DECnews For Education & Research - August 1994
DECnews for Education
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August 1994 Vol. 3, No. 8
IN THIS ISSUE:
Announcements
. Digital Focuses on the Internet -Announces Internet Business Group
. ChannelWorks Internet Brouter for High-Speed Internet Access
. Digital Announces Fastest AXP Workstations
. Digital's OSF/1 Rated as Most Standard
. U.S. CSLG Program Announces PAKs on CDROM
. Digital and Oracle Announce Worldwide Enterprise Solutions Program
. Digital Introduces DECtalk Express Speech Synthesizer
. Wide Area Network Support Announced for OpenVMS Clusters
. Announcing Quarterly Releases of DECnet/OSI for OpenVMS
Events
. Digital Supports Internet Broadcast of International Molecular
Biology Conference
. Digital to Participate in American Chemical Society Expo
. DECUS'94 Europe Fall Symposium in Cannes
Customer News
. Alpha AXP's "Stellar" Performance at University of London
. Staffordshire University Moves Oracle Developers from VAX to Alpha
AXP
Resources
. Alpha AXP Systems on the Internet
. Internet Electronic Connection
. Digital's World-Wide Web
"DECNEWS for Education and Research" is a monthly electronic publica-
tion from Digital Equipment Corporation's Education and Research Market
Segment for the education and research communities worldwide. For
instructions on how to subscribe and copy supporting documents, please
see the end of this newsletter.
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..................... A N N O U N C E M E N T S ......................
DIGITAL FOCUSES ON THE INTERNET - ANNOUNCES THE INTERNET BUSINESS
GROUP......Digital has formally announced the creation of the Internet
Business Group (IBG), bringing a focused commitment to the Internet
market. Headed by Vice President, Rose Ann Giordano, the new group will
work closely with existing organizations that already provide Internet
solutions for customers. Digital was the first computer company in the
industry to utilize the World-Wide Web, ensuring marketing information
was readily available to its customers; has created one of the world's
best Internet security, offering Screening External Access Link,
(S.E.A.L.), and uses the Internet as a channel for direct sales through
Digital's Electronic Connection. The new Internet Business Group will
continue the company's focus on providing innovative ways of utilizing
the Internet technology to meet the needs of customers and partners.
CHANNELWORKS INTERNET BROUTER FOR HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACCESS....Digital
has announced the ChannelWorks Internet Brouter, a product that allows
high-speed access to the Internet over standard cable television
systems. The ChannelWorks Internet Brouter provides inexpensive access
to and routing of Internet traffic, at significantly greater speeds
than those of traditional leased lines. It allows ChannelWorks users to
access worldwide databases and information repositories such as the
World-Wide Web and WAIS (Wide Area Information Servers). Use of the
ChannelWorks technology for school networking is being tested by the
University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, and the
Pittsburgh Public Schools in a project entitled "Common Knowledge:
Pittsburgh". Robert Carlitz, Professor of Physics at the University of
Pittsburgh states, "Digital's ChannelWorks technology offers what may
be an optimal solution to school connectivity, with the promise of high
bandwidth at moderate prices".
* ChannelWorks Brouter Info Sheet; news0801.txt;
DIGITAL ANNOUNCES FASTEST AXP WORKSTATIONS.......Digital has announced
two new workstations, the DEC 3000 Models 700 and 900 AXP, offering
customers the best combination of price and 2D and 3D graphics
performance. Both workstations run DEC OSF/1, Digital's standards-
compliant UNIX, and OpenVMS operating systems. The Model 700 handles
large applications such as 2D and 3D mechanical computer-aided design
(MCAD), electronic design automation (EDA), scientific visualization,
and high-end financial modeling. The Model 900 excels at complex
applications in structural engineering, computational fluid dynamics,
structural biology, and condensed matter physics. Users can run complex
technical, business, and scientific applications right from their
workstations with quicker response and faster turnaround, leaving them
more time to develop new designs, run more simulations or improve
existing models.
* New Alpha AXP Workstations Press Release; news0802.txt;
* DEC 3000 Model 700 Info Sheet; news0803.txt;
* DEC 3000 Model 900 Info Sheet; news0804.txt;
NEW ADVANTAGECLUSTER COMPUTE SERVER 5000 ANNOUNCED........Digital has
announced the new AdvantageCluster Compute Server 5000 system which
features high-performance UNIX clustering capability with SMP support.
The new system provides an economical solution for such applications as
complex process simulation, computational fluid dynamics, and financial
modeling. It consists of four Digital 2100 Model A500MP systems
packaged in a single enclosure creating a cost-effective, high-powered
alternative to costly supercomputing systems in networked UNIX
environments. The processors in the AdvantageCluster Compute Server
5000 system are two to five times more powerful than processors in
traditional massively parallel processor (MPP) systems.
* New AdvantageCluster Compute Server Press Release; news0802.txt;
DIGITAL'S OSF/1 RATED AS MOST STANDARD.......A recent study from D.H.
