SHORT TAKES

VA LINUX SYSTEMS ANNOUNCES 4U SERVER FOR DATABASES

Sunnyvale, CA — VA Linux Systems, Inc. announced the availability of the VA Linux 4450 server, offering fast data-processing power in a rack-optimized 4U (7-inch-high) form factor. The VA Linux 4450 is powered by four Intel Pentium III Xeon processors at 700 MHz and is designed specifically to serve as a robust database platform for enterprise databases such as Oracle8i. The 4450 server can also be used for e-commerce sites, application serving, software development, ERP (enterprise resource planning), web hosting and clustering.

“From e-business to the enterprise, customers who require fast computing power to analyze and process large amounts of data will benefit from the high performance and reliability of the VA Linux 4450,” said Gregg Zehr, vice president of engineering, VA Linux Systems. “Combined with the VA Linux 9008 2U storage enclosure system, the 4450 server provides scalable multi-terabyte support for critical data.” The VA Linux 4450 comes with up to four 700 MHz Intel Pentium III Xeon processors – the fastest Xeon processors available – at 1MB L2 cache. The 4450 features three independent PCI buses, 64-bit PCI card slots, and 66 MHz PCI bus operation for exceptional RAID or Gigabit Ethernet throughput. With Ultra160 SCSI drive bays, the VA Linux 4450 can currently be configured with five 36GB hard drives – for up to 180GB of internal storage – enabling fast access to that data.

DELL ADDS POWER TO ITS WORKSTATION LINEUP

Round Rock, TEXAS — Dell announced immediate availability of its Dell Precision Workstation 620 with one gigahertz (1 GHz) processors for its customers in the United States who demand powerful computing platforms. Available in single- and dual-processor configurations, the company also plans to begin shipping the 1 GHz processors on its Dell Precision Workstation 220 and 420 models in September. Dell’s latest workstations feature the new dual-processor capable versions of the Intel Pentium III Xeon and the Intel Pentium III processors running at 1 GHz.

“Dell’s direct model allows us to bring technology improvements to market quickly. It is the reason that, in the second quarter of this year, Dell became the No. 1 supplier of workstations worldwide based on unit shipments,” said Jeff Clarke, vice president and general manager for Dell Precision Workstations. “Processor performance is critical to many of our workstation customers, whether they are creating content for the Internet, inventing special effects, generating mechanical models or running supercomputing clusters.” Dell captured the No. 1 market share position for unit shipments in the worldwide total branded workstation market in the second quarter of this year, according to estimates by IDC. Dell Precision Workstations are intended for professional users who demand exceptional performance in the digital content creation (DCC), computer-aided design (CAD), geographic information systems (GIS), computer animation, software development, and financial analysis markets. Businesses interested in learning more about Dell Precision Workstations can visit Dell’s Web site at http://www.dell.com/us/en/bsd/products/line_workstations.htm .

AMD JACKS UP ATHLON PROCESSOR TO 1.1 GHZ

Advanced Micro Devices has cranked up the speed of its Athlon processors again. As previously reported, computers with the 1.1-GHz Athlon will begin shipping. Compaq Computer, Fujitsu Siemens, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard and IBM are among the computer makers expected to adopt the chip. AMD rival Intel released its 1.13-GHz chip earlier this month. However, it is shipping only in limited quantities, and even its 1-GHz chips are said to be scarce. “They are by all reports hard to find, even the (1)-GHz ones,” said analyst Nathan Brookwood of Saratoga, Calif.-based Insight 64. Brookwood added that AMD’s wafer plant in Dresden, Germany, appears to have no problem cranking out fast copper-wired chips. “The technology in Dresden seems to be giving them the headroom to provide these higher frequencies in meaningful volume.”

AMD and Intel have been locked in a battle to offer the fastest PC processor since the debut of the Athlon last year. Although AMD has the upper hand at the moment, Brookwood said, Intel should be able to keep the race interesting as it introduces the Pentium 4 later this year and eventually makes its own switch to copper wiring. AMD cut prices earlier this month in advance of introducing the faster chip. The chipmaker is also working on bringing Athlon-based chips to notebooks. In the fourth quarter, AMD plans to introduce the Corvette, a low-power version of Athlon for high-end notebooks and desktops, and the Camaro, a similar chip for budget laptops.

BROOKS AUTOMATION INTRODUCES CLUSTERSIM

San Diego, CA — Brooks Automation, Inc., a leader in tool and factory automation solutions for the global semiconductor industry, today announced that its AutoSimulations Division has released ClusterSim, a new 3-D animated simulation package for modeling cluster tools, including process modules clustered directly to an equipment front end module (EFEM), in semiconductor manufacturing. ClusterSim provides a graphically and statistically accurate simulation model with configurable transfer modules, process modules, EFEM, robots, load locks, recipes, demand, and other important production options. The 3-D animation generated by ClusterSim’s simulation models enhances communication among production teams challenged with the selection, configuration and scheduling of cluster tools.

