FYI Subjects

IN THIS SECTION:

o  Session Support Utility (SSU) V2.0

o  EZ58R SCSI Solid State Disk Now Available                                

o  Storage Solutions for IBM RS/6000 and AS/400 

o  More Denali 3D Graphics Subsystems for AXP Platform

o  DECamds V1.0 Available with OpenVMS Cluster Licenses                     

o  Changes in Workstation Options 

o  VRC21 21 Inch Color Monitor

o  Highlights of DECUS '94/New Orleans

o  Products Being Retired

SESSION SUPPORT UTILITY (SSU) V2.0

Session Support Utility V2.0 is a layered software product that allows users 
with multisession terminals to log into and maintain multiple independent 
sessions on OpenVMS systems using a single communications port. It 
implements Digital's proprietary Terminal Device/Session Management Protocol 
(TD/SMP), providing multiple sessions in environments that support TD/SMP 
and use XON/XOFF flow controls. Users on multisession terminals can switch 
between sessions executing on OpenVMS hosts.

SSU can be used on OpenVMS VAX and OpenVMS AXP systems by single-line, 
multiple-session terminals, such as the VT330, VT340, and VT420, by simply 
activating either of the two communication ports on these video terminals. 

Session Support Utility V2.0 is available now, at a reduced price. A variety 
of service options is offered.

Order No.	 Description 

		 SSU V2.0 Licenses, Kits, and Services:
QL-VE3**-AA 	 Session Support Utility OpenVMS VAX Traditional licenses 
QL-2T7**-AA 	 Session Support Utility OpenVMS AXP Traditional licenses 
QA-VE3*A-GZ	 Session Support Utility OpenVMS VAX media and documentation 
                 kit
QA-VE3*A-H5/HM	 Session Support Utility OpenVMS VAX upgrade media and 
                 documentation kit, TK50/16MT9
QA-2T7*A-GZ	 Session Support Utility OpenVMS AXP media and documentation 
                 kit
QT-VE3**-**	 Session Support Utility OpenVMS VAX services
QT-2T7**-**	 Session Support Utility OpenVMS AXP services

EZ58R SCSI SOLID STATE DISK NOW AVAILABLE

The 856 Mbyte EZ58R solid state disk, including an integrated data retention 
system with continuous backup, is now available, at a very attractive price. 
It provides the highest capacity in 5.25 inch packaging (a StorageWorks 
building block) you can obtain today, along with the highest online/offline 
availability.

The EZ58R disk is a capacity extension of the popular EZ54R solid state 
disk and will mirror the support available on EZ54R and EZ51R drives.  

Use of a solid state disk is the surest way to overcome the poor application 
performance caused by slow access to small- and medium-sized volumes of 
randomly distributed data. Solid state disk technology provides consistent, 
predictable, extremely fast access to frequently requested data, alleviating 
I/O bottlenecks and unleashing application performance.

For further information on solid state disks, please consult the "EZ5x High 
Performance SCSI-2 Solid State Disks" article in the August 2, 1993, issue 
of Digital's Customer Update and the "Additional Support for EZ5x Solid 
State Disks" article in the December 20, 1993, issue. 

Order No.	 Description						    

		 EZ58R Solid State Disks:
EZ58R-VA	 EZ58R 856 Mbyte SCSI solid state disk StorageWorks building 
                 block with data retention system; includes user 
                 documentation; field installed  
EZ58R-AA	 EZ58R 856 Mbyte SCSI solid state disk with data retention 
                 system; includes user documentation; field installed

STORAGE SOLUTIONS FOR IBM RS/6000 AND AS/400

Digital supports storage solutions across multiple system vendors' 
platforms, which now include the IBM RS/6000 and AS/400 systems. Two Digital 
OEM partners, Cambex and IPL Systems, Inc., are adapting Digital modular 
storage subsystem hardware to create high availability storage solutions for 
these IBM systems. The solutions are being sold under the companies' own 
brand names, not as part of the StorageWorks family. 

