New offerings reaffirm IBM’s continued commitment to Stratus Computer’s System/88 IBM has made a number of System/88 software announcements, suggesting that it is planning to continue with the fault tolerant line for a few years yet, which must be a source of gratification to the original equipment manufacturer, Stratus Computer Inc, Marlboro. System/88 SQL Server Release 2 System/88 SQL Server Release 2 enhancements include a distributed, two-phase transaction commit, an asynchronous tape dump support, an SQL C Precompiler for carrying across SQL applications, and an SQL APT-Edit and SQL APT-Library for editing forms and controlling C forms. The distributed two-phase commit enables applications running on different systems in a network to retrieve and update data across one or more databases on a single central server. It enforces data integrity across multiple systems, and any failed transaction will be backed out automatically by the SQL Server. The integrity rules are enforced by the database, and remote app-lications will be consistent with centrally established rules. The new on-line asynchronous tape dump enables users to save or restore their SQL disk files to tape, while those files are online. The SQL C Precompiler is a tool for porting standard SQL database applications to the System/88 SQL environment, and enables developers to embed SQL statements into the source code of programs written in C. It supports stored procedures (written in Transact-SQL which once defined, may be compiled and stored in the central dictionary. SQL Apt-Edit provides a forms editor, menu editor, and processing logic for creating forms and defining their processing for an application. The forms may be designed by the user or customised from a system-provided default form. It is used for manipulating the form and its fields, and allows the user to define the form’s attributes and paint a form by creating, moving, retitling, and modifying fields. The user may also include customer-designed fields and any number of tables, as well as defining groups and subgroups of fields which function as a unit and may be displayed as mini-tables within a form. It is also possible to display a multiple-choice set of values for a field and preview an application at any stage of development. With the menu editor, custom application menus, including pull down and slide-off menus may be defined. The menus can use pre defined scroll, exit, and help icons. SQL Apt-Edit enables automatic horizontal and vertical scrolling of logical forms that are wider and longer than one physical screen. Forms may be placed at any designated position on the screen. SQL Apt-Library provides forms control for programs written in C, PL/I, or Cobol. When working with SQL Apt-Edit, it has the ability to interact with forms at runtime. It consists of a set of subroutines for loading a form and initialising its fields with specified values; for passing user entered data entered to the application; for calling other forms and procedures; for updating the form with data from the database; and managing the display environment and resetting it, as required. There are basic graduated one-time charges for the processor group, starting at $26,650 for the SQL Server 10, and going up to $57,100 for Server 40. The System/88 SQL Data Workbench costs between $22,100 and $47,400. C Precompiler is $5,015 to 750. SQL Apt-Edit is between $9,775 and $20,945. And Apt-Library comes in at $5,015, to $10,750. US availability will be the first quarter 1990. Local network and TCP/IP support The System/88 Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol enables the System/88 to participate in multi-vendor IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet networks when the the new $4,080 System/88 Token-Ring Adaptor and communicate with other TCP/IP systems; it supports Network File System Version 3.2 and Remote Procedure Call, and also supports System/88s on a local area network of MS-DOS and OS/2 boxes, the RT, and DEC, Sun and Apollo workstations. TCP/IP uses the System/88 IEEE 802.3 LAN Adaptor and costs between $4,295 and $9,
200. System/88 Network File System Release 1 starts at $5,405 and goes up to $11,575. System/88 File Transfer and Telnet Protocols Release 1 are $1,640 to $3,510. And System/88 TCP/IP Application Development Support Release 1 is between $1,415 and $3,030, first quarter of 1990. Token-Ring Link Manager The System/88 Token-Ring Link Manager supports enhancements been made to System/88 Advanced Program-to-Program Communications, and System/88 Network Interface Support. It enables System/88 users to communicate across the IBM Token-Ring network in addition to the synchronous data link control link. It uses the new $4,640 System/88 Token-Ring Adaptor, which supports only the slower transmission speed of 4Mbps, and APPC applications currently using the synchronous data link control link will be able to use the token-ring interface without change. Available first quarter 1990, it costs $1,755 to $3,755 according to System/88 processor. System/88 SNA Release 6 Release 6 of System/88 Systems Network Architecture and non-SNA licensed programs adds support for up to eight input-output Adaptor Chassis features on the 4576. It increases the maximum number of events to 8,000, and supports token-ring, Ethernet, and X21, and 3812 and 4224 remote printers. Other new features include remote 3270 polling from input-output adaptors, asynchronous poll select and binary synchronous communication reverse interrupt. There are also additional levels for alert generation by user network management applications. All previously announced System/88 hardware features are supported except the 4575 Processor. No prices, but planned availability first quarter 1990. X21 Communications Adaptor The System/88 X21 Communications Adaptor is a Motorola 68000 based adaptor that forms part of an input-output processor subsystem, and acts as an interface for synchronous operation on X25 networks. The adaptor card provides one full-duplexed port with a maximum transmission rate of up to 64Kbps and has X21 DTE support. The link level software resides on the adaptor and is responsible for link setup, data transfer, and link disconnection. The software also provides interrupt-handler facilities, timer management, connection to the fault-tolerant bus, start-up diagnostics, download facilities, and resource management. Applications may be written in Basic, Cobol, C, Fortran, Pascal, or PL/I. The X21 Communications Adaptor is $3,370, and it should be available in fourth quarter 1990.