Cluster tools – integrated, environmentally isolated substrate manufacturing systems – are playing an increasingly important role in semiconductor manufacturing. Due to the high cost of these tools (they range in price from $1M to $3M), the ability to maximize and predict throughput has become a priority for the producers as well as the users of cluster tools. ClusterSim Express is designed for equipment suppliers (OEMs) who use Brooks Automation’s handling systems. A FabReady version of ClusterSim is designed to address the needs of semiconductor manufacturers. Semiconductor equipment suppliers (OEMs) will use ClusterSim Express to test the impact of cluster tool algorithm and configuration alternatives on throughput, in order to optimize Cost of Ownership (COO) for different applications. Semiconductor manufacturers will often use both the Express and the FabReady versions of ClusterSim to test recipe alternatives and robot configurations, in order to predict throughput and develop continuous productivity improvement strategies.

SEPIALINE UNVEILS ARGOS 3.5 SOFTWARE

San Francisco, CA — Sepialine announced the worldwide availability of Argos 3.5 software. Argos is a high-performance tool for tracking plots and quantifying output usage. Compatible with AutoCAD 14, 15, 2000, & 2000i; Argos offers a powerful interface for CAD operators to quickly and easily input data later used for accounting. Among its exciting feature enhancements, it utilizes existing project lists by synchronizing with accounting software packages, relieving the office manager from the tedious task of inputting projects and phases. Argos 3.5 also adopts a friendlier icon based user interface in the manager’s module, making it more intuitive and increasing reporting efficiency. Large-format plotting, generally associated with computer-aided design and drafting, is an expensive proposition for many CAD users. Argos offers CAD practitioners an effective means of capturing plotting activity, passing along more operating overhead to their clients and increasing margins. Affordably priced, Argos offers the most comprehensive and cost-effective solution of its kind.

“One of the greatest challenges any business owner faces today is improving the bottom line. With Argos, another piece of that puzzle is filled in,” said Donald Evans AIA, Wistell, Evans & Rosco, Little Rock. “The output generated in the life-cycle of a building’s design represents a significant amount of money. Weather your firm is small or large, you can no longer absorb these enormous media costs. Argos gives us the opportunity to take the next logical step: billing those costs back to our clients,” said Sabina Bulayev, MIS/IT Director for Sandy and Babcock, International, San Francisco & Miami. “It gives us accurate reports to back up our numbers. With the introduction of the new manager’s module and direct synchronization with our accounting software, Argos is making our job that much easier.” Visit http://www.sepialine.com for more information.

COMPUTER AUTOMATION ANNOUNCES NEW PRODUCT LINE

Plano, TEXAS — Computer Automation Systems Inc., a telecommunications industry systems integrator, announced its new “off-the-shelf” NEBS-400 product line. The NEBS-400 products are quality tested and will be certified to meet National Equipment Building Standards (NEBS). The company anticipates marketing this line to existing customers and to other telecommunications companies. The NEBS-400 line, which will include a Sun multi-processing system, two Sun single-processing systems and a family of Intel products, will be rolled out over the next 12 months. Computer Automation is also designing a commercial line of compact rackmount “1U” chassis (“1U” equals 1.75 inches of vertical rack space) for Internet service providers (ISPs). These low profile Sun servers, which will provide an inexpensive gateway for ISPs, will support WindowsNT, Sun Solaris and LINUX.

Mike Cherry, president and CEO of Computer Automation, announced that the company had delivered OEM evaluation units to several potential new customers which are evaluating these Sun Micro-System and Intel computer platforms. The acceptance of any of these evaluation units by any of these potential customers could positively impact fourth quarter revenues. Also in the fourth quarter, the company expects to ship products based on its recently signed manufacturing rights agreement. Computer Automation Systems Inc. designs and manufactures custom rackmount and industrial computer applications primarily for the telecommunications industry. The company provides in-house engineering to provide innovative, customized hardware and software applications to meet non-standard customer specifications and requirements. Computer Automation Systems Inc. specializes in the development of National Equipment Building Standards (NEBS) certified, Sun and Intel microprocessor-based, fault-tolerant systems for the telecommunications industry. “NEBS” is a telecommunication industry design standard for manufacturing telecommunications applications equipment.

