OS/2 Extended Edition, LAN Server to Ship; Range of Hardware, Software Offerings

Las Vegas, Nev. -- November 15, 1988 -- PRN -- IBM Corporation (NYSE: IBM) and other industry firms continue to expand the range of software and hardware offerings available to customers of the Personal System/2 (PS/2) family of products.

Announced today during the COMDEX/Fall '88 show were:

The base of Operating System/2 (OS/2) applications now exceeds 800 and the number of hardware products that attach to the Micro Channel bus has reached more than 600.
The first customer shipments of OS/2 Extended Edition 1.1 and OS/2 LAN Server are planned for Nov. 30.
Two new dot-matrix Proprinters, providing higher speed, enhanced paper handling capability and greater ease-of-use.
Two options that provide PS/2 customers with new methods for data transfer.

"With the growing base of OS/2 applications and Micro Channel cards already announced, PS/2 customers are well positioned to meet their desktop computing needs, now and in the future," said George H. Conrades, IBM senior vice president and general manager, US Marketing and Services. "Our customers can count on IBM to continue helping them apply advanced information systems technology to solve their business problems."

Demonstrated at COMDEX are several hardware products that take advantage of the advanced features of the Micro Channel, such as the ability to upgrade PS/2s to more advanced systems. Three system upgrade demonstrations include:

A Model 50 upgraded to the same 386 processor in a Model 70 or Model 80 by using a bus master card.
A Model 60 upgraded to a scientific workstation by using two bus master Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors.
A Model 80 upgraded to a workstation that allows customers to run System/370 applications.

Micro Channel architecture also supports bus master upgrades in three other rapidly developing areas: communications, graphics and storage systems. Demonstrations include:

A multiple bus master/coprocessor demonstration showing five processors at work: in the background, two bus master cards handle storage management tasks, and two coprocessors handle communication tasks, while in the foreground, the customer can be running multiple applications on the system processor.
A graphics/image bus master adapter card that dramatically increases system performance by off-loading image tasks to the card.
A 32-bit bus master Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) storage subsystem.
A Token-Ring bus master card that provides substantially more availability of the main processor on a Micro Channel-based PS/2 than on a non-Micro Channel system.

Bus master designs allow intelligent subsystems to assume processor responsibilities. They can significantly improve the performance and functionality of systems, and typically may be installed in multiples.

OS/2 Extended Edition 1.1

OS/2 Extended Edition 1.1 includes a graphical user interface called Presentation Manager, and provides LAN (local area network) requester support that enables customers to access resources provided by the IBM OS/2 LAN Server 1.0. These functions are in addition to an advanced relational Structured Query Language (SQL) Database Manager, and a Communications Manager, which provides intersystems communications, varied connectivities and terminal emulation.

OS/2 Extended Edition can support many programs running simultaneously (multitasking) while giving each program access to up to 16MB of memory. Extended Edition 1.1 also provides support for fixed disks greater than 32MB in a single file. This allows a single file to be as large as the fixed disk itself, making it easier for customers to store and access large databases.

The LAN requester provides access to shared LAN resources such as disks, printers, serially attached devices and processing capabilities provided by the server workstation with OS/2 LAN Server 1.0 installed. The LAN requester also provides access to resource administration functions and messaging capabilities.

The Communications Manager component now supports the IBM Token-Ring and IBM PC Networks and provides IEEE 802.2 and IBM NETBIOS programming interfaces. Emulator High Level Language Application Programming Interface (EHLLAPI) support, previously announced as a planned enhancement, is also included in Version 1.1.

The Database Manager component has been enhanced with the addition of a Precompiler Application Programming Interface (API) to facilitate the use of the Database Manager by language developers. Support for additional SQL operators such as Union, Intersect and Except also has been added. The addition of non-delimited ASCII import, formerly a planned enhancement, provides users with another file format to move data from other applications into their OS/2 Extended Edition databases. To assist users in host data import, the Database Manager SQLQMF facility has been added to Extended Edition 1.1. This facility allows users to import table data from IBM host relational databases that have Query Management Facility (QMF) installed into the OS/2 Extended Edition Database Manager.