Brown Associates rated DEC OSF/1 as the most standard operating system
on the market. For open systems, DEC OSF/1 V2.0 was first with a 92%
conformance to standards. The comparison rated 20 different operating
systems, including IBM and HP. Digital's OpenVMS operating system was
the first non-UNIX system, placing 7th overall with a 74% conformance
to standards.
U.S. CSLG PROGRAM ANNOUNCES PAKS ON CDROM.....Beginning August 5, 1994,
Digital will ship all Campuswide Software License Grant (CSLG) Product
Authorization Keys (PAKs) on CDROM media only. This change is a result
of customer feedback received on the program. Effectively CSLG PAKs
will no longer be shipped on TK50, Magtape, or paper. All the CSLG
portfolios will be combined on the same CDROM and orderable under one
new part number. The fee for the CSLG PAK CDROM is $500. Updated CSLG
PAK CDROM's may be purchased on a quarterly basis once the prerequisite
annual membership fee has been paid. Included on the CSLG PAK CDROM
will be products for OpenVMS, ULTRIX, DEC OSF/1, DOS, OS/2, Windows,
MACINTOSH, SUN, and Windows NT (new).
DIGITAL AND ORACLE ANNOUNCE WORLDWIDE ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS PROGRAM.....
Digital and Oracle Corporation have announced the launch of the
Enterprise Solutions Program (ESP), a worldwide initiative offering a
complete suite of products and services to customers seeking mainframe
alternatives. The program is intended to provide better solutions for
decision support applications that can benefit from moving to an open
relational database environment. With this initiative in place, Digital
and Oracle will enable customers to obtain their products, consulting
services, and support through a single contact. The rollout of this
program will begin with a small set of key customers in the second half
of calendar year 1994 and deliver products and services to the general
market in 1995.
* Digital and Oracle ESP Press Release; news0805.txt;
DIGITAL INTRODUCES DECTALK EXPRESS SPEECH SYNTHESIZER.....Digital has
introduced DECtalk Express Speech Synthesizer, a portable speech
synthesis product providing expanded PC capabilities for individuals
who are blind, visually impaired, or have learning disabilities. The
DECtalk Express Speech Synthesizer converts ASCII text to synthesized
speech output, allowing users to hear computer monitor screen contents,
database contents and other text, communicated via natural-sounding
DECtalk speech. The product provides users access to a wide range of
computer applications, including word processing, electronic mail,
spread-sheets, and database applications. The DECtalk Express Speech
Synthesizer may also be used for text-to-speech applications in
education.
* DECtalk Express Speech Synthesizer Info Sheet; news0806.txt;
WIDE AREA NETWORK SUPPORT ANNOUNCED FOR OPENVMS CLUSTERS.....Multi-site
OpenVMS Cluster configurations, a new feature of both VMScluster and
VAXcluster software, enable users to operate systems as far apart as
150 miles as a single OpenVMS Cluster unit. The support of DS3 (or T3)
technology makes this possible. The combination of cluster functional-
ity and WAN distances gives users a more cost effective way to run
their institutions, and provides 100 percent data integrity at each
site upon completion of each individual transaction. It allows users at
one site immediate local access to the latest data, even if it has just
been updated by users at another site. Instead of requiring support
staff at multiple locations, users will need fewer staff to manage
their multisite OpenVMS Cluster system, freeing up personnel for other
MIS activities and end-user services.
* WAN Support for OpenVMS Clusters Info Sheet; news0807.txt;
ANNOUNCING QUARTERLY RELEASES OF DECNET/OSI FOR OPENVMS........Starting
in September 1994, DECnet/OSI for OpenVMS will incorporate all new
features and product enhancements for release on a quarterly basis.
Each quarter, a complete DECnet/OSI for OpenVMS kit will ship on the
OpenVMS VAX Layered Product CD with all new features and improvements
developed and tested since the previous quarter. In Fiscal Year 1995
the releases will go out in September, December, March, and June in
accordance with the Layered Product CD-ROM distribution. To take
advantage of this new manner of release customers should utilize the
CD-ROM distribution service to ensure timely receipt of the latest
features and functions of DECnet/OSI for OpenVMS.
.........................E V E N T S ..................................
DIGITAL SUPPORTS INTERNET BROADCAST OF INTERNATIONAL MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
CONFERENCE......The International Conference on Intelligent Systems for
Molecular Biology (ISMB) conference will bring together scientists who
are applying advanced data modeling, artificial intelligence, machine
learning, parallel computing, robotics and other computational methods
to problems in molecular biology. The conference will feature invited
talks, introductory and advanced tutorials, and presentations of
original refereed papers. Individuals not able to attend the conference
can watch live video and audio of the presentations over the MBONE on
an Internet-connected UNIX workstation. Internet viewers will also be
able to participate in question and answer sessions via audio or email.
Digital is providing two Alpha AXP DEC 3000-600's to broadcast the
conference over the Internet MBONE.
