BARR CHANNEL-ATTACHES SNA GATEWAYS

(Gainesville, FL - June 28, 1994)  Barr Systems has announced high-speed, 
low-cost mainframe links for the most powerful SNA gateways. The new
BARR/CHANNEL for NetWare for SAA product adds an upstream S/370 channel
interface to Novell NetWare for SAA gateways, while BARR/CHANNEL for SNA
Server does the same for Microsoft's SNA gateways. Each consists of an
PC-based  channel adapter, a unique channel attachment unit, and drivers
for the target  gateway. Both will be available in Summer 1994. 

The S/370 channel is the IBM-standard parallel interface used by most
mainframe peripherals and Front-End Processors (FEPs). The Barr offering
is the first  product to allow the Microsoft SNA server to attach to
mainframes via the S/370  channel. The product for NetWare for SAA offers
more flexibility for channel- attaching Novell's SNA gateways.
BARR/CHANNEL changes the economics of directly  attaching SNA gateways to
the mainframe, and will encourage many data centers  to re-evaluate their
use of Front-End Processors.  

The BARR/CHANNEL products also successfully address the leading concern of 
mainframe managers - their fear of connecting a PC to the S/370 channel.
The  products incorporate a fail-safe channel attachment unit that can be
inserted  anywhere along the channel whenever the mainframe is taken down
for other  maintenance. The PC containing the SNA gateway can then be
added or dropped from the channel with an "enable/disable" switch while
the mainframe and peripheral  devices continue uninterrupted. 

Even if the PC is powered off, rebooted, or reconfigured, there is no
effect on the mainframe or other peripheral devices. The channel
attachment unit provides  BUS and TAG in and out, while another cable
connects the box to an adapter  inside the gateway PC. If the channel
attachment unit loses power, signals are  passed through without affecting
other channel-attached devices. 

Tony Barr, President of Barr Systems, said, "By making it easy and
affordable,  we are encouraging a new era of low-cost, high-speed
mainframe access. People  want to extend the reach of mainframes without
expanding their Front-End  Processors." The new products offer every
NetWare for SAA and SNA Server gateway this improved level of performance
in a relatively inexpensive, yet highly  flexible package. In some cases,
users may even be able to eliminate FEPs by  completely replacing their
functions.

BARR/CHANNEL for SNA Server and BARR/CHANNEL for NetWare for SAA have a
list price of $7,290. Each includes an ISA-bus adapter for the PC, the
channel  attachment unit, cables, and software drivers.

Barr Systems, Inc
4131 NW 28 Lane
Gainesville, FL  32606-6681
800-BARR-SYS or 904-371-3050

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