EDITORIAL CONTACTS: PRCSJ600116 Maureen Schickel (508) 256-6600. Ext. 7582 Jim Christensen (408) 447-1678 HP TO SUPPORT OSF/DCE TECHNOLOGIES ACROSS ALL HP OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 17, 1991 -- Hewlett-Packard Company announced it will use the Open Software Foundation's Distributed Computing Environment (OSF/DCE) as a unifying element across HP computer systems. The company said today it will make OSF/DCE technologies available on HP MPE/XL, an operating system for HP 3000 PA-RISC systems, completing the company's plan to provide distributed computing technologies across its operating environments -- HP-UX*, Domain/OS, OSF/1 and HP MPE/XL. "HP introduced distributed computing in 1987 with the HP Network Computing System (NCS)," said Lewis E. Platt, HP executive vice president in charge of HP's Computer Systems Organization. "With its early widespread acceptance in the industry, and ultimately by OSF as the cornerstone of OSF/DCE, HP NCS has long been the foundation for practical, distributed applications that are solving customer problems today. "Workstation customers of HP and other leading vendors depend on HP NCS-based applications to meet their distributed-manufacturing, engineering and administrative needs on a daily basis. HP stands ready to provide similar distributed solutions for all our computer users by delivering OSF/DCE technology," said Platt. OSF/DCE will allow computer users to access enterprisewide resources and data from their own desktop systems without regard for the network location or the type of computer within which the data resides. In an engineering environment, OSF/DCE will allow a great degree of transparency for distributed-file access and will improve compute performance. To address the needs of distributed transaction processing in a commercial environment, HP will provide a transaction-processing monitor from Transarc Corporation, based on DCE, for the HP 9000 and HP 3000 PA- RISC-based business systems and servers. Each of these performance enhancements depends upon remote-procedure-call (RPC) technology. The RPC technology employed by OSF/DCE is built on HP NCS, a set of advanced software tools that allows users to distribute parts, or modules, of a single application program to computers best suited for specific tasks. HP has delivered practical, NCS-based applications since 1987, including system-administration and application-development products that enable customers to increase productivity within their existing computing environments. For example, HP OmniBack requires just a single procedure from one location to back up a distributed multivendor environment. With HP's distributed development environment, an application developer can debug code by running a distributed application from the workstation. Availability HP expects to release OSF/DCE technologies on its platforms beginning in 1992. A release of critical elements of OSF/DCE will be available in the first half of 1992 on HP OSF/1, Domain/OS and HP-UX operating systems. This first release is targeted for application developers who need DCE's RPC technology to develop DCE-compliant software products and for evaluators of DCE technology. OSF/DCE technology is expected to be available in the second half of 1992 to HP's installed base of HP MPE/XL customers, with further DCE technology incorporated into HP MPE/XL early in 1993. Hewlett-Packard Company is an international manufacturer of measurement and computation products and systems recognized for excellence in quality and support. The company's products and services are used in industry, business, engineering, science, medicine and education in approximately 100 countries. HP has 91,300 employees and had revenue of $13.2 billion in its 1990 fiscal year. # # # HP-UX is based on and is compatible with USL's UNIX* operating system. It also complies with X/Open's* XPG3, POSIX 1003.1, FIPS 151-1 and SVID2 interface specifications. UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. X/Open is a trademark of X/Open Company Limited in the UK and other countries. EDITORIAL CONTACTS: PRCS4700137 Jim Christensen 408-447-1678 Dave Kroll 408-447-0985 OSF ADOPTS HP PRODUCTS FOR DISTRIBUTED MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 17, 1991 - Hewlett-Packard Company today announced that three products submitted to the Open Software Foundation (OSF) -- HP OpenView Network Management Server, HP Network License System (NetLS) and HP Software Distribution Utilities -- were selected as components of the OSF's Distributed Management Environment (DME). The technologies on which the products are based will provide users a standards-based framework and software services for unified system, network and application management. "The terrific thing for HP customers is that they can buy HP products today and be confident their investment will be the foundation of future standards-based products," said John A. Young, HP president and chief executive officer. "OSF's adoption of HP OpenView is the kind of endorsement that keeps HP at the forefront of the open-systems and distributed-computing movements." Last year at this time, the OSF also selected HP technologies as components of its Distributed Computing Environment (DCE), a comprehensive, integrated set of networking services that support the development, use and maintenance of distributed applications. The DCE enables customers to access enterprisewide resources and data from their own desktop systems without needing to know the network location or type of computer. The newly selected DME technologies further enhance the DCE by allowing a multivendor-computing network to be managed with a consistent graphical user interface (GUI) in a unified and efficient manner. The products chosen by OSF will simplify the management of multivendor-computer environments by providing a common framework and tools to simplify development of new management applications and integration of existing applications. HP OpenView Network Management Server components form the core of the DME framework. HP NetLS, submitted to the OSF by HP and Gradient Technologies, is a software-licensing toolkit that administers licenses, manages and monitors software usage for software products on multiple vendors' platforms. HP Software Distribution Utilities are a set of tools that install, distribute and manage software applications over networked systems. These HP solutions, along with technologies from several