Event: ISMB-94
Date: August 14-17, 1994
Place: Stanford University
Palo Alto, California, U.S.A
* Additional information via WWW or anonymous ftp:
ftp://camis.stanford.edu/pub/altman/www/ismb.html
* Information on Getting Connected to the MBONE, news0808.txt;
DIGITAL TO PARTICIPATE IN THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY EXPO....Digital
will be demonstrating its latest Internet-ready products at the up-
coming American Chemical Society National Exposition. Visit our booth
(#314-316) to see us demo Internet-ready PC's and workstations using
Mosaic to access various chemistry Worldwide Web servers. We will also
have a computational chemistry demo running on an Alpha AXP workstation
with 3D graphics, as well as a DEC 2100 server. In addition, the
"Multitasking Workstation For Scientists" session of the Computers In
Chemistry Division will include papers by scientists using Alpha AXP
systems.
Event: American Chemical Society National Exposition
Date: August 22-24, 1994
Place: Washington, DC, USA
DECUS'94 EUROPE FALL SYMPOSIUM IN CANNES.......The DECUS'94 Europe fall
symposium program includes seminars, panels, and workshops that cover
all key areas of Digital computing, offering excellent learning oppor-
tunities for IT managers, system managers, and end-user support staff.
A Digital Technology Center focusing on client/server technology will
be available, with over 40 demonstrations running throughout the week.
Robert B. Palmer, Digital President and CEO will give the keynote
address and Jesse Lipcon, Vice President for OpenVMS Systems will give
a session on the Company's product strategy. On September 14th, the
Business and Industry Group will hold sessions focusing on Education
and Research institutions, with a Q&A panel on DECcampus and other
Education programs, and presentations on Workstation Farms by CERN and
Digital.
Event: DECUS'94 Europe Symposium
Date: September 12-16, 1994
Place: Cannes, France
Registration information may be requested via Phone (+44) 71.731.1377
or Fax (+44) 71.731.2506.
ALPHA AXP'S "STELLAR" PERFORMANCE AT UNIVERSITY OF LONDON......Using
Digital's Alpha AXP computers to give accurate visualizations of
stellar activity, the University of London's Mullard Space Science
Laboratory (MSSL), in London, England has gathered new information to
help explain the physical behavior of the star systems and the sun.
Scientists at the laboratory are using an Alpha AXP DEC 3000 Model 400
workstation to run a computer model to evaluate unusual X-ray emissions
from a binary star system. Using data processed on the computer to
develop a complex computer graphic, researchers have made some
interesting discoveries. The detailed, computer-intensive research
being carried out by the MSSL team was impossible on previous work-
stations because they were too slow. Now, the researchers hope to
refine and adapt their computer model for a range of star evaluation
projects.
* Contact - Paul Lamb; Head of the Computer Group; p...@mssl.ucl.ac.uk
STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY MOVES ORACLE DEVELOPERS FROM VAX TO ALPHA
AXP.....Wanting to maintain an adequate response time for their student
population of Oracle developers, Staffordshire University recently
moved their VAX/VMS system to Alpha AXP running OpenVMS technology. The
University continued to use it's old VAX/VMS system running Oracle 7
until the Alpha AXP system was installed and went live. Tests were done
using an identical query issued against tables in the old VAX/VMS and
the new Alpha AXP system. The results of the query showed a 15 fold
increase in performance. This has allowed the University to have over
70 concurrent Oracle users on the system without any performance
problems. Carl Dudley, Principal Lecturer of Oracle at the University
states "Confidence in Alpha has risen so rapidly that after a period of
only 6 weeks we were able to decommission and return our old VAX
machines - Alpha is here to stay".
* Contact: Dr. G. Topping, Head of Computer Science, Staffordshire
University, g.to...@staffs.ac.uk
........................ R E S O U R C E S ...........................
ALPHA AXP SYSTEMS ON THE INTERNET........Four Alpha AXP systems are
available on the internet to evaluate the Alpha AXP architecture using
your own applications. To "test drive" DEC OSF/1 AXP or OpenVMS AXP on
these systems, telnet or rlogin to:
axposf.pa.dec.com - DEC OSF/1 AXP on DEC 4000 Model 710
axpvms.pa.dec.com - OpenVMS AXP on DEC 4000 Model 720
axposf.stanford.edu- DEC OSF/1 AXP on DEC 3000 Model 800
axpvms.cc.utexas.edu - OpenVMS AXP on DEC 3000 Model 800
Log in as axpguest (no password) and answer a short questionnaire.
INTERNET ELECTRONIC CONNECTION ........Using Digital's new Internet
Electronic Connection you can access Digital's complete, one-stop
resource for news, product information, and order support system.
Telnet to: telnet.educonnect.digital.com (IP# 192.208.36.2). If you do
not already have an account, select option #2. Its FREE, there's no
obligation, and it is accessable from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight EST.
DIGITAL'S WORLD-WIDE WEB......Digital's product and service information
can be obtained through a World-Wide Web (WWW) server. To access it,
open the following URL: http://www.dec.com/info.html
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