Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server

Transcription

1 NonStop Systems Strategy Brief Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server The NonStop Himalaya server leads the industry in businesscritical performance, and Compaq will continue to make the investment necessary to maintain that market leadership. Eckhard Pfeiffer President and chief executive officer Compaq Computer Corporation

2 3 Introduction 10 Electronic commerce applications 4 Trends driving the growth of NonStop systems 10 Application development and manageability tools 5 Windows NT Server and NonStop Himalaya systems interoperability 5 Electronic commerce 11 The NonStop Himalaya server advantage 11 Reliability and continuous availability 6 Decision support solutions and operational data stores 6 Portable Java applications 7 The NonStop systems product road map 11 Data integrity 11 Scalability 12 Conclusion 7 Future generations of Himalaya server 8 Beyond the year ServerNet architecture based NonStop Himalaya S-series server 9 Improvements to the NonStop Kernel operating system 9 NonStop SQL relational database 9 NonStop transaction services

3 This paper examines the factors that are driving the market in the area of availability and looks at the requirements for NonStop computing. Further, it addresses the importance of the products and solutions from the Tandem Division of Compaq, and stresses the fundamental capabilities they bring to the marketplace. Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server 3

4 Trends driving the growth of NonStop systems NonStop systems continue to fulfill an important need in business-critical computing.the rapidly evolving world of Internet commerce, wireless communications, and one-to-one marketing are driving transaction volumes and the need for reliable 24 x 7 systems. The NonStop Himalaya server and powerful NonStop Software deliver unprecedented levels of integrity, reliability, and scalability to a widely distributed network of users and servers. William K. Heil, vice president and general manager, Tandem Division, Compaq Computer Corporation NonStop systems are at the core of today s electronic payment systems. NonStop Himalaya servers authorize more than 80 percent of all ATM and debit card transactions and 66 percent of all credit card transactions. A large majority of the security exchange transactions are dependent on NonStop systems to ensure integrity and reliability across some of the world s largest information systems. NonStop Himalaya servers are used by 90 percent of the world s largest telecommunications companies to deliver an aggressive rollout of wireless communications features and services, while maintaining dial-tone reliability. The NonStop Himalaya server s market for reliable transaction processing is growing at an even faster pace. The volume of electronic payment transactions is growing from 20 to 30 percent per year. Processing requirements are growing even faster due to the new services and features required to remain competitive in a rapidly changing business environment. These two factors alone drive the demand for faster processors, higher-capacity databases, and enhanced transaction processing features. The growth in traditional electronic payment systems pales in comparison to the emerging opportunities with Internet-based electronic commerce. The overwhelming acceptance of the Internet and the rapid growth of network bandwidth are enabling a whole new generation of applications and services. These new applications extend the existing electronic payment infrastructure to provide high levels of services to a broader user base in potentially new markets. As new applications arrive and are accepted by the market, transaction demands placed on the existing electronic payment systems will grow even faster. Compaq is investing heavily in enhancing the existing NonStop Himalaya server offering for major industries such as telecommunications and finance. In addition, Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server 4

5 Compaq is focusing on four rapidly emerging trends that are critical to the long-term future of NonStop systems: Windows NT Server interoperability, electronic commerce, decision support solutions and operational data stores, and portable Java applications. Windows NT Server and NonStop Himalaya systems interoperability The emergence of Windows NT Server as a viable platform for enterprise-level applications is driving the requirement for such systems to fully interoperate with existing legacy systems. More than that, there is a growing set of solutions that can benefit from the combination of the best aspects of the Windows NT Server and legacy platforms. One of the strategies we have at Compaq to capitalize on this is the NonStop Best of Both strategy, which addresses the integration of the Windows NT Server and Himalaya systems. This enables us to create the most reliable, scalable, costeffective, and leading-edge application environment ever known. Compaq s integration strategy for NonStop Himalaya servers and Windows NT Server systems has the following key objectives: Seamless interoperability. Providing appropriate physical connectivity, messaging software, and middleware to simplify the integration of legacy and new applications with the Internet and corporate intranets. Develop once and deploy anywhere. Providing open programming interfaces and development tools to allow deployment across multiple alternative platforms. Management integration. Offering a common management environment for resources distributed across multiple platforms. A comprehensive technical brief, Windows NT Server Integration with NonStop Himalaya Servers, explains the key integration technologies, capabilities, and future product directions (available from the Tandem website at com). The exciting news is that most of the technologies are available today. Electronic commerce Internet transaction processing represents a major opportunity for NonStop Himalaya server customers and partners. Many existing NonStop products can add Internet and Web capabilities that dramatically extend the reach of existing applications while significantly reducing networking costs. Moreover, Web browser technology enables us to rapidly develop and deploy new crossplatform, user-friendly applications. Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server 5

