SHORT TAKES

COMPAQ AND SUN WORK ON INITIATIVES

Houston, TEXAS — Compaq Computer Corporation has agreed to work with Sun Microsystems, Inc. and HighGround Systems, Inc. to advance Open SAN standards and drive interoperability. This will enable networked storage solutions supplied by either company to interoperate in an open networked storage environment. Compaq has held an equity position in HighGround Systems since December 1999. Compaq also licensed certain SRM technology and worked jointly with HighGround on various SAN management products. Compaq will continue to offer SANworks Storage Resource Manager (SRM) products based on HighGround technology. As a result of Sun’s announced acquisition of HighGround, Compaq and Sun are now exploring ways to work together in the area of expanded storage networks management. “Compaq and its customers benefited from our investment in HighGround Systems through the creation of innovative storage management solutions,” said Howard Elias, Vice President and General Manager, Enterprise Storage Group, Compaq Computer Corporation. “With this agreement, not only will our customers enjoy continued confidence in our ability to deliver storage resource management solutions today and in the future, but now we will also be working with Sun on open storage interoperability.”

“Compaq Computer Corporation and Sun Microsystems now have an opportunity to help drive open standards in storage resource management,” said Steve Widen, Research Director, Storage Software, IDC. “Compaq has always had an open systems approach to managing SANs with SANworks storage management solutions, which include the use of HighGround SRM technology. Compaq’s previous equity investment and strategic relationship with HighGround Systems should prove valuable as the two companies work together in creating an open storage management framework.” Compaq Computer Corporation, a Fortune Global 100 company, is the largest supplier of computing systems in the world. Compaq designs, develops, manufactures and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services, including industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, and communications products, commercial desktop and portable products, and consumer PCs. Customer support and information about Compaq and its products and services are available at http://www.compaq.com .

QUANTUM|ATL EXPANDS RELATIONSHIP WITH COMPAQ

Irvine, CALIF. — Quantum|ATL, a unit of Quantum’s DLT and Storage Systems Group and a leading supplier of intelligent DLTtape automation, announced that Compaq Computer Corporation, is expanding their OEM relationship with the announcement of the ESL9198DLX Enterprise Tape Library. The Compaq StorageWorks ESL9198DLX tape library complements Compaq’s larger ESL9326 tape library in meeting the needs of scalable and highly available secondary storage. “We are pleased to offer the ESL9198DLX tape library that provides enterprise tape library features at an attractive cost per gigabyte and offers added scalability options to our enterprise tape library offerings. The ESL9000 family of tape libraries are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of today’s computing environments with growing data and shrinking backup windows,” said Rusty Smith, Director, Data Products Group, Enterprise Storage Group. “Today’s computing environments demand increased system availability. The ESL9000 libraries have been designed to maximize the availability of the backup and restore environment through a highly redundant design, incorporating hot-swap capabilities on critical components.”

The Compaq StorageWorks ESL9198DLX features up to eight hot-plug 40/80GB DLT drives, providing a native capacity of 7.92 terabytes in a single unit, and native backup performance up to 172.8 GB per hour. It can scale to five units working as a single “virtual” library with up to 34.8 terabytes of native backup capacity, providing seamless growth. The Compaq StorageWorks ESL9198DLX has an embedded PCI backplane architecture that provides for future add-in card upgrades in functionality, thereby providing investment protection. Compaq StorageWorks ESL9198DLX will also support future drive technologies, such as the Super DLTtape drive. Compaq TSMC (Tape Storage Management Console) and Insight Manager software shipped with the library enables easy diagnostics and management capability, further reducing the cost of ownership. “Compaq’s support of ATL library designs reinforces ATL’s position as a market leader in automated tape backup platforms,” said Kevin Daly, Chief Executive Officer of ATL. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to expand our relationship with Compaq, a storage industry leader.” For more information visit http://www.atlp.com .

