mikeh@lupine.ncd.com (Mike Harrigan) (08/29/90)
NCD X TERMINALS GET DEC CONNECTIVITY ENHANCEMENTS: LAT SUPPORT, VT-220 EMULATION, REMOTE SERIAL PROTOCOL MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, July 2, 1990 -- Three features designed to enhance connectivity in Digital Equipment Corporation VMS and ULTRIX computing environments have been added to the family of X Window System terminals made by Network Computing Devices, Inc. All NCD color and monochrome X terminals shipped beginning in August will be able to access and display non-X Window System applications via Digital's LAT (Local Area Transport) protocol, to emulate Digital's popular VT-220 terminal, and to access Digital ULTRIX and VMS operating system environments via high-speed serial communication in addition to Ethernet. NCD Executive Vice President Judy Estrin said the enhancements "reflect our commitment to Digital's user base, which accounts for some 30 percent of NCD's X terminal business. Digital through its DECwindows implementation of X, has been an important advocate of X's adoption in the marketplace, and its computer customers are looking for an effective product to support X on their desktops." NCD had previously supported Digital's DECnet communication protocol (including Cterm), as well as VT-100 terminal emulation and access to DECwindows fonts. Access Via LAT To Terminal Applications NCD X terminals now can use the LAT protocol to access existing terminal applications (i.e., those that do not require graphics or have not yet been ported to run on X) on VMS-based hosts. Up to four DECwindows-managed LAT windows can be display simultaneously on the terminal screen. The LAT implementation, compatible with NCD's standard software, allows the user to intermix LAT, TCP/IP Telnet and standard X windows, as well as windows accessible through the X terminal's local serial port. Because each window type is implemented as a local serial client running on the X terminal-resident "Xlib" and "Xt" toolkit subroutine libraries, processing is cost-effectively off-loaded from the host computer. VT-220 Emulation For All Local Clients For each local client -- LAT, Telnet, serial port -- NCD X terminals now can perform VT-220 terminal emulation, a superset of the previously available VT-100 capability. "The widely-used VT-220 has emerged as the lowest common denominator for DEC terminal applications," Estrin said, "and as such is a critical part of any effort to address the DEC environment." In addition, NCD's XRemote transport protocol, originally supported on Sun UNIX systems, now operates on Digital ULTRIX and VMS-based hosts. XRemote performs multi-level data compression in X environments, making NCD terminals usable across telephone lines or RS-232 links. Providing up to 10 times the performance of SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol), XRemote is designed for local communication when a high-speed local-area network is not available, and for remote communication from branch offices or other work sites to a central computing site. Pricing/Availability Beginning in August all new downloadable RAM-based versions of NCD X terminals will support the LAT protocol and VT-220 emulation as standard features included in NCD's $50 software license fee. XRemote capability will be available at the same time in a special PROM set priced at $300 for each NCD unit; XRemote operation also requires one host-side cartridge tape priced at $500. Upgrades are available for previously installed NCD terminals. Network Computing Devices, Inc., formed in February 1988, is a leading supplier of network display stations providing users simultaneous access to multi-vendor computers on a network via the industry-standard X Window System. The NCD16, NCD16e and NCD19 monochrome units, and the NCD17c color unit, offer workstation-style multi-user interfaces for users in the UNIX, VMS and ULTRIX operating system environments. NCD is privately held. Company Contact: Judy Estrin, Network Computing Devices, Inc. (415) 694-0650 info@ncd.com