Veritas Software Corp has signed up the first major NT server vendor to take its high-end storage management software in the shape of Dell Computer Corp. The two signed a technology development and distribution agreement yesterday, and Dell plans to launch its own products based on Veritas’ Logical Disk Manager in the future. Dell has been making serious noises about storage recently, and back in April signed up Data General Corp – a long time Veritas partner – as the supplier of its PowerVault product line (CI No 3,385; 3,443). It has been pushing its PowerEdge server business hard for the last year. Veritas is hoping to duplicate the success of its Unix-based logical volume management software business, which it developed mostly through OEM agreements with hardware manufacturers. This time it also hopes to have an alternative distribution channel Seagate Software Inc’s value added reseller network, if the merger goes through. The Logical Volume Manager is one of the storage technologies which Microsoft Corp has agreed to include in Windows NT 5.0, which, says the company, will give OEMs a strong platform base on top of which they can bolt on full versions of the product. So it can’t be held hostage to the uncertainties of NT 5.0’s release date, Veritas is working on versions of the product for NT 4.0 as well. The Dell versions are likely to be joint-branded. Veritas is looking to sign up further OEMs, with Dell rival Compaq Computer Corp being the obvious plumb. Veritas has agreements with both the Digital and Tandem sides of Compaq on the Unix side.
