IBM, SCO and Sequent Report Project Monterey is Ahead of Schedule; 64-Bit UNIX Operating System Up and Running on Intel's Merced Simulator

Business Wire, April 7, 1999

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 1999--IBM, SCO and Sequent today said they have successfully completed initial tests of the Project Monterey operating system running on the Merced simulator for the Intel IA-64 architecture. Project Monterey is a high-volume, enterprise-class, commercial UNIX operating system initiative launched last October.

The participants in Project Monterey declared that in less than five months of development, the prototype for the UNIX operating system for IA-64 is up and running. The testing, conducted at a development center in the United States, marked the first development milestone in Project Monterey.

Also unveiled today were broad software vendor support, accelerated product roadmaps through 2001 and the launch of a comprehensive developer program.

The goal for Project Monterey is to establish a high-volume, enterprise-class UNIX product line that runs across Intel IA-32 and IA-64 processors and IBM's Power processors in systems that range from departmental to large data center servers. In addition, UNIX vendors conforming to the UNIX Developer's Guide-Programming Interfaces (UDG-PI) specifications are supported by the Project Monterey family.

As part of the Project Monterey initiative, a UNIX operating system is being developed for Intel's IA-64 architecture using IBM's AIX operating system's enterprise capabilities complemented with technology from SCO's UnixWare operating system and Sequent's enterprise technologies. In addition, IBM will license AIX technology to SCO for inclusion in UnixWare and promote this offering to the IA-32 market.

"Project Monterey continues to build significant momentum and commitment across the entire UNIX industry," said Rajiv Samant, general manager, UNIX, IBM Corporation. "In less than five months we, in collaboration with our partners, have delivered on one of our key product development goals for the UNIX operating system on IA-64. We are also gaining unprecedented support from the software and hardware vendor communities that we will aggressively build upon. What we are doing is delivering the industry leading, high-volume, enterprise-class UNIX operating system," Samant continued. "Our customers can be assured that our goal is to help them realize benefits from volume economics, innovation and enterprise-class quality for their 32-bit and 64-bit UNIX systems."

Integrated Roadmap to a IA-64 UNIX

Yesterday, IBM, Intel, SCO and Sequent briefed industry consultants on a fully integrated product roadmap for the Monterey product line. The integrated product roadmap will offer customers and independent software providers a consistent environment using common APIs, operating system services and Web-based systems management.

In 1999, Sequent will re-brand its operating system "UnixWare ptx Edition" providing API and ABI compatibility with the UnixWare family of products. SCO will supplement its UnixWare 7 products with initial AIX libraries and headers for application support, as well as AIX system management enhancements.

Comprehensive Developer Program Launched

The Project Monterey briefing outlined a comprehensive plan to facilitate availability of applications on the UNIX operating system for IA-64. Targeted applications written for UnixWare today on IA-32 platforms will be binary and source-compatible on IA-64-based systems. To leverage the performance advantages of the IA-64 platform, developers can simply recompile UnixWare application source code with expected minimal rewrites. Similarly, AIX applications are fully source-code-compatible with the new UNIX operating system on the IA-64 platform.

The Project Monterey developer program will include porting guides and a common set of APIs for IA-32, IA-64 and IBM Power processor platforms. Developers also will be able to leverage an extensive set of enterprise middleware from IBM and other software vendors who participate. Project Monterey will offer key developers access to porting centers worldwide, as well as ongoing developer events hosted by IBM, SCO and Intel throughout the year. The porting centers will provide developers with technical support, porting/enablement, performance testing and technical education on the new UNIX operating system on IA-64. Later this year, the IBM Solution Partnership Center in Waltham, Mass., is expected to extend its capabilities to support UNIX development on the Intel platforms.

Doug Michels, president and CEO of SCO, said, "We've not only completed the initial port to Merced in record time, but we've also set up an integrated product road map and developer program to guide our business partners in deploying this exciting high-volume UNIX system to businesses of all sizes. The Project Monterey partners already drive a huge portion of a worldwide UNIX System business that totals billions of dollars every year, and our momentum continues to increase as other OEMs and ISVs join Project Monterey."

Casey Powell, Chairman and CEO of Sequent said, "Project Monterey offers customers the ability to build IT infrastructure on a single data center class UNIX operating system without the risk that comes with being tied to one vendor and one world view. As part of Project Monterey and with UnixWare ptx Edition we deliver a proven platform with an expansive roadmap for 32-bit and 64-bit systems and broad multi-vendor compatibility."