August 2, 1993   1:53 PM


BUSINESS WIRE

15:01 Digital and IBM sign network and systems management
agreement

SAN FRANCISC0 -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- At INTEROP '93 Tuesday,
Digital Equipment Corporation and IBM Networking Systems
announced that the two companies have agreed to work jointly
in several network and system management areas --
highlighted by Digital's licensing of IBM's NetView(a)/6000
product.

The companies will deliver a version of NetView/6000 on
Digital's DEC OSF/1 operating system on the new 64-bit Alpha
AXP(b) processor in the first quarter of 1994. Digital will
market NetView/6000 as POLYCENTER(b) NetView. IBM and
Digital will develop future NetView/6000 and POLYCENTER
NetView versions from a single code base and will release
products simultaneously on both Digital and IBM platforms.

Today's announcement also includes an agreement by IBM and
Digital to jointly engage in network and systems management
product research and development, as well as product
announcements. In addition, the companies will recruit
management application developers to join a combined IBM and
Digital program.

The merging of Digital's POLYCENTER Partners program and
IBM's NetView/6000 Association into a single, enhanced
program, will allow developers; to invest in one, open
technology with access to multiple platforms.

The application developers will benefit directly from the
adoption of consistent and standard APIs and an end-user
interface. This will help lower their development costs,
while creating greater potential market volumes -- resulting
in an improved return on their investment.

According to Digital vice president of Production Systems
Software, Rose Ann Giordano, Digital's goal in delivering
the network and systems management solution of their new
Alpha AXP platform is to have the broadest range of quality
management applications available to their customers.
Therefore, an open, industry-standard was required.

"We inspected a number of alternatives products and
technologies," she said, "and the NetView/6000 Platform
offers the best solution -- a foundation built on OpenView
APIs familiar to the developers, plus a top-rated user
interface to meet our customers' needs."

"This relationship with Digital is great news for our
customers, added IBM Networking Systems director of
enterprise management, Bill Warner. "We're giving our
customers exactly what they've asked for -- an increased
capability to meet their network and systems management
needs."

POLYCENTER NetView will be Digital's network management
solution on AXP and will be enhanced to support the
management of Digital's network environment. POLYCENTER
NetView will also provide customers the framework for the
integration of additional network and system management
applications.

Digital will continue to provide support for their current
POLYCENTER products on VAX/VMS and RISC/ULTRIX and will also
provide special introductory programs for those customers
who elect to take advantage of the new POLYCENTER NetView
offerings on Alpha AXP.

A prototype POLYCENTER NetView will be shown during INTEROP
'93 at both the Digital and IBM booths

(a) NetView a registered trademark of International
    Business Machines Corporation

(b) Alpha AXP and POLYCENTER are trademarks of Digital
    Equipment Corporation