ICL Plc will announce the first hybrid mainframe-Unix enterprise servers in its Millennium system architecture strategy on April 30th (CI No 2,951). The SY is a new CMOS-based OpenVME mainframe which also incorporates UnixWare running on Intel Corp Pentium Pro co-processors. The Intel processors will also be available to ICL’s existing Series 39 SX mainframe customers. Early versions of SY – due in four-by-four and two-by-two processor configurations – will run a new version of OpenVME plus single system image software and support new disk and tape subsystems. ICL will use parent Fujitsu Ltd’s implementation of Intel’s four- way SHV Pentium Pro board as the co-processor in SY until Data General Corp delivers the UnixWare version of its SHV-based motherboard and SCI interconnect OEM kit for building ccNUMA servers with up to 32 processors. As well as a co-processor engine for SY, ICL is readying a standalone series of UnixWare servers called Award which is based on the Data General technology. A uniprocessor version of SY called LY is also due – the two will supersede ICL’s Series 39 OpenVME ECL-based systems. By year-end, ICL is supposed debut a DY series of Millennium servers which will supersede the CMOS-based DX series, running OpenVME on Pentium Pro chips. The goal of the Millennium strategy is to build a processor engine using Intel’s forthcoming 64-bit Merced processor that will support OpenVME, UnixWare – and presumably Windows NT as well – running alongside each other. Delivery of ICL’s ccNUMA Award series appears to be caught up with Data General’s operating system conflict. Supposedly Data General still hasn’t made it clear what it will ship first; boards supporting its own DG-UX Unix or SCO UnixWare. ICL has about ten ccNUMA systems up in its labs, including eight-ways. It expects to ship Award systems by year-end.
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