SUSE LINUX ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH SGI

Oakland, CALIF. — SuSE Linux, the international technology leader and solutions provider in open source operating system (OS), announced a new strategic partnership with SGI, a world-leader in high performance computing and visualization solutions. The terms of the agreement include, SGI’s equity investment in SuSE Linux Corporation the cooperative development, deployment and support of the Linux operating system and infrastructure code. The companies’ customers benefit from the high-end enterprise applications derived from this partnership. “SGI is pleased to partner with SuSE and thereby extend its already deep commitment to the Open Source community,” said Robert Bishop, chairman and CEO, SGI. “Through our combined efforts, we can significantly advance the applications of Linux for our customers.” Earlier this year, the companies successfully introduced Linux FailSafe, a scalable and modular high-availability solution based on IRIS FailSafe. Linux FailSafe offers advanced clustering capabilities to Linux and signifies an important step in the maturation of Linux into a platform of choice for enterprise-class, high availability applications. SGI and SuSE jointly participated in the highly regarded IA-64 Linux effort.

“The technical precision of SuSE Linux provides the stability and reliability that is crucial to the continuing deployment of Linux throughout the enterprise,” said Dirk Hohndel, CTO, SuSE Linux AG. “Our partnership with SGI broadens the availability of Open Source solutions to more and more enterprise computing environments.” SuSE Linux is an international technology leader and solutions provider in Open Source operating system (OS) software. SuSE’s unique expertise in Linux and its largest development team worldwide dedicated to Open Source software has contributed to the recognition of SuSE as the most complete Linux solution available today. For more information please see http://www.suse.com . SGI is committed to contributing technology from its core competencies in visualization and high-performance computing to the open source community. SGI provides a broad range of high-performance computing and advanced graphics solutions that enable customers to understand and conquer their toughest computing problems. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., with offices worldwide, the company is located on the Web at http://www.sgi.com .

DASSAULT AND DCS ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT

Paris, FRANCE — Dassault Systemes and Dimensional Control Systems Incorporated (DCS) announced the signing of a Component Application Architecture (CAA) V5 development partnership. The purpose of this agreement is the seamless integration of DCS 3DCS Graphic Tolerance Simulation Software solution within the CATIA V5 3D Functional Tolerancing and Annotation environment. This will enable the integration of customers’ processes (from design to manufacturing) into a single environment. Providing reliable products in a very short time is vital in a competitive environment. Geometric defects being inherent to any part and assembly, their variations have a significant impact on the feasibility of the product implementation. Optimizing the tolerancing scheme becomes a determining factor for both cost reductions and the product quality improvement. CATIA 3D Functional Tolerancing & Annotation is a new generation CATIA V5 product, addressing an easy definition and management of tolerance specifications as well as annotations of 3D parts. Three dimensional annotations can be reviewed using ENOVIA DMU or DELMIA DMU Dimensioning & Tolerancing Review product. Both offer comprehensive tools to better interpret annotations and tolerances on specific areas of the design, or across the complete digital mockup.

The tight integration of 3DCS capabilities within the CAA V5 next generation architecture enables users to benefit from advanced and easy to use graphical and statistical dimensional variability simulation, through the entire design and manufacturing process. 3DCS On CAA V5 improves the robustness of design and processes, by maximizing part tolerances, highlighting areas sensitive to variations and as an end result, reducing rework of tools and gages. By direct access to CATIA V4 and CATIA V5 geometry plus Dimensioning and Tolerancing specifications, and also by benefiting from V5 MultiCAD capabilities, 3DCS On CAA V5 enables customers to perform analysis on data of their choice and to streamline their internal processes. Finally, 3DCS On CAA V5 is a new step in Dassault Systemes’ strategy to build the most comprehensive set of applications dedicated to Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). This collaboration will provide customers, within the Design and Manufacturing Industries such as automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding, and machinery, with unmatched capabilities for achieving dimensional integrity and product quality through a single V5 window. DCS Executive Vice-President and COO John Mathieson explains, “Our exposure to CAA V5 unveiled a robust open architecture. The platform’s independence in development and usage makes CATIA V5 the best thought-out CAD solution today. These qualities enable native integration of our product within CATIA V5 environment. With our integration into CATIA V5, we have established the new industry standard for tolerance analysis that our customers desire.”