6 Decision support solutions and operational data stores Decision support solutions (DSS) have evolved from an environment with a few highly specialized users analyzing very specific information to being part of the mainstream support infrastructure for online workers. The operational data store (ODS) environment permits updates to the database while allowing up-to-the minute analysis of operational data by users who may have radically different query profiles. Functions such as customer care, online claims analysis, and fraud detection include both standard decision support queries as well as updates of data. Because the operational data store will provide critical online decision making for potentially thousands of operational users, it must be extremely reliable and scalable. NonStop Himalaya systems lead the world with their fundamentals of availability, scalability, and data integrity, and are ideally suited for the ODS environment. Portable Java applications The Java environment is becoming important for developing cross-platform and Internet and intranet applications for the enterprise. Java programmers develop applications using any Java development tools and port them to any platform that supports Java Virtual Machine. The NonStop Server for Java product enables customers and partners to take advantage of the growing number of Java applications. In addition to being fully compliant with Java APIs, NonStop Server for Java provides the advantages of reliability, scalability, and availability. These four key trends in our industry electronic commerce, DSS, Java, and Windows NT Server create exciting new opportunities. How are Compaq and its partners addressing these key trends? How are Compaq customers addressing them? The next section discusses the plans for the future of NonStop systems. Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server 6

7 The NonStop systems product road map Compaq will continue to develop, market, and support NonStop systems. Our annual research and development investment remains strong at more than a quarter of a billion dollars a year. Our product strategy and road maps are comprehensive and extend the NonStop Himalaya server s leadership position into the future. Our new ServerNet architecture, Alpha microprocessors, and NonStop Software ensure continued improvements in performance, reliability, and total cost of ownership. Pauline Nist, senior vice president, Products and Technology,Tandem Division, Compaq Computer Corporation NonStop systems are unique in that we integrate all the hardware and software necessary to deliver and support a truly reliable and scalable server for businesscritical applications. The NonStop systems product road map includes not only the hardware (processors, disk, memory, enclosures, network adapters), but, more importantly, the software (operating system, database, transaction monitors, systems management, electronic commerce, and application development). Our commitment to deliver a fully integrated and tested system is what sets us apart. Future generations of Himalaya servers In 1996, the S-series Himalaya range was announced, representing an industry breakthrough. This new architecture boosted performance significantly while at the same time opening a vast array of future expansion capabilities. ServerNet technology enables faster integration of new processor boards, storage, and I/O. Because the ServerNet architecture is at the core of these new systems, new peripheral devices need to be developed only to support the ServerNet architecture to function in Himalaya servers. This is the same standard used in clustering Compaq ProLiant servers for enterprise applications. Continual improvements in microprocessor performance and disk drive capacities deliver improvements in price/performance value and cost of ownership. In the RISC range of processors, testing of faster MIPS chips is currently underway. NonStop Himalaya systems using the new MIPS processor are expected to be available in Our plan is to introduce new processors and disk drives every 12 to 18 months. We have designed the new S-series package in such a way that installed systems can easily be upgraded by adding new processors and disk drives as needed. This design enables customers to protect their investment in the NonStop Himalaya server. Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server 7

8 1980s CLX 600/700/ Cyclone/R 1993 K K S / Beyond the year 2000 Compaq is constantly evaluating new chip technologies to secure customer s investment in systems with the NonStop Kernel operating system. With the S-series servers, Compaq is able to offer future generations of processors that will work with the same server infrastructure that is available today. This will be the case when moving to faster MIPS chips, as well as when we move to the next-generation Himalaya server, which will be based on the new 64-bit Alpha chip. This evolution of NonStop systems is shown in the figure. To ensure that the NonStop Himalaya server remains the world s most trusted computer for business-critical applications, Compaq will offer future generations that are based on proven 64-bit Alpha processor technology. Compaq s vision is to offer new processor modules that will be field upgradable with customers existing ServerNet infrastructure. Today, the Alpha microprocessor shows an astonishing clock speed, almost double that of the competition. This lead is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. By matching proven Alpha microprocessors with the ServerNet system area network (SAN) architecture, NonStop Himalaya servers will combine the world s most reliable, scalable system architecture with the world s most powerful processor. The combination is a natural match for enhancing and protecting the investment organizations have made in their business-critical applications. To further protect its customers investment in applications for NonStop Himalaya servers, Compaq will provide total compatibility between today s MIPS based systems and future Alpha based systems. CISC-based servers MIPS RISC R3000 Object code compatibility Microprocessor transition D-series software MIPS RISC R4400 MIPS RISC R10000 ServerNet ServerNet architecture based NonStop Himalaya S-series server With the introduction of the S-series in 1997, the NonStop Himalaya server was rearchitected into the world s first SANbased server, as opposed to a bus-centric server, thus protecting current applications for at least the next decade. This is because the new architecture allows processors, disks, and communications adapters to be connected across a network fabric that allows for a high-performance, scalable, reliable interconnect with no bottlenecks. This new architecture also opens up the possibility for a vast array of future expansion and creates the opportunity to exploit new I/O-hungry multimedia-enhanced applications. The new NonStop Himalaya S-series server represents our single largest investment in the future. As networking topologies today focus on LAN and WAN integration, our development efforts are concentrated on two primary networking technologies: ATM and Ethernet. The ServerNet ATM adapter is a unique implementation that spreads the network load, in parallel, across all 16 processors. The initial ServerNet/4E adapter will be enhanced to 100 megabits per second during Our ServerNet Token Ring adapter became available in early All of these networking technologies will continue to receive significant investment to deliver new networking capabilities, bandwidth, and price/performance value. MIPS RISC revision ServerNet Alpha chip Object code compatibility Microprocessor transition The next revisions of the Himalaya S-series servers will be field upgradable and software compatible with existing Himalaya applications. Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server 8