Cambex offers two product families for RS/6000 systems. The Certainty 
ARRAY/6000 is a RAID 0/1/3/5 solution, packaged in both a Digital deskside 
pedestal and a datacenter cabinet. The Certainty ARRAY/6000 Modula series is 
a non-RAID SCSI disk array that is also packaged in a deskside pedestal (and 
upgradable to the RAID subsystem). These subsystems include Digital's SZ200 
RAID controller, 1.6 Gbyte and 2.1 Gbyte drives, and shortly the TZ87 tape 
drive.

IPL sells the ESP 7000 storage platforms, which offer RAID 0 and 5
functionality to AS/400 systems. The IPL solutions incorporate 1 and 2 Gbyte 
drives, packaged in Digital storage building blocks and shelves. 

There are two major benefits in these offerings. First, you gain access to a 
flexible, open storage solution that helps protect your multivendor platform 
investment. Second, you can install a reliable, high performance RAID 
subsystem today, with an upgrade path for the future. 

For information on establishing a relationship with Cambex or IPL, please 
contact your local Digital Sales Representative.

MORE DENALI 3D GRAPHICS SUBSYSTEMS FOR AXP PLATFORM

Digital has made several additions to its offering of Kubota's Denali 3D 
graphics subsystems, and you can now select from worksystems featuring a 
full family of 3D graphics and imaging solutions. The new offerings include 
two new Denali subsystems -- Models P410 and V520 -- and two field 
installable upgrade kits. 

These new Denali offerings thus provide you with both a wider range of 
graphics/imaging solutions and a flexible growth path. They complement the 
Denali products described in the September 27, 1993, issue of Digital's 
Customer Update.

Denali graphics are compatible with Digital's Alpha AXP workstations, but 
because of evolving changes in the software and hardware, not all software 
applications may be qualified on the Denali graphics. Please consult your 
local Digital sales office for the latest list of certified applications.  
The end goal is full compatibility with Digital's graphics application 
environment. 

The Denali graphics options require an Alpha AXP workstation (DEC 3000 Model 
800, 600, 500X, 500, 400, or 300) with at least 64 Mbytes of memory and one 
TURBOchannel slot.

Order No.	 Description						    

		 Denali Graphics Options and Upgrade Kits:
PEXGA-AB 	 Denali P410 TURBOchannel based P series graphics; four 
                 transformation engines and 10 frame buffer modules
PEXGA-AC	 Denali V520 TURBOchannel based V series graphics; five 
                 transformation engines and 20 frame buffer modules, type 3
PEXGA-DB	 Upgrade kit, Denali P510 to V520; 20 frame buffer modules, 
                 type 3
PEXGA-DA	 Upgrade kit, Denali P310 to P410, P410 to P510, or V520 to 
                 V620; one transfer engine module

DECamds V1.0 AVAILABLE WITH OpenVMS CLUSTER LICENSES

Since it began shipping, DECamds V1.0 has been widely appreciated by OpenVMS 
cluster users as a leadership cluster management tool. Now Digital has made 
DECamds functionality part of its VAXcluster and VMScluster products and has 
retired the separate DECamds order numbers (QL-GW3** and QL-GVZ**).   

Beginning with the next release of the OpenVMS operating system, cluster 
users will have the right to use DECamds software as part of their 
VAXcluster and VMScluster licenses. If you own nonclustered systems and want 
DECamds functionality, you will need to buy a VAXcluster or VMScluster 
software license (you can run your systems clustered or nonclustered). 

As of April 1994, OpenVMS releases will include DECamds software kits and 
documentation. DECamds software is installed with a separate command 
procedure.

The inclusion of DECamds software in the cluster software products means 
that users with NAS 250, NAS 300, and NAS 400 packages will have access to 
DECamds functionality, since VAXcluster or VMScluster software is part of 
these packages.

Layered Product Support (LPS) service will be provided under your VAXcluster 
or VMScluster LPS contract. No Media and Documentation Distribution Service 
(MDDS) or Documentation Update Service (DS) is required for the DECamds 
product, as updates will be provided as part of the OpenVMS MDDS service, 
just as VAXcluster and VMScluster updates are provided today. 