ENVIVE PARTNERS WITH DISTRIBUTED SCIENCE

Mountain View, CALIF. — Envive Corporation announced that they would use Distributed Science’s network of over 145,000 computers from 72,000 unique suppliers to create a worldwide Internet infrastructure for its performance testing and monitoring services. Using Distributed Science’s world-spanning Process Tree Network will allow Envive to meet the needs of virtually any e-Business customer through the use of actual users PCs. By utilizing this technology, also known as distributed computing, the “last mile” of Internet connectivity can be more accurately measured than ever before. “Web performance is typically measured using servers in data centers which don’t account for the last mile in which the ISP reaches the end user,” said Jeff Tonkel, CEO of Envive. “Envive overcomes the last mile hurdle by using Distributed Science’s network of actual user’s computers to determine more accurate results for customers.”

The agreement between Envive and Distributed Science adds another use to the technology popularized by Napster and will allow Envive to provide a more accurate account of the performance that users are experiencing on the Internet. “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”, says Steve Porter, President and CTO of Distributed Science. “This old rule carries over seamlessly to the Internet. It is mission critical for e-Commerce Enterprises to make sure that their worldwide Web site offerings are available and performing well. The solution to this problem is distributed quality-of-service monitoring. With the use of the largest commercial entity in this industry on the planet, our ProcessTree Network, Envive and Distributed Science are set to provide the tightest possible safety net for Envive’s customers.”

PROTOMARKET.COM PARTNERS WITH ITI

Chicago, IL. — ProtoMarket.com, the first and largest online marketplace for the Rapid Manufacturing industry, today announced a partnership with ITI (International TechneGroup Incorporated), the leading global provider of product data interoperability solutions. Because fast, reliable and accurate electronic exchange of CAD files between designers and manufacturers is so crucial to the success of the marketplace, any errors can mean costly delays. ITI has developed a host of solutions to this problem with superior software and methodologies for converting CAD data from one format to another, and repair tools that identify and correct errors. Under this partnership, ProtoMarket.com will offer manned translation and repair services, under the name ProtoMarket Translator for use on their website. According to ProtoMarket President & CEO, Jeff Katz, “Using Translator will enable our customers to significantly reduce or eliminate costly and time-consuming CAD model rework. It will also allow our members to do business with a wider variety of partners. No other service can accommodate more file types, and the fact that live CAD operators check and repair each file should deliver consistently superior results. ITI is the recognized leader in this field, and we are excited to be able to take advantage of their experience and technical excellence.” “ProtoMarket.com is a leading example of how the Internet can be put to work as a valuable resource to deliver practical tools and services to manufacturers throughout industry,” explained ITI’s Don Hemmelgarn, Sr. Vice President and General Manager of the company’s Product Data Interoperability business. “We are pleased to collaborate with ProtoMarket.com to deliver proven and reliable CAD model translation and repair solutions to manufacturers of all types and sizes. Through this offering downstream CAD model users can be assured of getting the clean, translated CAD model that they need when they need it.”

ProtoMarket is already a leader in secure online CAD file transfer, using advanced 128-bit SSL encryption technology. With the addition of Translator to ProtoMarket’s site, customers who need to fix defective CAD models or translate files from one CAD system to another can upload their files with confidence that the data will be secure, and that experienced technicians will personally manage the translation. Launched in March of 2000, ProtoMarket is an electronic marketplace that matches buyers and sellers of contract manufacturing services. The marketplace matches the procurement needs of buyers with highly qualified, specialized vendors using a web-based application specifically designed to deliver high-speed procurement over a secure platform. The service is focused on the rapid prototyping/tooling, casting, CNC-machining and tooling markets. ProtoMarket.com is also forming strategic alliances to offer a number of additional value-added services for the design engineering and manufacturing community. For more information, visit ProtoMarket’s website at http://www.protomarket.com .

SUN CONTINUES STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH APACHE

Washington, D.C. — Sun Microsystems announced that it has been working with the Apache Software Foundation on a new technology initiative, called Batik, an open source, Java technology-based toolkit for Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). Batik was released in beta form today by Apache and is the third Apache project to which Sun has donated code and technical resources. Other projects include Jakarta, a collection of initiatives around JavaServer Pages technology (JSP) and Java Servlets technologies, and Xerces 2, a best-of-breed XML Parser. The Apache Software Foundation’s XML-Batik Project received contributions from a number of industry leaders including CSIRO, Eastman Kodak Company, ILOG, and Sun Microsystems. As with all Apache projects, the project exists through volunteer contributions to ensure each project continues to exist beyond the participation of individual volunteers, to enable contributions of intellectual property and funds on a sound basis, and to provide a vehicle for limiting legal exposure while participating in open-source software projects.

