By Wylie Wong
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Hewlett-Packard and Intel have begun shipping the long-delayed database server appliance, and Siemens, Compaq and Dell are not far behind, Oracle executives say.

The product, called Oracle 8i Appliance, is Oracle's move to undermine Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system.

The appliance is designed to make operating systems invisible, making it easier and cheaper for businesses to run software. The product is an all-in-one system featuring a database, processor and parts of Sun Microsystems' Solaris operating system.

But the product has been delayed for about a year as Oracle worked out business details with partners.

During a conference with analysts today, Oracle executives said Hewlett-Packard and Intel have been shipping the Oracle 8i Appliance since March 1, while Siemens will release a product later this week. Compaq Computer will offer the product in May, while Dell will ship in June, said Oracle executive vice president Gary Bloom.

A server appliance is a computer for specific tasks, such as handling email or storing data. PC manufacturers have all latched onto the emerging server appliance market, where sales are expected to grow from $1.1 billion in 1997 to $16 billion in 2002, according to Merrill Lynch.

Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison also said the company will soon add new Web technology to its flagship product, the Oracle 8i database.

Ellison said the company this month will release its Internet File System, which will store and manage Web pages as well as Windows files. The product has also been delayed and was expected to ship last summer.

With the new release, Oracle is trying to free itself from relying on core Windows functions, such as the NT file system.

Ellison also said the company will release new caching technology next month that will allow Web sites to easily replicate Web site information from databases. The technology will allow Web sites to store the information on low-cost computers, giving Web surfers faster access to Web data, he said.

 
More from News.com

• Lack of interest sinking Oracle's Raw Iron? January 24, 2000
• Oracle 8i users shrug off Net features July 15, 1999
• Oracle behind the 8i ball January 6, 1999

EMC, Cisco and Oracle Form
Alliance created to ease implementation and speed delivery of high availability e-business infrastructures

HOPKINTON, Mass., SAN JOSE and REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Apr. 3, 2000 - (http://www.oracle.com/tellmemore/?144131)  EMC, Cisco and Oracle Form "ECOstructure Initiative" Alliance created to ease implementation and speed delivery of high availability e-business infrastructures To address the escalating demands on e-business infrastructures, EMC Corp., Cisco Systems, Inc. and Oracle Corp. today announced the ECOstructure (EMC/Cisco/Oracle Infrastructure) initiative – an alliance designed to integrate advanced technologies and provide the tools necessary to simplify, accelerate and otherwise improve the implementation of highly available e-business infrastructures.

As part of the initiative, a joint development center has been established to create technical configuration blueprints that streamline use of the high availability components of each companies’ products across an entire infrastructure "ecosystem." The first of these blueprints, The Resilient ECOstructure, defines best practices and provides reference configurations for the implementation, operation and support of a complete networking, storage and software solution. The Resilient ECOstructure blueprint is available immediately at http://www.eECOstructure.com

KPMG LLP, the professional services firm, plans to utilize the ECOstructure blueprints as a basis for the assessment and implementation of e-business solutions. "KPMG's experience in security and risk mitigation and controls, coupled with EMC, Cisco and Oracle's infrastructure expertise will help improve the ability to rapidly and reliably satisfy end-customers' e-business demands," said Stuart Campbell, partner-in-charge of KPMG LLP's Information Risk Management (IRM) Practice. "KPMG will use the ECOstructure blueprints as a tool to help instill trust and reliability in the IT solutions of firms entering the e-business arena."

According to Forrester Research, Internet commerce alone will account for more than $3.2 trillion in spending by 2003, resulting in an increased reliance on highly available technology infrastructures. The ECOstructure initiative was formed to address these heightened requirements by combining the strengths of EMC, Cisco and Oracle.

"On the Internet, there really is no acceptable amount of down time—24x7 really means 24x7," said Jim Schanzenbach, Chief Technology Officer of DrugEmporium.com, one of the nation’s leading online drugstores. "The foundation of DrugEmporium.com is built upon Oracle, EMC and Cisco technologies, a combination so strong we trust the infrastructure -- we know it is as reliable as possible. We needed scalable, cutting-edge capabilities to meet our objectives, and these industry leaders more than met our expectations."

Today’s announcement builds on previous partnerships between these ECOstructure members: Oracle and EMC’s E-Business Infrastructure Alliance, announced in October 1999, and EMC and Cisco’s membership in Oracle’s E-Business Continuity Program, announced in January 2000. The ECOstructure alliance leverages engineering personnel and products from each company in the Redwood Shores-based joint development center. The center is dedicated toward ongoing testing and validation of existing and new technologies, including Oracle8i™, Oracle® Parallel Server and the Oracle Application Server; EMC’s Symmetrix Enterprise Storage systems and software; and the Cisco 7000 Series routers, Catalyst 6000 family switches, Cisco LocalDirector, Cisco Cache Engine and the Cisco Secure PIX firewall.

About EMC

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world leader in information storage systems, software, networks and services, providing the information infrastructure for a connected world. Information about EMC's products and services can be found at http://www.emc.com.

About Cisco

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information is available at http://www.cisco.com

About Oracle

Oracle provides the software that powers the Internet. For more information on Oracle, please contact 650-506-7000, or visit www.oracle.com.

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