Existing LPS, MDDS, or DS service contracts for the DECamds product will 
continue in force until expiration, up to but not beyond May 16, 1994.  
After that time, LPS service will be provided as part of VAXcluster or 
VMScluster LPS service, and media and documentation updates as part of 
OpenVMS LPS service.

For additional information on DECamds software, please refer to VAXcluster 
and VMScluster for OpenVMS SPD 34.88.XX.

CHANGES IN WORKSTATION OPTIONS

Digital is now providing a number of new options for various workstations. 
The functionality of these options is equal to or greater than the 
functionality of the options being replaced, and there is no effect on 
system package prices.

The systems affected by these changes are DEC 3000 Models 300, 300L, 300X, 
300LX, 400, 400S, 500, 500S, 600, 600S, 800, and 800S; VAXstation 4000 
systems; and DECstation 5000 systems. The options affected are three system 
monitors and the RRD42 CDROM drive. 

The new options are being substituted for the old options on orders for 
workstations, servers, and options. The substitutions are as follows:

o  The new RRD43 CDROM drive (see the accompanying article in this issue) is 
   replacing the RRD42 drive.

o  The VRC16 monitor is replacing the VRT16 monitor. (A 17 inch color 
   monitor is planned for future replacement.)

o  The VR319 monitor is replacing the VRM17 monitor-- except that in DEC 
   3000 Model 300L AXP systems the replacement monitor is the VRC16. (A 
   monochrome monitor is planned for future replacement.) 

o  The VRC21 monitor (see the following section) is replacing the VRT19 
   monitor.  

VRC21 21 INCH COLOR MONITOR

The VRC21 is a 21 inch (20 inch viewable) color display produced by 
Mitsubishi Electronics America. With its microprocessor based electronics 
and autoscanning, it supports resolutions from VGA to 1280 x 1024, 
noninterlaced, at a 72 Hz refresh rate. The screen area is 8 percent larger 
than that of 19 inch monitors.  

The monitor features Mitsubishi's new DiamondTron 21 inch, cylindrical, 
vertically flat, square cornered faceplate CRT with an aperture grill mask. 
DiamondTron CRT technology, while similar to Trinitron technology, uses a 
proprietary Dynamic Beam Forming electron gun to provide improved beam 
focus, screen uniformity, and color brightness. The VRC21 meets the EPA 
Energy Star power management standards and international MPR-II emission 
standards.

The VRC21-HA/H4 models will be available this month, replacing VRT19 19 inch 
monitors on Alpha AXP platforms. Standard Digital services will be offered 
for this product.

Order No.	 Description						    

		 VRC21 Monitors:
VRC21-HA/H4	 VRC21 21 inch (20 inch viewable) color monitor, 1280 x 
                 1024, 72 Hz, 120V/240V, Northern/Southern Hemisphere 	    

HIGHLIGHTS OF DECUS '94/NEW ORLEANS

Information technology professionals dealing with rapid changes brought on 
by the advent of multivendor, multiplatform computing environments will have 
the opportunity to find solutions to help them succeed during DECUS '94/New 
Orleans, May 7 to 12, 1994, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New 
Orleans, LA.

Following the theme of "Managing Complexity: Succeeding in a Multivendor, 
Multiplatform World," DECUS '94/New Orleans will present the most 
comprehensive forum for finding solutions through the use of products, 
services, and technologies of Digital Equipment Corporation and Digital 
related vendors.

Seminars and symposium sessions will cover virtually every area of computing 
and will provide attendees with the unique opportunity to learn from, and 
interact with, thousands of their technical peers, experienced product 
users, industry leaders, and product engineers and developers.