IMATION ANNOUNCES MAMMOTH TAPE CARTRIDGES

Oakdale, MINN. — Imation Corp. announced the availability of Imation Mammoth 8mm Tape Cartridge 170m 20GB, for use with the more than 1.5 million installed base of Exabyte Mammoth Tape drives, libraries and compatible drives. The Imation Mammoth Tape Cartridge supports the Exabyte Mammoth Tape Drive’s 20GB native (40GB compressed) capacity and native data transfer rate of up to 3 GB/sec (6 GB/sec. compressed). With its Advanced Metal Evaporated (AME) formulation, Imation Mammoth Tape Cartridges provide outstanding performance, data integrity and archival life to support the most demanding storage needs.

“The Imation Mammoth Tape Cartridge further expands Imation’s comprehensive portfolio of data storage media to meet the expanding needs of our small and medium business customers,” said Steve Carter, general manager of marketing and program development for Imation Data Storage & Information Management. Imation Mammoth Tape Cartridges are available wherever computer supplies are sold, at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $75, and in a 10-cartridge magazine that includes a cleaning kit at an MSRP of $830. Additionally, an Imation Mammoth Tape Cleaning Kit is available at an MSRP of $21. A global technology company, Imation Corp. supplies a variety of products and services worldwide, specializing in data storage and information management, color management and imaging solutions. In 1999, the company reported revenues of $1.4 billion from continuing operations. As of June 30, 2000, the Company employed approximately 4,700 people worldwide.

CHAPARRAL NETWORK STORAGE ANNOUNCES MAINTENANCE

Longmont, COLO. — Chaparral Network Storage, Inc., a leader in storage networking solutions, announced availability of worldwide service and support through Anacomp Technical Services, a business unit of Anacomp, Inc. and a leading global provider of multi-vendor solutions support. Under the agreement, Anacomp will provide Chaparral’s customers with on-site maintenance and support for Chaparral’s fibre channel routers. “Anacomp has earned an excellent reputation for world class technical support and responsiveness in the SAN environment and understands the importance of mission critical data,” said Michael Gluck, president and COO for Chaparral. “This partnership is the next step in providing our customers with a total storage solution.”

In partnership with Anacomp, Chaparral’s onsite service program is designed to support customers using Chaparral’s FS1110R and FS1310R products and ensures high-quality service and around-the-clock availability. Anacomp Technical Services will provide two different service levels: 7x24x4 coverage (7 days a week, 24 hours a day, with a 4-hour average service response time), plus 5x9x4 coverage, (5 days a week, 9 hours a day with a 4-hour average service response time). This coverage is available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). Anacomp has 155 service points in the United States, and over 70 sites in Europe. “As we continue to penetrate the European storage market, Anacomp’s presence will prove to be a valuable asset for our customers,” said Ian Roberts, director of European sales for Chaparral. “Through Anacomp’s numerous service points, we’ll be able to offer unparalleled service and support to our European customers, in a timely fashion.”

LSI LOGIC SPEEDS ADOPTION OF INFINIBAND

Milpitas, CALIF. — LSI Logic Corporation announced its 0.18-micron GigaBlaze transceiver core designed to support the emerging InfiniBand interconnect standard. Fundamental to the early adoption of the next-generation standard, InfiniBand developers will be able to use LSI Logic’s market proven GigaBlaze transceiver technology to address the rising demand for reliable, high-bandwidth connections to the Internet between communication networks, storage systems and computers. GigaBlaze G12, processed in LSI Logic’s 0.18-micron technology, will support x1, x4, and x12 wide InfiniBand 2.5 Gigabits/second links over copper and fiber. GigaBlaze is the first solution in the industry with the flexibility and high performance to support the emerging InfiniBand interconnect standard, 10-Gigabit Ethernet applications and Fibre Channel storage area network applications all in one product. With serial transfer rates of up to 3.2 Gigabits/second, the GigaBlaze G12 is the industry’s highest performance CMOS transceiver core and is built in LSI Logic’s G12 0.18-micron (Leff) CMOS process for easy integration into system-level ASIC designs.

“InfiniBand architecture is a ground breaking technology for data center scalability,” said Jim Pappas, Director of Initiative Marketing for Intel’s Enterprise Platform Group. “CMOS cores are critical building blocks for InfiniBand fabrics. LSI Logic’s development of InfiniBand cores is a sound extension of their expertise in core development.” InfiniBand is a switch-based System Area Network architecture providing new levels of reliability/availability/serviceability for computer, storage and network connectivity. “LSI Logic’s GigaBlaze G12 core is a fundamental building block for customers designing InfiniBand products aimed at leveraging the explosive increase in bandwidth and the high speed of the Internet,” said Bruce Entin, vice president and general manager of LSI Logic’s Internet Computing Group. “Our fourth generation GigaBlaze core is fast and flexible and can be easily integrated onto an ASIC along with other LSI Logic CoreWare products for the lowest overall system costs.” Visit http://www.lsilogic.com for more information.