9 Protection of existing investment in NonStop systems, networks, and applications is also receiving attention. The ServerNet Wide Area Network (SWAN) communication subsystem enables existing communication access methods to operate in a LAN-centric environment. The Expand/IP product provides an Ethernetbased system interconnect for geographically dispersed systems and K2000 servers. ServerNet/DA software enables K-series disk subsystems and tape drives to connect to the S-series. The ServerNet/FX adapter allows the S-series to connect to previous NonStop systems via the high-speed, fiber optic TorusNet or FOX system interconnect. Improvements to the NonStop Kernel operating system Ongoing efforts to shorten path lengths and improve system throughput have resulted in major software performance improvements. Once again application compatibility has been maintained while implementing a new system architecture (CISC to RISC and next MIPS RISC to Alpha RISC technology). Investment in open standards has resulted in 95 percent compliance with the X/Open UNIX system API standards (except for special parallel features required for massively parallel processing [MPP] operation). NonStop Server for Java was recently added for the next generation of media-enhanced applications. NonStop SQL relational database Our new NonStop SQL database, like the S-series, is a major investment in the future. This new cross-platform, ANSI-compliant object relational database provides an industry-leading database for most new applications. Continued enhancements in Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) and implementation of the new Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) will ensure modern open interfaces. NonStop transaction services NonStop TUXEDO Release 2 improves transaction processing services by providing X/Open compliant transaction processing across NonStop Himalaya, Windows NT, and UNIX operating systems. We are addressing the rapidly emerging object environment with NonStop Distributed Object Manager and NonStop Transaction Services for Java. The NonStop SQL and NonStop TUXEDO products are cross-platform products that run on any Windows NT Server system in addition to NonStop Himalaya servers. As a result, the NonStop Himalaya environment benefits from most Windows NT Server driven enhancements. For the Pathway environment, Server Object Gateway will provide access to transaction processing services from any software supporting Microsoft ActiveX controls. Server Object Gateway is a client/server infrastructure tool that shields client developers from the complexities of the transaction processing monitor. Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server 9

10 Electronic commerce applications Electronic commerce is a fast growing product area. The Tandem Division of Compaq has been delivering solutions in this area for several years under the identifier of itp, which stands for Internet transaction processing. Secured transactions over the Internet are being implemented via itp WebSafe encryption, Certificate Security Services (CSS), Certificate Directory, and Secured Internet Mail Services. Our itp WebServer includes a new itp search engine and itp WebReporter. Our family of security products ensures the confidentiality of information routed over both public and private networks. CSS provides security for a wide range of applications that use certificates to authenticate users, including Web browsers, electronic commerce, secure electronic , conversational transmissions, and electronic data interchange (EDI). The itp Payment Solution provides secure electronic credit card transactions between merchants and their customers and a gateway to processing payments over existing payment systems. Customer care/call center applications are another area of growth for NonStop Himalaya servers: Our Call Access Manager (CAM) software is deployed by more than 150 call centers worldwide on NonStop Himalaya servers. NonStop Himalaya servers are the preferred choice worldwide for missioncritical call centers, including the large call center bureaus that run thousands of seats, 24 x 7, using our call center solutions. We also work aggressively with leading partners like Siebel, Genesys, Clarify, Intervoice, and Edify to integrate the emerging breed of packaged customer care applications into the large-scale call center. Application development and manageability tools The NonStop Application Development Environment is also reaching new highs. New workstation-based application generators from Dynasty, Sterling COOL:Gen, Seer*HPS, and Intersolv APS provide a modern environment for development on Himalaya, Windows NT Server, and UNIX system platforms. A new Tandem Development Suite for C, C++, and COBOL provides highly productive workbenches for application coding. Visual Inspect simplifies the debugging of applications. And our new Native C, C++, and COBOL compilers significantly increase application performance and responsiveness. CA-Unicenter provides us with best-of-breed management tools that are cross-platform with Himalaya, Windows NT Server, and UNIX systems, and IBM MVS mainframes. A new DSM/Software Configuration Manager tool was recently introduced and will be enhanced in the future. We are also introducing several performance management tools. Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server 10