The one-time license charge for OS/2 Extended Edition 1.1 is $830. Customers who have licensed Standard Edition 1.0 or 1.1 may upgrade to Extended Edition for $675. Customers who have licensed DOS 3.X may upgrade to Extended Edition for $775. Licensees of Extended Edition 1.0 may obtain an upgrade to Extended Edition 1.1 at no charge.

OS/2 Extended Edition is a participant in IBM's Systems Application Architecture (SAA). Applications written to IBM's SAA specifications will have a consistent screen design across a range of IBM systems, including the PS/2, the IBM Application System/400 and the IBM 3090.

OS/2 LAN Server Version 1.0

This new program provides comprehensive LAN capabilities to interconnected OS/2 Extended Edition 1.1 workstations on the IBM Token Ring Network -- including the 16 million-bits-per-second version introduced yesterday -- and IBM PC Network.

With the OS/2 LAN Server, network users can share data, applications, printers and other resources on the LAN. The OS/2 LAN Server also supports requests for resources from connected DOS workstations running the IBM PC LAN Program Version 1.3.

The one-time license charge for OS/2 LAN Server 1.0 is $1,040.

New Proprinters

The new 9-wire utility Proprinter III and Proprinter III XL are tailored to the needs of customers requiring near-letter-quality (NLQ) printing, all-points-addressable (APA) graphics and fast throughput. Throughput is the actual time that it takes to print a document.

The new printers have a burst print speed of 320 characters per second (CPS) in Fastfont mode and 270 CPS in 10-characters per-inch (CPI) mode. Fastfont allows higher speed draft printing. The Proprinters also have a larger print buffer and throughput significantly faster than that of earlier Proprinters. Proprinter III also features Propark, a one-touch paper parking function allowing continuous forms paper to remain in the printer while cut-sheet pages or envelopes are printed.

The Proprinter III also features an NLQ Italics font, 20 CPI printing and a new operator control panel with pitch indicator lights and easier access to the most commonly used print functions.

Proprinter III options include a new 32K print buffer, a new RS-232/RS-422 serial interface and an IBM Proprinter automatic single-drawer sheet feed that, until now, was available only on IBM's top-of-the-line, 24-wire dot-matrix Proprinters.

The Proprinter III XL is identical to the Proprinter III except that it has a wide carriage. The Proprinter III XL is a higher function extension of the Proprinter II XL announced in September.

The new Proprinters are available immediately. They can be purchased from IBM Authorized Printer Dealers, Authorized Personal Computer Dealers, Authorized Advanced Products Dealers and Authorized Industry Remarketers, as well as from IBM marketing representatives.

The suggested single-unit price is $699 for the Proprinter III, and $925 for the Proprinter III XL. The suggested price for the optional automatic sheet feed is $208 for the Proprinter III, and $260 for the Proprinter III XL. The 32K print buffer is $55. The RS-232/RS-422 serial interface is $119. Dealers can set their own prices, which may vary.

New Methods for Data Transfer

Two new optional diskette drives and an adapter enable customers with Micro Channel-based systems to efficiently and reliably transfer data from 5.25-inch 1.2MB diskettes. The IBM Personal System/2 5.25-inch External Diskette Drive provides 1.2MB diskette support for the Personal System/2 models 50, 50 Z, 60, 70 386 and 80 386. The IBM Personal System/2 5.25-inch Internal Diskette Drive is an internal version providing the same function for PS/2 models 60 and 80. The IBM Personal System/2 Diskette Adapter/A attaches either drive to the PS/2 system unit, and also provides support for the previously announced 360KB IBM PS/2 5.25-inch External Diskette Drive.

The PS/2 5.25-inch External Diskette Drive is priced at $495, the PS/2 5.25-inch Internal Diskette Drive is $280 and the PS/2 Diskette Adapter/A is $200. All are available on Nov. 25, 1988, from IBM Authorized Advanced Products Dealers.

NOTE: Personal System/2 and PS/2 are registered trademarks of IBM Corporation.

Micro Channel, Operating System/2, OS/2, Proprinter, Presentation Manager, Application System/400 and Fastfont are trademarks of IBM Corporation.

CONTACT -- Scott R. Brooks (OS/2), 201-930-5231; John Clark (printers), 201-930-5127; or Linda Dezan (Micro Channel architecture), 201-930-5183, all of IBM