Networking Enhancements for HP 9000 Enterprise Servers Provide More Network Capacity, Better Reliability and Security, Better Internet Application Performance On HP-UX Platform

Business Wire, Feb 18, 1999

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 1999-- Hewlett-Packard Company today announced networking enhancements to its HP 9000 Enterprise Servers that give customers more network capacity, better reliability and security, and better Internet application performance on the HP-UX(1) platform.

HP's AutoPort Aggregation Software, IPSec technology and new four-port 10/100Base-T LAN adapter card now maximize Internet performance and improve network reliability and security, particularly for service providers hosting multiple networks. HP also introduced new releases of its HP-UX Domain Naming System (DNS) software (DNS/BIND Version 8) and its Internet Protocol (IP) Developer's Kit (IPv6 Developer's Kit) for improving Internet-application performance on the HP-UX 11 operating environment.

Four-port 10/100Base-T LAN Adapter

HP's four-port 10/100Base-T LAN adapter provides a high-performance, standards-based, scalable network link for moving large amounts of data quickly and reliably. The new adapter is ideal for Internet applications such as firewalls. With a single hardware solution, the adapter's four ports allow HP customers to configure multiple security zones for multisegmented traffic, thus providing various levels of network security and higher quality of service. The four-port adapter, which is currently supported on the HP 9000 A-Class Enterprise Server, is slated to be supported on all future HP 9000 PCI-based Enterprise Servers.

AutoPort Aggregation Software

HP's AutoPort Aggregation Software, which is based on Cisco's Fast EtherChannel technology, is the industry's first link-aggregation solution that supports automatic configuration between HP 9000 servers and networking switches from HP and Cisco. The aggregation software enables HP customers to transfer data between servers and networking switches with up to four times more bandwidth than a single physical link by trunking -- combining multiple 10/100Base-T or Gigabit Ethernet adaptors -- to form one logical link. This

advanced technology, which distributes data over remaining links if one link fails, improves bandwidth and enhances scalability to ensure high availability.

IPSec

HP's IPSec provides transparent encryption for IP-based applications and enhances the privacy of Internet communications. HP's IPSec also supports PKI-based authentication, rule-based access control and the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol. IPSec serves as a framework for open-standards networking, requires no application modification to take advantage of network-level security and is a core component of HP's Virtual Private Network (VPN) solution.

IPv6 Developer's Kit

The IPv6 Developer's Kit provides the technology and development environment for porting existing and new IP applications to HP-UX 11. HP's IPv6 is designed to help service providers ensure steady Internet growth, both in the number of hosts connected and the total amount of data traffic transmitted over the network.

DNS/BIND Version 8

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a global network of servers that translate host names such as www.hp.com into numerical IP addresses. HP-UX DNS/BIND Version 8 software provides increased efficiency and reduced delays, with zone transfers IP address-based access control for queries and a new configuration syntax.

U.S. Pricing and Availability

HP's four-port 10/100Base-T LAN adapter, AutoPort Aggregation Software, IPv6 Developer's Kit and DNS/BIND Version 8 are available today. Customers can download the IPv6 Developer's Kit and DNS/BIND Version 8 online at http://software.hp.com. IPSec is expected to be available in April.

The four-port 100Base-T LAN adapter starts at $1,795; the AutoPort Aggregation Software starts at $995; and the IPSec, HP IPv6 Developer's Kit and HP DNS/BIND Version 8 are available with the HP-UX 11 operating environment at no additional charge.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global provider of computing, Internet and intranet solutions, services, communications products and measurement solutions, all of which are recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 122,800 employees and had revenue of $47.1 billion in its 1998 fiscal year.

Information about HP, its products and the company's Year 2000 program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

(1) HP-UX Release 10.20 and later and HP-UX Release 11.00 and later (in both 32- and 64-bit configurations) on all HP 9000 computers are Open Group UNIX 95 branded products.

UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group.