11 The NonStop Himalaya server advantage The NonStop Himalaya server is clearly the number one market leader in reliable servers servers that have the highest level of application availability, data integrity, and scalability. Our investment in ServerNet system area networks and NonStop Software for both NonStop Himalaya and Windows NT Server systems ensures that NonStop systems will continue to be the market leader for reliable servers for the foreseeable future. Bryan L. Sweeley, vice president, NonStop Systems, Tandem Division, Compaq Computer Corporation Tandem Division products are clearly focused on three critical fundamentals: availability, data integrity, and scalability. These fundamentals represent our value-add, our competitive advantage. They are truly the heart and soul of Tandem Division products. Reliability and continuous availability Only NonStop systems can achieve true 24 x 7 operations. Almost everybody in the industry says they need it, and every vendor claims they have it. But only NonStop systems can actually deliver it reliably on a single system. The white paper, NonStop Availability for NonStop Himalaya and Windows NT Server Systems, describes the architectural differences and technologies that enable NonStop Himalaya servers to achieve continuous availability, while preventing others from achieving it. It concludes that today, NonStop systems are 6 times more available than a high-availability clustered server (10 times more than standard standalone servers). Professional services, such as the NonStop Availability Service, continue to decrease downtime due to ongoing systems operations. Quarterly quality reviews drive down interim product modification (IPM) releases. Technical investigations define how to minimize planned outages with enhanced online software replacement and other enhancements. Professional Services continues to deliver services that help customers improve availability up to 10 times with their existing operations staff. Data integrity You can t recover from problems you can t see. That s why we make the extra effort to ensure data integrity within the ever more complex microprocessor and the higherspeed disk and network subsystems. For example, NonStop systems feature the industry s only lockstepped processors to check the results of every transaction. If the two lockstepped processors don t agree, we don t write to disk or pass onto the network. We call this fail-fast, and we do it to eliminate data corruption. Scalability Major improvements to NonStop SQL have made NonStop systems one of the top three platforms for large-scale decision support and will further extend our advantage and deliver major performance enhancements. Future development will leverage our ServerNet architecture to provide scalable I/O bandwidth that is more than 10 times greater than today s capability. Investing in the Future of the NonStop Himalaya Server 11

12 Conclusion Compaq is investing in many more new and enhanced product features for NonStop Himalaya servers, and the pace of product development is increasing. Compaq has committed to move the Alpha 64-bit chip architecture to the NonStop Himalaya S-series platform, thus showing a long-term commitment to the Himalaya platform. Our new NonStop SQL database provides the most reliable and scalable crossplatform application development environment for both Himalaya and Windows NT Server systems. Our new ServerNet technology-based Himalaya S-series, with its scalable bandwidth, provides the most multimediaempowered architecture in the industry. Internet-based electronic commerce is driving up transaction volumes. Demand for cool user interfaces drives multimediaenhanced applications that in turn require Fast and Wide ATM networks and ServerNet architecture. Windows NT Server is becoming part of every network and must be integrated and managed with larger and more reliable central servers. Compaq plans to continue investing in the NonStop Himalaya server as a necessary and vital product line for the future. For more information Access the Tandem website at Send Internet messages to info@tandem.com. For sales offices worldwide, access Compaq s website at Compaq and the names of Compaq products referenced herein are either trademarks and/or service marks or registered trademarks and/or service marks of Compaq Computer Corporation. Tandem, Expand, FOX, itp, Himalaya, NonStop, ServerNet, TorusNet, and WebSafe are trademarks or registered trademarks of Tandem Computers Incorporated. System area network and the acronym SAN are being used by Tandem as generic descriptive terms and neither is intended to be interpreted as a trademark of Tandem. Third parties are encouraged to use these terms, as they are generic and descriptive. Microsoft, ActiveX, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. MIPS is a registered trademark of MIPS Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Silicon Graphics, Inc. TUXEDO is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc., exclusively licensed to BEA Systems, Inc. Java and all Java based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other Countries. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the U.S. and other countries. X/Open is a registered trademark of X/Open Company Ltd. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Technical specifications and availability are subject to change without notice Tandem Computers Incorporated All rights reserved. September ARBN