IBM Delivers Networking Power with OS/2 Warp Connect
NEW YORK, May 17, 1995 ... With the theme, "Make Your Connections," IBM
today used Grand Central Terminal as a backdrop to announce the
availability of OS/2 Warp Connect, which gives small businesses and
workgroups easy, open connections to worlds of information -- whether they
are on the PC in the office next door, the Internet, or a local area
network -- all in a powerful, refined, stable operating system.
OS/2 Warp Connect follows the commercially successful, technically
acclaimed OS/2 Warp which began shipping in November 1994. OS/2 Warp
Connect combines OS/2 Warp and its BonusPak of productivity applications
with a full set of integrated networking capabilities and software that
provides peer and remote connections along with TCP/IP for dial-up and LAN
access to the Internet, access to the most popular online services, and
Lotus Notes Express.
OS/2 Warp Connect includes built-in requesters for IBM LAN Server and
Novell NetWare, and can coexist with IBM LAN Server, Novell NetWare,
Microsoft's NT and Windows for Workgroups, Banyan Vines, and LANtastic
from Artisoft. It features easy and advanced installation options and
Configuration, Installation and Distribution (CID) for efficient
installation across a networked enterprise.
"OS/2 Warp Connect has everything you need to connect to the world, to
connect to your existing network or to create a peer network," said Lee
Reiswig, general manager of IBM's Personal Software Products division. "It
is the easiest networking solution to use and simplest to install for the
foreseeable future. With OS/2 Warp's multitasking prowess, users can
really optimize network resources by sharing files, modems, and printers
-- simultaneously."
Single Box Business Network Solution for Small Businesses
OS/2 Warp Connect is a complete software solution for anybody who is
starting or running a small business. The operating system, with its
built-in peer-to-peer networking, combined with the BonusPak of
productivity software and Lotus Notes Express gives a small business what
it needs to get a staff connected and productive, in a single box. Notes
Express will include seven productivity templates. Five of them consist of
those that Lotus ships in the retail version: discussion databases,
client/server mail, phone book, reference databases, news databases; plus
two of Lotus' other most popular templates.
Peer Networks Made Easy
OS/2 Warp Connect comes with everything needed to set up a peer network
right out of the box. The built-in peer capability gives connected users
an inexpensive, easy-to-use way to share resources, such as files,
printers, and modems. In addition, users can share resources around the
office or on the road with OS/2 Warp Connect's remote access
capabilities.
Customers can use IBM Peer for OS/2 in a wide range of network
environments. The peer software interoperates with OS/2 LAN Server version
3.0 or later editions, Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, Microsoft Windows
NT, Microsoft LAN Manager 2.x, PC LAN Program 1.3, and Artisoft LANtastic
6.0.
A Perfect Fit in Existing Networks
For customers in large enterprises, OS/2 Warp Connect seamlessly links
desktop machines to each other and to all major network operating systems,
including IBM OS/2 LAN Server, Lotus Notes, Microsoft NT Server, Novell
NetWare, and a variety of Internet servers. The OS/2 Workplace Shell
offers a graphical view of LAN resources by server and a hierarchical view
of resources within domains.
OS/2 Warp Connect demonstrates IBM's commitment to Open Blueprint by
supporting communication via NetBIOS, TCP/IP or IPX on Ethernet, Token
Ring, and FDDI networks, eliminating the need to purchase network
transports or client code when attaching to the industry's leading
servers.
OS/2 Warp Connect will ship with TCP/IP for OS/2 Version 3. This version
lets users simultaneously connect to local/wide area networks and to the
Internet with a complete set of applications for browsing the World Wide
Web, mail and file transfer.
Because of its multiprotocol support, OS/2 Warp Connect provides a
client/server platform so that customers can install DB2 for OS/2, Lotus
Notes and Oracle server, for example, without any additional software.
"By including connectivity to industry-leading network operating systems,
full support for TCP/IP and the Internet, and remote access, IBM has made
OS/2 Warp a solid network citizen," said Jamie Lewis, president of the
Burton Group, a consulting firm in Salt Lake City, Utah. "Because OS/2
Warp Connect will be network-enabled right out of the box, managers will
no longer have to scramble to get the network software they need. With
OS/2 Warp Connect's streamlined install, customers can get connected
quickly in a variety of environments."
IBM is planning a release this summer of an additional CD for enterprise
customers that will contain advanced networking support, including mobile
file synchronization that enables users to disconnect from LAN Server,
perform network operations and resynchronize their work after a session is
re-established. The enterprise features include IBM System Performance
Monitor/2, that allows system resources to be monitored on a single
workstation; Personal Communications/3270 for OS/2 - IEEE 802.2 Entry
Level, which provides 3270 mainframe emulation capability for up to two
sessions; Communications Manager/2 SNA Application Environment, that
allows users to run Advanced Program-to-Program Communication (APPC)
applications; NetView Distribution Manager/2 (NVDM/2) StartUp, which
provides for connection to a NVDM/2 server for easy download of the full
NVDM/2 client, that is licensed separately; and the OS/2 Distributed
Computing Environment (DCE) client, which allows an OS/2 system to
participate in client/server applications based on the Open Software
Foundation (OSF) remote procedure call.
Connect Provides Network Access for Employees on the Road or at Home
OS/2 Warp Connect provides remote features that allow users to remotely
connect to their LANs from anywhere by phone, providing real-time access
to network resources. The remote features are based on LAN Distance, IBM's
comprehensive remote LAN access software solution. With the peer software
included with OS/2 Warp Connect and LAN Distance, users can set up a
simple peer network over a telephone line.
"Secure remote access to office networks is becoming a necessity for almost
all business users," said Frank Dzubeck, president of Communications
Network Architects, Inc., a consulting firm in Washington, D.C. "Whether
it be for telecommuting from home or conducting business from your car or
hotel room, OS/2 Warp Connect's rich remote access features will
unequivocally help to create a true virtual office."
OS/2 Warp Connect Integrated Installation
Installation is made easy through the integrated installation options with
OS/2 Warp Connect. Users can select between easy or advanced installation
options depending upon the amount of customization they want to achieve.
Network administrators can use CID to install OS/2 Warp Connect across the
enterprise.
OS/2 Warp Connect will initially ship in a blue spine version that includes
IBM WIN-OS/2, also known as "fullpack" for a list price of $299 and will
be available through IBM Direct for $215. For a limited time, registered
users of OS/2 2.1 will qualify for a $25 rebate when they purchase OS/2
Warp Connect.
Registered users of OS/2 Warp with WIN-OS/2 will qualify for a $50 rebate
when they purchase OS/2 Warp Connect. Volume discounts will be available.
OS/2 Warp Connect with IBM WIN-OS/2 is shipping this week and will be
generally available in the United States and Canada through IBM dealers,
superstores and a variety of general retail outlets by the end of May. A
version of OS/2 Warp Connect that uses customers' existing Windows will be
available this summer.
OS/2 Warp Connect with WIN-OS/2 and OS/2 Warp Connect will be available in
20 additional languages.
IBM news releases are available on the Internet, via the IBM Home Page at
http://www.ibm.com
The IBM Fax Information Service allows you to receive facsimiles of prior
IBM product press releases. Dial 1-800-IBM-4FAX and enter "99" at the
voice menu.
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