Tandem Computers Inc, Cupertino has been eating IBM’s main course if not its entire lunch in the transaction processing business of late, but IBM still rules supreme in network management with its NetView program. An answer from Tandem was therefore a pressing need, and it arrived yesterday in the shape of Distributed Systems Management software, a global name for a series of new and existing products that come bundled in a package called Operations Management and a couple of extensions to the Guardian 90 operating system. Operations Management comprises the new Viewpoint package with two existing programs, Measure and Network Statstics System, and a new Distributed Name Service. Altogether the products are designed to enable simpler running of a large dispersed network of NonStops by bringing most of the necessary information together in one place, as well as providing flexible tools so that users can choose between central and decentralised management, or to run some remote sites unattended. Viewpoint consolidates at a single terminal all the data on the status of the network, enabling the terminal to be used as a network command and control centre, in particular displaying data collected by the Measure and Network Statistics. Distributed Name Service provides a single information base for network names. The two extensions to Guardian 90 are Event Management System, which collects data on network problems, and this can be routed to Viewpoint; and Programmatic Subsystem Interface, which allows users to define the way in which data is presented. The products can be bought separately, full Operations Management is $3,200 and $320 a month for each TXP or VLX system, $1,600 and $160 a month on each EXT or CLX, in fourth quarter.
