Unix International Releases 1991 Version of Unix System V Roadmap

DALLAS, Jan. 22, 1991 -- PRNewswire -- UNIX International (UI), the association of UNIX System V vendors, users and developers, today released this year's version of the UNIX(R) System V Roadmap, providing an updated schedule of the strategic goals, plans and implementations of the product development timelines for the future development for the System V environment. The 1991 version of the Roadmap reflects the input from the user and vendor communities, industry bodies such as X/Open, and recent developments in the open systems marketplace. Initially issued at UniForum '90, the Roadmap was the first document developed to provide long-term product planning schedules and requirements. During the past year UNIX International received feedback on its initial Roadmap from its members and the industry. This feedback has been analyzed and incorporated with changes that have occurred in the marketplace, resulting in the 1991 Roadmap.

The first section of the 1991 Roadmap reflects development plans committed to by AT&T's UNIX System Laboratories (USL) for 1991. The second section reflects industry requirements and timeframes requested by the industry, through UI.

The UNIX International Roadmap process requires continual review of System V specifications to ensure that the ongoing evolution of the operating system environment remains open and corresponds to current and anticipated needs of the user community. Through this process, UI works closely with USL in driving the development of UNIX System V to shape the future of the information industry.

The 1991 Roadmap includes new product releases of UNIX System V Release 4, as well as add-on features that satisfy market requests and are compatible with the current and future requirements of the operating system: SVR4 ES -- In the first half of 1991, USL will introduce an enhanced security SVR4 release (SVR4 ES) that offers a higher level of security, remote operation, administration and systems maintenance functionality and additional internationalization capabilities. SVR4 MP -- USL will deliver a symmetric multiprocessing (MP) version of SVR4 (SVR4 MP) in mid-1991. This release is a multiprocessing implementation that will improve system throughput and address the need for significant price/performance improvements while offering compatibility with the current application base. SVR4 ES/MP -- USL is currently scheduled to deliver in 1992, a highly secure, advanced architecture that contains the further enhancements to its multiprocessing product. This release is built upon the Trusted Secure Base in SVR4 ES. It will also provide source and binary compatibility with SVR4 MP. In addition, it will provide parallel programming interfaces so that new applications can be designed to take advantage of parallelism, thereby obtaining greater application throughput.

Further price/performance enhancements will be provided through improved scalability by support for tens of processors. SVR4 ES/MP is scheduled for availability to UI members through the Early Access program in late 1991. Distributed computing -- This architectural framework will be defined fully and announced in the second quarter of 1991. It has been defined by UNIX International, and is currently under review by UI members with assistance from various industry sources. The framework will address distributed computing in an integrated fashion with features being made available in base releases and add-on products beginning in late 1991.

In addition to enhanced security and multiprocessing plus, Roadmap '91 specifies early availability of Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) technology, the most advanced in development. This technology enables corporate users to communicate with computing hubs, whether open or proprietary, at different locations. Responding to changing market requirements, USL will deliver the product in the third quarter of 1991.

In conjunction with its Roadmap announcement, UI today issued its endorsement of USl's OSI Communications Platform Release 1, CP-1, a portable implementation of the middle and upper layers of the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) protocols. CP-1, developed at UI's request by USL and introduced last year, is optimized for the UNIX System V kernel. The product, which has a standard API, encompasses transport packages; administration and maintenance capabilities; file transfer, access and management functions; and development tools. Additional functionality will be introduced this year. The interface specifications for levels six and seven of the OSI protocol stack have been submitted to X/Open for endorsement.

UNIX International is the independent open membership organization of UNIX System V users, vendors and developers chartered to direct the continuing evolution of the UNIX System V environment. UNIX International members jointly create specifications for an open systems platform based on UNIX System V, many of which are implemented by UNIX System Laboratories Inc. (USL), a subsidiary of American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T), producers and licensers of the UNIX System V code. An independent association formed in December 1988, membership in UNIX International is open to all organizations interested in fostering the standardization, continuing development and use of UNIX System V. The association's base of more than 200 members represents more than 80 percent of the total installed base of UNIX systems.

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NOTE: UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, a subsidiary of AT&T.

CONTACT: Stephen Payne of UNIX International, 201-263-8400; or Mark Metzger or Tim Hurley of Miller Communications, 617-536-0470, for UNIX