Forum Tackles Communications Industry's "Nines" Requirements on Intel Architecture-Based Equipment

Goal is recommendations to help equipment and software makers speed products to market

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM CONFERENCE, SAN JOSÉ, Calif., August 24, 2000—A recently formed group of hardware and software manufacturers has begun designing recommendations that will simplify and accelerate the development of network equipment based on Intel Architecture (IA) components to meet the communications industry's service-availability requirements of 99.999 percent or better.

The final recommendations of the High Availability on Intel Architecture Forum will be applied to application programming interfaces (APIs) for developers of IA-based systems that in public networks must meet those stringent requirements.

Founding members of the forum include GoAhead Software, Intel Corporation, LynuxWorks, Motorola Computer Group, RadiSys and Ziatech. In addition, Dialogic recently has joined the forum.

"The initiative to create recommendations leading to open APIs on IA-based network equipment will in all likelihood grow the market opportunity for providers of hardware, software and solutions that run on these devices," said Al Gillen, research manager for system software at IDC.

In the telecommunications industry, service availability refers to requirements for maintaining the integrity of customers' network connections and transactions with virtually no interruption, regardless of hardware or software failures within the infrastructure. So stringent are these stipulations that they are frequently expressed in the virtually perfect "nines" notations.

The telecommunications industry traditionally has required such high levels of integrity to meet the demands placed on the public switched network. As a result of the convergence of voice and data onto shared networks, and the growing commercial importance of the Internet, providers of these services are finding they must adopt similar service levels to be competitive.

However, existing solutions developed by telecommunications service providers are often proprietary, making their adaptation to the networks of this new class of service provider prohibitively expensive and time consuming.

The forum's goal is to solve the problem by developing recommendations for a set of high-availability capabilities that can be applied to equipment built upon IA components for major voice and data networks. The first step will be to define open-system approaches to using IA components in hardware, operating systems, management middleware and applications. The primary promise of the new open-interface recommendations will be to reduce the time necessary to get next-generation equipment to market.

To ensure wide acceptance of the recommendations within the telecommunications and data communications industries, the forum is reviewing its proposals with additional system manufacturers, I/O solution and operating system providers and application developers. The forum expects to publish its recommendations later this year.

About IDF

The Intel Developer Forum Conference is Intel's premier technical forum comprising nearly 250 sessions and hands-on labs and more than 100 demonstrations of cutting-edge products and technologies. IDF attracts thousands of hardware and software developers worldwide. Now in its third year, the semi-annual conference provides hardware OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), IHVs (independent hardware vendors), and ISVs (independent software vendors) with in-depth information on Intel technologies and initiatives. More information on the Intel Developer Forum can be found at http://developer.intel.com/idf. Updated information is available between Intel Developer Forums by subscribing to the Intel Developer Update Magazine at http://developer.intel.com/update/.

About Dialogic

Dialogic, an Intel Company, provides the critical building blocks and technical services that enable its customers to develop solutions serving the converging Internet and telecommunications market segments. Dialogic products are used in voice, fax, data, speech recognition and synthesis, call center management and Internet Protocol (IP) telephony applications in both customer premise equipment (CPE) and public network environments.

About GoAhead

GoAhead Software is the leading provider of service availability software for Internet infrastructure. The GoAhead SelfReliant product line manages communications devices and servers internally and collectively to provide on-demand, uninterrupted service for Internet users. GoAhead off-the-shelf solutions accelerate time-to-market for equipment manufacturers and reduce equipment and support costs. The privately held company was formed in 1995 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.

About Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard Company—a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services—is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to individuals and businesses through simple appliances, useful e-services and an Internet infrastructure that's always on.

HP has 86,000 employees worldwide and had total revenue from continuing operations of $42.4 billion in its 1999 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found at http://www.hp.com.

More information on HP and Linux is available at http://www.hp.com/go/linux.

About Intel Corporation

Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

About LynuxWorks

LynuxWorks, Inc., formerly Lynx Real-Time Systems, is a developer and supplier of Linux and real-time operating system software for reliable and high-performance embedded computing applications. LynuxWorks supports industry standards in communications, avionics, automotive, office automation and process control systems worldwide, enabling customers to leverage their investments in software and education. LynuxWorks products include the open-source BlueCat™ Linux and the scalable, Linux-compatible LynxOS® real-time operating system; software frameworks for high-availability systems; development tools and technical support worldwide.

About Motorola

Motorola Computer Group (MCG), headquartered in Tempe, Ariz., is the world's leading supplier of embedded computing platforms to OEMs for use in telecommunications applications, network storage, imaging, medical equipment, and semiconductor production and test equipment. MCG offers design and manufacturing capabilities as well as a broad range of service, training and systems integration capabilities. MCG is part of Motorola's Integrated Electronic Systems Sector (IESS). Additional information about MCG is available at http://www.motorola.com/computer.

Motorola, is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 1999 were $33.1 billion.

About RadiSys

RadiSys (NASDAQ: RSYS) designs and manufactures building blocks for next-generation Internet, communications, industrial automation, medical equipment, and transaction terminal applications. As the leading independent provider to OEMs, RadiSys delivers a time-to-market advantage in a tight "virtual division" relationship with its customers. The building blocks include Intel-based embedded computers, DSP modules and algorithms, network interfaces and protocols, systems platforms, embedded software, systems engineering and integration services. RadiSys' highly differentiated position in the market is a result of its intense focus on Intel-based technology, having the broadest array of building blocks, and a "perfect fit" product development strategy using its intellectual property to design customer subsystems.

About Ziatech

Headquartered in San Luis Obispo, Calif., Ziatech Corporation has a 24-year history of supplying applied computing solutions ranging from single board computers to fully integrated systems.

An ISO 9001-certified company, Ziatech offers the industry's most comprehensive line of products for telecommunications and the Internet using CompactPCI®, an open standard it pioneered and continues to enhance. With the recent launch of its Ketris® family of Internet servers, Ziatech has expanded its enterprise to include the manufacture and marketing of comprehensive server systems for the burgeoning carrier-class telecommunications and Internet infrastructure. Ziatech operates a worldwide network of representatives and distributors, with sales offices throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia.

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LynuxWorks press contacts

Kirsten Long Director, Marketing Communications LynuxWorks, Inc. USA +1 408-979-4404	Barbara Stewart Patterson & Associates USA 480-488-6909
Hamid Mirab Managing Director EMEA LynuxWorks Ltd. United Kingdom +44 208-906-9506	Peter van der Sluijs Neesham Public Relations Europe +44 1442-879222