---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash Third Party Product/Service Announcements SunFLASH Vol 29 #08 May 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- As usual, inclusion of an article here does not imply an endorsement by Sun Microsystems. -johnj ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Artecon Expands Optical Family Removable 5.25" IPI Disk Drive Subsystem For Sun Workstations Artecon Announces More Solutions For Removable Subsystems Cadkey is Shipping on Sun SPARCstations RDBMS & End User Tools, $695 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Artecon Expands Optical Family From: artecon!mitch@hp-sdd.sdd.hp.com (Mitch D. Becker) Carlsbad, CA., April 26, 1991.....ARTECON, INC., a leading vendor of workstation solutions, peripherals and enhancements for Sun Microsystems workstations, has increased their optical product family with a number of erasable optical solutions. Artecon has added the 5 1/4 inch erasable optical jukebox (EOJ) to the optical family. Artecon's desktop EOJ holds up to 10 double-sided erasable optical disk cartridges (for up to 10 Gbytes). The EOJ has a MTBF rate of 250,000 disk load cycles and swap time of 6 sec/cartridge. The jukebox supports 512 and 1024 bytes/sector allowing more flexibility in useable space. Data reliability is increased with the eject protect feature. This feature only allows an unmounted disk to be ejected. Artecon has also added a 1GB erasable optical subsystem which has an average seek time of 35 milliseconds and a data transfer rate of 1MB/sec. It is compatible with the complete line of Sun workstations, including older Sun 3s, Sun 4s and the SPARCsystem family. This subsystem extends Artecon's erasable optical product family, with a higher performance and capacity drive. The 1GB optical subsystem is available in several different configurations, including single or dual-device desktop enclosures and in Artecon's removable drive subsystem. Artecon's optical subsystems are bundled with an auto-installing device driver that has a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The GUI software makes formatting, labeling, surface testing and setting/reading volume as easy as "clicking" on an ICON. Artecon's erasable optical drives use a SCSI interface that allows users to connect directly to the SCSI port on a Sun workstation. No additional interface boards are required. The erasable optical drive subsystems list prices vary depending on your configuration. Artecon is a Sun Federal Systems Integrator and has been a leading vendor of workstation enhancements in the Sun market for over six years. Their product line includes: internal and external disk and tape subsystems, erasable optical drives, removable subsystems, serial port expansion products, workstation extenders and other add-ons. For more information contact: Artecon, 2460 Impala Drive, Box 9000, Dept. 5500, Carlsbad, CA 92018-7236, 800-USA-ARTE. Dana Kammersgard V.P. Sales & Marketing Artecon 619-931-5500 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Removable 5.25" IPI Disk Drive Subsystem For Sun Workstations From: artecon!mitch@hp-sdd.sdd.hp.com (Mitch D. Becker) Carlsbad, CA., April 26, 1991.....ARTECON, INC., a leading Sun systems integrator and manufacturer of workstation solutions, peripherals and enhancements for Sun Microsystems Workstations, has introduced the first removable 5.25" IPI drive: a 1.2GByte Intelligent Peripheral Interface (IPI) disk drive for faster data storage and retrieval that is compatible with Sun Workstations. The new 5.25", full-height drive, which has an average transfer rate of 24.2 MHz (3.0 MB/sec) and an average seek time of 12 milliseconds, extends the line of removable disk and tape devices available from Artecon. The new drive subsystem is available in Artecon's popular DataVault subsystem. The drive is mounted in a ruggedized removable canister and may be slid from its enclosure. This means that 4.8 Gbytes (four IPI drives) of on-line, removable storage is available in a single rackmount DataVault - an ideal application for VME servers. The IPI drive uses Sun's IPI Controller and is fully compatible with Sun's IPI drives. "This is ideal for applications where the performance of IPI is required, yet removability is also necessary," said Artecon's vice president of sales and marketing, Dana Kammersgard. "This includes environments where high availability and serviceability is required, as well as secure data applications. We can put over 4 GBytes in a single rack enclosure and daisy