IBM Offers First PC Server Solution Supporting Both PC and Mainframe
Applications

NEW ORLEANS, May 22, 1995 . . . IBM today announced at the IBM Technical
Interchange conference the first IBM PC server that can run both PC and
mainframe-based applications. The new server, called the IBM PC Server 500
S/390, will enable application developers to write and test mainframe
applications right on their PC, either in a standalone or LAN-based
environment. That will save customers money by allowing developers to
create new mainframe applications without sharing time on the mainframe.
It can also reduce costs in such areas as network management and systems
training.

The new product, called the PC Server S/390 for short, is an innovative and
technologically-advanced server, that combines the reliability and high
performance of the PC Server 500, running IBM's OS/2 Warp in a LAN
environment, with System/390 architecture capable of running mainframe
applications, including VM/ESA, MVS/ESA and VSE/ESA.

"The PC Server S/390 signifies the coming together of the mainframe
application strengths of the System/390 with the scaleable networking
capabilities of the IBM PC Server 500," said Angelica Horaitis, director
of worldwide marketing, IBM PC Servers. "The LAN-based PC Server S/390
offers traditional file, print-sharing and application server capabilities
as well as support of VM, VSE and MVS mainframe applications. Because of
its distributed processing capabilities, the PC Server S/390 also provides
an ideal platform for remote, unattended system operation."

Great Application Development Platform

Application developers and systems programmers also can improve and
streamline their development methods by using the PC Server S/390. More
importantly, these developers and programmers can leverage their existing
S/390 skills and improve productivity by using tools in the OS/2
environment, including graphical user interfaces and multitasking
capabilities.

"This platform is ideally suited for application development software
providers and customers who develop and test their own applications
in-house," said Charles Lickel, vice president , S/390 business plan and
system architecture, IBM System/390 Division. "With this system, users can
enhance the rate and pace of change for their businesses by providing new
and enhanced applications that build on their existing base and
programming skills," Lickel continued. "Software providers, who are
members of the S/390 Developers' Association, are eligible for special
leasing and purchase options. This also opens up new and exciting markets
for S/390 applications and further extends the scalability of the S/390
which already scales higher than any other production system used. It now
reaches right down into the department LAN."

Intensive Processing Power in One Server

The PC Server S/390 is a powerful PC LAN-based solution equipped with a
S/390 CMOS processor and a 90 MHz Pentium complex. The System/390
Microprocessor complex includes 32MB Error Checking and Correction (ECC)
memory with expansion memory capacity of up to 128MB and supports VM/ESA,
VSE/ESA or MVS/ESA operating systems and software. The PC Server S/390
comes with 32MB ECC memory standard, expandable to 256MB ECC memory for
use by OS/2 and Pentium processors. This PC Server can be configured with
up to 38GB of internal disk storage with SCSI-2 Fast and Wide
"hot-pluggable" disk. It is available in both array (RAID) and non-array
models. Standard features include a 4mm digital audio tape (DAT) drive, a
CD-ROM drive and a 2.88MB diskette drive. It also includes OS/2 Warp
Fullpack and Communications Manager/2 and supports OS/2, DOS and Windows
applications.

 A Cost-Effective Migration Tool

With the PC Server S/390 solution, customers can migrate existing S/370
applications from the mainframe to the PC Server S/390 platform and
continue to run these applications, with little or no modification. Total
computing costs are reduced in many areas including maintenance, power,
cooling and floor space. By supporting these applications in a PC LAN
environment, the customer can locate applications at multiple locations,
including the centralized host, a distributed site and/or departmental
LAN.

"The introduction of the PC Server S/390 gives application developers new
opportunities to combine the power of the System/390 and the flexibility
of our workstation environment," said Timothy Negris, vice president of
sales and solution marketing, IBM Software Solutions Division. "Using
IBM's Visual family of application development products, including
VisualAge C++, COBOL and PL/I VisualSet, and VisualGen, programmers can
develop and test their enterprise applications in a single-platform
environment."

"The introduction of the PC Server S/390 is a bold and exciting move by
IBM," said Michael J. King, president and CEO of Software AG of North
America. "Organizations will now be able to develop and deploy
applications at the most cost-effective location, while providing
universal access to data in a client/server, distributed environment."

Making Connections

The PC Server S/390 also offers multiple connectivity capabilities. This
server solution can have peer-to-peer connections with the IBM S/370 and
S/390 mainframes, as well as with other PC Server S/390s, through a
variety of methods. Using the ACF/VTAM (host mainframe communications
protocol) or TCP/IP (networking protocol), the LAN adapter can provide
communications to LAN-based workstations or peer-to-peer communication to
other S/390 LAN-based systems. Remote user logon is supported using
Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC) or asynchronous dial-in
capabilities.

Service and Support

The PC Server S/390, a joint development and marketing effort by the IBM PC
Server Business Unit and System/390 Division, comes with a three-year
limited warranty with 24-hour/seven-day a week support. Base
configurations of the PC Server S/390 will range from $50,000 to $90,000,
depending on operating systems and software selected. The new server
solution will be available in July. It will be sold through IBM Direct
(1-800-IBM-CALL), PC remarketers and certified PC dealers. Customers can
find additional product information via IBM's World Wide Web server at
http://www.ibm.com.

IBM news releases are available on the Internet, via the IBM Home Page at
http://www.ibm.com. The IBM Fax Information Service allows you to receive
facsimiles of prior IBM product press releases. Dial 1-800-IBM-4FAX and
enter "99" at the voice menu.

 ============================================================
 From the  'New Product News'  Electronic News Service on....
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) & Delphi (GO COMPUTING PRODUCT)
 ============================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the 
 company or author mentioned. For additional details, please 
 contact them directly at the address/phone number indicated.
 All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
 ============================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  U.S.A.
 Email: RBakerPC (AOL/Delphi), rbakerpc@delphi.com (Internet)
 ============================================================
