Compaq Maps The Future Of Its Dec And Tandem Servers

Computergram International, August 20, 1998

Compaq Computer Corp officials are now admitting that the MIPS- based servers of its Tandem Computers Inc subsidiary will be phased out in favor of Intel or Alpha-based systems. Tandem's current MIPS-based Integrity FT systems running its NonStop Unix implementation will have made the migration by 2001, said the company.

Compaq executives refused to come down in favor of either Intel or Alpha for the Tandem server, but were emphasizing many of Alpha's strengths in comparison to Merced. By the time Merced ships, Alpha will have two to two-and-a-half times performance capabilities of the Intel chip and be 50% cheaper, with more Alpha chips produced per wafer than for Intel's Merced, the company said. Tandem's proprietary Himalaya Integrity Non- Stop operating system and servers will sit at the pinnacle of Compaq's server operating system strategy, with 64-bit Alpha systems running Digital Unix, Open VMS and Windows NT filling in the middle tier, above Intel-based ProLiant clustered servers, running Windows NT, SCO Unix and Novell NetWare. Digital's Intel based servers will disappear in their current guise and merge into Compaq's Proliant range by the end of their natural life span - or the third quarter of next year by the latest. The company foresees its work on the 64-bit "Bravo" Digital Unix, which will tie together its Tandem, Sequent-based ccNUMA multiprocessors (CI No 3,363) and Tandem servers, will be complete in 2000. Other plans in Compaq's server pipeline include the December release of the first Xeon-b ased 400-450 MHz, 4 way 6500 class server. The company will also unveil Digital Unix v5, EV6 systems during the second half of next year. The servers will come with DEC's Truclusters Single Image software, which will let one file system be viewed by up to 16 nodes in that cluster, with later plans to add single applications across multiple nodes, doing away with the need for Oracle parallel server. Next year Compaq will release an upgrade of Digital Unix V5, which will come with application partitioning. As for Tandem's Interconnect server, there are plans to move from a six port router to a 12 port router. It says that by 2000, 1.5 Gb/s of throughput and serial connectivity so that systems can be placed kilometers apart.