As a member driven users society, DECUS understands the problems facing 
today's IT professionals and is committed to addressing those issues with 
the most comprehensive and unbiased information available. An enhanced 
symposium format will make it easier for attendees to plan their event 
participation and to follow tracks of sessions that address topics in their 
areas of interest. Highlighted tracks of DECUS '94/New Orleans and the topic 
areas they will address include:

o  Application Development: Repository and Code Re-Use; Adopting 
   Object-Oriented Tools; High Quality Application Development; and Porting 
   Legacy Systems.

o  Avant Garde Technologies: Imaging; Groupware; Enterprise E-mail Services; 
   Managing the Data Explosion; and a LinkWorks Spotlight.

o  Client/Server Computing: Strategies and Technologies; Design and 
   Implementation; and Digital's Client/Server Strategy.

o  The Internet: Making; Supporting; Using; Managing; and Exploiting the 
   Connection.

o  Networks: Fundamentals; Hints and Kinks; Linkages; and High Speed and 
   Large Scale Networks.

o  Network Operating Systems: Fundamentals; and Spotlights on PATHWORKS and 
   NetWare.

o  OpenVMS: Migration to AXP; VMSclusters, POSIX, and DCE; Novice Use and 
   Management; Internals and Advanced Programming.

o  UNIX, ULTRIX, and OSF/1: Introduction to UNIX; UNIX for Masters; OSF/1 
   Developers' Conference; and OSF/1 for OpenVMS System Managers.

o  Windows and NT: NT Conference; and the Windows 3.1 Family.

As in past DECUS events, DECUS '94/New Orleans will feature symposium 
sessions and seminars addressing the wide variety of topics important to 
today's IT professionals, including education, security, advocacy, business 
practices, realtime computing, artificial intelligence, desktop publishing 
disaster recovery, and much more.

An interactive Digital Technology Center will give attendees an opportunity 
to test many of the products, services, and technologies of Digital 
Equipment Corporation.

In addition, the DECUS Trade Show will showcase applications and software 
solutions for UNIX, Windows NT, and OpenVMS environments. Representatives 
from over 100 vendors who support and sell in the Digital marketplace -- 
including Digital, Xerox, WRQ, Software Partners/32, Oracle, SAS Institute, 
and Ross Systems -- will be on hand.

Attendees will realize substantial savings over onsite fees by registering 
for DECUS '94/New Orleans by April 20, 1994. To register, contact DECUS 
Customer Service at 1-800-DECUS55. For additional information, use the 
mailing address, phone numbers, or Internet address listed below:

o  334 South Street
   SHR3-1/T25
   Shrewsbury, MA 01545-4195
   FAX: 1-508-841-3357
   TTY: 1-508-841-2222
   Internet: information@decus.org

Complete details on DECUS '94/New Orleans are available electronically 
through:

o  Gopher: GOPHER.DECUS.ORG

o  Anonymous FTP: FTP.DECUS.ORG

o  E-mail: MAILSERV@DECUS.ORG (send message HELP)

o  Telnet: DECUS.ORG or via modem to 508-842-1930 (enter DECUSPROGRAM; no 
   password is required). This option provides an interactive search and 
   query facility.

The U.S. Chapter of DECUS, the Digital Equipment Computer Users Society, is 
an association of Information Technology professionals interested in the 
products, services, and technologies of Digital Equipment Corporation and 
related vendors. The Association's purpose is to promote the unimpeded 
exchange of information, with the goal of helping its members and their 
organizations to be more successful. The Chapter provides each member with 
means to enhance their professional development, forums for technical 
training, mechanisms for obtaining up-to-date information, advocacy 
programs, and opportunities for informal disclosure and interaction with 
professional colleagues of like interest.

PRODUCTS BEING RETIRED

				       Last         Last        Recommended
Description                            Order Date   Ship Date   Migration

DEC 3000 Model 300L Upgrades:
DECstation 5000 Models 20, 25,	       3/25/94	    6/24/94	DEC 3000 Model
and 33 and VAXstation 4000 Model       		    		300LX ADVANTAGE-
VLC upgrades to DEC 3000 Model 300L    		    		UPGRADES

Other Products:	                       	            
RZ24L 3.5" 245 MBF disk drive (1)      4/1/94	    7/1/94	RZ25L, 535 MBF

MicroVAX 3100 Model 30 systems	       7/1/94	    9/30/94	MicroVAX 3100 
and MicroVAX 3100 WAN packages	       		    		Model 40 (2) 

MIPS R3000 based workstations 	            See Note 3 		Alpha AXP 
(DECstation and DECsystem 5000	       		    		systems
Models 133 and 240) and R4000 
based upgrades

