NCI Launches Industry's First Intelligent Agent for Windows NT Server; First Integration of NetWare and NT Management for the Enterprise

Business Wire, June 19, 1995

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 19, 1995--Network Computing Inc., a Seagate software Company, today launched the next generation of its intelligent agent network management technology with the introduction of the LANAlert Agent for Windows NT Server, the first product to integrate Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT and Novell Inc.'s NetWare for the enterprise manager.

The new LANAlert Agent for Windows NT Server allows users to proactively manage Windows NT servers from the same consoles as those from which they manage their NetWare servers -- at the departmental as well as the enterprise level on such leading management platforms as IBM NetView for AIX and HP OpenView/UX.

LANAlert can be used in conjunction with the existing performance monitoring tools already offered on Windows NT by consolidation and filtering the alerts from multiple servers to multiple management consoles.

"Network Computing pioneered intelligent agent technology in the network management arena," said Bill Sickler, NCI president and CEO. "Today, we move to the next generation of the technology. Windows NT Server is becoming an increasingly important operating system for our customers. By extending LANAlert to Windows NT we are the first to `glue' the NetWare/IPX and NT/IPX environments together under one alerting and alarming platform and deliver management information to UNIX Enterprise platforms of choice."

Implemented as an agent that runs on any Windows NT Server, LANAlert constantly monitors over 375 parameters from Performance Monitor and from the System, Security and Application logs. The agent then compares returned values to LANAlert's multiple thresholds. When threshold values are crossed, LANAlert assigns priority levels to alerts and forwards alerts to departmental consoles, enterprise management systems and even alphanumeric pagers -- providing the information necessary to maximize both server up-time and performance.

LANAlert's architecture is based on communicating alerts rather than low-level details. Thus, managers can set multiple thresholds for crucial events that warrant notification. Network traffic is only generated for event notification -- instead of a continuous round of polling, only exception happenings hit the wire.

"With the typical management architecture based on polling, for a network with hundreds or thousands of devices, sizable network overhead can be created, causing congestion and slowing responsiveness," said Sickler. "This is not the case with LANAlert."

The new LANAlert Agent for Windows NT Server will be available in the third quarter of 1995, at $795 per server. A 10-pack of server agents will be available for $5,950 and a 100-pack will be offered at $49,500.

Network Computing, Inc., a Seagate Software Company, is a leading supplier of LAN management solutions for the enterprise. The company pioneered the use of distributed intelligent agents in Local Area Network management through its original NetWare File Server Agent. Installed on over 15,000 NetWare file servers worldwide, NCI products improve the productivity and efficiency of mission critical LANs in such industries as finance, insurance, banking, health care and transportation. NCI was acquired by Seagate Technologies in February 1995.

CONTACT: Network Computing, Inc.

Tom O'Neill, 408/296-8080

or

Simon/McGarry PR

Carol Felton, 408/746-0911