Fujitsu Software Corporation Announces NetPrism Release 1.1, the Web-based Network Management Tool and Development Environment

Business Wire, Oct 1, 1997

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 1997--Fujitsu Software Corporation (FSC) today announced the availability of NetPrism Release 1.1, which includes important extensions to its suite of management and development tools for web-based network element management.

FSC will demonstrate its new network management software at Networld Interop in Atlanta next week (RDC Booth No. 3920 and FSC Booth No. 6537).

NetPrism Release 1.1

NetPrism release 1.1 builds on the existing power of the NetPrism platform. Its key new features include:

-- Simultaneous availability on Windows NT and Sun Solaris. Because the NetPrism server is written almost entirely in Java, Fujitsu Software has developed release 1.1 simultaneously for both Sun Solaris and Windows NT. Fujitsu Software will continue making NetPrism available on new platforms in response to customer requests.

-- Significant performance improvements. NetPrism Element Managers are loaded and saved up to 10 times faster than in NetPrism release 1.0.

-- Simplified Element Manager packaging. The packaging and distribution methods for NetPrism Element Managers have been greatly simplified in this release, making it much easier for vendors to distribute NetPrism Managers for their devices and software.

-- Integration with Fujitsu's MPWalker management platform. These additions to NetPrism's architecture not only make it a key component in the MPWalker platform, but also allows for integration with other management platforms in future releases.

-- New licensing options for NetPrism Partners, including a royalty-free re-distribution option, and licensing of the base NetPrism class libraries for inclusion in other products.

Because NetPrism 1.1 is compatible with NetPrism 1.0, all Element Managers written for the previous release can be used. NetPrism partners who are developing solutions with 1.0 automatically get the advantages of the new operating system support, performance improvements and management platform integration -- without re-writing their existing applications.

NetPrism release 1.1 also contains two new customer-written Element Managers for Windows NT v4.0 and Sun Solaris. These were both developed in a few weeks with NetPrism v1.0, and show the powerful applications that can be rapidly developed using the NetPrism Software Development Kit. More Element Managers are regularly made available at the NetPrism web site.

NetPrism partners are beginning to deliver solutions using the Net Prism SDK. RDC Networks, a leading producer of wireless networking solutions, has evaluated NetPrism and will demonstrate its use with RDC's technology at Networld Interop in Atlanta from October 8th to the 10th.

"Our customers consider network management a vital factor in the success of any enterprise system, but insist that it be transparent to the user and simple for the administrator," said Art Gutch, president of RDC Networks. "NetPrism allows people on the network to focus on their work and frees administrators to deal with larger issues. We are exceedingly excited about its potential. NetPrism functions well with our PortLAN wireless network products, providing an additional value to our customers."

Product Description

Developed entirely at Fujitsu Software Corporation's headquarters in San Jose, California, NetPrism delivers key innovations in network element management and element manager development.

NetPrism provides advanced device management through the use of a state machine and rules engine, which allows a system administrator to develop an intelligent, automated management scheme for their devices. Management takes place from the NetPrism client, which runs in any browser fully supporting Java version 1.1.

NetPrism makes development of Network Element Managers a snap. The NetPrism Visual Builder allows construction of Element Managers in an intuitive visual environment. With some basic knowledge of SNMP, anyone can build a management application without writing a line of code.

Most importantly, both the NetPrism client and server are written in Java. For end users this provides the convenience and flexibility of operating system-independence. For NetPrism Partners, this means quick deployment of solutions across a wide range of operating systems and integration with web-based management platforms as they become available.

The NetPrism web site, http://www.netprism.com, is the focal point for the product. It provides information about NetPrism, a download area, online purchasing, and direct customer support.

Pricing Information

The NetPrism Manager is available for free from the NetPrism web site, or direct from FSC. Keys are available to allow upgrade to any of the NetPrism products, which and are priced as follows: -0-

NetPrism Advanced Manager                             $895
NetPrism Advanced Manager Maintenance and Support     $145 per year
NetPrism Software Development Kit                     $9500
NetPrism Software Development Kit Maintenance
 and Support                                          $1395 per year