VAX P.S.I. V4.3, VAX P.S.I.	       5/6/94	    5/30/94	DECnet/OSI for 
Access V4.3, and VAX WAN Device	       		    		OpenVMS VAX (5) 
Drivers V1.2 (4)		       		    		

RA71/72/73 5.25" disk drives	       5/6/94	    7/29/94	RZ26L and RZ28 	  
and related subsystems (6)	       		    		SCSI 3.5" drives

All TK50Z expansion boxes	       4/1/94	    4/29/94	None 

All SZ16 expansion boxes	       4/1/94	    7/1/94	StorageWorks

All SZ12 expansion boxes with	       4/1/94	    4/29/94	StorageWorks
RZ26 and RZ58 drives

NOTES: (1) Digital will continue to support the RZ24L with its complete 
           range of service products for a minimum of five years after the 
           end of the product's manufacturing life. The availability of 
           refurbished drives, spare parts, and trained engineers is ensured 
           as a part of the standard end-of-life plan.

       (2) Refurbished systems will continue to be offered, subject to 
           availability. The Model 40 systems have the same 5.0 VUPs CPU as 
           the Model 30, plus a larger enclosure (BA42-B) that offers 
           greater internal storage capacity. It is available at the same 
           price as the MicroVAX 3100 Model 30. In-cabinet upgrades are 
           available from the Model 40 to Models 80 and 90. 

       	   Individual components of the WAN package will continue to be 
           available for order as separate items.

       (3) Models 133 and 240 will be retired no earlier than September 
           1994, with a last ship date of December 1994. The R4000 upgrades 
           will be retired after the R3000 systems.			    

       (4) You have the option of staying with OpenVMS V5.5-2; however, 
           support for these products will end April 1995. OpenVMS V6.0 does 
           not support these products.  

       (5) In keeping with existing practice, X.25 "Native" is provided 
           under a separate license (VAX P.S.I., UPI 071) as defined in SPD 
           25.03 for DECnet/OSI for OpenVMS VAX software. VAX P.S.I. V4.3 
           software has been replaced with updated software components of 
           DECnet/OSI for OpenVMS VAX V5.7. The media and documentation for 
           the VAX P.S.I. product are now provided as part of the DECnet/OSI 
           for OpenVMS VAX kit and therefore will not be sold separately. 
           The functionality for VAX P.S.I. Access and WAN device drivers is 
           now incorporated into DECnet/OSI for OpenVMS VAX software. The 
           DECnet/OSI end system license grants the right to use P.S.I. 
           Access and WAN device drivers. These products will no longer be 
           sold separately.  

	   In support of its open network products and programs, Digital 
           provides the following services:
	   - A DECnet/OSI transition planning service, to ensure that your 
             transition to open network environments is smooth.
	   - Open network user training, which offers network managers, 
             application developers, and network planners access to Digital 
             Learning Services courses on a variety of open networking 
             subjects.
	   - NETsupport operations management services, Digital's most 
             comprehensive service offering for open networks, provide 
             ongoing management of your DECnet/OSI and/or TCP/IP network 
             resources.							   

       (6) For CI connection, you can substitute an HSC or HSJ40. For subsystem 
           migration:

	   From Array		 To StorageWorks Modular Subsystem Components

	   SA71/72/73		 BA350 enclosures + RZ26L/28-VA with HSJ40
	   			 controllers or K.SCI HSR packages.

	   SA3xx and SA9xx 	 StorageWorks 500 and/or 800 cabinets +
	   arrays that 		 BA350 enclosures + RZ26L/28-VA with HSJ40
	   contain RA71/72/73	 controllers.

----------
DiamondTron is a trademark of Mitsubishi Electronics America.
AS/400 is a trademark and IBM is a registered trademark of International 
Business Machines Corporation.
POSIX is a registered trademark of the IEEE.
NetWare is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc.
OSF/1 is a registered trademark of the Open Software Foundation, Inc.
UNIX is a registered trademark of Unix System Laboratories, Inc., a wholly 
owned subsidiary of Novell, Inc.
Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.