These projects with Apache are testament to Sun’s commitment to deliver the best tools and technologies to developers who are building next generation, network-centric applications. Through partnerships, such as with the expert developers of Apache and the open, inclusive Java Community Process(SM) (JCP) 2.0 program, Sun continues to listen closely to developers’ requests and quickly deliver on their requirements. Apache is also deeply involved in the JCP 2.0, having served on the interim Executive Committee (EC) and being voted onto the EC again last month in the JCP 2.0 elections. “Apache is highly recognized by the developer community as a cutting edge group, and we’re pleased to work with them on the Batik project,” stated George Paolini, vice president, Technology Evangelism, Sun Microsystems. “Sun has long been a proponent of making our tools and technologies open to the largest possible audience in order to promote standards-based application development for the Web, and our continuing work with Apache supports this objective.” “The Apache Software Foundation promotes projects such as Batik to demonstrate the positive results of a collaborative development process, where individuals join forces across national and corporate boundaries, to build upon each other’s work, and create a regularly improved product for the benefit of the global community. Without spending any funds on research, marketing, or advertising, Apache developers have been building high-quality and cutting-edge software for over 5 years now; software that by its nature promotes open standards and an open Internet,” said Brian Behlendorf, President of the ASF.

TURBOLINUX-HITACHI PARTNERS ON LINUX SOLUTION

San Francisco, CALIF. — Turbolinux, Inc., a leader in high-performance Linux for Internet infrastructure solutions, announced that Mega Co., Ltd., an independent Internet service provider (ISP) based in Tokyo, has adopted Turbolinux Cluster Server for its new clustered server system featuring total disk storage capacity of 1.5 terabytes and serving more than 100,000 corporate customers. The new clustered server system was designed and implemented by Hitachi Engineering Co., Ltd., a Turbolinux partner in clustering technology. “We adopted Turbolinux-based clustering because our customers require reliability and availability,” said Kenji Nousho, a planning and development executive at Mega. “Turbolinux has a proven track record and we have succeeded in achieving far higher performance than we originally expected.”

“We have a lot of experience in UNIX-based clustering and were impressed with Turbolinux software solutions in building a clustered system with 1.5 terabyte large disk storage capacity,” said Satoshi Kawamura, senior engineer at the electronic information systems division of Hitachi Engineering. “This deployment with Mega could trigger a sharp rise in demand for clustered systems based on Linux, which now has proven stability comparable to that of UNIX. The Mega installation also proves that Turbolinux’s Cluster Server can deliver even in mission-critical environments where system downtime cannot be tolerated.” Mega’s new clustered Turbolinux system provides Internet package services for corporate users. The cluster is comprised of nine racks of Hitachi 3U HA8000 servers providing mail, Web, and NFS services and interconnected via high-speed network switches. “We believe that Mega’s new clustered system is one of the world’s first Linux-based clusters featuring the high reliability and availability necessary for full operation in mission-critical applications,” said Kuniteru Kojima, President of TurboLinux Japan. “The solution designed by Hitachi and Mega also takes full advantage of the rugged hardware and performance of the Hitachi servers.” Founded in 1992, Turbolinux develops Linux-based software solutions for Internet and enterprise computing infrastructure, including reliable, available and scalable operating systems for workstations and servers and software clustering solutions for computing traffic management and peer-to-peer distributed computing. For more information, visit the Turbolinux Web site at http://www.turbolinux.com .

