Sequent Computer Systems Inc’s aim is to enable customers to utlize Windows NT and BackOffice applications running against a back-end Unix database, all working off the same server – a Sequent box. The company duly showed Windows NT running on a 32- way ccNUMA server utilizing Oracle Parallel Server clustering technology yesterday, though it doesn’t take advantage of ccNUMA’s distributed shared memory in the same way its Dynix/ptx Unix can because there are actually four instances of NT, one running on each eight-way node which consists of four two-way Pentium Pro boards (CI No 3,255). In a Unix configurations a single copy of Dynix/ptx runs across the whole system. Sequent says the system can utilize Distributed Message Passing between NT nodes or have NT applications operate in large SMP arrangements. It won’t ship as a product until a year from now. Sequent says it’s looking at how to implement third party 64-bit Unix APIs such as Solaris x86 on top of its Dynix/ptx rather than bring a whole new operating system on board because no other company can provide the data center capabilities Dynix already offers – and that includes Sun. Although Fremont, California- based Fundamental Software Inc has implemented its OPEN/370 emulation of the IBM mainframe architecture – plus 2,048 devices – on a Sequent Symmetry server running Dynix and it’s been looking at the feasibility of putting up on NUMA, Sequent’s fearful that anyone might think it’s even considering putting its toe into the IBMulation market despite what some of its executives were telling us earlier in the week (CI No 3,252). After all, it does claim to be a mainframe replacement company.
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