Intergraph Corp’s Computer Systems unit is quietly ramping up a general purpose Windows NT server business which it hopes will pump out 10,000 systems this year versus 4,000 in 1997. It’ll do that without any of the eight-way Pentium Pro designs a number of companies are offering using Intel Corp’s SHV boards plus one of the various interconnects on offer. Intergraph said it has looked at the stuff last year and estimated it would be at least mid- 1998 before it could have gotten anything to market. It expects four-way systems using Intel’s forthcoming smaller, faster Pentium II – Deschutes – will blow eight-way Pentium Pro server performance away in any case. It expects Windows NT 5.0 – it was at Redmond’s 64-bit NT briefing for ISVs and OEMs last week – to make eight-way Deschutes systems fly, but depending on when the chip and system software are available, says it’ll likely do an eight-way Deschutes system using NT 4.x if NT 5.0 doesn’t hit the ground in time. The server group promises a number of differentiaters will set it apart from the mainstream NT crowd through 1998. First is clustering. Integraph says it’s got at least three varieties in hand – including Wolfpack and TCP/IP- based work – although it doesn’t believe Wolfpack is ready for general purpose use yet. For starters Wolfpack needs applications. It also lacks scalability and is really only suited for use as a high-availability mechanism. Although shared subsystems are coming – and Intergraph has improved I/O and support for Fiber Channel storage in hand as well – it thinks the market has got ahead of Wolfpack’s real capabilities and vendors have somewhat over-promoted the technology given it’s current usefulness. The unit, which became a free-standing, wholly-owned Intergraph Corp subsidiary on January 1, says its service and continued focus on what it thinks is a strong reseller market is also key. It’s offering build-to-order (BTO) as well but expects NT server users will need much more handholding than most vendors are going to offer with their BTO systems. The unit’s newest high-end boxes are quad-processors (CI No 3,327). Intergraph Corp has the rump of the application and tools business. A software solutions group has the company’s traditional GIS and CAD software development. There’s also a unit responsible for 911 and other public safety systems.
