IBM PC Server Compatibility Program June 18, 1996 Announcement Number: 196-132 Document's Table of Contents: Abstract DESCRIPTION TERMS AND CONDITIONS Abstract In Brief . . . The IBM PC Server Compatibility Program strengthens technical relationships with selected leading hardware and software manufacturers for you to: Obtain a compatibility statement of selected vendors' products resulting from tests performed by IBM or its designee Access product device drivers through various media worldwide as made accessible by IBM Identify the selected vendors' products that have been successfully tested and entitled to be promoted as being in the IBM PC Server Compatibility Program Reduce your installation, test, setup, and configuration time Access up-to-date compatibility information available on the WWW (Internet) Products continue to be warranted and supported by the original manufacturer. ---------------------------------------- The IBM PC Server Compatibility Program continues to enhance the position of IBM PC Servers as one of the most open server systems on the market today. The program establishes a relationship between IBM and selected providers of options and applications often installed into PC servers. The program is geared towards testing selected vendors' products for compatibility with IBM PC Servers, improving ease of installation, and providing detailed results to resellers and end users. IBM PC Server Compatibility Program participants agree to work with IBM engineers during the product test cycle and the product life cycle. This effort is intended to address and resolve problems that may arise during the test and life of the product. IBM will provide for use at installation and setup time many required device drivers for program participants' products. IBM will deliver the device drivers via one or more of the following methods: ServerGuide -- IBM's premier software installation tool World Wide Web (WWW) Dial-in bulletin boards The PC Server group will provide detailed compatibility information via the WWW on the IBM PC Server home page at URL: http://www.pc.ibm.com/servers/ Look for the hypertext link to "Compatibility" and you will find a comprehensive list of product compatibility matrices. The IBM PC Server Compatibility Program is not a legal partnership between IBM and members of the program. Products sold by the members are developed, warranted, and supported by the respective manufacturers. In addition, IBM makes no representation or guarantee regarding the compatibility of specific products with IBM PC Servers. Availability Date: June 18, 1996 DESCRIPTION The IBM PC Server Compatibility Program is designed to make it easier for IBM to work with hardware and software vendors to ease customer installation, test, and configuration of PC Servers with products manufactured by those vendors. The compatibility tests are performed to accurately identify what level of device drivers, operating systems, and hardware work together homogeneously to provide a configured solution. The successfully tested configurations are published with easy access to the combinations of hardware and software that will coexist, have been tested, and offer you a desired solution. The compatibility information is kept current for your use and made available on the WWW for easy worldwide access. IBM will provide you a set of solution building blocks -- specific devices and applications tested in one or more operating system environments -- providing hardware addresses, slots, and other test parameters, which allow a customer to build a complete server solution. In addition, several complex solutions commonly found in customer installations will be published. The compatibility and configuration information will be complemented with access to the participating vendors' device drivers, either on IBM bulletin boards, Internet sites, ServerGuide, or linkages directly to the vendors' electronic distribution sites. The combination of detailed information and access to device-specific code should reduce your computing cost-of-ownership since the installation and setup time of your solution will be minimized. The following is an alphabetical list of the initial set of manufacturers included in the IBM PC Server Compatibility Program. Other vendors may be added to complement the program. 3Com Corporation Intel Corporation Madge Networks, N.V. Mylex/Buslogic, Inc. Olicom A/S Standard Microsystems Corporation (SMC) TERMS AND CONDITIONS The compatibility information provided by IBM should be used as a guide only, since hardware and software levels and releases may vary, and numerous hardware and software combinations are possible. IBM makes no representation or guarantee regarding the compatibility of specific hardware or software products. Unless otherwise specified, warranty, service, and support for non-IBM products are provided directly to you by the product manufacturer, supplier, or publisher of the product. IBM makes no representations or warranties regarding non-IBM products. Other trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.