chain enclosures within the rack. We have built systems with over 32 GBytes of removable disk. Plus, you can mix and match any combination of SCSI and IPI devices (i.e. two (2) 1GB drives, one (1) 8mm tape drive and a QIC 150)." Other removable subsystems available from Artecon include the Lunch Box, 2-slot and 4-slot storage units. Artecon's removable subsystems are shipped with user friendly documentation for quick & easy installation, required internal/external cabling, 1 year warranty, and telephone support. The removable 5.25" disk drive subsystem's cost varies upon configuration. For more information contact: Artecon, 2460 Impala Drive, Box 9000, Dept. 5500, Carlsbad, CA 92018-7236, 800-USA-ARTE. Dana Kammersgard V.P. Sales & Marketing Artecon 619-931-5500 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Artecon Announces More Solutions For Removable Subsystems From: artecon!mitch@hp-sdd.sdd.hp.com (Mitch D. Becker) April 26, 1991, Carlsbad, CA..........Artecon, Inc., a Sun Federal systems integrator and manufacturer of workstation enhancement products and peripherals, has announced two new solutions for removable applications: The "Active BackplaneTM" and "DynaConTM". Artecon's "Active BackplaneTM", a major component of Artecon's Removable Subsystems, is a custom PCB that allows users to have on-line disk/tape removability without effecting other devices on the SCSI bus. Users have often found difficulty in removing one or more devices from a computer system while the system is in use. Specifically, when a disk or tape is removed from an active computer system, the SCSI chain is broken. The resulting glitches can lead to disk errors which often can be eliminated only by reformatting the disk and thereby losing invaluable data. According to Dana Kammersgard, vice president of sales & marketing, "Artecon's Active Backplane eliminates SCSI error problems by electronically interacting with the bus whenever a disk or tape is removed from the unit. The Active Backplane compensates for removed devices by keeping the SCSI bus together as if no device were taken away. In short, the Active Backplane permits disk and tape removal without the electronics of the computer and bus ever knowing that a device was removed. No SCSI errors occur, and the potential need for disk reformatting is eliminated. It's like changing a tire while the car is still moving." The Active Backplane now comes with Artecon's new DynaConTM software. DynaCon is a GUI software driver utility which dynamically reconfigures a running kernel. The software determines which devices are connected and configures itself accordingly. When somebody removes or installs a disk or tape drive the software will sense the change and adapt itself to the new configuration. The status and location of tapes/drives will be displayed on the screen using icons. Both the Active Backplane hardware and the DynaCon software are bundled with Artecon's complete line of removable products from the 207 MB Removable Lunch Box to the 4-slot Removable Storage Unit. For more information on our solutions to removable applications contact: Artecon, Inc., 2460 Impala Drive, Box 9000, Dept. 5500, Carlsbad, CA, 92018-7236, 800-USA-ARTE. Dana Kammersgard V.P. Sales & Marketing Artecon 619-931-5500 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Cadkey is Shipping on Sun SPARCstations CADKEY FOR SUN SHIPS BRINGS WIDELY-USED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PACKAGE TO POPULAR UNIX WORKSTATIONS WASHINGTON, D.C. (May8) - CADKEY, INC. today began shipping its CADKEY 4 software for mechanical engineers using Sun Microsystems UNIX workstations. CADKEY and Sun had previously announced a joint development agreement at the mechanical engineering industry's Autofact trade show in November 1990. The version of CADKEY 4 shipping today retains the traditional CADKEY user interface. A version of CADKEY featuring the OPEN LOOK graphical user interface that ships with all workstations is also planned. CADKEY software automates the design, engineering, and manufacturing processes with a complete set of easy-to-use drafting and analysis tools. Sun workstations are the market-leading, genral-purpose UNIX computers among engineers and technical professionals. At Autofact, CADKEY announced its broad support for UNIX by committing to the X Window system for transparent file access across mixed networks of DOS and UNIX workstations. In marking the occasion, Livingston Davies, president of CADKEY, INC., said, "Our goal at CADKEY is to provide the best engineering