Hp COMPAQ PROLIANT 2500, COMPAQ PROLIANT 5000, COMPAQ PROLIANT 7000 Synergy: The Compaq and Novell Connection
Integration Note
April 1999
ECG120/0998
Synergy: The Compaq and
Prepared by OS Integration
Compaq Computer Corporation
Contents
Overview.....................................3
Background History ...................3
Birth and Infancy of the
Computer Industry ....................3
In the Beginning with
Compaq ...................................4
In the Beginning with Novell......8
Building for the Future.............10
A Partnership Emerges............11
Partnership Mission
Statement...............................12
Partnership Strengths .............12
Partnership Highlights............. 13
Joint Engineering and
Testing...................................14
Joint Training and Support ......17
Joint Marketing Efforts ............ 17
A Partnership Focuses on
the Future.................................17
Partnership Strategies.............18
Future Products and
Deliveries ............................... 19
Novell Connection
Abstract: Success in today’s computer industry depends upon many
factors: market demands, timing, innovative technology, pricing
strategies, marketing techniques, and partnering with other
successful companies whose products and services complement your
own line. Compaq Computer Corporation and Novell, Inc. have been
jointly engineering and testing products for more than thirteen years.
In fact, this dynamic and synergistic partnership pushed the
computing technology window into the age of networking.
When the rest of the industry focused on their own turnkey systems
or provided software to run solely on mainframe equipment, these
two visionary companies focused on developing high-quality
industry-standard, PC products, products the customer wanted.
Success arrived in 1989 when Compaq produced the first PC-based
server, the Systempro 386; and, in parallel with this technology,
Novell released the first server-based network operating system,
NetWare 386. The network revolution began.
The winning combination of ingenuity, innovative technology, and
adherence to industry-standards still drives the Compaq and Novell
(C and N) Partnership and ensures that customers receive the best
products, the best training, and the best technical support.
The Partnership remains committed to jointly develop, test, and
market products that will propel enterprises into the next millenium.
Help us improve our technical communication. Let us know what you think
about the technical information in this document. Your feedback is valuable
and will help us structure future communications. Please send your
comments to: novell.feedback@compaq.com
Synergy: The Compaq and Novell Connection 2
Notice
The information in this publication is subject to change without notice and is provided “AS IS” WITHOUT
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
INFORMATION REMAINS WITH RECIPIENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL COMPAQ BE LIABLE FOR
ANY DIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHER DAMAGES
WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS
PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION), EVEN IF
COMPAQ HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
The limited warranties for Compaq products are exclusively set forth in the documentation accompanying
such products. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting a further or additional warranty.
This publication does not constitute an endorsement of the product or products that were tested. The
configuration or configurations tested or described may or may not be the only available solution. This test
is not a determination or product quality or correctness, nor does it ensure compliance with any federal
state or local requirements.
Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective
companies.
Compaq, Contura, Deskpro, Fastart, Compaq Insight Manager, LTE, PageMarq, Systempro, Systempro/LT,
ProLiant, TwinTray, ROMPaq, LicensePaq, QVision, SLT, ProLinea, SmartStart, NetFlex, DirectPlus,
QuickFind, RemotePaq, BackPaq, TechPaq, SpeedPaq, QuickBack, PaqFax, Presario, SilentCool,
CompaqCare (design), Aero, SmartStation, MiniStation, and PaqRap, registered United States Patent and
Trademark Office.
Netelligent, Armada, Cruiser, Concerto, QuickChoice, ProSignia, Systempro/XL, Net1, LTE Elite,
Vocalyst, PageMate, SoftPaq, FirstPaq, SolutionPaq, EasyPoint, EZ Help, MaxLight, MultiLock,
QuickBlank, QuickLock, UltraView, Innovate logo, Wonder Tools logo in black/white and color, and
Compaq PC Card Solution logo are trademarks and/or service marks of Compaq Computer Corporation.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, Windows NT Server and Workstation, Microsoft SQL Server for
Windows NT are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
GroupWise, intraNetWare, ManageWise, NetWare, Novell Storage Services, and Novell are registered
trademarks and BorderManager, ConsoleOne, NDS, Novell Directory Services, and Z.E.N.works are
trademarks of Novell, Inc.
Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
SCO Unix is a trademark of the Santa Clara Operations.
Copyright ©1999 Compaq Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
Synergy: The Compaq and Novell Connection
Integration Note prepared by OS Integration
First Edition (April 1999)
Document Number ECG120/0998
ECG120/0998
Synergy: The Compaq and Novell Connection 3
Overview
From the halls of Brigham Young University (BYU), in Utah, and from a small pie shop in the
midst of the hectic metropolis of Houston, Texas, arose the seeds of the lucrative computer
partnership of Compaq Computer Corporation and Novell, Inc. Unlike most computer companies
who had focused their energies and resources on single-vendor products, Compaq and Novell
embraced the concept of open architecture and industry standards. Combining their technology,
ingenuity, and experience, these two companies rose to the pinnacle of success by pushing
industry technology from segregated mainframes to the world of distributed systems.
Through a partnership of continued trust and integration, these two major computer companies
continue to push the industry-standard technology window even further, by providing the highest
quality, state-of-the-art network products that businesses rely upon to run mission-critical
operations. With robust Compaq servers, installation aids, and proven track record and with
efficient Novell network operating systems, directory services, and expanded storage systems; the
future for the Compaq and Novell Partnership remains promising.
This white paper describes
• background and strategies of Compaq Computer Corporation and Novell, Inc.,
• steps leading to the successful partnering arrangement,
• joint engineering of products and services,
• joint training and support,
• joint marketing efforts,
• major account wins, and
• partnership strategies and future deliveries.
Background History
Birth and Infancy of the Computer Industry
Weighing over 30 tons and crammed with vacuum tubes, the first computers loomed over man
and occupied entire warehouses. Expensive and intricate, these first computers were mainly
operated by the individuals who had developed and built them. With the technology revolution,
these early dinosaurs evolved into smaller, more powerful mainframes, then minicomputers,
workstations, PCs, and, today, network computers.
With each computing landmark, computers had become more complex, but less expensive and
easier to use. Integrated circuits (microchips) replaced earlier vacuum tubes; keyboards, then the
mouse replaced bulky punch cards. Each technology advancement brought computer access
closer to the end user. And with computing power closer, users hungered for more information,
from more places, and they wanted it faster. Businesses were no longer satisfied with dumb
terminals linked to mainframes with access available to only a few users. They demanded more.
Networking was only a matter of time.
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In 1989, two relatively small computer companies, Compaq Computer Corporation and Novell,
Inc., met the network challenge and helped to create the first local area networks (LANs).
Compaq designed and built the industry’s first PC server, and Novell developed the first server-
Synergy: The Compaq and Novell Connection 4
based network operating system. Finally, isolated and remote PCs could connect to each other or
to a LAN where more people could use the same network to receive and send information.
Today, many businesses are building and maintaining heterogeneous, multi-protocol computing
environments that combine intranets, the Internet, and extranets so they can browse enormous
volumes of information in record time and collaborate with people anywhere in the world.
Computer companies now face the daily challenge of providing reliable information, as
inexpensively as possible, right at your fingertips, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Compaq and Novell daily meet this networking challenge head on by continually reinforcing their
dynamic engineering, training, and marketing partnership. Their motto best summarizes the C and
N Partnership focus, direction, and commitment: We Make the Net Work!
In the Beginning with Compaq
Introducing the First Portable PC
In 1982, the first artificial heart was implanted in a human, the space shuttle Columbia made its
first non-test flight, E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial, landed on movie screens everywhere, and in
Houston, Texas, on February 16, Compaq Computer Corporation emerged. Only a few months
earlier, with the help of graphic designer Ted Papajohn, entrepreneurs and former Texas
Instrument managers Rod Canion, Jim Harris, and Bill Murto had sketched the design for the first
portable personal computer on the back of a placemat. Perhaps this birth site of Compaq—a
Houston pie shop—was an auspicious omen for the company that now owns the largest slice of
the world market pie for PCs and servers, according to preliminary 1998 market share data
compiled by International Data Corp (IDC).