TRU-SI TECHNOLOGIES GETS ORDER FROM FUJITSU

Sunnyvale, CALIF. — Tru-Si Technologies, Inc. (Tru-Si), a leading provider of atmospheric downstream plasma (ADP) processing equipment to the semiconductor industry, announced that it has secured an order for its dry-etch technology from Fujitsu Limited. Slated for installation at the customer’s Mie, Japan facility in 2001, the system will be used in one of the world’s first production lines manufacturing ultra-thin 50-micron silicon wafers. The sale follows recent orders for Tru-Si installations at large semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the United States and Europe, placing the company’s thinning technology on three continents. The customer will use the system to manufacture ultra-thin, multi-functional smart cards. Citing top-flight Japanese service and support capabilities as a key factor in securing the order, Tru-Si’s chief executive officer, Dr. Sergey Savastiouk, paid tribute to Fujitsu’s pioneering development of advanced packaging applications. “We’re very pleased that Fujitsu has chosen to partner with us in its efforts to reach new, ultra-thin dimensions. While our trail-blazing technology is vital to the future of the semiconductor industry, we’re well aware that it is only as good as our service and support facilities. Tru-Si’s global support network, bolstered by our partnership with Japan-based Kanematsu Semiconductor Corp., has allowed us to complete installations on multiple continents, extending our technology into mainstream manufacturing. Our system’s advanced automated handling solution is sharpening our customers’ competitive edge by enabling their effective production of damage-free, ultra-thin wafers.”

“Crossing the ultra-thin 50-micron threshold while maintaining wafer integrity has been extremely difficult to achieve,” said Masataka Mizukoshi, manager, LSI Packaging Development Division of Electric Device Business Group, Fujitsu Limited. “This fragile process is fraught with complex issues, not the least of which is stress and damage to the wafer. Tru-Si’s all-dry, damage-free thinning and automated handling technology is extending the limits of wafer thinning in a high-volume production environment, making it possible for us to cost-effectively satisfy consumer demand for smaller and more powerful devices.” Tru-Si Technologies, with its proprietary atmospheric downstream plasma (ADP) gas-etch system, is the leading supplier of the world’s most efficient damage-free materials removal solution to the semiconductor industry. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, the company’s ADP dry isotropic etching technology enables semiconductor manufacturers to meet increasing wireless, portable, networking and Internet market demands for smaller, thinner, cheaper and more integrated electronic devices. For more information on Tru-Si, visit the company online at http://www.trusi.com .

LEGATO ANNOUNCES SUN INTEGRATION OF NETWORKER 6.0

Mountain View, CALIF. — Legato Systems, Inc., a worldwide leader in enterprise storage management, announced Sun Microsystems’ integration of NetWorker 6.0 as part of the Sun StorEdge product line, rebranding it Solstice Backup 6.0. Now NetWorker 6.0 and Solstice 6.0 support Sun StorEdge solutions and Sun’s Solaris Operating Environment software. Legato and Sun have a long history of teaming to deliver premiere end-to-end storage solutions to their mutual customers. “In today’s Net Economy, businesses cannot go down,” said Denise Shiffman, vice president of marketing, Sun Network Storage. “By integrating best-of-breed products like our Solstice Backup 6.0 software into our end-to-end backup solutions, we are able to offer our customers a wide breadth of products that enable them to protect information wherever it resides throughout the enterprise.”

Customers also benefit from expanded platform support. NetWorker 6.0 and Solstice Backup 6.0 software now ship with support for Sun’s Solaris 8 Operating Environment, as well as Solaris 7 and Solaris 2.6 versions. NetWorker 6.0 and Solstice Backup 6.0 software now support all Sun StorEdge arrays, including its newest member, the Sun StorEdge T3 array. Legato also certified the Sun StorEdge L9 library with DLT8000 drives, the Sun StorEdge L20 library with DLT 7000, and the Sun StorEdge L180 library with DLT7000 or 9840 drives. Finally, Legato is in the process of qualifying the Sun StorEdge N8200 filer with NetWorker 6.0 and Solstice Backup 6.0 software, providing expanded SAN capabilities to Sun customers. “Legato’s close relationship with Sun has enabled it to synchronize its software compatibility and migration paths with Sun offerings, giving Sun customers the complete confidence to deploy Legato solutions,” said Jim Chappell, senior vice president, Legato Systems, Inc. “IT environments today demand the highest levels of support and collaboration, which Legato and Sun deliver.” Legato Systems, Inc. is a worldwide leader in enterprise storage management. Helping companies leverage business-critical, corporate data assets, Legato’s products and services enable information continuance, a seamless approach to the movement, management and protection of data throughout an enterprise.