RED HAT ANNOUNCES E-LEARNING CURRICULUM

Research Triangle Park, N.C. — Red Hat, Inc., a leader in open source Internet infrastructure solutions, announced the worldwide roll-out of the first suite of Red Hat’s e-learning courses. The courses, focusing on key programming and scripting languages for Web and Internet applications, are the first phase of Red Hat’s partnership with DigitalThink, a leader in e-learning for IT professionals. Red Hat is partnering with DigitalThink to build world-class e-learning for Linux, open source programming, tools, and applications. The e-Learning courses now available at Red Hat e-learning Central include C, C++ Programming, Java Programming, Object Programming, and Perl Programming. These new courses build prerequisite skills for Red Hat’s Developer courses, as well as for e-commerce and advanced Web server administration.

In the second phase, a complete e-learning course library will be launched in fall 2000 for the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) program, the most mature and respected training and certification program in the Linux space. Red Hat’s RHCE program offers performance-based certification to test actual competency in managing Linux servers for enterprise roles. The complete RHCE e-learning curriculum will provide the same objectives and coverage as the hands-on instructor-led classroom track, as well as other prerequisites in Internet and open source technologies. These coordinated classroom and e-learning courses will provide unparalleled options for those wishing to prepare for RHCE. “We are thrilled to launch Red Hat e-learning with these high quality offerings on programming and scripting,” said Peter Childers, vice president of Red Hat Global Learning Services. “We look forward to the launch of the complete RHCE e-learning curriculum at redhat.com, to provide the ultimate in coordinated and flexible learning options that our customers are asking for, worldwide.” To access Red Hat e-Learning Central, go to http://www.redhat.com/training/elearning .

GENEDATA RELEASES GENEDATA PHYLOSOPHER 3.0

Basel, SWITZERLAND — GeneData, a leading provider of integrated bioinformatics solutions for the identification of gene and protein function, announced the release of Version 3.0 of its GD Phylosopher system. GD Phylosopher is GeneData’s comprehensive software system for the analysis and comparison of complete genomes. After establishing the system in the pharmaceutical sector as a powerful platform for anti-microbial target identification, GeneData has expanded the scope of the application into other areas of the life science industry. Version 3.0 also provides new tools for strain optimization with applications in industrial fermentation processes and metabolic engineering for both the agrobiological and food sector.

GD Phylosopher’s core component is a proprietary protein family database, that provides researchers with rapid access to constantly updated protein family and functional information. The latest release includes all 33 currently available public genomes. Proprietary genome data can be incorporated and functionally annotated to produce every customer’s unique protein family database. All upcoming complete public genomes will be included to broaden the scope of Phylosopher’s genome analysis capabilities from mainly bacterial and fungal to higher organisms such as Arabidopsis and eventually human. Novel, proprietary and optimized algorithms have been included in this version of GD Phylosopher, creating a system which is unparalleled in its in-depth analysis and evaluation capabilities of complete genome data. These enhancements reconfirm GD Phylosopher’s leading position as a premier solution for the identification of novel antimicrobial targets.

LACIE INTRODUCES NEW DVD-RAM DRIVE

San Diego, CA — LaCie has unveiled a new DVD-RAM FireWire drive that offers up to 9.4GBb storage capacity per disk. According to the company the new drive is ideal for multimedia content development and storage, such as recording MPEG video in real-time. It can also be used in the home office for data backup, secondary storage and in various business applications including video conference recording, datawarehousing and medical imaging.

Features include a 400Mb/s FireWire interface for quick connection of the drive to the native FireWire ports available in most Apple products and many PCs, transfer rates of up to 22.16Mb/s and seek times of 95ms, an ability to write and read 2.6Gb, 5.2Gb, 4.7Gb and 9.4Gb DVD-RAM media and read from disks currently accepted by CD-ROM, CD audio, CD-R, CD-RW and video CD drives as well as DVD-R and DVD-ROM drives. The FireWire DVD-RAM drive will be available in the UK from October. Two media options will be offered – 4.7Gb on a single sided disk and 9.4Gb on a double sided disk. A 4.7Gb drive is expected to cost GBP529+VAT.

VISIBLE ANALYST 7.5 SUPPORTS SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

Waltham, MASS. — Visible Systems Corporation unveiled an enhanced version of its powerful software analysis and design tool that uniquely supports both structured and object-oriented development. By supporting both design methods, Visible Analyst 7.5 helps development teams effectively migrate structured applications into object-oriented applications, build new applications that incorporate enterprise data, and reduce maintenance headaches for all applications. Visible Analyst 7.5 supports Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams for analysis and design, as well as structured notations and XML and SQL schema descriptions. It performs “push-button” translation of Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) into Class Diagrams and vice versa, saving developers significant time in building error-free models.

