PALO ALTO, California -- July 1, 1996 -- In its ongoing commitment to meetthe ever-increasing cost-of-ownership, scalability andapplications-availability demands of computer users in heterogeneousenvironments, Hewlett-PackardCompany today introduced the next generationin its family of high-performance Systems Network Architecture (SNA)interconnectivity solutions.
These innovative networking products, which enhance HP's position as theworld's leading provider of mainframe-alternative solutions, enablecustomers to more rapidly and cost effectively link HP 9000 commercialcomputing environments with large production systems from IBM.
HP also announced it has completed interoperability testing withCisco Systems' ChannelInterface Processor (CIP), a high-performancedata-center product that supports ESCON and bus/tag connectivity as part ofthe popular Cisco Series 7000router family. The CIP is the strategicpiece of the internetworking puzzle that meets customers' needs to placemainframe data centers onto high-speed internetworks. HP is the firstnon-mainframe computer manufacturer to integrate the CIP into its datacenter offerings.
The Cisco 7000 family and CIP product combination offers significantlybetter performance at a cost many times less than a front-end processorwhich historically has connected IBM mainframes and AS/400 systems to othercomputing environments.
With the extension and enhancement of the SNAplus2 family of solutions andthe integration of the Cisco Channel Interface Processor into itsportfolio, HP is solidly positioned to meet the most demanding connectivityrequirements of customers that run information-intensive data-warehouseprojects on IBM mainframe and AS/400 computer systems.
"Network managers today face an array of technical and financialchallenges in an ever-increasing world of multicomputer environments, andusers have become more vocal in their demand for better response time andavailability," said Mark Hudson, HP's director of network marketing. "InIBM environments, customers can dramatically reduce cost-of-ownership byconsolidating multiple SNA and non-SNA networks into one multiprotocolinternetwork. In conjunction with business partners such as Cisco, HP isdelivering best-in-class products to our customers, and our latest venturesin this area solidify and extend our leadership position in providingavailability and scalability for applications from any point in thenetwork."
SNAplus2 Family Facilitates Move to Openness
The next-generation, highly scalable series of SNAplus2 networking products-- a one-stop shop for SNA connectivity products, integration, consultingand support -- further enhances the capabilities of systems running theHP-UX(1) operating system in mainframe environments. SNAplus2 offers anarray of new features and benefits:
- The SNAplus2 product family can accommodate a virtually unlimited number of simultaneous users and sessions and can scale up, depending on available system resources.
- SNAplus2 implements Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (APPN) end-node functionality, which provides direct end-to-end communications between host and peer computer -- in particular making it easier for IBM AS/400 customer migrate to an HP 9000 server.
- Concurrently supporting an array of local area and wide area networking protocols, SNAplus2 easily integrates into existing network infrastructures, ensuring that customers'investments are protected.
- New graphical-user-interface-based configuration tools let administrators manage large numbers of SNA servers from a central console. Until now, a central graphical monitor did not exist for HP's SNA solutions.
- An enhanced set of industry-standard Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) supports connectivity to a larger number of existing applications distributed between HP 9000 servers and an IBM host or peer system.
HP also offers a comprehensive package of financial incentives, hardwareupgrade paths, migration tools and professional service assistance thathelps preserve customers' existing investments and makes the transition toopen client/server computing easier to manage.
The latest release of HP's HP-UX SNAplus2 features five comprehensivesolutions that enhance system scalability and application availability indata-warehousing and mainframe-migration environments. With these,customers can better consolidate their disparate computers into a moreeasily managed system environment.
- HP-UX SNAplus2 Link -- configured as a stand-alone or as aclient/serversolution, SNAplus2 Link provides enhanced communication capabilitiesbetween an HP 9000 server or workstation and an IBM mainframe or peersystem, such as an AS/400.
- HP-UX SNAplus2 3270/3179G -- configured as a stand-alone or as aclient/server solution, this provides interactive communications between anHP 9000 server and IBM-compatible mainframe or peer system using SNA 3270,3278 and 3179G/3192G emulation.
- HP-UX SNAplus2 APPN End Node -- this allows an HP 9000 system totake fulladvantage of Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (APPN) facilities while stillretaining the capability to operate in traditional mainframe host-managednetworks. APPN's dynamic configuration and resource location significantlyreduce network-management complexity and increase performance by reducingunnecessary network traffic.
- HP-UX SNAplus2 API -- this allows a wide variety of ApplicationProgramming Interfaces (APIs) to enable application communications.
- HP-UX SNAplus2 Remote Job Entry -- this provides batch datatransfer between an HP 9000 system and an IBM mainframe host in an SNAenvironment.
"HP's SNAplus2 solution set will provide us with a more streamlinedcommunication path between our disparate computing environments," saidJocelyn Paradis, a systems analyst at the City of Quebec. "As ourinternetwork becomes an increasingly strategic asset, we face thechallenging task of how to build a well-managed and productive network thatmaximizes end-to-end applications availability while minimizing our totalcost of ownership. SNAplus2 will help the City of Quebec achieve successin providing our user community with outstanding connectivity tools."
HP and Cisco
To enhance customers' computer availability, response time and scalabilityrequirements with IBM or IBM-compatible mainframes, HP has also announcedthat it will integrate Cisco System's Channel Interface Processorinto HP's SNA solutions portfolio.
The CIP is a high-performance interface processor that directly connectsthe mainframe to Ethernet, FDDI, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), etc.internetworks -- eliminating the need for front-end controller equipmentthat creates data-path bottlenecks.
By incorporating the Cisco 7000 family router-based CIP and advancedpeer-to-peer networking, HP believes its customers could achieve asignificant up-front cost savings and better-managed TCP/IP and SNA networktraffic as a result of the following benefits:
- high-performing SNA and TCP/IP networking capabilities;
- elimination of multiple dedicated mainframe channel controllers;
- support for IBM parallel channel (bus and tag) and ESCON technologies;
- highest mix of wide area network and local area network interfaces;
- and support for standard IBM mainframe software.
"HP's SNAplus2 product family has completed integration tests in our CiscoLab with flying colors, and we are pleased that our customers canincorporate HP connectivity solutions into their Cisco environments -- andvice versa," said Bill Lawler, Cisco's business development manager. "Anew building block in the Cisco and HP technology foundation has beenadded, and we envision that it can deliver only benefits to our customers."
Cisco's Channel Interface Processors are also available immediately. Forpricing and ordering, customers can contact their local Hewlett-Packard orCisco offices.
About HP
HP 9000 business servers, based on HP's industry-leading HP-UX operatingsystem and PA-RISC(2) technology, provide the high-performance andsystems-management capabilities required by data-center environments,as well as the flexibility and performance necessary for client/serverimplementations.
About Cisco
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the leading globalsupplier ofinternetworkingsolutions for corporate intranets and the global Internet.Cisco's products, including routers, LAN and ATM switches, dial-up accessservers and network management software, are integrated by the