software for technical professionals. Clearly, more and more engineers are migrating to UNIX workstations such as Sun's. With the power of Sun workstations and their phenomenal success in the engineering marketplace, our design tools will find their way onto many more engineers'desks than ever before." CADKEY STRENGTHS MOVE TO SUN All of the refinements and advanced functions in the general release of CADKEY 4 are present in the Sun version of the software. CADKEY provides a complete set of 3-D CAD tools for engineers and other technical professionals involved in design, engineering, and manufacturing. In addition to its traditional strenghts in 3-D mechanical engineering functions, CADKEY also includes: * superior 3-D transformations of objects to speed the creation complex models; * flexible control of geometry; * enhanced drafting and plotting; * C-like programming tools for third-party developers; and * an on-line tutorial system for new users. Other capabilities such as file locking, cross-platform support, and smooth data file exchange across a network are designed to take advantage of the company's broad support of UNIX and the X Window standard. UNIX versions of CADKEY products are compatible and work smoothly with existing CADKEY products such as SOLIDS, SURFACES, RENDERS, and the Advanced IGES Translator. UPGRADE PRICING CADKEY announced pricing for the Sun version of CADKEY that is consistant with the pricing of its other UNIX products. New Purchases will cost $3,995. The software is available immediately from CADKEY registered dealers. CADKEY, INC. develops, manufactures, markets, and supports DOS and UNIX-based productivity-enhancing software products in the manufacturing, A/E/C, and educational markets worldwide. Its flagship product, CADKEY 4, is one of the most widely-used mechanical engineering programs in the world, with more than 75,000 systems in use globally. International versions are available in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, and more. All CADKEY Learning Systems, CADKEY Training Centers and CADKEY's Technical Support Department. CADKEY CONTACTS: Scott Wilkman (National Sales Manager) 440 Oakland Street Manchester, Connecticut Tel: 203-747-0220 Steve Kavovit (Major Accounts Manager) 440 Oakland Street Manchester, Connecticut Tel: 203-747-0220 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: RDBMS & End User Tools, $695, 1-800-JOB-4-CDB From: whm@sunquest.UU.NET (Bill Mitchell) Newsgroups: comp.newprod Organization: Sunquest Information Systems, Tucson C Database Management System Toolkit The C Database Management System Toolkit (Cdb Toolkit) is a high performance relational database system that is both easy to use and powerful. The Cdb Toolkit consists of a large set of end user programs designed to create, manipulate, organize, and format relational databases and database systems under the UNIX environment. The Cdb tools are used to produce and maintain information tracking applications and systems of data based on relational databases while still maintaining the flexibility of UNIX software tools. Using a UNIX tools approach creates an easily learned, dynamic, and highly productive database management platform. Cdb Tools System Features ----------------------------------- ---------------------------------- o Menu Generator o Variable Length Records o Various Report Generators o Fully Integrated (linked fields) o Mailing Label Generator o Field Editing With Any Editor o Database Editors o Computed (Formula) Fields o Download/Upload Tools o Online Help o Awk Interface to Databases o Multi-User o Tools to connect to awk/tbl/troff o Audit Trail or other UNIX Utilities o Query by Example or with SQL o Database Administration Tools o Multi-Level Security o Screen Manager o OpenLook Accelerators o SQL DML Interface o Written in C o Index Generator o Runs on any UNIX/Xenix OS o Open Look Interface Database Capacity -------------------------------- o Unlimited Key Fields o Unlimited Characters Per Field o Unlimited Fields Per Record o Unlimited Records Per Database o Dynamic Record Creation o Binary Types Supported The complete C Database Management System Toolkit is only $695. Demonstration tapes are available. For further information on Cdb please contact: Jaybe Software (800) 562-4232 ...arizona!jaybe!cdb 2509 N. Campbell, #259 (800) JOB-4CDB jaybe!cdb@cs.arizona.edu Tucson, AZ 85719 (602) 327-2299 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu and paris.cs.miami.edu. All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.