BROCADE ADDS 23 NEW PARTNERS

San Jose, CALIF. — Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Brocade), a leading provider of Storage Area Networking infrastructure, announced the further expansion of its worldwide systems integration channel with the certification of 23 additional Brocade Fabric Integrator partners. The recently certified systems integrators are The Allied Group Inc.; Cambex Corporation; CorpInfo Services; ECCS, Inc.; e^deltacom; EYT; Infinite Technology Group (ITG); Information Resources, Inc. (IRI); Information Technology Services, Inc. (InfoTech); MasStor Technologies, Inc.; More Solutions Inc.; NaviStor.Com; POLARIS Communications Services, Inc.; Premier Systems Integrators; Salem Computer Group; Sales Strategies, Inc.; SAN Solutions, Inc.; SICORP, Inc.; SKYDATA Corporation; Strategic Communications Solutions; Technical Solutions, Inc.; TeraMach Technologies, Inc.; and Total Tec Systems, Inc. These leading systems integrators play a strategic role in ensuring the successful, reliable implementation of scalable, storage area networks (SANs) based on the Brocade networking foundation for storage.

“We are pleased to be able to count these new systems integrators among our Fabric Integrator partners,” said Jack Cuthbert, Brocade vice president of Worldwide Sales, Marketing, and Support Services. “Now, more than ever, the ability to implement heterogeneous storage networking solutions is essential for today’s SAN customers. Together with our Fabric Integrator and OEM partners, we can deliver the industry’s most reliable, scalable networking foundation for storage environments to enable SAN customers to keep pace with the exponential growth in information storage requirements.” Brocade Fabric Integrators are certified to sell and support the award-winning SilkWorm family of Fibre Channel fabric switches and software, which connects servers with storage devices through a SAN, allowing companies to access and share stored data in a high-performance, manageable and scalable environment. For more information on Brocade SOLUTIONware, visit http://www.brocade.com/SAN/sansolutions.html .

HIGH-TECH COMPANIES COMBINE SYSTEMS

Fairfax, VA. — Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems (M&DS) and Visual Analytics, Inc (VAI) combined their analytical components to create a solution for total information awareness in support of high-end analytical needs. The companies have announced a joint business strategy that combines AeroText and VisuaLinks into a powerful, user- configurable analytical system. This strategy enables automated entity (i.e. person, place, date) extraction, combination, and visual analysis of large quantities of free-text data. The relationship is based on a recent coupling of proprietary technologies for performing entity extraction (M&DS: AeroText) and information visualization (VAI: VisuaLinks). Applications of this technology coupling are targeted for use in the intelligence community, law enforcement, and commercial industry. “The integration of our products provides industry with the best-of-breed technologies for performing open source data exploitation,” says David O’Connor, President and CTO of VAI. “Our combined offering is unique to the industry and is expected to change how open-source data is analyzed.”

AeroText is a high-performance free-text natural language processing system, which includes a core knowledge base of compiled linguistic rules, and an integrated development environment combined with a graphical user interface for the creation of additional linguistic rules. M&DS developed AeroText as a powerful component technology to extract various entity types and relationships including the names of people, organizations, dates, locations, and telephone numbers. VisuaLinks is a Java-based link analysis and visualization system created by VAI to graphically present and collaborate on large quantities of relational data using network-diagrams. VisuaLinks couples to any database, data warehouse, or knowledge repository using its XML-based model builder to dynamically inspect and pull together disparate data sources through real-time connections. The information derived from AeroText is visualized within VisuaLinks to provide a seamless and well-integrated analytical platform. “The merging of AeroText with VisuaLinks gets ahead of the increasing propensity of our customers’ expectations for integrated COTS solutions,” said Terry Kees, Washington Area Regional Executive for M&DS and vice president of M&DS’ Global Information Management Systems line of business. “The ongoing integration and development of the M&DS emerging solutions sets with VisuaLinks and related technologies is a key indication of our intent to bring technology solutions to market.”

============================================================