In the early development phase of the personal computer, the concept of different machines
running on the same, or compatible, software did not exist. Actually, no one knew the true
definition of compatibility. But the early founders and employees of Compaq did know one thing:
their customers wanted to run the same software on Compaq portables that they ran on their IBM
PC. So with the addition of more talented folks like Gary Stimac, retired Sr. VP and Gen. Mgr.,
Systems Division; and Steve Flannigan, now VP, Corporate Strategic Relations, Enterprise
Computing Group (ECG), Compaq created the first truly compatible machine—something that
had never been done to this level and quality.
Flannigan comments, “Much of the early success of Compaq came from hiring the right people,
conducting the right research, making good decisions, and working hard to make the best
product—and those are practices that Compaq has continued to this day.”
If you think back to 1953, only about 100 computers existed in the entire world. In contrast, in its
first full year of sales (1983), Compaq shipped 53,000 units of its sole product—the Compaq
Portable PC—for revenues of $111 million, a U.S. business record! Compaq was on the right
track. Interestingly, that first portable was lovingly called The Luggable, weighing almost 28 lbs.
That’s almost 60,000 lbs. lighter than the first computers, yet seven to eight times the weight of
today’s slim-lined notepads that fit in the palm of your hand. Through the years, Compaq would
continue to focus on customer needs and industry-standards. Its portables would decrease in
weight, while its product line and corresponding revenues would soar to unheard of heights.
With its industry-standard personal computers—including the first portable PC—Compaq defined
the paradigm of the 1980s and 1990s. In what may well be record time, Compaq transformed
itself to become a truly global company. The company accelerated from startup to global
recognition in fewer than 10 years, a feat most of the world’s largest firms have needed decades
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Synergy: The Compaq and Novell Connection 5
to achieve. And after only 12 years of operation, Compaq became the largest supplier of PCs in
the world—a position the company still holds today.
Introducing the First Network Server
One of the early Compaq goals was to introduce an industry-standard, PC-based server capable of
application solutions. The Compaq standards-based strategy encouraged the partnering with other
industry leaders to provide innovative technologies, such as multiprocessing, disk arrays,
software management and integration tools, and eventually created the market for multiuser
systems.
During the same period, Novell folks were looking closely at Compaq. If they could integrate
their own ingenuity and expertise with those same attributes in Compaq engineers, Novell could
give customers what they needed: industry-standard network computing power. Compaq
managers were thinking the same. So, the two companies formed a dynamic, synergistic
partnership that ignited the spark of the network computing revolution, moving away from
proprietary minicomputers and mainframes toward network-centric, or distributed processing.
In 1989, after several years of joint engineering, development, and testing with Novell, Inc.,
Compaq achieved its goal and produced the Systempro 386, the first PC-based network server
and the preferred platform for the newly developed Novell NetWare 386, the first server-based
network operating system. The Compaq model for server success continues to exemplify the
company’s initial strategy of a) linking with strong partners, b), designing for industry standards,
c) developing open-architecture systems, d) producing quality, state-of-the-art products, and e)
selling through an indirect channel of distribution.
This philosophy has helped Compaq quickly climb through the ranks of not only the worldwide
PC industry, but also the entire computer industry. In 1995, Compaq had surpassed Hitachi and
the Digital Equipment Corporation to become the world’s 5th largest company in computer sales.
By 1996, Compaq worldwide sales had reached $18 B across a comprehensive product line
spanning from notebooks to servers to networking equipment. This accomplishment placed
Compaq among the world’s top 200 corporations, thus inducting it into the Global Fortune 200
Hall of Fame.
Also in 1996, after only seven years of server sales, Compaq produced its one-millionth server—a
ProLiant 5000—at the Compaq Center Manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas. Compaq is the
first company to achieve this milestone, according to IDC research data, far surpassing volumes
of x86-based servers shipped by IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Digital combined.
