UNISYS ENHANCES VISINET PC NETWORK AND SYSTEM MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Ships New SNMP-compatible Single-point Network Monitoring, Resource
Management System Simplifies Enterprise Network Management

SAN JOSE, CALIF. SEPTEMBER 19, 1995 - Unisys Corporation today announced
Single Point VisiNet version 2.6, an enhanced version of the
industry-leading VisiNet PC network management system that now
incorporates support for SNMP Superagents. Single Point VisiNet is
available bundled with all Unisys PC servers, as a standalone product, and
as part of the Unisys Single Point Management suite of systems management
products.

The introduction of VisiNet 2.6 enhances Single Point Management,
facilitating the monitoring of multiple, heterogeneous LANs and servers
into a unified enterprise management environment. Targeted at widely
distributed networks, Single Point Management provides enterprise-level
capabilities in areas critical to managing distributed environments
effectively, including a focus on server and desktop management.

Earlier this year, Unisys acquired VisiNet from Roswell, GA-based VisiSoft,
Inc., creator of VisiNet. Under the terms of the agreement, Unisys now has
exclusive ownership of the VisiNet network management software suite and
all major reseller agreements, including the United States Government
Services Adminstration's (GSA) Unified Local-Area Network Architecture
(ULANA) II contract awarded last year to Electronic Data Systems. The
ULANA II project, aimed at providing all federal government agencies with
a uniform network management architecture, names EDS the sole supplier of
a broad range of system and network management tools. Among these, VisiNet
is featured as the product of choice for PC LAN environments.

In addition to tools for managing servers, desktop systems, peripheral
devices, other networked resources and a versatile scripting language for
customization, Single Point VisiNet now includes an SNMP SuperAgent. With
the SNMP SuperAgent, subnetwork information is collected, stored, and made
available on demand to the VisiNet management console or any SNMP-based
enterprise network management console, such as Unisys CNMS/Internet
Manager, HP OpenView, IBM NetView/6000, and Sun Microsystems SunNet
Manager. Building upon VisiNet's widely acknowledged power and ease of
use, the new SNMP Superagent simplifies management of large PC LANs and
facilitates their integration with SNMP-based enterprise managers.

"Client/server is now a pervasive architecture for enterprise computing in
large commercial and government organizations," said Rosemary Finn, vice
president and general manager Unisys Management Systems Division. "With
hundreds, even thousands of systems installed on global networks,
distributed system and network management is essential to maximize the
efficiency and operational integrity of vast computing resources. Single
Point VisiNet is unique in its ability to monitor a wide variety of
servers, desktops and devices across all popular network topologies."
added Finn.

MARKETS AND COMPETITION

In the PC LAN environment, competing network management products typically
emphasize either desktop system resource or device management, forcing
network administrators to use a combination of tools for comprehensive
server, desktop system, network resource, device and network traffic
management. In addition, these products are typically confined to the
management of PC and PC-based devices across restricted network
topologies, providing limited integration with more extensive enterprise
system management tools.

In contrast, enterprise system management tools typically rely on SNMP
agents to gather status information from the devices attached to a
network. Unfortunately, the original design of SNMP did not foresee the
mass proliferation of network-based devices  systems, subnetworks,
printers, servers, and even uninterruptable power supplies (UPSs)  and the
consequent burden to a single management console. In fact, most SNMP
implementations require that each and every device be polled, making
enterprise scale management time consuming and cumbersome when hundreds or
thousands of devices reside on a series of integrated networks.

Single Point VisiNet provides a comprehensive and convenient solution to
both the deficiencies of competing PC LAN management systems and
SNMP-dependent enterprise management tools. The VisiNet SNMP SuperAgent
can be installed at the subnetwork level, monitoring all PC LAN-based
devices and providing essential status information on resources under
VisiNet control to the enterprise console. VisiNet also includes a wide
range of system, software and device monitoring and management tools plus
a powerful scripting language which allows customization of existing tools
and creation of specialized tools required for a unique environment. 
Single Point VisiNet also automatically scans, discovers and inventories
objects, including print and file servers, workstations, connections,
users, user groups and print queries on enterprise networks and
subnetworks. In addition, Single Point VisiNet supports Microsoft Windows
DDE to allow exchange of real-time data and queries between VisiNet and
managed applications, and provides an ODBC driver to allow data from
Single Point VisiNet to be retrieved and displayed by any ODBC-compliant
application.

All these features are available through an easy-to-use, Microsoft
Windows-based user interface environment which provides graphical
representations of subnetworks and multiple integrated networks, enabling
system and network administrators to easily monitor large installations
with simple, visual overviews. Single Point VisiNet manages devices and
resources, including Novell NetWare 2.x, 3.x and 4.x; Microsoft LAN
Server; Microsoft NT Server and Workstation; IBM LAN Server; Banyan Vines
through TCP/IP; and TCP/IP through SNMP.

CONFIGURATION, PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

Unisys Single Point VisiNet 2.6 will be available in Q4 1995 and requires
at least a 33 MHz Intel486-based personal computer with 12 MB of RAM; 10
MB of available hard disk space for the Management Console and
approximately 1 MB of disk space per installed module; compatible VGA
monitor, mouse, network interface board and keyboard; and Microsoft
Windows 3.1, Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Microsoft Windows NT
3.1 (or later), or IBM OS/2 2.1 operating system software. To use the SNMP
SuperAgent requires any Winsock 1.1 compliant TCP/IP stack. SuperTCP/IP
4.OR2 (or later) is included with Single Point VisiNet 2.6.

The introductory stand alone price of Unisys Single Point VisiNet 2.6
ranges from $795 ($U.S.) for a single server license, to $1,995 ($U.S.)
for an eight-server multi-NOS license. A single-server, multi-NOS version
is also available with all Unisys PW2 Advantage Series servers, including
all models of the SVE, SME, SSE and symmetric multiprocessing SFE and SFE
Rack-mount families. For more information and the location of the nearest
Unisys sales office, call 1-(800) 874-8647 ext. 579 from 8:30 a.m. P.S.T.
to 5:30 p.m. P.S.T., Monday through Friday.

UNISYS -- THE INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY

As an information management company, Unisys acts as a solution and systems
integrator for business and government, complementing those integration
skills with a full range of consulting and implementation services,
information technology and vertical industry expertise. The company's
perspective extends beyond supplying technology to delivering
comprehensive information management solutions. Further information is
available through the Unisys home page on the World Wide Web:
http://www.unisys.com.

UNISYS CLIENT/SERVER SYSTEMS INTEGRATED BUSINESS UNIT (IBU)

Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, Unisys Client/Server Systems
IBU is focused on providing a complete range of hardware platforms,
software tools and services required to quickly and effectively implement
enterprise-wide client server solutions. These include personal computers,
powerful scalable SMP servers, a wide range of operating systems and user
interface environments, open interoperability, system management and
connectivity solutions, development tools and support services delivered
through Unisys sales, service and support organizations worldwide.

UNISYS MANAGMENT SYSTEMS DIVISION

As a Division of Unisys Client/Server Systems IBU, MSD is rapidly growing
in market share and acceptance of its open, distributed management
solutions. With over 1000 clients actively using Unisys managment products
today, Managment Systems Division delivers enterprise distributed systems,
application and object managment software for all UNIX, NT, and Unisys
Enterprise Server environments. These software solutions are complemented
by Unisys Informations Services worldwide.
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email: rbakerpc@delphi.com  -or- RBakerPC (on AOL/Delphi)
 =========================================================