In addition, Visible Analyst 7.5 expands the IntelliViews feature. Users can now reverse engineer data views from existing databases. The product also offers complete reverse/forward round-trip engineering for databases and data views. “IT departments face the daunting task of building competitive new e-commerce applications while managing and maintaining their traditional business software projects. Visible Analyst 7.5 just made this easier,” explained Wolfgang Mueller, Visible’s vice president of sales and marketing. “From one product with a common user interface, Visible Analyst 7.5 lets developers model and build high-quality enterprise applications that apply either structured or OO technologies. Because of our powerful round-trip engineering, developers can incorporate the best of their legacy systems while building a solid platform for new future applications.”

CODAGEN ANNOUNCES ENHANCEMENTS IN GEN-IT FOR JAVA

Philadelphia, PA. — Codagen Technologies Corp. announces the release of Gen-it for Java version 2.0. Gen-it for Java is the first offering in an industry-unique family of code generators that enable generation-time control and customization in the development of enterprise applications. Several new enhancements extend Gen-it for Java’s capabilities and increase productivity in developing enterprise applications. These include Companion Files, new Rational Rose look, XMI Support and Basic Templates Libraries. “From its inception, Gen-it for Java has been focused on providing the utmost of flexibility and increasing productivity of the code generation process; this new release reflects that ongoing commitment,” said Michel Brassard, President of Codagen. “From the highly flexible conditional blocks, to conversion of packages to file names, Gen-it provides the fundamental control needed to generate high-quality code. Whether from a customer’s favorite standard generation template project, or a tailored project from one of our partners, Gen-it continues to leverage design decisions to standardized code.”

Codagen has extended Gen-it for Java’s generation capabilities to include XML, HTML, text, batch, and script files. In addition to generating structural code for applications, Gen-it for Java 2.0 now also generates structural code for systems of applications. This will eliminate the repetitive and tedious work associated with building and deploying application such as repetitive glue logic files – EJB file descriptors, EJB manifest files, and various XML files. Gen-it for Java 2.0 now facilitates enterprise software development with an XMI import facility that reads XMI files exported by modeling tools such as Rational Rose, MicroTOOL’s ObjectiF or Together/J or produced by custom software. Visit http://www.codagen.com for more information.

OPNET INTRODUCES APPLICATION DECISIONGURU

Washington, D.C. — OPNET Technologies, Inc., a provider of predictive network management software, unveiled Application DecisionGuru, providing software developers with a unique view into the interactions between enterprise applications and their target network environments. The announcement was made at OPNETWORK 2000, the company’s fourth annual technology conference being held from August 28th through September 1st. Application DecisionGuru is designed to eliminate much of the trial-and-error development that plagues software projects. Given the complexity of today’s business applications, Application DecisionGuru enables developers to visualize expected transaction dynamics and diagnose potential performance problems before code is frozen, eliminating costly post-deployment re-programming.

“Application DecisionGuru bridges the gap between application development and network performance management,” said Alain Cohen, Chief Technology Officer at OPNET. “Today’s sophisticated applications are typically distributed over many hosts and rely heavily on the network infrastructure; yet, applications are often designed without any knowledge of the environment in which they will be used. Application DecisionGuru provides a detailed analysis of an application’s ability to meet required service levels within complex e-business infrastructures, enabling the development of network-friendly code.” Application DecisionGuru is based on OPNET’s proven predictive technology. The new software is able to analyze sample packet traces to determine the cause of application inefficiencies and provide insight into a proposed application’s ability to support specific network protocols, interact with corporate databases, share bandwidth with existing applications, and scale as network traffic grows.

CYGNET PROVIDES CD STORAGE FOR APPLES’ G4

San Francisco, CALIF. — Cygnet Storage Solutions, Inc. of Milpitas, California, a privately held company, offers a complete storage solution for storing, managing, and accessing up to 100 CDs directly from a Mac browser. To address the need to keep things simple, the id 100 Personal CD Library offers a powerful “all-in-one” package that is housed in a small footprint and includes two 40x CD-ROM drives, file management software for the Apple Mac, and the ability to upgrade to DVD. “The id 100 Personal CD Library was developed with the Graphic Studio and Design Center in mind. Its product design concept is compelling and the product is affordable while offering full compatibility to Mac users,” says Wayne Augsburger, Cygnet’s V.P. of Sales and Marketing. “Extensive setup time is eliminated since Cygnet has made sure that the system is easy-to-install and use. Within minutes, you can be accessing your most valued CDs.”

