Santa Cruz Operation Inc’s says it is migrating the clustered version of its UnixWare 7 operating system to work over multiple kinds of high-speed Intel server interconnection technologies as well as Ethernet cards, in a bid to take its Unix-on-Intel further up the MIS food chain. UnixWare NonStop Clusters incorporates Tandem Computers’ single system image software and currently runs over the Compaq Computer Corp division’s ServerNet system interconnect (CI No 3,322). It’s been demonstrated running over clusters of Tandem’s Intel-based Integrity servers and Compaq has been selling the combination into the telecoms market since the beginning of the year. SCO says it will begin to market the system software into retail, finance and internet commerce markets from next quarter. Currently the software can connect six nodes with up to 10 CPUs each but will be extended over the next couple of year to support up to 100 nodes with 32 processors. SCO says the clustering and failover functionality of NonStop Clusters reaches well beyond the kind of high-availability of its SCO Reliant software which incorporates technology licensed from Siemens Pyramid Information Systems Inc. SCO says it’ll evolve UnixWare to provide features such as 99.995% uptime and 64Gb memory by 2000. SCO says that through VARs it is now targeting UnixWare at mid-sized customers with ERP applications requiring up to 500 seats. It has a Business Edition of UnixWare 7 waiting in the wings and by year-end will be offering a version of UnixWare supporting Data General Corp ccNUMA AViiON servers with up to 16 CPUs. SCO is also touting new IDC research suggesting it has a 40.8% of the market for new Unix licenses sold. Sun has 12.6% for Solaris Sparc and 3.4% for Solaris Intel; IBM has 15% for AIX on PowerPC, HP holds 11% for HP-UX on PA-RISC. Other RISC Unixes account for 15% and other Intel Unixes 10%.
