OIL & GAS

NEC Solutions (America), Inc., a premier provider of integrated solutions for the "Connected Enterprise" in North America, today announced the NEC SQL Server Solution, a comprehensive 64-bit server solution that simplifies adoption of Microsoft SQL Server(R) 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-bit) for data warehousing, data mining and transaction intensive applications. Comprised of server hardware, server management software, SQL Server 2000 (64 bit) training and installation services, the solution will help current and future users of the Microsoft SQL Server database software to more easily consolidate server farms and migrate from 32-bit computing to 64-bit computing. As the technical foundation of the solution, NEC Express5800/1000Xd Series servers incorporate the new, second-generation Intel Itanium(TM) 2 Processor (code named Madison) along with NEC's own GlobalMaster Professional server software. The provisioning and failover features of Global Master Professional enable dynamic reconfiguration of processing elements as well as hardware-enabled high availability features. With a capacity of up to 32-processors, the NEC server can potentially consolidate hundreds of 32-bit servers while offering failover protection to ensure that processing continues in the event of hardware failure. Comprehensive training, the third key feature of the solution, is included to ensure quick, trouble-free consolidation and migration to the 64-bit platform, particularly for mid-market organizations with limited IT resources. "The raw speed performance of 64-bit computing can be a critical competitive advantage for any size company," said Stan Sorensen, director of product management for SQL Server at Microsoft Corp. "With its comprehensive package for SQL Server 2000 (64-bit), NEC makes the migration process that much more simple. With SQL Server 2000 (64-bit), companies get greater performance at a fraction of the cost. NEC takes it one step further by removing additional barriers for every enterprise." "The SQL Server program is designed to simplify every aspect of moving to 64-bit computing," said Rahim Kapadia, IA-64 product manager, IT Platforms Division, NEC Solutions America. "We want SQL Server customers to be supported from the moment they consider adopting 64-bit computing as a business advantage. NEC and Microsoft look to provide better total cost of ownership and with this package we make it possible for companies to have enterprise level performance at a lower cost." Kapadia added, "This solution will help bring some of the most advanced supercomputing technologies to the Intel platform. Unlike solutions that tweak and stretch 32-bit technologies to support 64-bit processors in a non-linear fashion, the Express Series is built by the NEC Supercomputing group, which runs on a native 64-bit platform. That top-down design approach builds in investment protection well into the future." NEC's SQL Server solution will be offered with a 32-processor server, 16-processor server or 8-processor server. All 8- and 16-processor servers can be upgraded to 32-processor systems. NEC SQL Server Solution Components -- The 64-bit NEC Express5800/1000Xd Series Server models (Express5800/1080Xd, Express5800/1160Xd, Express5800/1320Xd) With the introduction of the NEC SQL Server solution, NEC announces immediate availability of its new Xd server models, which use the latest Intel Itanium 2 (Madison) processors running 1.5 GHz with 6GB of addressable memory. The servers also utilize advanced NEC cross-bar architecture taken from the NEC TX Super Computer architecture, currently used in the Earth Simulator, the fastest computer in the world(1). Among many processing-related advantages, this key super computer feature will allow the new 1000Xd Series servers to take advantage of all capabilities offered with the next generation of Intel processors - with only a chip upgrade. The benefits of 64-bit computing for enterprise applications include 64-bit addressing of large-scale data sets. Systems using 32-bit technology today can address far fewer memory addresses than 64-bit systems, which can address hundreds of gigabytes of memory. This provides outstanding system responsiveness for mission-critical enterprise applications. -- Customized 64-bit SQL Server Scalability and High Availability Training Customized training is included as part of the server package. Training programs will be designed to meet the unique requirements of each customer, whether they be new to the SQL Server environment or experienced users needing higher levels of guidance. Training is available for up to 5 days and includes a full SQL Server database lab with testing equipment designed to ensure that SQL Server networks are running at optimum performance. -- Dynamic Capacity Management (DCM) with NEC GlobalMaster(TM) NEC's GlobalMaster management software is a powerful system management solution for users of the company's Express5800/1000Xd Series servers. NEC GlobalMaster software has the ability to manage server hardware and software resources, enabling dynamic processor resource allocation as well as hardware error reconfiguration. Both features are designed to improve operational management while reducing management costs. The NEC GlobalMaster for IA-64 software also provides an advanced interface to help IT managers pre-define threshold values, which can be set for each managed item on the server. In the event of an abnormal condition, NEC GlobalMaster software notifies IT managers through pager, email, fax and mobile phone. Telephone support is available on a 24 x 7 basis for the GlobalMaster software. -- Installation and Maintenance Services NEC Solutions America's service arm will assist with all aspects of system design, installation and maintenance for the 64-bit server. With the server solution NEC includes support from its 24 x 7 call center, which is complimented by a standard warranty that includes 9 to 5 phone support with next-day technical support. The optional High Availability support package that is 24 x 7 call center and 4-hour on-site service. -- Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-bit) Microsoft's 64-bit SQL Server database software is available to purchase through third-party suppliers. SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-bit) provides a scalable data platform with tools to help companies intelligently analyze large data quantities and make informed decisions. Optimized for the 64-bit Intel Itanium processor, SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) takes advantage of advanced memory addressing capabilities for essential resources such as buffer pools, caches, and sort heaps, reducing the need to perform multiple I/O operations to bring data in and out of memory from disk. Greater processing capacity without the penalties of I/O latency opens the door to new levels of application scalability. Pricing and Availability The NEC SQL Server solution is currently available for order in North America and is scheduled to ship immediately. Prices for the full solution, including training and services, start at less than $190,000 for the Madison-based solution. Users also have an option to purchase the NEC SQL Server solution using the previous Intel Itanium 2 processor (code named McKinley) starting at less than $140,000. Further information about the solution is available at www.nec64.com or by calling 866-632-3226.