joel@sundc.UUCP (Joel McClung - Federal TS Mgr Sun Washington DC) (06/25/88)
I'm sure EVERYONE has been waiting with baited breath for this; I know *I* have! :-) --joel ------------------------------ SUN INTRODUCES COLOR GRAPHIC 3270 TERMINAL EMULATOR; First Application Product Based on NeWS MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- June 20, 1988 -- Sun Microsystems, Inc., strengthened its offering of IBM connectivity products with the introduction of its color graphic 3270 terminal emulator, SunLink CG3270. SunLink CG3270 emulates an IBM 3179G display terminal and enables Sun workstation users to access IBM host mainframe applications, including those which use color and host graphics, such as those generated by IBM's GDDM (graphical data display manager). Sunlink CG3270 provides users with unprecedented power in host interactive communications, with features such as display support for host color graphics, dynamic scaling of displayed images, multiple terminal sessions per workstation, laser printer image compatibility, and powerful local display manipulation. SunLink CG3270 demonstrates the display- and network-oriented benefits and advanced imaging technology of NeWS (Network extensible Window System.) SunLink CG3270 enables users to take full advantage of Sun's distributed processing model and Open Systems Network connectivity products. SunLink CG3270 includes a WYSIWYG keyboard mapping utility and menu-driven file transfer that make it easy to use. This is consistent with Sun's drive to reduce the complexities faced by end users in a multivendor computing environment. SunLink CG3270 is part of the SunLink family of data communication products that allow Sun workstations to communicate with other vendors' systems and products. SunLink CG3270 can be used with each of the three SunLink 3270 communication gateway products Sun offers, providing network managers with a variety of ways to attach Sun networks to IBM mainframes, including SNA, BSC or direct channel connections. SunLink CG3270 uses NeWS version 1.1, which Sun is currently shipping. In addition, SunLink CG3270 will be fully compatible with the X11/NeWS merged window system which Sun will ship later this year. With X11/NeWS, users will be able to simultaneously display on their workstation screens both X11-based and NeWS-based application windows, such as a SunLink CG3270 terminal session. "We believe our SunLink CG3270 offering will be the premier 3270 terminal emulation product on the market," said Larry Garlick, Vice President of Sun's Distributed Systems Group. "Sun provides innovative ways to integrate Sun workstations and IBM systems. Products like SunLink CG3270 and the SunLink Channel Adapter allow our customers to preserve their investments in existing systems; users are able to retain access to host-based applications, while at the same time make use of the powerful local processing, graphics and networking capabilities of workstations -- all from one desktop." Applications areas for SunLink CG3270 include the financial services market, where color on a display screen connected to an IBM mainframe helps securities traders identify specific types of information on the screen more readily. In automotive manufacturing and aerospace markets, large numbers of drawings and charts are stored on IBM mainframes. SunLink CG3270 will allow users to display these images on Sun workstations, capture them locally, and route them to laser printers if desired. Sun's Open Systems Network product strategy -- composed of the Open Network Computing (ONC) environment, X11/NeWS network-based window system, SunLink data communication products, and Catalyst third-party networking products -- combines a variety of industry standard networking technologies to create a transparent, networked computing environment. The Open Systems Network product strategy is the basis of Sun's "The Network Is The Computer" concept, in which users have access to all network resources from their desktop. As the latest implementation of this product strategy, SunLink CG3270 draws upon several Open Systems Network technologies, demonstrating many of the benefits of the distributed computing model. SunLink CG3270 enhances the SAA compatibility of the Sun product line, which today provides users with support for 3270 data streams, LU Type 6.2, PU Type 2.1, Document Interchange Architecture, X.25, and now, GDDM. SunLink CG3270 is priced at $950 (U.S. list) per terminal session with discounts offered for multiple terminal session licenses. SunLink CG3270 will be available in the third quarter of 1988.