The ProLiant 5000 itself is impressive. In less than a decade, the Compaq server had taken a
quantum leap in power and capacity from the 1989 Systempro 386. Table 1 illustrates that the
online storage, alone, increased from 4.28 GB to 361 GB.
Table 1. Comparison of 1989 Systempro to 1996 5000 ProLiant
Parameter Systempro 386 ProLiant 5000 Increase
Online Storage 4.28 GB 361 GB 80 times
Memory Capacity 256 MB 4 GB 16 times
Core Processor Speed 33 MHz 200 MHz 6 times
Storage, memory capacity and processor speeds were not the only technology advancements
during those seven years. Other engineering breakthroughs incorporated in the ProLiant 5000 that
were not even available for x86-based servers include failover technology, hot-pluggable drives,
ECC memory, redundant NICs, redundant power supplies, four-way symmetric multiprocessing,
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Synergy: The Compaq and Novell Connection 6
rack-mount configurations, database integration, Insight Manager and SmartStart. For more
detailed information, visit our website at http://www.compaq.com/newsroom.
Compaq continues to engineer value into its enterprise product lines. The ProLiant 6000 and 7000
servers take full advantage of the performance gains possible—in systems with up to four Intel
Pentium II Xeon processors—and clearly demonstrate why Compaq is the world’s leading
standards-based server vendor. Ideal for business-critical databases and enterprise-wide database
applications, the new ProLiant 6000 and 7000 feature
• a high-performance, cable-free, three-channel intelligent array controller,
• an enhanced PCI Hot Plug implementation, and
• a faster PCI-systems architecture, standards-based technology enhancements.
The servers’ three PCI buses and 64-bit PCI slots complement the three-channel array controller
and can double the bandwidth to storage, network, and peripheral devices; reducing system
bottlenecks.
And in 1999, Compaq rolled out its latest powerful server, the ProLiant 7000 Pentium III Xeon.
Now take a look at how much processing power, capacity, and internal storage have increased
since the Systempro 386.
Table 2. Comparison of 1989 Systempro to 1999 ProLiant 7000 Pentium III Xeon
Parameter Systempro 386 ProLiant 7000
Online Storage 4.28 GB 11.2 TB 260 times
Memory Capacity 256 MB 8 GB 32 times
Core Processor Speed 33 MHz 500 MHz 15 times
1
1
Increase
To achieve the phenomenal increase in online storage, Compaq has upgraded Fibre Channel Host
Controllers, Hubs, and Array Storage Subsystems. Other new technologies designed into the
ProLiant 7000 Pentium III Xeon include support for the newly designed 18 x 1” hot-plug disk
drives, and a planned upgrade path to 8-way symmetric processor technology.
In addition, for customers who require a high-availability Internet server, Compaq also offers its
Standby and OnLine Recovery Server options, which give customers high availability at very
aggressive prices. These options allow one Compaq server to act as a backup to another Compaq
server. For a complete listing of Compaq products and solutions, visit our website,
http://www.compaq.com.
While you’re at the website, check out the latest 1998 Compaq achievement: the shipment of its
two (2) millionth server! That’s right! In November of 1996, Compaq had shipped its onemillionth server. An awesome feat at the time. But on September 14, 1998, Compaq doubled its
own record and shipped its two-millionth server. And it only took two years. This milestone
represents unmatched experience in designing, integrating, testing, and shipping servers. In fact,
Compaq has shipped 400% more servers than HP, 500% more servers than IBM, and 800% more
servers than Dell. Compaq plans are to ship another million within 12 months.
With all of its superior products, Compaq also provides in-depth technical support. That’s why it
has more than 700 NetWare engineers deployed around the world to guide customer
implementations.
“From the beginning, Compaq has earned a reputation for innovative technology, superior
quality, and unsurpassed value to customers,” states Eckhard Pfeiffer, Compaq president and
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