MICROSOFT SHIPS WINDOWS 95 CLIENT FOR SNA SERVER

Provides a Reliable Platform for IBM Host Access from Windows 95 Desktops

REDMOND, WASH. - SEPT. 12, 1995 - Microsoft Corp. today announced the
immediate availability of Microsoft Windows 95 client software for
Microsoft SNA Server. The Windows 95 based client is a native 32-bit
software supplement to SNA Server version 2.11, an industry-leading SNA
gateway product that runs on the Microsoft Windows NT Server operating
system and connects PC desktops to IBM mainframes and AS/400 systems.

The Windows 95-based client for SNA Server provides a robust platform for
new 32-bit 3270/5250 emulators and other SNA applications running on
Windows 95 that connect to IBM hosts over a wide variety of LAN protocols
and host link types. More than 20 independent software vendors (ISVs) are
planning to support SNA Server in upcoming versions of their products for
Windows 95.

"We are determined to make easy and reliable access to IBM hosts from
Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstationbased desktops a key advantage of the
Microsoft BackOffice platform," said Vesa Suomalainen, general manager of
the SNA Server product unit at Microsoft. "Together with the ISV products,
the Windows 95 client for SNA Server provides for complete access to IBM
mainframe and AS/400 applications and data, making Windows 95 a great
desktop for customers with investments in mission-critical IBM host
systems."

The Windows 95 client for SNA Server includes the following features:

3270 AND 5250 APPLETS. The Windows 95 client for SNA Server includes
single-session 3270 and 5250 emulation applets, which are intended for
evaluation and support purposes only (the applets are licensed for one
user per SNA Server -- full-function emulators are available from ISVs).
The applets are native 32-bit emulators; they can be used to evaluate the
full functionality of SNA Server version 2.11, which includes support for
native TCP/IP, IPX, and dial-up connections between Windows 95 and SNA
Server, integrated security with Windows NT Server, as well as load
balancing and hot backup.

ODBC/DRDA DRIVER. The Windows 95 client for SNA Server includes an ODBC
driver for access to IBM DB2 databases, such as DB2 for MVS and DB2/400,
by using the Distributed Relational Database Architecture (DRDA) protocol.
The ODBC driver is compatible with Microsoft Office for Windows 95 and
allows applications such as Microsoft Excel to access data on the host
databases without additional host software. This ODBC driver, developed
for Microsoft by StarWare Inc., is licensed for one user per SNA Server.
Additional licenses are available from StarWare.

AFTP FILE TRANSFER UTILITY. APPC File Transfer Protocol (AFTP) is an
IBM-developed protocol that duplicates for the SNA environment the
function of the popular FTP utility in the TCP/IP environment. IBM is
offering the host component of AFTP at a nominal cost for most of the IBM
host operating systems. With the AFTP utility, customers can perform
multi-megabyte file transfers between the host and the Windows 95based
system quickly by using native SNA protocols, eliminating the need to
install an expensive and CPU- intensive TCP/IP stack on the host in order
to perform FTP file transfers.

APPC, CPI-C, AND LUA APIS. To facilitate development of new 32- bit
Windows-based SNA applications, the Windows 95 client for SNA Server
includes a full set of 32-bit SNA APIs. APPC and CPI- C APIs can be used
to develop applications which use the LU6.2 protocol to access other APPC
or CPI-C applications on the IBM host systems, or to develop 5250
emulators and other AS/400 access utilities. The LUA API is available for
development of LU0-based banking applications for access to existing IMS
data; to develop 3270 emulators; or to gain programmatic access to the
LU1, LU2, and LU3 data streams. The APIs are compatible with the WOSA SNA
API standard; they are also binary compatible with the SNA APIs for
Windows NT, as supported by the current SNA Server version 2.11.

DYNAMIC TRACING UTILITY. The graphical tracing utility included with the
Windows 95 client for SNA Server provides for easy diagnosis of
connectivity problems. Tracing can be enabled and disabled dynamically
without stopping running programs. The same utility can be used by
developers to step through the SNA API calls in their own programs.

BROAD SUPPORT FROM LEADING ISVS

The following SNA connectivity vendors have been beta testing the Windows
95 client for SNA Server since May, 1995: Andrew, Attachmate, CNT/Brixton,
Eicon Technology, FutureSoft, ICOT, IDEA, IBM, ITS, Information Builders,
KnowledgeNet, Sybase/Micro Decisionware, Neon, NetManage, NetSoft,
Proginet, SAS Institute, Showcase, Siemens Nixdorf, StarWare, Wall Data,
and WRQ.

"The Windows 95 client for SNA Server provides us with the reliable
connectivity platform we require so that we can focus on building our
FUSION file transfer application," said Joe Mohen, chief technical officer
for Proginet Corp. "Our testing has proven SNA Server 2.11 to be twice as
fast and stable as any other Windows-based CPI-C product and we are
enthusiastically recommending it as the platform of choice for host access
to our customers."

"We view SNA Server as one of the main connection types for our RUMBA
OFFICE 95 product," said York Baur, vice president of marketing for Wall
Data. "More and more of our customers use SNA gateways to connect their
desktops to IBM mainframes and AS/400s, and rely on RUMBA's integration on
the desktop and SNA Server's integration on the server."

"Reliable host connectivity is the top requirement for our customers in
accessing mission-critical information," said Carl Peede, vice president
of Windows product marketing for Attachmate Corp. "As we release our
EXTRA! Personal Client for Windows 95, we expect many of our customers to
choose SNA Server as the connectivity platform for this very reason."

"Reliability and simple network configuration are at the top of the list of
features that our AS/400 customers require," said Raymond Chan, vice
president of marketing for NetSoft. "NetSoft's NS/Elite for AS/400 Access
and SNA Server provide a brilliant Windows 95 solution to address these
needs."

"We're recommending SNA Server as the connectivity platform to our StarSQL
customers for the simple reason that it is the only product available with
native 32-bit APPC support for Windows 95," said Jim Mullen, CEO of
StarWare Inc. "We're obviously very pleased with the near-simultaneous
release of the Windows 95 client for SNA Server with the commercial
availability of Windows 95 itself."

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

The Windows 95 client for SNA Server is available now as a no-cost software
supplement to SNA Server versions 2.1 and 2.11. The Windows 95 client can
also be installed on Windows NT Workstation version 3.51, although a
compatible Windows NT client is already provided with the current SNA
Server version 2.11.

Customers can download the Windows 95 client from the Microsoft FTP server
(ftp.microsoft.com: bussys/winnt/sna-public), The Microsoft Network (MSSNA
forum), and from Compuserve (go MSSNA). The same locations contain an
in-depth technical white paper titled "Microsoft SNA Serverthe Choice for
Connecting Windows 95 Desktops to IBM Hosts."

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of
products and services for business and personal use, each designed with
the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take
advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft Corp, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399
206-882-8080,  fax: 206-93MSFAX
 
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