*** HEADLINE NEWS
** Microsoft SNA Server 3.0 Now Available!
The new release of Microsoft's host integration software delivers
several compelling new features in a single package, making it
easier to integrate IBM mainframe and AS/400 systems with the
Windows NTR Server network operating system and PC desktops.
SNA Server 3.0 doubles the capacity of the previous version and
offers easy, cost-effective setup and management. Press Release:
http://www.microsoft.com/corpinfo/PRESS/1996/Dec96/MSSNA3Pr.htm
** Microsoft and Proginet To Work Together on Windows NT
Server-to-Host Integration
On December 17, both companies announced a technology transfer
and marketing agreement to further address customer requirements
for host connectivity in the enterprise. As part of the agreement,
Microsoft will acquire a minority equity position in Proginet, and
Proginet will include TransAccess™ software in its new HostOffice™
suite. Combined with MicrosoftR SNA Server, HostOffice enhances
the integration between Web-based applications running on the
Windows NTR Server operating system and the applications and data
that run on mainframe and midrange computers. Press Release:
http://www.microsoft.com/corpinfo/PRESS/1996/Dec96/SnaproPr.htm;
** Microsoft Announces Availability of Advanced Data Connector(ADC)
Microsoft ADC provides the underlying infrastructure to link databases
on Web servers with data-aware controls within ActiveX™ technologies
for Microsoft Internet Explorer. Microsoft ADC is tightly integrated
with Microsoft SQL Server™ and provides both query and update
capabilities from Web-based clients. This release also provides query
only capabilities to Oracle and other ODBC-compliant databases.
Customers can download Microsoft ADC free of charge from
http://www.microsoft.com/adc/ (connect charges may apply).
See www.microsoft.com/adc/ for more information.
** Microsoft Posts Distributed File System(Dfs) for
Windows NT Server
Dfs is a utility for Windows NT Server 4.0 that lets a network
administrator logically organize multiple file servers and shares
into a single directory, allowing data to appear in the most
logical place in the Dfs directory tree. Dfs for NT Server 5.0
will include integration with the Active Directory and other
distributed services, as well as other new features such as Dfs
replication for fault tolerance. To download Distributed File
System for Windows NT Server 4.0 from the Microsoft Web site,
please access http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/dfs/dfsdl.htm
*** ADDITIONAL NEWS
** Internet Services
* IIS Sweeps ZD Internet Magazine Web Server Review
IIS 2.0 is the overall winner for performance and NTS integration
in a recent Web server review in the January issue of ZD Internet
Magazine. With a hands-down win on the performance tests,
IIS 2.0 also scored high with NTS integration. According to the
review, "IIS 3.0 is going to be a big hit with all of its added
features. And because it is included with NT, customers have
nothing to lose and everything to gain." To view the complete review,
visit http://www.zdimag.com/content/zdlabs/servers/.
** SQL Server
* HP Delivers Midrange PC Server TPC Record with
Microsoft SQL Server 6.5
Hewlett-Packard recently published the industry's highest TPC-C
performance benchmark numbers for midrange PC server systems
running Microsoft SQL Server 6.5. For the audited TPC-C
benchmark, the HP NetServer LH Pro systems delivered the
industry's highest performance level of 3,904 tpmC, $110/tpmC
for a dual-processor PC server. The HP NetServer LH Pro system
was powered by two 200MHz Pentium Pro processors running
Windows NT Server 4.0 and SQL Server 6.5. With this record
Microsoft SQL Server now owns 8 of the top 10 positions in
TPC-C price/performance benchmarks.
* Microsoft SQL Server Delivers the Industry's Highest
TPC-C Performance for the Windows NT Platform
Compaq Computer Corporation and Microsoft have cooperated to
set a new TPC-C performance record for the Windows NT platform.
The fully audited results of 7512 tpmC and $77.59/tpmC tpmC
were achieved by Microsoft SQL Server and Windows NT Server
running on a Compaq ProLiant 5000 6/200 Pentium Pro-based
server with four 200 MHz processors. At 7512 tpmC, this performance
is 10% higher than the next best result on Windows NT delivered by
Informix.In a second set of audited results, 7128.20 tpmC and
$79.78/tpmC, Microsoft SQL Server delivered the highest performance
in the class of Pentium Pro-based 166 MHz servers. These results
were obtained on a Compaq ProLiant 5000 6/166 server with four
166 MHz processors. With the addition of these new results, SQL
Server now holds the top seven, and eight out of top ten,
TPC-C price/performance results.
** Windows NT Server
* PC Magazine Names Windows NT Server 4.0 as Operating System
of the Year
With it's host of features customers demanded such as the Windows
95-type interface, an Internet server, Network Monitor, a Web
designer, administrative wizards, bandwidth aggregation and more,
Windows NT Server gets it's due as Network Operating System of
the Year in PC Magazines January issue. See the Best of 1996 at