3Com Corp of Santa Clara, California has announced an open architecture OS/2-based network operating system. The 3+Open product incorporates Microsoft’s OS/2 LAN Manager and will be offered in advanced system and entry system configurations for local area networks when it ships to customers in October. 3Com says the system will give customers access to the new generation of applications developed to address the distributed computing capabilities of OS/2, and that applications exist in a number of environments, including IBM, Apple, DEC, Hewlett-Packard, Unix and TCP/IP. The product won endorsement from Microsoft Corp: Paul Maritz, general manager of the Redmond, Washington firm’s network business unit, reckons The introduction of the 3+Open product line is just the beginning of what customers can expect to see grow out of the potential of the MS OS/2 LAN Manager. 3Com and Microsoft have been working together for a year on the development and joint marketing of the product and the 3+Open Lan Manager Advanced System supports network-to-network and network to-host links, with network management and security. A cheaper version is available for small nets with 3Com Lan Manager Entry System. Networking costs can be further reduced with the Entry System’s ability to operate on either a concurrent or dedicated server, possibly lowering server hardware expenses. Both the advanced and entry systems support MS-DOS and OS/2 workstations concurrently, and provide network security tools to maintain data integrity and control through file-level security, audit trails, user access control and notification of attempted security breaches. A third configuration of 3+Open Lan Manager designed for 3Com’s 3S/400 dedicated network servers will be available in October.
