True to its February word that it would have an implementation of its Guardian operating system for MIPS Computer Systems Inc’s R-series RISC family by the end of the year (CI No 1,611), Tandem Computers Inc yesterday unveiled the first fruits, with R-series based NonStops running the fault-tolerant Guardian, as well as new models in its fault-tolerant Unix line and a new disk storage system. The Unix-based Integrity systems run what the company now calls NonStop-UX and they can be configured with a Reliable Ethernet option that is said to extend fault tolerance to the Integrity Ethernet subsystem (CI No 1,787). The Integrity 300 is claimed to provide twice the throughput of it predecessor, the Integrity 200 system, in database management applications, and the Integrity 200, formerly the Integrity S2, is now offered at a 20% discount. The new Integrity 100E entry-level system is upgradable to an Integrity 200 or Integrity 300, and all three are based on either the MIPS’ R3000 or R2000 RISC processors. Tandem says that it will offer R4000 and R5000-based products when they are commercially available. The Integrity 300 is rated at 23 MIPS and runs at 25MHz. It offers between 1.3Gb and 27Gb disk storage, 64Mb local memory, 128Mb global memory and costs $159,800, UKP118,086 in the UK. The new entry-level Integrity 100E, based on the R2000, executes at 14 MIPS, as does the Integrity 200, and system memory can be expanded to 40Mb. Disk storage goes from 590Mb to 27Gb, and it costs from $94,100, UKUKP69,832. Tandem says that the entry-level NonStop CLX/R systems are well suited for entry-level distributed computing. There are both proprietary and RISC-based models in the line, and the machines are offered with two to four processors. With two RISC processors, the G1220 costs UKP79,253, and the four processor G1240 is $151,302. The midrange NonStop CLX systems go from two to 16 RISC or complex instruction processors, and Tandem claims a performance range of 11.5 to 92 transactions per second. They offer 16Mb or 32Mb of memory per processor with 1.29Gb to 390Gb of internal and external storage. They are available now and cost from UKP123,091 to UKP960,260. The CLX/R system – from $24,950 in the US – will be available in limited quantities this quarter with general availability in January. The 4500 disk subsystem for Guardian systems uses 5.25 disk drives and comes packaged in Tandem’s Modular Storage Sysytem. Up to six disk modules, each containing up to six drives, can be stacked vertically to provide 37.7Gb. Also available for the Cyclone/R is the 5175 open-reel, nine-track tape drive option which can be mixed with disk drives in one stack at from $535,000. The 4500 subsystem is out this quarter for $40,000, $38,180 and the 5175 is $24,000, UKP21,430.
