Intel Investors - Compaq, IBM and HP Formally Announce their PCIx Specification.
Here's the press release.
Paul
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biz.yahoo.com
Friday September 11, 1:17 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Compaq, HP and IBM Collaborate to Double
Performance Of PCI Bus Technology
Broad Industry Support Drives PCI-X as Open Industry Standard
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 1998 -- Compaq, Hewlett-Packard Company [NYSE:HWP - news]
and IBM today announce a joint development initiative to deliver significant improvements in the PCI bus
technology standard. These improvements will give customers an unmatched level of performance for their
current industry standard I/O systems, especially for high-end business critical applications.
This new technology, PCI-X, is an extension to the existing PCI bus, runs at speeds up to 133 MHz and
provides the critical I/O bandwidth needed for industry standard servers running enterprise applications such as
Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, Ultra3 SCSI and Cluster Interconnects. PCI-X will provide customers with
much needed PCI bandwidth and with investment protection because it offers backward compatibility with
existing systems. PCI-X-based products will be available in enterprise-class products the second half of 1999.
''PCI-X clearly drives industry standard computing to the next level. Our collaboration with HP and IBM will foster
the extension of existing PCI bus standards well into the future to meet the demanding computing requirements
of enterprise customers,'' according to Mary McDowell, vice president and general manager, Industry Standard
Server Division, Compaq Computer Corporation.
''PCI-X is focused on reducing customer ownership costs by extending the life of today's PCI bus technology.
IBM, along with Compaq and HP, is providing customers with a stable technology roadmap to future I/O
systems without sacrificing their investments made in PCI technology to date,'' said Randy Groves, vice
president of development, IBM Netfinity.
''By delivering greater speed, improved transfer rates and increased efficiency, PCI-X delivers leading edge
innovations to an existing technology, '' said Denny Georg, general manager, Systems and Technology, HP's
Enterprise Systems Group. ''Our collaboration has resulted in the innovations needed to deliver the level of
performance required for business-critical 24x7 computing.''
The 64-bit PCI-X bus operates at speeds up to 133 MHz, providing burst transfer rates above 1 gigabyte per
second, eight times the rate of the most common PCI implementations today. PCI-X also features an enhanced
protocol to increase the efficiency of data transfer and to simplify electrical timing requirements, an important
factor at higher clock frequencies. Allowances for future capabilities are also provided. In addition, PCI-X is
designed to accomplish this while remaining backward compatible with the current PCI bus.
PCI-X already has broad industry support, a requirement for the successful introduction of any new technology
in this industry. In addition to all the promoter companies, leading Independent Hardware Vendors (IHVs)
including 3Com, Adaptec and Mylex also support PCI-X and will introduce products when platforms become
available. ''We are working on PCI-X because we think it represents an important, mainstream extension of
PCI technology,'' said Robert Selinger, vice president of Adaptec's Advanced Technology Group. ''Adaptec is
committed to faster I/O, such as PCI-X, due to its fundamental impact on the future of servers and workstations.''
''As the worldwide networking leader, 3Com Corporation has a keen interest in this new, standards-based
technology that helps accelerate network performance,'' said Randy Meals, vice president and general
manager for advanced products. ''Specifically, 3Com believes PCI-X removes one more important barrier
between the individual and the pent-up power of the network. We enthusiastically endorse the collaboration of
Compaq, HP and IBM and support their goal of making PCI-X available as a standard bus as quickly as
possible.''
''As a leading RAID controller vendor, Mylex is excited about PCI-X's potential to reduce I/O bottleneck,'' said
KK Rao, CTO and vice president of engineering at Mylex Corporation [Nasdaq:MYLX - news]. ''The efforts of
PCI-X group will complement recent technology advances in the RAID controller arena that reduce I/O
bottlenecks between storage and network servers.'' In addition, Intel and other industry leading companies are
reviewing the PCI-X proposal.
To ensure PCI-X is broadly available to the industry as an open standard, Compaq, HP and IBM have
submitted a proposal to the PCI Special Interest Group (SIG) to include PCI-X in future PCI standards while
ensuring consistency and compatibility with today's PCI. By turning the technology over to the SIG, it gives all
companies the ability to develop PCI-X-based products, which will accelerate its adoption and address a broad
range of customer needs.
Compaq Background
Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation is a Fortune Global 200 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.
HP Background
Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global provider of computing, Internet and Intranet solutions, services,
communications products and measurement solutions, all of which are recognized for excellence in quality and
support. HP has 127,200 employees and had revenue of $42.9 billion in its 1997 fiscal year.
Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at hp.com.
IBM Background
IBM is the world's largest technology company.
Compaq, Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks
and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Contact:
Compaq Computer Corporation
Ted Bockius, 281/927-8311
ted.bockius@compaq.com
OR
Shandwick International
Christine Cambpell, 617/536-0470
ccampbell@miller.shandwick.com |
