-ready IPMs for verified versions of the operating system for the new Himalaya
S-series will be available later this quarter.
Year 2000-readiness for Tandem's UNIX system-based Integrity servers will be announced in the near future.
Compaq announced its worldwide Year 2000 compliance program in October 1997. Compaq selected NSTL, the world's
leading independent information technology testing organization, to verify its commercial and consumer desktop PCs, portable
PCs, servers and workstations for Year 2000 readiness. Compaq's products are now the first in the world to be eligible to
carry the NSTL Tested Year 2000 Hardware Compliant logo.
Tandem Helps Customers Upgrade to Year 2000-Ready Systems
Tandem offers a Year 2000 Readiness Program, which provides (1) a system upgrade program that helps customers migrate
from older Tandem systems to Year 2000-ready systems, and (2) comprehensive professional services to support customer
migration to Tandem hardware and operating systems that are verified as Year 2000-ready.
The Year 2000 hardware upgrade program provides special incentives for customers to migrate from their CLX, VLX, and
Cyclone (CISC-based) hardware platforms to newer, Year 2000-ready Himalaya K-series servers. Certain older Tandem
servers can be software-upgraded to be Year 2000-ready; these include the CLX/R 1200, CLX 2000, and Cyclone/R
servers.
To facilitate a smooth upgrade program, Tandem's Year 2000 Readiness Program offers a mix of professional services,
including hardware migration services, operating system migration services, and system tuning services. The Technology
Enhancement Services, which can help Tandem customers migrate to Year 2000-ready hardware and operating system
platforms, are available through Tandem's Continuous Care program. Through a Continuous Care framework, all products and
services can be delivered in a multi-year package that features equal monthly payments -- and Tandem as a single point of
accountability.
Depending on the migration path taken, the customer may require one or many of the following services:
-- NonStop Kernel Initialization Service
-- ServerNet Initialization Service
-- Operational Review Service
-- NonStop Kernel Upgrade Service (C30 and D20 to D32)
-- NonStop Kernel Upgrade Service (D20 and D30 to D4x)
-- ServerNet Migration Service
-- ServerNet Network Integration
-- Network Design Service
-- Application Migration Service(a)
(a) The Application Migration Service is viewed as a discrete service, one developed by the account team and the division's
Professional Services group. The Application Migration Service does not address any Year 2000 application issues. Its
objective is to migrate the application to a Year 2000-ready NonStop Kernel operating system.
Tandem Provides End-User Test System Program
Tandem is also announcing its Year 2000 End-User Test System purchase program for customers who need a separate Year
2000 test environment. The Year 2000 End-User Test System Program offers an incentive for customers to undertake Year
2000 test work on Tandem's latest technology. It offers end-users a way to purchase needed test equipment at discounted
prices and helps to protect their investment.
Atalla Products
Atalla CAPS2000, PINS2000, CSM, CAPS, TPTM are all Year 2000-ready and available for customer delivery. Atalla
network and internet security processors (A10000E, WebSafe2, Paymaster, and SignMaster), and KIU/TKIUs will be
available by mid 1998. All new Atalla products will be Year 2000-ready. New shipments will include Year 2000-ready
software. Interested parties should contact Atalla for pricing. For the latest updates, please visit Atalla's Web site at
www.atalla.com.
About Tandem
Founded in 1974, Tandem, a Compaq company, designs and delivers technology solutions that companies rely on to compete
in a business world that runs 24 hours a day. Headquartered in Cupertino, Tandem has offices, strategic partners, and service
providers in more than 50 countries.
Note to Editors: Tandem, Atalla, CLX, Cyclone, Himalaya, Integrity, NonStop, Paymaster, ServerNet, SignMaster, VLX,
WebSafe, and the Tandem logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Tandem Computers Incorporated in the
United States and/or other countries. Compaq and the names of Compaq products referenced herein are either trademarks
and/or service marks or registered trademarks and/or service marks of Compaq Computer Corporation. UNIX is a registered
trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited. All other brand
and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Please note that the Tandem Year 2000 Program applies only to Tandem products, and not to products of Compaq,
Tandem's parent company. The exclusive limited warranties for Tandem products and services are set forth only in the Tandem
product and service contracts. Compaq has its own independent Year 2000 Compliance Program, which applies only to
Compaq products. For more information, visit the Compaq Web site at compaq.com.
E.H.F. |
