IBM Announces TCP/IP V4.1 for OS/2 Warp Server

October 8, 1997

Enhancements Provide Security and IP Network Management Ease

ATLANTA, October 8, 1997... IBM today announced TCP/IP Version 4.1 for the OS/2 Warp Server family of products simplifying network administration, improving security, and extending this capability to Windows clients.

IBM is continuing to deliver OS/2 Warp Server capability to the Windows** 95 and NT client by extending its Dynamic IP client functionality to Windows clients with TCP/IP V4.1. In addition, customers may experience a performance increase in their web-serving capabilities. A 21% increase in connections-per-second over TCP/IP V4.0 resulted from internal testing using TCP/IP V4.1 with Notes Domino Server 4.6 on a WebStone 2.0 benchmark***.

With enhanced remote access, integrated JavaÖ capabilities, and now extended TCP/IP support for Windows clients with increased performance, IBM is further establishing the OS/2 Warp Server family of products as a cost-effective server operating system for e-business solutions.
"We are building on the reliability of the OS/2 Warp platform with TCP/IP V4.1 by reinforcing IBM's pledge to offer a cost-effective, feature-complete operating system for a network computing environment," said Steven King, product manager for OS/2 Warp Server, IBM Personal Software Products division. "These enhancements further strengthen OS/2 Warp Server as one of the best options for customers working in a multiple platform environment."

Network Administrators Benefit from Dynamic IP Enhancements

TCP/IP V4.1 incorporates the Dynamic IP feature which includes Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Dynamic Domain Name System (Dynamic DNS) technologies. Typically, network administrators must assign network IP addresses and maintain host names at each individual computer and constantly track changes every time a computer is either added, removed or relocated on the network. Dynamic IP workstations automatically configure themselves for network access and securely update their host name information. As a result, less user or administrator intervention is required to configure computers for network access.

With the growth of network computing and the demand for Internet access and intranet development growing day-to-day, network administrators are being faced with more challenges to build and maintain their TCP/IP infrastructure. IBM helps simplify the IP administrator's job and improve the end-user's work environment with several significant enhancements to the Dynamic IP server and client, including:

- Dynamic DNS Proxy - Extends the benefits of a DDNS client not only to OS/2 Warp 4 clients, but also to any industry standard DHCP client including Windows 95, Windows 3.11, and Windows NT. End-users running non-DDNS clients can now take advantage of the full capabilities of DDNS through OS/2 Warp Server.

- Incremental Zone Transfer & Checkpointing - Provides the ability to rapidly replicate secondary DDNS servers as changes are made, without requiring the total server to be replicated. In addition, checkpointing reduces the recovery time in the event of a system failure.

- Reusing lease information - If a DHCP server is unavailable and an IP address lease has expired, the client will automatically reuse the old IP address, preventing any loss of productivity for the end-user.

- IP addresses reservation - Ensures IP addresses are available for critical users. Administrators have the ability to reserve IP addresses for specific end-users such as administrators or executives helping to ensure access for critical personnel.

- Duplicate IP address detection - Eliminates IP duplication and reduces system down time due to configuration errors.

OS/2 Warp Server Delivering An Open TCP/IP Solution

In addition to functional improvements to its Dynamic IP for OS/2 Warp Server, IBM has made significant enhancements to its TCP/IP solution allowing OS/2 Warp Server customers to benefit from remote communication, security and IP server management. These enhancements include:

- Enhanced TCP/IP Stack -- Configurable stack parameters: Allows system administrators to tune the TCP/IP stack without requiring a reboot. IBM currently is the only vendor to offer this feature.

- Remote Configuration - TCP/IP configuration and Dynamic IP server configuration can be remotely managed through a Java-capable browser or desktop. This includes being able to define users, passwords and resources in a secure manner from an administrator's desktop in a remote location.

- Virtual Private Networks - Provides a secure communications channel from a remote computer through public ISPs (Internet Service Providers), across the Internet to an intranet protected by a firewall. As a result, customers can use a local ISP instead of costly switched/leased phone lines and modems to securely connect to their intranet from a remote location, such as a branch office.

Availability

IBM's TCP/IP V4.1 for OS/2 Warp is available to OS/2 Warp 4, OS/2 Warp Server, OS/2 Warp Server Advanced and OS/2 Warp Server SMP via Software Choice, IBM's Internet software distribution Web site. OS/2 Warp and OS/2 Warp Server customers who have purchased a Software Choice subscription or are under an upgrade protection option for OS/2 Warp and OS/2 Warp Server are now eligible to download TCP/IP V4.1 for OS/2 Warp at no additional cost. Customers may contact their IBM representative or IBM Business Partner for more information or visit the Software Choice web site.

About OS/2 Warp Server

OS/2 Warp Server is IBM's business server solution for customers ranging from small businesses to large enterprises. It is one of the most feature-complete server operating system solution in the market, offering a foundation for application serving and file and print sharing, plus a wealth of integrated features including systems management, backup and recovery, remote access, enhanced TCP/IP support, advanced print function, LAN Internet access and a downloadable Web server at no additional charge.

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* IBM and OS/2 Warp are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation
** Win 95 and Win NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
*** For more information on performance figures, go to http://www.ibm.com/software/os/warp/performance/pspperf.htm