High-Availability UNIX System Platform from Compaq Gains Momentum in Telecommunications Market

Wildfire Communications and Vicorp to Offer Enhanced Network Services on the Tandem Integrity XC

ATLANTA, June 9, 1998 - Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ), a leading global supplier of highly reliable, open, standards-based platforms for business-critical telecommunications applications, today announced worldwide that both Wildfire Communications and Vicorp will develop enhanced network service applications on the Tandem Integrity XC. The telecommunications industry is now able to realize the benefits of the UNIX system-based Integrity XC that delivers greater availability than other high-availability computer systems at a lower price.

This highly scalable system of clustered Compaq ProLiant servers with full, single-system image (SSI) capability and no single points of failure, will be a key component of the Wildfire high-availability strategy for its Network Wildfire product. Wildfire Communications has chosen to develop and deploy its application only on open industry-standard Compaq ProLiant servers because of their strong price/performance.

Vicorp, which currently offers its widely deployed Lydian pre-paid solution on Tandem NonStop Himalaya S-series, is expanding its platform offering to include Integrity XC Series.

"The Integrity XC Series combines NonStop Clusters for SCO UnixWare with open, industry-standard Compaq ProLiant servers, resulting in a highly scalable, high-availability platform that delivers unbeatable price/performance for our customers," said Gail Hamilton, Vice President and General Manager, Communications Platform Division, Tandem, a Compaq company. "As Compaq continues to build relationships with best-in-class solutions providers, the telecommunications industry will increasingly realize the availability and scalability benefits of the Integrity XC with revenue-generating services such as Network Wildfire and the Lydian solution suite from Vicorp."

Further demonstrating its commitment to the telecommunications industry, Compaq today also announced its 48-volt power supplies for use with ProLiant servers (see today's related press release, "Compaq Empowers Telecommunications Service Providers to Fully Harness Benefits of Open, Industry-Standard Compaq ProLiant Servers").

Integrity XC: Key to Wildfire Communications' High-Availability Strategy

By allowing multiple Compaq ProLiant servers running SCO UnixWare to act as a single system, the Tandem Integrity XC brings a higher level of availability and scalability to Network Wildfire. It enables carriers to deploy the service with a low initial investment and to manageably increase capacity as demand grows.

"Carriers around the world are looking to Wildfire and Compaq to deliver a whole new paradigm for enhanced services built around Wildfire software and Compaq ProLiant servers, based on standards such as SCO UnixWare and Intel Pentium," said Rich Miner, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Wildfire. "Now carriers can add Integrity XC, which provides high-availability support and performance that carriers demand."

Targeted at wireless and wireline carriers, Wildfire is a personal assistant that uses speech-recognition technology to redefine how carriers offer enhanced service to their customers. Subscribers start with a set of basic services, such as voice-dialing or voice-controlled voicemail. As customers use the services, Wildfire automatically evaluates individual usage patterns and then offers a trial of additional services, such as call-routing or fax store and forward, which may fit their work style. Subscribers acquire new services at their own pace and feel "in control" by choosing only those features that they value, then mastering each new set of services before adding additional ones. Wildfire increases revenue for the carrier by increasing minutes of use and reducing churn, without the expense of direct marketing or sales.

To meet the stringent availability requirements of the telecommunications industry, and to enable service providers to start small and grow while protecting the initial investment, Wildfire has gained early access to Tandem NonStop Clusters for SCO UnixWare. Wildfire access to Compaq clustering technologies allows creation of a more highly available and scalable solution than is possible with other industry-standard servers today.

A technology demonstration can be seen in the Compaq/Tandem booth at SuperComm '98, booth #8145, where attendees may view a database server running on a two-node Integrity XC cluster, while two voice-response units share external, mirrored disk storage. This platform meets the reliability requirements of telecommunications carriers worldwide.

Additional information can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.wildfire.com/ or you can contact them by e-mail at info@wildfire.com. To hear a Wildfire demonstration, call 1-800-WILDFIRE.

Vicorp Extends Relationship with Tandem to Include Integrity XC

Vicorp is using the Integrity XC platform in its Lydian pre-paid product suite. Lydian is a proven, network-grade, pre-paid solution that grows with its customers. QuickScript, Lydian's graphical, service-creation environment, allows telecommunications carriers to build custom call dialogues for target markets.

"The Integrity XC platform allows us to offer an attractive, pre-paid, switching package to telecom companies," commented Greg Baltzer, Chief Operating Officer, Vicorp. "This network-grade solution starts at a reasonable price point, and provides scalability for long-term growth."

Vicorp will be featuring its Lydian suite of applications in the Compaq/Tandem booth at SuperComm, booth #8145. These include pre-paid and post-paid calling card, pre-paid wireless, enhanced toll-free services and access switch. Additional information on Vicorp can be found at http://www.vicorp.com/.

The Tandem Integrity XC

Introduced in January 1998, the Integrity XC is a packaged two- to six-node system comprised of Compaq ProLiant servers, SCO UnixWare 2.1.2, and Tandem NonStop Clusters software. NonStop Clusters for SCO UnixWare is a highly scalable clustered operating environment that enables a group of UNIX system-based Compaq ProLiant servers to operate as a single, reliable computing resource. A powerful clustered, high-availability platform for telecommunications applications, NonStop Clusters deliver greater availability than other high-availability computer systems at a lower price.

NonStop Clusters is the first clustering product to offer true SSI capability, which presents a cluster of any number of nodes as if it were one system, providing greatly improved manageability and simplified application development. The SSI capability allows transparent access to all cluster resources, such as shared memory, semaphores, and pipes. Highly integrated and optimized to run with the SCO UnixWare operating system, NonStop Clusters SSI also allows applications to migrate, without disruption, among nodes.

Company Background

Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation, a Fortune Global 100 company, is a worldwide information technology company. Compaq is the fifth largest computer company in the world and the largest global supplier of personal computers. With worldwide sales of $24.6 billion in 1997, Compaq develops and markets hardware, software, solutions and services, including industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, networking and communications products, commercial desktop and portable products and consumer PCs. The company is an industry leader in environmentally friendly programs and business practice.

Compaq products are sold and supported in more than 100 countries through a network of authorized Compaq marketing partners. Customer support and information about Compaq and its products can be found at http://www.compaq.com.