Compaq Broadens Linux Solutions with World Record Benchmark, High-Availability Linux Clusters, and Open Source Portal

Underscores Market Leadership and Commitment to Fast-Growing Server Operating System

NEW YORK, January 31, 2001 - Addressing the burgeoning demand for highly available, reliable Linux solutions, Compaq Computer Corporation today announced several new offerings for the open source community, including a marketing relationship with SteelEye Technology™ to provide Linux clustering on Compaq ProLiant™ server and StorageWorks™ storage platforms, a new performance benchmark for the ultra-dense Compaq ProLiant DL320 server and a portal for the open source community. Compaq is showcasing these and other Linux solutions, including Linux-based Compaq iPAQ™ devices and IA-64 technology, at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo, booth 1639 in New York.

Compaq also announced that the latest version of Cplant™ Antarctica at Sandia is currently the largest 'production' Linux cluster in the world, with the recent addition of 1,300 Compaq AlphaServer™ computers to the cluster. This supercomputer produces technical results to aid ongoing science projects. This spring, some additional 800 systems will be added to Cplant, which researchers expect to place it among the top 20 supercomputers in the world and reinforce its claim to Linux leadership.

"Compaq is continuing its long tradition of making our Linux-optimized technology available to the open source community," said Gary Campbell, Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, Enterprise Servers at Compaq. "These new ProLiant server solutions and our new open source portal will contribute significant ease-of-use, deployment, and management benefits for Linux customers."

Today's news builds on recent Compaq Linux support announcements for its industry-standard ProLiant servers and high-performance AlphaServer™ platforms, including pre-installed Red Hat and Caldera on select ProLiant servers in North America, and TurboLinux in Japan, as well as Compaq Management Agents for Linux that support the best performance, fault and configuration tools available in the industry. In December, Compaq released an Alpha Linux Java Development Kit to public beta, and is working with Java application developers such as Lutris Technology to bring the power of Alpha to their Java applications. Compaq also announced support for large memory on its Alpha Linux portfolio (up to 32 GB in the AlphaServer ES40).

SteelEye High Availability Linux Clusters for ProLiant

Compaq is further enhancing its clustering solutions on ProLiant™ servers and StorageWorks™ storage units by entering into a joint marketing agreement with SteelEye Technology to promote SteelEye's LifeKeeper®for Linux cluster software on a range of ProLiant server and StorageWorks storage options. Compaq is entering into this agreement to provide customers new clustering options for application and data availability.

The LifeKeeper for Linux software running on ProLiant servers is targeted at UNIX users looking for a more cost-effective solution, or Linux customers who are interested in a scalable, high-availability application and data solution. For example, these solutions are ideal for customers who need to protect data and credit card applications, retailers who need continuous availability for retail point-of-sale solutions, as well as banking/credit union ATM providers.

An enterprise-grade reliability clustering solution that ensures highly available critical business applications, servers and data, LifeKeeper for Linux 3.1 offers configuration flexibility through support for multiple clustered Intel architecture-based servers, new Linux distributions, SCSI storage and, now, Fibre Channel-based Storage Area Networks (SANs). LifeKeeper for Linux is available for immediate shipping on select ProLiant models, as well as the Compaq RA 4100 StorageWorks unit. To learn more about Linux clusters for ProLiant, please visit http://www.compaq.com/solutions/enterprise/ha_linux_clusters.html.

Compaq ProLiant DL 320 Server Demonstrates Superior SPECweb99 Performance

Compaq today also announced that the ProLiant DL320 server, with a Pentium III EB 800-MHz processor, set an unprecedented 1,438 simultaneous connections on Red Hat Linux 7.0 - a SPECweb99 performance record among one-processor servers. The record represents the number of simultaneous connections that this Web server can maintain while meeting a benchmark-specified server throughput (benchmark-specified Web server tasks). By supporting the most number of connections on a Web server, Compaq is able to offer its Linux customers the highest availability and most traffic. SPECweb99 continues the SPEC tradition of giving Web users the most objective and representative benchmark for measuring a system's ability to act as a Web server. For more information about SPEC or the SPECweb99 benchmark, visit http://www.spec.org/osg/web99/.

Opensource.Compaq.com - Portal for the Open Source Community

In addition to the clustering solution, Compaq is launching a new portal today, providing Compaq-sponsored downloadable technology, open source projects, technical papers, interviews and articles. The site reflects Compaq's commitment to open source development by providing a community forum for Compaq-sponsored open source development projects.

With the launch of opensource.Compaq.com, Compaq also announced PCI Hot Plug for Linux, industry-standard technology pioneered by Compaq that offers customers higher availability by helping to eliminate both planned and unplanned downtime. PCI Hot Plug gives customers the ability to remove, replace and add new PCI adapters, without having to power down the server or suspend any applications.

Also included on the site are downloadable Compaq-developed tools: Linux Drivers and Hot Plug PCI controllers, and various client and performance projects. Free downloadable software from Compaq's research labs includes the personal jukebox and the Itsy pocket reference computer. The opensource.Compaq.com site follows the launch of Compaq-hosted handhelds.org, a site dedicated to open source handheld development.

Leadership in Linux

According to Q3 2000 figures from market research firm IDC, Compaq is the leader in server deployments running Linux, with 27 percent market share. From Compaq iPAQ handheld devices to ProLiant and AlphaServer systems, Compaq offers the platforms that more customers choose to deploy their Linux-based solutions. Compaq's strategy is to support customers, not only by certifying platforms with the major Linux distributions, but also by providing global 24x7 support in Compaq call centers worldwide.

Compaq continues to commit resources and management support to strengthen and extend its leadership in Linux platforms and services. In addition, Compaq continues to establish top-tier relationships with the leading Linux players, and to collaborate with commercial ISVs as they extend their applications and tools to Linux. Compaq contributes regularly to open source projects and will continue to contribute intellectual property to help further the adoption of Linux in the enterprise. Comprehensive information on Compaq's portfolio of Linux products and services is available at http://www.compaq.com/linux.

About Compaq

Compaq Computer Corporation, a Fortune Global 100 company, is a leading global provider of technology and solutions. Compaq designs, develops, manufactures, and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services, including industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, and communications products, commercial desktop and portable products, and consumer PCs that are sold in more than 200 countries. Information on Compaq and its products and services is available at http://www.compaq.com/.

Notes:
Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Compaq and the Compaq logo Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include: component shortages, delays in the implementation of changes in delivery models, increased competitive environment and pricing pressures, delays in product rollout schedules, slow acceptance for new form factors, employee retention, disruptions related to restructuring actions, the financial condition of resellers, delays in new systems implementation, operational inefficiencies related to sales cycles, equity investment volatility, and emerging market political or economic instability. Further information on the factors that could affect Compaq's financial results is included in Compaq's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including the latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the Annual Report on Form 10-K which will be filed shortly.