Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG chose Systems ’93 in Munich to launch 14 new Unix servers in its RM range – including a top-end, 24 processor RM600 system of its own design that effectively marks the end of its OEM agreement with Pyramid Technology Corp. The new RM400 systems include the RM400 models 120 and 220 mini-towers, 330 and 430 four EISA slot towers, and the four EISA slot models 340, 440 and 540. Low-end models use the 50MHz external/100MHz internal MIPS Technologies Inc RM4400MC RISC chip, the 430 and UP use the 75/150MHz chip. Entry prices range from $32,346 to $242,595. The additions to the RM600 range are the 50/150MHz models 120, 130 and 140, and the 75MHz/150MHz 220, 230 and 240, with from one to eight processors, 4Mb second level cache per processor and up to 27 Multibus II slots. Entry prices range from $161,730 to $350,190. Performance levels of up to 800 transactions per second were claimed. The as yet unnamed high-end RM600 will come with up to 24 75/150MHz RM4400 chips, dual CPU boards with 4Mb system-level cache per processor, up to 4Gb main memory and 1.000Gb storage. It’s due in February next year. All the new machines have been designed and built by Siemens Nixdorf. An agreement with Pyramid still exists for operating system software and for some local services, and Siemens Nixdorf said it might still sell Pyramid machines with its applications in markets where it is weak, such as the US and Australia. The news must be bad for Pyramid, which has been making up to half its total sales through its OEM agreements with Siemens Nixdorf and Ing C Olivetti & Co SpA.
