Revealing some of the thinking behind its acquisition of local area network equipment specialist Ungermann- Bass Inc, Tandem Computers Inc has been saying that it is planning to move some of its key transaction processing software down to personal computers running the OS/2 operating system, and to this end has taken a licence for Microsoft’s OS/2 LAN Manager. The move will put the Cupertino fault-tolerant minimaker into head-to-head conflict with IBM, which has similar plans for tying networks of PS/2s into its mainframe DB2 relational database system. According to Computer Systems News, Tandem’s plans for distributed transaction processing involve using its NonStop machines as specialised back-end processors, also handling functions like network administration, and include adding fault tolerant features to LAN Manager networks. Tandem’s file transfer software and PC6530 terminal emulation software will be reimplemented for machines running OS/2. Meanwhile Tandem’s arch-rival Stratus Computer Inc has announced a similar strategy with a preview of a concept it calls Stratus Workstation Architecture. Designed to integrate the company’s XA2000 Continuous Processing Systems into networks of workstations and personal computers, the Architecture will support TCP/IP and interfaces to Sun Microsystems’ Network File System, Apollo Computer’s Network Computing System, and implementations of IBM’s Toekn Ring, LU6.2, NetBIOS and Microsoft’s MS-Net. Sun’s NeWS Network-extensible Window System and Apple Macintoshes will also be supported. Stratus has also chosen the Sybase relational database from Sybase Inc as the basis of its new SQL/2000 system for building on-line transaction processing applications. The components of this include SQL Server and DataWorkbench versions of Sybase DataServer and DataToolset, plus DB-Library, Open Client Connection and VOS Server.
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