Compaq to Bring Windows NT to the Enterprise Level

ENT, March 4, 1998 by Thomas Sullivan

Windows NT ma very well be on its way to becoming the de facto server environment for small and midsize businesses, but when it comes to larger enterprises NT still has some catching up to do. Compaq Computer Corp.'s E2000 Platform Architecture aims to help by aiding IT organizations to build more scalable, distributed Windows NT systems across the enterprise.

Compaq plans to bring standards-based computing to the enterprise with the E2000 Platform Architectures, and Windows NT is along for the ride. "The explosion of application for the NT marketplace has been phenomenal," says Mary McDowell, vice president of server marketing. Compaq's enterprise computing group. "So we want to capitalize on the NT market as it grows."

The E2000 Platform Architecture encompasses hardware and software components as building blocks configured for the scalability previously only offered with UNIX and proprietary mainframes.

Many of the key components of the E2000 Platform Architecture are already available and being delivered to customers separate from the new platform, such as SMP servers and ServerNet Interconnect. Others, such as Fibre Channel storage products, are in customer evaluation and will be available in greater volume in the near future. In addition, NT-based four-node cluster ProLiant configurations are already operational, and optimization for key enterprise applications is in progress. "The E2000 Platform Architecture is consistent with the direction of NT 5.0 and SCO UnixWare [Application Server]," says McDowell. "Compaq wants to make sure to have the next level of capabilities as customers move forward."

At the core of the E2000 Platform Architecture are industry-standard building blocks, such as the system area network interconnect developed by Tandem Computers Inc. (Cupertino, Calif.); the Virtual Interface Architecture defined by Compaq, Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp.; and Fibre Channel Storage components, which Compaq co-developed with Hewlett-Packard Co.

The E2000 Platform Architecture enables modular, industry-standard, ProLiant SMP servers and storage products to be used alone or combined to create n-node data center clustered configurations. The combination will allow applications to scale across multiple server platforms and to share large data sets in interconnected storage environments. "The E2000 Platform Architecture will allow a broad range of ProLiant systems that offer scalability and availability to meet the enterprise's server computing requirements, whether configured as individual two-, four- or eight-processor SMP servers or as system area network-based clusters," says McDowell.

Enterprise customers can customize the configuration to suit their needs, whether configured as single nodes, two-, four- or eight-processor SMP systems; two-node failover; or system area network-based clustered servers. Using standards-based components accommodates IT configurations that grow as business needs dictate.

These systems will be run on ProLiant servers and integrated with industry-standard operating systems such as Windows NT and SCO UNIXWare and with the enterprise-caliber applications that Microsoft, Oracle Corp., SAP AG and other ISVs deliver. "There's no application that won't be able to run on an NT/Compaq system," says McDowell.

McDowell would not comment on the integration of E2000 with Digital servers. But it seems that such integration is merely a matter of course. "it's a safe assumption that once the Digital deal is complete, E2000 will be integrated into Digital products," says Jerry Sheridan, director and principal analyst at Dataquest (San Jose, Calif.), al market analysis firm. "The acquisition of Tandem and Digital gives Compaq a much wider foundation from which to spread NT throughout the marketplace, and to spread NT on the Alpha processor. The acquisitions will lay the groundwork for Compaq to draw from the service experience Digital and Tandem both have."

As was the case when the company released SMP servers in 1989, Compaq is working in conjunction with hardware and software manufacturers to ensure that the E2000 Platform Architecture will be compatible with future products.

Even though Compaq publicly indicated that it will use chips that compete with Intel's chips in lower-lend desktops, the two companies are still working together. "Future plans call for continuing to use Intel's Pentium, Pentium II and beyond chips in the majority of Compaq systems," says Sheridan.

Beginning with the Deschutes generation of processors, Compaq and Intel will deliver industry-standard eight-processor processing capability. Upcoming generations of 32- and 64-bit architectures will also be supported.

On the software side, Microsoft land Compaq are working together to provide enterprise-caliber solutions such as today's Windows NT Enterprise Edition software. The two companies are also working to bring the benefits of NonStop Services and n-node scalability to Windows NT and Windows NT clustered solutions. Additionally, Compaq and SAP are working toward the delivery of reliable, scalable R/3 solutions on Windows NT.