The Library’s CD file management software takes full advantage of managing CD-ROM discs in a Jukebox Library. The recommended system requirements for this solution are an Apple G4 with at least 128 MB RAM running on Appleshare IP v 6.3 with an Adaptec controller model number AHA 2930. Until now, file management software similar to MacJuke typically cost thousands of dollars. The browser-based software provides the ability to drag and drop files, search the database for CDs and files, sort by name, date, or location, view the entire directory of CDs, define custom fields and field names, create shortcuts on your desktop to files, log all jobs and track usage statistics. When connected to a Mac, you can be confident that your system will immediately respond and be able to access the specific file that you request. The id 100 Personal CD Library addresses the need for the busy graphic art and pre-press professional, office personnel, librarian, and office manager to retrieve text, graphics, and photos from CDs. “CD-ROM is an extremely effective way to store large amounts of data onto one standard media while Cygnet’s id 100 can easily manage an entire collection of CD media,” adds Mr. Augsburger.

NETCONVERGENCE INTRODUCES STORAGE CONNECTIVITY PRODS.

San Diego, CA — US company NetConvergence Inc has decided to enter the IP storage marketplace and aims to provide support for both storage area network (SAN) and network attached storage (NAS) appliances. The company will focus on the architecture, engineering and implementation of software-based IP connectivity, providing seamless any-to-any connections between servers and storage devices.

Initially NetConvergence will introduce its Matrix family of products which will first have three members – a standalone iSCSI gateway, an iSCSI network interface card and an iSSI blade that plugs into standard Gigabit Ethernet switches. Later the support for connecting SCSI devices over Gigabit Ethernet using the iSCSI protocol will be extended to include fibre channel and infiniband devices. The Matrix system is already up and running at NetConvergence’s beta site at the University of California Los Angeles.

COCOBASE PROVIDES EJB DATABASE ACCESS SUCCESS

San Francisco, CA — THOUGHT Inc. ( http://www.thoughtinc.com ), the leader in Object to Relational (O/R) Mapping Technology optimized for EJB, announced the continuing success of CocoBase Enterprise O/R’s integration with the BEA WebLogic Server 5.1 from BEA Systems Inc. ( http://www.beasys.com ), The E-Commerce Transactions Company. For EJB developers, CocoBase Enterprise O/R boosts productivity by eliminating the need to hand-code database access into EJB objects – which can account for as much as 80% of development time. For companies – which are expected to spend more than a billion dollars on EJB-based business applications this year – this means faster, far more cost-effective creation and deployment of these applications. The Internet generation end users of these applications – who, for example, will wait on average no longer than eight seconds for a Web page to download – can expect enhanced convenience and efficiency when they access applications built with the THOUGHT Inc. and BEA solution, because of performance increases.

Using CocoBase, developers can easily create the EJB objects from the underlying data source. They can be immediately compiled, deployed onto the BEA WebLogic server, and used by a client. CocoBase, in fact, writes all of the code for the CMP and BMP entity beans with the additional files necessary for installation onto the BEA WebLogic Server. This can save the developer from writing hundreds of lines of code, which also makes the EJBs much easier to change on the fly, and improves their performance (the greater the code overhead, the slower the application performance). Further, the decoupling of the creation and administration of database maps and EJBs from the application programmers who use them means that less experienced (and less costly) database access programmers can manage the project. Typically, Bean Managed Persistence (BMP) has required developers to write persistence code. By using CocoBase Enterprise O/R, developers now experience little difference in building applications using either Container Managed Persistence (CMP) or BMP. CocoBase provides a simplified layer for persisting Java classes with EJB without requiring developers to embed JDBC and SQL calls into the objects they’re building. Once an object view (map) is created, CocoBase instantly generates all of the CMP / BMP entity bean code needed from its highly optimized and editable templates. More information on THOUGHT Inc. can be found online at http://www.thoughtinc.com .

CHALKBOARD NETWORK INTRODUCES A NEW COURSE

Milpitas, CALIF. — The Chalkboard Network, a premier provider of Web-based training courses, introduced a new on-line course, “Essentials of Verilog”, available on the Web at http://www.chalknet.com . Developed primarily for design and layout engineers in the semiconductor industry, “Essentials of Verilog” provides the basic tools for complex chip designs using the Verilog programming language. Some of the topics the course covers include defining inputs and outputs, initializing registers, designing state machines, and designing data paths. Other subjects include tools for simulation and synthesis, operators and expressions, procedural blocks and modules. Incorporating Chalkboard’s Depth Control methodology, the course provides a variety of links, interactive examples, audio and visual explanations, and other real-time learning aids that students can access as they progress through the course.

