That new Netlink SNA-Hub from Tandem Computers Inc (CI No 908) promises to be a significant further engine of growth for the Cupertino company: one issue in big IBM shops is transactions per second per dollar, and the ability for terminal users attached to it to switch at will between Tandem and IBM host applications in an SNA network make it a little less daunting for IBM DP managers to switch their high transaction throughput applications from the 3090 over to a Tandem NonStop complex – within reason, because when it comes to really large applications, the top-end Tandems are still too small to meet the needs of IBM’s biggest users.
