UNIX Labs dramatically cuts prices for core OSI products

WASHINGTON, D.C. – DECEMBER 2, 1992 -- UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. (USL) today announced that it has reduced pricing on its Open Networking Platform* (ONP*) OSI products.

USL cut its source code fees from $80,000 to $10,000, and reduced royalty fees by 75 percent for UNIX* System V licensees. The move is designed to stimulate movement to OSI networks by bringing pricing in line with TCP/IP networks.

"OSI continues to offer the promise of truly open systems networking," said Richard Bevis, USL Marketing Manager.

"Many customers have been reluctant to move to more fully featured OSI networks because of the lack of an inexpensive standard stack. Our intent is to eliminate cost as an obstacle, and to give OSI the boost it needs to achieve broad adoption and attract more application developers."

USL's ONP supports a standardized programming interface to the services of OSI networks. This interface is the basis of X/Open's XAP interface which is in the process of formal adoption by IEEE (P1238.2), the first step towards incorporation into US GOSIP, the federal government's OSI standard. Use of this interface allows developers to write smaller, more efficient applications quickly.

USL also announced that early next year it would begin a program to assist application developers and solution providers in moving applications to OSI. USL will also be providing an OSI-TCP migration feature which allows customers to run OSI applications over existing TCP/IP networks.

USL's reference port of ONP is provided for Intel 80386 systems with UNIX SVR4. ONP has also been ported to MIPS, SPARC, and other Intel chips. USL also offers support, training, and customized services for OSI products.

UNIX System Laboratories, Inc., headquartered in Summit, N.J., develops and supplies UNIX System V technology adopted by eighty percent of Open Systems vendors worldwide. Other USL products include the TUXEDO* Enterprise Transaction Processing System, Open Networking Platform OSI software and the C++ Language System.

UNIX SYSTEM LABORATORIES

OSI KICK START PROGRAM BACKGROUNDER

OVERVIEW

• Success of TCP/IP solutions is based to a large part on availability of a standard, inexpensive TCP stack.
• Promise of open systems is only FULLY realizable with OSI-TCP does not offer the range of applications, or functional support that the OSI suite does (e.g., multi-media capabilities of X.400(88), OSI-TP, X.500 Directory, etc.).
• In order to help stimulate the implementation of OSI-based solutions for UNIX* System V, USL is repricing our OSI stack to minimize financial hurdles for UNIX System V licensees to acquire the product and allow for commodity level pricing of the stack.

THE PRODUCT

• STREAMS based, OSI stack specifically tuned for UNIX System V.
  • Reference platform is Intel 386, running UNIX SVR4.0.
  • Product has been ported to, among others, SCO ODT, UNIX SVR4.2, on various hardware chip sets including Intel, SPARC and MIPS.
• Standard application programming interface – the ACSE Presentation Library Interface (APLI).
  • The APLI is the basis of the new X/OPEN ACSE/Presentation (XAP) programming interface.
  • XAP is in process of formal adoption by IEEE (P1238.2) – this is the first step towards incorporation into US GOSIP.
• Why APLI/XAP? APLI/XAP provide a standardized programming interface to the services of OSI networks. By using this interface, OSI system applications such as FTAM, or X.400, need not EACH provide their own OSI upper layer services, resulting in:
  • Smaller applications, easier to develop and maintain.
  • Requiring less overall system resources.
  • Leading to more efficient, less expensive end-user OSI-based solutions.
• An OSI-TCP migration feature will be available with the stack in 2Q93. This is an implementation of the Internet RFC 1006, which allows OSI applications (such as X.400 electronic mail) to be operated over a TCP/IP network.
• USL, working with ONP Licensee, Pyramid Technology, is planning an MP version of the ONP.

THE PRICING

1. $10k source licensing fee for Upper Layer Services and WAN Transport product.
2. Per Copy Fee reductions of over 75 percent. USL Per copy fees with the new program are:

                 m/c 1   m/c 2        m/c 3        m/c 4       m/c 5
                 <$20k  $20k-$100k  $100k-$500k  $500k-$1.5M  >$1.5M
   Upper Layer    $10      $20          $40          $80        $160
   Services
   ULS/WAN        $25      $50         $100         $200        $400

3. Awarded US Government Contracts which utilize USL's OSI stack:
   • Treasury (TMAC) – NCR Systems: Intel x86 and Pyramid (MIPS) systems running UNIX SVR4.0.
     Applications: X.400 Electronic Mail with an X.400-TCP mail gateway, File Transfer Utility (FTAM BSFT) with an OSI-TCP File Transfer gateway.
   • AFCAC 300 – PRC Systems: Intel x86 systems running SCO ODT Release 3.2.
     Applications: X.400 Electronic Mail with an X.400-TCP mail gateway, File Transfer Utility (FTAM BSFT) with an OSI-TCP File Transfer gateway.
4. Applications Supporting APLI/XAP.
   USL: FTAM, CMIP, OSI-TP (in partnership with ICL).
   Retix: FTAM, X.400(88), X.500, VT, OSI-TP, RDA.
   Data Connection (UK): X.400(88), X.500.

USL is also finalizing ONP Provider Programs, programs intended to encourage and help OSI applications vendors and communications board suppliers build and test ONP compliant OSI applications and communications board drivers. 

* UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and elsewhere, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd. Open Networking, ONP and Tuxedo are registered trademarks of Novell Inc.