Compaq Computer Corp’s Tandem division has now decided to shift its high-end Integrity Unix range of fault-tolerant servers from MIPS over to the Alpha architecture, five months after it made a similar decision for its proprietary Himalaya S-Series machines (CI No 3,498, 3,501). The Unix systems are sold exclusively into the telecommunications marketplace, and make up around 15% of Tandem’s business. Originally, it looked as if the division would be content to let the MIPS machines gradually fade away as high-end 64-bit Intel-based machines replaced them. But yesterday, as part of Compaq’s larger announcements over its Digital AlphaServers and Tru64 Unix (CI No 3,586), the Tandem division said it planned to release a new family of NonStop Integrity SA-Series using the same Alpha-based boards as the Himalaya range, configured differently and using the PCI I/O cards that Tandem’s telecoms customers are used to. The systems will use the EV7 Alpha, expected to reach the market some time in mid-2000, and the first SA Integrity servers, running a version of the newTru64 Unix hardened through the addition of features from NonStop Unix, are due late 2001, probably a little earlier than their Himalaya equivalents. Until then, and probably beyond as well, Compaq says it will continue to upgrade the MIPS models, upgrading to the MIPS R12000 later this year for a 30% to 50% performance hike, and beyond that to the R14000. Yesterday, the division launched a new R10000-based Integrity server, the S5000, which has an entry-level price of around $200,000. Compaq will continue to sell low-end Integrity XC servers based on Proliant hardware and running SCO Unix with Tandem clustering software.
