Hewlett-Packard Company today added Java-capable HP netstations to the industry's broadest portfolio of desktop clients. HP netstations are ideally suited for mixed computing environments. Building on seven years of experience and four years of market leadership in the thin-client segment, HP is delivering a solution that provides corporate customers with single desktop access to all network resources, including Internet/Intranet, UNIX(R) systems, Microsoft(R) Windows NT(R) and legacy systems. Along with the Intel-based HP Net Vectra series, HP netstations will provide reduced cost of ownership in enterprise IT environments.

HP netstations also will support Internet/Intranet-based collaboration and communication through Navio Navigator for netstations, based on Netscape Navigator 3.0, providing integrated standards-based Web access with full Java support, e-mail and threaded newsgroups. With an expected "street" price starting as low as $700 (U.S., without monitor), the new HP netstations are one of the lowest-cost graphical desktops available today.

HP netstations are one type of network client that HP believes will coexist with and complement NetPCs, conventional PCs and workstations. Netstations are "thin" network clients (requiring minimal local resources) designed to optimize information access and delivery rather than information processing. Netstations are ideal for operational users (task-oriented users accessing fixed-function applications) currently using text (ASCII or 3270) terminals or older X terminals. Organizations are looking to upgrade their existing text terminals to graphics desktops that will provide performance and flexibility while maintaining the same control and simplified administration they enjoyed with text terminals. X terminal customers also are demanding greater Internet and Java functionality on their desktops to leverage Internet/Intranet resources and provide investment protection.

HP thin clients are used widely on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the world's busiest stock exchange. As an innovative and advanced user of information technology, the NYSE initiated a major re-engineering effort to prepare for future volumes and needs. The Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC), NYSE's technology arm, implemented this major project with extensive use of HP hardware products, software and consulting services.

The foundation of the system is a combination of 250 HP 9000 servers and nearly 2,000 HP thin clients. "We're not using workstations or PCs in our services for two reasons," said Joe Kubat, SIAC senior vice president. "One is security and the other is administrative ease."

Charles McQuade, SIAC's chief executive officer, says he appreciates the universal access capabilities of HP's thin clients.

"One of the things this enables is a 'locationless' processing environment," said McQuade, noting that the older architecture required users to work from particular data terminals.

"HP netstations align with HP's overall strategy to establish leadership in integrating mixed computing environments and to provide lower total cost of ownership for customers," said Dave Hoover, general manager, HP's Panacom Automation Division. "Our customers are looking for complete solutions to provide simple, low-cost access to all servers and applications on their enterprise networks."

Through simultaneous support for Windows, UNIX system, NT and legacy environments, HP believes its HP netstations are more suitable for corporate users than Network Computers (NCs) offered by companies such as Sun Microsystems. In addition to running Java applets, HP netstations excel at accessing server-based applications. This focus allows for "thinner" clients and centralized administration, permitting a lower total cost of ownership. Alternatively, Sun's JavaStation relies exclusively on local Java processing, which requires greater local resources and thereby undermines the benefits of thin clients. Sun's approach emphasizes replacing PCs with NCs running Java applications; while the HP netstation will coexist with customers' Windows, UNIX system and legacy applications. This approach allows customers to embrace new technologies, such as Java, without disrupting or compromising their existing environments.

INTERNET/INTRANET ACCESS

Currently, HP netstations support server-based Internet browsers and Java Virtual Machine (VM). By fall 1997, the next release of HP netstation software is slated to support Navio Navigator for netstations and local Java VM. Navio Navigator, a premier Internet and Intranet browser software for thin clients, will offer HP customers broad communication and collaboration capabilities through integrated World Wide Web access (including HTML, Java and Javascript content), e-mail, threaded newsgroups and compatibility with Netscape Navigator 3.0.

"Navio Navigator, the most broadly adopted, open, standards-based browser for thin clients, is an important piece in providing compatibility and interoperability between existing desktop systems and thin clients," said Wei Yen, president and chief executive officer of Navio Communications, Inc. "We are pleased to be partnered with HP, the provider of the broadest range of desktop solutions."

The local Java VM implementation will allow users to download and execute Java-based applications and applets. Java enables platform-independent development of application software and its distribution over the Internet. Since HP netstation hardware is Internet- and Java-ready today, customers purchasing HP netstations now will require only a software upgrade to deliver Navio Navigator and local Java VM.

WINDOWS APPLICATION ACCESS

In June 1996, HP and Insignia Solutions announced a strategic relationship to provide HP customers with access to Windows NT applications. As part of this ongoing relationship, which includes joint product development, HP now intends to offer Insignia's NTRIGUE to HP netstation customers requiring Windows NT access. NTRIGUE is a leading Windows NT application server solution, enhanced to provide seamless interoperability with HP environments.

