Tandem OLE/TP Simplifies Development and Deployment of Client/Server Transaction Processing Applications; TUXEDO and Pathway TP Monitors gain OLE links to leading desktop applications

Business Wire, Nov 3, 1996

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1996--Tandem(r) Computers Incorporated today announced its OLE/TP software, designed to transparently link desktop applications to high-performance transaction processing monitors via Microsoft(r) Corporation's OLE technology.

The announcement was made at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference in Long Beach, California.

With OLE/TP software, customers can efficiently build and deploy open client/server applications that harness the power and reliability of TUXEDO(r) transaction processing services running on Tandem and other server platforms, as well as Tandem Pathway transaction processing services running on Tandem servers. OLE/TP allows OLE-enabled client programs to invoke these TP services as OLE Automation objects.

"OLE/TP eliminates the need for developers to understand either the workings of the TP monitor or the mechanics of data conversion," said Kurt Friedrich, senior vice president and general manager of Tandem's Parallel Systems business unit. "OLE/TP enables developers to quickly and easily create reusable object components that leverage Tandem's well-known online transaction processing strengths in a client/server setting.

"New customers gain easy access to our industry-leading transaction processing capabilities, high reliability, scalability, and massive parallelism, while existing customers can easily add GUI clients to their current Tandem transaction processing applications."

Shareable, reusable software

OLE/TP provides a standard way for applications to share functionality with other applications. Generated code is portable in that it remains the same regardless of the TP monitor the client addresses. In addition, applications can be cost-effectively customized using existing objects and code.

OLE/TP software consists of a developer toolkit and a run-time gateway, and is designed so programmers need only minimal knowledge of object-oriented programming, the OLE programming interface, or Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM) architecture in order to build shareable, reusable applications. Type libraries corresponding to specific TP services and containing descriptions of objects are automatically generated during application development. At run time, these type libraries are read by the OLE/TP gateway, which automatically invokes the appropriate TP services and actions.

Universal front-ends

During the development process, programmers can generate client code using popular fourth-generation language tools and standard C and C programming methods. OLE/TP software works with software tools supporting OLE Automation, including but not limited to Excel, Access, Visual C , and Visual Basic from Microsoft, as well as Powersoft's PowerBuilder and Centura's SQLWindows. Because OLE/TPs server access syntax is practically identical across all client tools, developers can use the OLE syntax of any OLE-enabled tool to access objects created by OLE/TP software.

Supported TP Monitors and availability

OLE/TP software is available now for use with Tandem's NonStop(r) TUXEDO software -- running on Tandem NonStop Himalaya(r) parallel processing servers -- as well as any other vendors TUXEDO implementation for other servers. An OLE/TP implementation for users of Tandem's Pathway software will be available in mid-1997.

Licenses for the developer kit component range between US$200 and US$250, depending on the number of users. Licenses for the runtime component range between US$50 and US$99.

Founded in 1974, Tandem Computers Incorporated (NYSE:TDM) designs and delivers technology solutions that companies rely on in a business world that runs 24 hours a day. A US$2.3 billion company headquartered in Cupertino, California, Tandem has offices, strategic partners, and providers in more than 50 countries around the world.

Tandem press materials are also available on NEWSdesk International on the World Wide Web at http://www.newsdesk.com. -0-

Note to Editors: Tandem, Himalaya, NonStop, and the Tandem logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Tandem Computers Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft, Visual Basic, and Visual C are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. TUXEDO is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

CONTACT: Tandem

Kristine Austin, 408/285 6142