Hewlett-Packard Co, as reported briefly (CI No 1,289) has announced the first components in its new distributed computing environment strategy dubbed Team Computing, which is designed to integrate the resources in a network. Team computing is designed to use standard operating systems and networking configurations, consistent geographical user interface and application development tools to integrate Hewlett and Apollo workstations, Vectra personal computers, X Terminals and minicomputers, as well as systems from other vendors. The components introduced include Apollo’s Network Computing System, licensed by Hewlett before it acquired Apollo Computer Inc, which is now available on HP-UX workstations. Network Computing System has been combined with the X WilD^w`System and the Motif user interface. Also introduced under the Team computing banner is software originating from the Hewlett side of the business. Task Broker is a stand-alone distributed computing application for end users, originally regarded by Hewlett as a competitor to Network Computing System, but now bundled in as complementary. Task Broker, in the words of product manager Paul Asmus, is a less elegant solution than NCS, but easier to execute. Using an intelligent bidding process to distribute tasks to the computer most suited to the job, Task Broker (unlike NCS) does not require application modifications, and functions on Unix systems using TCP/IP: the system puts tasks up to bids and then decides which of the bidding computers in the network is best able to handle the task in a timely fashion. Systems that are heavily loaded already are passed by. So far it has been implemented for Hewlett, Apollo, and Multiflow systems, with Sun Microsystems and DEC Ultrix versions in the pipeline. Network Computing System requires modifications to both software and hardware, and currently supports IBM VM, DEC VMS and Ultrix, Sun, Multiflow, Convex and Prime systems, as well as Hewlett and Apollo workstations and Hewlett’s MPE V hardware, as well as MS-DOS micros. Task Broker, available by the end of the year, starts at $5,000 for a 10-user licence, while Network Computing System development environments cost $850. Asmus said that further integration of the two products would follow in future releases. Network Computing System is one of the two major networking contenders submitted to the Open Software Foundation’s distributed computing Request for Technology, which closed for submissions last week. Hewlett also said it would be offering customers pre-configured X Window environments for its own and Apollo workstations, using the Motif interface.