"The strategic relationship between HP and Insignia is very beneficial to enterprise customers worldwide," said William J. McCarthy, Insignia's senior vice president and general manager of the NTRIGUE Business Group. "NTRIGUE brings the power of Windows 95, Windows NT and Windows 3.x applications to the netstations, delivering a cost-effective and flexible solution to customers looking to implement thin clients within heterogeneous environments."

HP NETSTATIONS

Today, HP introduced two distinct HP netstation families, the ENTRIA II and ENVIZEX II netstations.

HP ENTRIA II NETSTATIONS

With an estimated entry-level price point of as low as $700, HP ENTRIA II netstations are among the industry's lowest-cost graphical desktops. The combination of its ease of use, ability to be centrally managed and platform independence, HP ENTRIA II to deliver a low overall cost of ownership. These features make HP ENTRIA II an ideal solution for large enterprise customers -- especially those requiring a low-cost text-terminal replacement -- in environments such as branch banking, customer service, financial back office, retail, hospitality, government and education.

HP ENTRIA II, running at 120MHz, packs impressive power in a small footprint. This compact, fanless design, which is smaller than a piece of standard letterhead (8.5" x 11"), delivers up to 276,000 Xstones and 4.7 Xmarks of graphics performance. This extra power is designed to ensure investment protection for customers running local Java applets and more graphically demanding applications as they are deployed on the enterprise Intranet.

HP ENTRIA II's industry-leading features include dynamic host configuration protocol compliance, a graphical start-up screen, remote configurability, dynamic keyboard mapping and plug-and-play capabilities. When combined with HP netstation software, HP ENTRIA II is simple to manage and easy to use.

HP ENVIZEX II NETSTATIONS

HP ENVIZEX II, running at 133MHz, delivers industry-leading price/performance. With performance rated at 300,000 Xstones and 5.6 Xmarks, customers receive the power they expect in a technical-computing environment at half the cost of a workstation. HP ENVIZEX II's target markets include mechanical design, electronic design, geographic information systems, manufacturing, software development and other environments requiring workstation look and feel.

HP ENVIZEX II now supports workstation-style, 16-bit graphics with double buffering, which enhances graphical performance when displaying complex graphics or 3D images and is fully backward-compatible for all 8-bit graphics applications. HP ENVIZEX II also supports a new 21-inch monitor with 1,600 x 1,200 ultra-high resolution, allowing display of 46 percent more text and graphics.

With support for 100BaseT (fall '96) and 100VG-AnyLAN, HP ENVIZEX II delivers the most comprehensive high-speed networking capabilities of any thin client currently available. In addition, customers can leverage current network and cable infrastructures when upgrading to high-speed networks (100Mb/s).

HP ENVIZEX II is highly expandable. A PC-format floppy drive allows easy file transfers between UNIX and Windows systems, and an audio/telephony card enables voice annotation of e-mail or presentations. In addition, ENVIZEX II is the first thin client to be based on the widely adopted PCI architecture. This architecture gives customers investment protection and the ability to take advantage of emerging technologies through industry-standard PCI cards.

HP NETSTATION SOFTWARE

HP netstation software provides innovative functionality, high performance and ease of system management for HP ENVIZEX II and ENTRIA II platforms. Since it supports both existing and emerging networking and Internet standards, HP netstations fit seamlessly into corporate networks leveraging existing systems and providing investment protection.

Navio Navigator for netstations integrates Internet/Intranet Web browsing with e-mail and threaded newsgroups. It supports open standards for data and information access and collaboration, including HTML, HTTP, FTP, NNTP, SMTP and MIME. Navio Navigator supports Java and Javascript through LiveConnect, allowing users to download and execute Java and Javascript-based applications seamlessly and enabling platform-independent application development across any enterprise. Navio Navigator supports Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 3.0, providing encrypted transfer of data to and from Web sites and helping to ensure against electronic invasion of privacy. Since Navio Navigator adheres to open standards and is based on Netscape Navigator 3.0, it provides true interoperability and compatibility with other existing desktop clients and servers.

HP netstation software includes a suite of local clients, such as window managers, terminal emulators and utility applications. Ease-of-use and system-administration features include DHCP support, software revision control, soft power down, HP OpenView integration, system-administration scripts and remote shell support. HP netstation software also features a modular architecture, which will allow HP to add new functionality seamlessly as customer needs evolve.

Other features include HP netstation software CDE 2.0, which provides local access to the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) standard window manager. All the host-based functionality of CDE is preserved, while host memory and host compute power is offloaded. Customers using this implementation on HP netstations will experience the same look, feel and functionality as workstation CDE users. This will make it easy for them to manage multiple windows on a small screen.