The instructor of “Essentials of Verilog” is Bob Zeidman. Founder and President of The Chalkboard Network, Zeidman has an extensive background in Integrated Circuit and PC Boards design. His former consulting firm, Zeidman Consulting, provided hardware and software contract services to major computer and electronics firms, as well as to many smaller companies. Zeidman is the author of a best selling textbook, Verilog Designer’s Library, and a variety of technical papers, and has taught courses at engineering conferences throughout the country. He is a senior member of IEEE and has been honored with the 1996 American by Design award from Wyle Laboratories and EE Times magazine. Zeidman holds two Bachelor’s degrees form Cornell University, and a Master’s degree from Stanford University. “Bob Zeidman is a world leading expert on Verilog, and this material is essential for any computer designer,” said Mike Flynn, Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. “Verilog has proven to be an essential tool in microprocessor systems design.”

AGILENT’S SAN PRODUCTS COMPATABLE WITH INTEL

Palo Alto, CALIF. — Agilent Technologies Inc. announced that its storage area network (SAN) products recently demonstrated interoperability with the new high-performance IA-64 processor architecture. The IA-64 architecture was jointly developed by Intel and Hewlett-Packard Company for the next-generation of powerful network servers. Since enterprise servers use SANs to store and retrieve huge amounts of mission-critical data, it is important that Fibre Channel products work with IA-64-based systems. Agilent’s 1 and 2 Gb/sec Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) were proven to function with the Intel(R) Itanium processor-based servers at Intel’s recent IA-64 Developers Interop event. This interoperability ensures that enterprise systems using the IA-64 architecture can take full advantage of the high data throughput rates associated with Fibre Channel SANs for applications such as data warehousing, e-commerce, web storage, and enterprise resource planning.

“Interoperability with the IA-64 architecture gives our customers new, high-performance options for developing enterprise-level SAN networks,” said Bob Whitson, worldwide marketing manager for Agilent SAN Products Operations. “By working closely with Intel on interoperability, we can assure our customers that they can move up to Itanium processor performance without sacrificing compatibility with our HBAs and storage systems.” The IA-64 architecture will be used in the next generation of 64-bit processors beginning with Itanium processors, the first member of the new product family that was used in the IA-64 Interop testing. The new IA-64 processors accelerate a system’s ability to address main memory, an important feature for applications that use large databases connected to SANs. The IA-64 runs on a variety of servers and operating systems found in a heterogeneous SAN environment, including Windows, UNIX, and Sun Solaris.

AMERICAN MEGATRENDS OFFERS CLUSTER KIT SOLUTION

Atlanta, GA. — American Megatrends Inc. (AMI), a leader in storage and computing innovations worldwide, today announced the new MegaRAID Cluster Kit, a complete solution that provides nearly 100 percent uptime to systems integrators and solutions providers. Included in the kit are two Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) Certified MegaRAID Enterprise1400 controllers providing the highest TPCC benchmark in 32-bit RAID controllers, two MegaRAID Cluster Enablers, and cables. Available with either a 10-bay rack or 8-bay tower, the Ultra160 SCSI compliant external subsystems feature two redundant power supplies, ten sets of drive rails, two fans, and a backplane. The SAF-TE compliant enclosures offer monitoring and status of its fans, temperature, power supplies and drives.

“AMI’s mission is to provide our customers with the cutting edge technology solutions with an unmatched assurance of quality. AMI continues to be the only RAID company that offers a complete Cluster Solution. The Cluster Kit provides users with the ability to gain Active-Active failover clustering support without an investment in overhead,” said Director of RAID Sales, Siamak Iranpour. “By using the Cluster Kit, IS professionals can utilize today’s leading technology on their current installed base.” The MegaRAID Enterprise 1400 controller stands as the flagship clustering solution of the MegaRAID line of products. It supports more fault tolerant RAID levels than any other RAID solution and delivers superior performance through a tight hardware design. Three Ultra2 channels are available on the Enterprise 1400, with each channel powered by a Symbios Logic 53C895 SCSI processor. A cache capacity of up to 128 MB coupled with an extensive caching policy further augments Enterprise 1400 performance. The Enterprise also features an integrated flash ROM to facilitate easy upgrades.

QUANTUM/ATL’S PRISM STORAGE OPTIONS AVAILABLE

Irvine, CALIF. — Quantum/ATL, a unit of Quantum’s DLT and Storage Systems Group and a leading supplier of intelligent DLTtape automation for networked computers, Wednesday announced the successful launch of its Prism Storage Options, including a full complement of features that answer the industry’s need for cost-effective ways to overcome the limitations of server-attached backup architectures and realize the benefits of network storage. Prism is a modular architecture featuring hardware and software that is integrated into reliable tape libraries, creating network attached storage (NAS) appliances as well as high-availability storage area network (SAN) systems for the data center. Prism architecture expands the spectrum of tape library connectivity and functionality while maintaining full backward compatibility with SCSI.

