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Sequent Computer Systems Chooses FacetWin® for Internal Operations

April 29, 1998
Sequent Computer Systems Inc. has chosen FacetCorp's FacetWin as the Windows-to-UNIX connectivity software solution for their internal networks of NUMA-Q™ 2000 and Symmetry servers running DYNIX/ptx® 4.4 UNIX. FacetWin includes an all-in-one feature set that allows users of Windows®95 and Windows NT® clients to transparently access and use the Sequent DYNIX/ptx® based network resources (such as files, disks, applications, and printers). FacetWin features include file and print services, terminal emulation, and the ability to automatically back-up networked PCs to a UNIX tape drive. Other features include networked modem access for PC users, an email POP3 server, and remote computing support which provides complete network functionality to users connected via modem.

Sequent Computer Systems has licensed FacetWin for over 1,100 users on 13 DYNIX/ptx servers in a distributed systems environment at their headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. "The combination of Sequent NUMA-Q architecture with FacetWin technology provides easy access to the corporate data our employees need to run the business," said Robert D. Witt, CIO at Sequent Computer Systems. Witt continued, "FacetWin now allows the networked clients in our complex computing infrastructure to share accounting, database and other server-based corporate information, with uncompromising security."

Sequent Computer Systems selected FacetWin not only for its ease of use, implementation and administration, but also because of FacetCorp's technical support. "FacetCorp's technical support is what convinced us they were our best choice for Windows-to UNIX connectivity. They are an extremely competent group of support engineers," remarks Chris LaFournaise, IS Operations Manager with Sequent Computer Systems. "We have used several competing products in the past, all of which were difficult to install and configure properly," continued LaFournaise. "Naturally, we were very happy when FacetWin was installed and ready to go in just a couple of hours." Sequent Computer Systems has been beta-testing the graphical administrative tool available in Version 2 of FacetWin. "We wanted to avoid having to install NFS on a thousand desktop devices," explained Tim Allen, System Administrator at Sequent, "FacetWin is even easier now because it allows me to completely manage the FacetWin environment through a single graphical tool."

"We are thrilled to have been selected by such a high technology leader as Sequent Computer Systems for their in-house use, particularly after evaluating numerous other products," says Paul Vance, Vice President and General Manager with FacetCorp, "Their decision helps confirm our engineering investment toward this industry trend -- that tight integration of Windows and UNIX is critically important in corporate enterprise networks."

FacetWin differs from existing connectivity alternatives in several ways. First, FacetCorp based the file and print services in FacetWin upon the Common Internet File System (CIFS) formerly known as SMB. This is the primary system that Microsoft Windows uses for networking PCs. Many other connectivity products use the UNIX-oriented Network File System (NFS) method of loading NFS software on the PC to enable it as a UNIX NFS client. Instead, FacetWin provides a UNIX CIFS server (that requires no additional software to be loaded on the PC) to get completely transparent file and print services. CIFS was chosen for FacetWin because it is very easy to install and administer (since FacetWin administration can take place from the UNIX server), and because of its good performance. The FacetWin terminal emulator was designed as a native 32-bit application for Windows 95 or NT 4.0. In creating the terminal emulator, FacetCorp was able to leverage the terminal emulation technology built into FacetTerm® (the company's award winning multi-session product).

FacetWin is priced at $195 with discounts for multi-user licenses. FacetCorp offers free 30-day evaluation copies of the product from their World Wide Web site (www.facetcorp.com) and through their established channel of worldwide distributors.

FacetWin FEATURE SUMMARY

File Services: FacetWin enables users to view, access and save files, as well as launch Windows applications located on a UNIX server, without the hassle of copying files back and forth. UNIX resources simply appear as available resources to the PC and are ready to use!

Print Services: FacetWin allows Windows users to access any UNIX printer directly from their Windows application. The product also lets UNIX users print to the PC printers.

Terminal Emulation: FacetWin includes support for the most widely used terminal emulation families including Digital's VT series, SCO/ANSI color console, Wyse, and IBM. Terminal emulation allows PC users to work with UNIX-based applications by emulating a UNIX work environment. The terminal emulation in FacetWin also includes the unique Window Watch™ and QuickLaunch™ features.

PC Backup: FacetWin allows system administrators to schedule and perform routine backups of networked PCs to a UNIX tape drive.

Email Server: FacetWin includes a POP3 server which allows email to be moved between UNIX and Windows mail systems. This means users can use any POP3 compliant mail client they prefer.

Remote Computing Support: All features included in FacetWin may also be utilized from a PC connected over a dial-in modem. This makes it possible for a user working at home or on the road to access and/or print files located anywhere on the network.

Modem Server: FacetWin Windows terminal emulation access a pool of modems connected to a UNIX host from anywhere on the network. The server effectively provides terminal emulation modem access to users without requiring them to be physically wired to a modem and phone line.


About FacetCorp:
Originally founded in 1979, FacetCorp is a privately held company. Located in Plano, Texas, USA, FacetCorp develops software productivity applications that enable users of personal computers and low cost character terminals to take full advantage of powerful UNIX-based host/server systems.

FacetCorp has enjoyed strong growth and has been included in The Fast Tech 50 since 1995. The Fast Tech 50, sponsored by The Dallas Business Journal & Arthur Andersen, is a ranking list of the 50 fastest-growing high-tech companies in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. FacetCorp can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.facetcorp.com.

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FacetWin® and FacetTerm® are registered trademarks of FacetCorp. QuickLaunch and Window Watch are trademarks of FacetCorp. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.


About Sequent Computer Systems:
Sequent Computer Systems (NASDAQ: SQNT), the leader in Intel-based systems for the Data Center, is committed to the success of its end-user and system integrator customers. Sequent's platform architectures and services are optimized for the scalability, availability and manageability requirements of corporate and institutional data center environments leveraging industry standard technologies and best-in-class partnerships.

Sequent was the world's fastest growing server vendor between $100K and $1M in 1997 on the strength of NUMA-Q 2000 and has been the number one vendor of high-end Unix servers in the UK for the past seven years according to IDC. Sequent supports more than 10,000 installations worldwide, including many of the world's largest and most sophisticated OLTP, DSS, business communications, and RDBMS applications. Sequent Computer Systems can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sequent.com.

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Sequent and DYNIX/ptx are registered trademarks of Sequent Computer Systems. All other trade names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


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