IBM IntelliStation Announces Aggressive Certification Program

IntelliStation M Pro With Intel Xeon Processors Certified For Linux And Multi-Threaded Software Apps

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC - 31 Jul 2001: IBM today announced certification for Red Hat Linux(R) 7.1 and multi-threaded software applications running on the new IntelliStation M Pro workstation equipped with Intel(R) Xeon(TM) dual processors. Work is currently in progress for certification of other business-critical, multi-threaded workstation applications designed to take advantage of dual processors, adding to the more than 200 already certified for the IntelliStation line -- more certifications than any other workstation supplier.

Unlike the market for office PCs, business users demand that workstations be certified to run smoothly with increasingly complex software applications. Software for three-dimensional modeling, computer-aided design, animation, video editing, special effects, and electronic circuit design place heavy demands on workstation processors, memory, storage, and video graphics systems.

"Professionals running a complex workstation application don't need finger pointing when they have a problem," says Doug Oathout, director of IBM IntelliStation marketing. "They need somebody to take responsibility for certifying that their tools work together. You can't do this by throwing an application on the hardware platform and making sure the screen lights up. Certification requires time, diligence, expertise, and dedicated people focused on the issue."

The IntelliStation certification program is designed to reduce downtime, which can be extremely expensive for the highly skilled engineers, programmers, designers and financial analysts who use workstations. In addition to verifying that software and hardware work smoothly together, the program focuses on minimizing conflict among software applications running simultaneously. It also provides help desk specialists at software application companies with a tested, consistent platform to better solve their customers' problems. IBM assigns considerable resources to certification, sending developers and engineers to work on-site with major software application companies and dedicating its development team to the effort.

On the Xeon-equipped IntelliStation M Pro, certification is now complete for PTC Pro/ENGINEER, SDRC I-DEAS, ANSYS, MSC Nastran, and Red Hat Linux 7.1. Basic support testing is complete for UGS Unigraphics. Other certifications now in progress and scheduled for completion by Oct. 1, 2001, include Dassault Systemes CATIA, CoCreate SolidDesigner, Avid Media Composer and Symphony, Discreet Edit and Combustion, Pinnacle Systems Targa 3000, Alias|Wavefront Maya and StudioTools, Nothing Real Shake, DPS dpsGravity and dpsReality, and Softimage XSI.

New 21-inch CRT Monitor
IBM today also announced the new P275 21-inch monitor featuring flat Trinitron(TM) CRT technology, which provides users professional-quality images on the flattest possible screens to help reduce glare and distortion. From environments requiring high-end graphics to basic office applications, the P275 employs very fine aperture-grille pitch allowing for better focus and clarity. Offering a resolution of 2048 x 1536, the P275 includes several display controls including color customization and zoom. The P275 starts at $929 (1) and is available at ibm.com/options.

The IntelliStation M Pro is preloaded with Microsoft (R) Windows (R) 2000 Professional and features dual-capable Xeon processors at speeds up to 1.7 GHz, up to 4 GB (2) of RDRAM, a scalable, rackmountable design with 5 open slots and 6 open bays, and a 480-watt power supply. Graphics adapters available include the Matrox Millennium G450 for performance 2-D; the NVIDIA Quadro2 Pro for advanced 3-D; and the ATI Fire GL4 (TM) (3) for extreme 3-D performance.

IBM IntelliStation workstations provide owners with a three-year, parts and on-site labor limited warranty (4); and 24x7x365 (5) technical support is included and standing by for the duration of the warranty, supported by the "Ask IntelliStation" rapid response team. Through the Web, users can directly contact IntelliStation system engineers on nearly any workstation issue.

See www.ibm.com/intellistation for more information about the IBM IntelliStation.

IBM makes no warranties regarding third-party products and services.

IBM and IntelliStation are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel, Pentium and Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

1. IBM Direct price; does not include taxes or shipping and is subject to change without notice. Reseller prices may vary. IBM reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.

2. GB equals 1 billion bytes and MB equals 1 million bytes when referring to storage capacity; accessible capacity may be less.

3. Fire GL4 is a trademark of ATI Technologies, Inc. and is used under license.

4. For information regarding the terms and conditions of IBM's limited warranty, please visit our Web site or call 1-800-772--2227. Copies are available upon request. For warranties including on-site service, a technician is sent after IBM attempts to resolve the problem remotely.

5. Response time varies. May exclude some holidays.