other vendors including Groupe Bull, IBM, Tivoli Systems and Wang Laboratories, form the complete DME solution. Product Availability The HP OpenView NM Server and HP NetLS products are available today to solve problems and give users an early transition to the DME. HP will incorporate other OSF-selected DME technologies into HP OpenView products for the earliest possible delivery. HP Software Distribution Utilities currently are available on HP-UX* and will be available on HP's release of an operating system being developed by OSF called OSF1. HP OpenView Network Management Server HP OpenView Network Management (NM) Server is an open, standards-based environment for both network- and system-management solutions. Software developers can use the HP OpenView NM Server to develop complete network and system-management applications. The HP OpenView NM Server offers customers a platform for integrating network and system-management applications under a common GUI. Two key components of the product were selected by OSF: HP OpenView Windows and HP OpenView Communications Infrastructure. HP OpenView Windows is an advanced GUI that employs OSF/Motif and X Window System technologies to provide consistent user interaction with management applications and the managed environment. This interface provides common, developer-configurable, pull-down menus and topology maps to simplify navigation through complex computer environments. In addition, the HP OpenView Communications Infrastructure provides location-transparent communications between applications, managed objects and management services in a distributed-management environment. The infrastructure is based on the industry-standard Simple Network Management Protocol or Common Management Information Protocol. Applications gain access to the communications infrastructure through the Consolidated Management API. This API, jointly specified by HP and Groupe Bull, provides a standard applications interface and simplifies the use of multiple management protocols in the DME. HP Network License System HP NetLS allows application vendors and end users to take advantage of a wide variety of license models to more accurately reflect application usage and value. HP NetLS is a software toolkit that manages, enforces and monitors software usage policies. The product also provides a unified, networkwide mechanism to administer all software licenses running on a network and enables the free flow of applications across the various systems, including distributed multivendor networks. HP NetLS supports multiple-licensing attributes and methods to address the needs of a range of software applications. HP NetLS also operates across any computing environment, supports any software or hardware platform, and provides a uniform administrative mechanism. By furnishing tools to all constituents involved in software licensing (application suppliers, application end users and end-user system administrators), HP NetLS creates a single, comprehensive system to establish new software-licensing policies, and improve end-user software-asset management. HP NetLS utilizes the Network Computing System -- the remote-procedure call facility of the OSF DCE -- to enable communications across the network. HP NetLS offers OSF/Motif-based GUIs, as well as programmatic interfaces to the development and administrative tools provided for NetLS constituents. HP Software Distribution Utilities The HP Software Distribution Utilities simplify software distribution with a set of sophisticated tools that install and update system and application software from a single location, providing users flexibility in distributing software throughout a multivendor environment. These utilities also give administrators and users the ability to manage software on both stand-alone and networked systems. The utilities support creation of a variety of software media, installation of new software, update of installed software to a newer version and removal of installed software. This software can include any combination of base-operating-system, application and end-user software products. Software can be distributed on CD-ROM, magnetic tape or from a network server. Information on installed software is maintained on each system to coordinate these operations and to permit user inquiries. For example, an administrator can distribute software to multiple nodes simultaneously -- from a single point -- eliminating the need for tedious step-and-repeat operations. This capability is built upon the NCS-based remote-procedure call facility of the OSF DCE. HP OpenView offers a comprehensive family of systems and network-management solutions including platforms, application-software products, and systems and network-management services. HP OpenView is installed in more than 4,000 networks around the world. Network and system-management applications are available on a variety of platforms including HP 9000 workstations and HP 3000 business systems and servers, Sun workstations, MS-DOS* PCs and will be available from IBM on RS/6000 systems in the future. HP NetLS is in use by major software vendors and has been adopted by major hardware manufacturers for use in their own systems. The product is available on a wide variety of platforms, including PCs, workstations and minicomputers, as well as across various operating systems, including a UNIX* system and others. Hewlett-Packard Company is an international manufacturer of measurement and computation products and systems recognized for excellence in quality and support. The company's products and services are used in industry, business, engineering, science, medicine and education in approximately 100 countries. HP has 91,300 employees and had revenue of $13.2 billion in its 1990 fiscal year. # # # HP-UX is based on and is compatible with USL's UNIX* operating system. It also complies with X/Open's* XPG3, POSIX 1003.1, FIPS 151-1 and SVID2 interface specifications. MS-DOS is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. X/Open is a trademark of X/Open Company Limited in the UK and other countries. NOTE TO THE EDITOR: Sales information may be obtained by calling 1-800-752-0900. Please do NOT use editor-contact or corporate telephone numbers for sales information. Information in this release applies specifically to products available in the United States. Product availability and specifications may vary in non-U.S. markets. 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