Prism also is a platform for remote network storage management and services that enables corporate IT users to cost-effectively evolve from locally managed storage peripherals, to centrally managed storage systems, to remotely managed storage services. “Prism Storage Architecture provides the platform to easily and inexpensively migrate storage resources as technology changes, which ensures the future viability of today’s capital expenditures by Global 2000 corporations,” said Neal Waddington, chief operating officer of ATL. “Prism also offers strategic business advantages such as lower storage management costs, higher availability and improved scalability to keep pace with a company’s growing needs.”

NETCONVERGENCE TO INTRODUCE IP STORAGE PRODUCTS

San Diego, CALIF. — US company NetConvergence Inc has decided to enter the IP storage marketplace and aims to provide support for both storage area network (SAN) and network attached storage (NAS) appliances. The company will focus on the architecture, engineering and implementation of software-based IP connectivity, providing seamless any-to-any connections between servers and storage devices.

Initially NetConvergence will introduce its Matrix family of products which will first have three members – a standalone iSCSI gateway, an iSCSI network interface card and an iSSI blade that plugs into standard Gigabit Ethernet switches. Later the support for connecting SCSI devices over Gigabit Ethernet using the iSCSI protocol will be extended to include fibre channel and infiniband devices. The Matrix system is already up and running at NetConvergence’s beta site at the University of California Los Angeles.

ANNOUNCING CLEVER EPERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS

Redwood City, CALIF. — Applied Expert Systems, Inc. (AES), a worldwide provider of network management solutions for the OS/390-based network environment announces the CLEVER ePerformance Solutions. It monitors and manages the availability and performance of corporate mission critical routes and eBusiness Web sites, as well as OS/390-centric eBusiness applications and client connections. It also provides the diagnostics needed to quickly analyze and resolve any eBusiness networking issue.

The CLEVER ePerformance Solutions fall into two groups: 1. Real Time Monitoring and Performance Solutions and 2. Key Diagnostic Solutions. System programmers need to focus on analyzing data and implementing solutions, not formatting and locating records. CLEVER cTrace provides a reliable, easy-to-use method of formatting the IP packet traces of the component traces for readability and analysis. In addition to user-determined selective viewing of the cTrace headers, IP headers, and datagram headers, it allows record selection by IP address, protocol, record range, and/or time interval. As mission critical eBusiness applications continue migrating to TCP/IP, the proper allocation and use of CSM and VTAM buffers becomes increasingly important. CLEVER Buffer simplifies and speeds up the arduous task of tracking, analyzing, and tuning numerous buffers essential to the efficient and successful processing of all eBusiness related applications.

SYBASE SHIPS INTEGRATED ENTERPRISE-CLASS REPOSITORY

Emeryville, CALIF. — Sybase, Inc. announced the general availability of Sybase PowerDesigner 7.5, which represents Sybase’s entry into a rapidly growing market. For the first time, enterprise business analysts, designers, DBAs, developers and project managers have access to a single tool that allows them to take advantage of both object modeling and data modeling techniques with full repository capabilities. PowerDesigner 7.5 features improved Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagram modeling and an enhanced repository for refined enterprise modeling. Multiple users can simultaneously store and share design information at the same time in a full-featured repository, which makes it much easier for users across the enterprise to collaborate on multiple application design projects. PowerDesigner 7.5 also reduces the time and cost of distributed application development and optimizes a company’s investment in relational databases and application servers. In the near future, PowerDesigner will be enhanced to support a wider range of object-oriented diagrams based on UML.

“PowerDesigner 7.5 puts Sybase in a new market by itself,” said Dimitri Volkmann, Sybase’s worldwide product marketing manager for PowerDesigner. “Compared to the competition, we feel it presents a much simpler and easier- to-use version of UML while offering more powerful data modeling tools.” “Sybase is giving designers an effective tool that integrates both object modeling and data modeling techniques,” said Steve Garone, Program Vice President, Application Development & Deployment at IDC. “Combining this with its repository feature, PowerDesigner has significantly simplified enterprise application design.” Sybase’s business partners have been involved in beta testing of version 7.5 and are enthusiastic about the new features. “After using PowerDesigner for so long, it is hard to imagine using any other modeling tool,” said Michael Nicewarner, President of DataModel.Org. “The v7.5 GUI sets a new standard for modeling tools, once again providing high quality graphics with solid ERD underpinning. The version control and configuration management features now available in the repository bring PowerDesigner to a new level of enterprise modeling. Adding object modeling to PowerDesigner was a great move by Sybase.”

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