Compaq steps up campaign for server market

Compaq has renewed its attack on the Unix server market with the launch of the ProLiant 6000 range.

The world's biggest PC supplier is targeting traditional IBM RS 6000 and HP9000 server markets as it strives to become a desktop to back-office IT supplier. The company has also launched a rack-mountable server, the ProLiant 850R, aimed at the branch automation market and Internet service providers.

Hugh Jenkins, enterprise group product manager at Compaq, said: 'The ProLiant 6000 offers a lot of headroom without sacrificing performance when running business-critical applications like SAP. The 850R is for companies who want to build space-saving communications.'

The 6000 offers 109Gb internal storage, 11 I/O slots and six removable media bays. It also supports up to four Pentium Pro 200MHz processors.

The range is priced from #10,960.

Up to 14 ProLiant 850R servers can be accommodated in a 42U Compaq rack, each supporting two Pentium Pro 200 processors. The 850R costs #2,855.

Unaudited market data from analysts IDC gives Compaq 47% of the UK PC server market for the first quarter of 1997. Hewlett-Packard weighs in with 11.6%, closely followed by Dell with 11.2%.

Compaq said this surge in market share followed the launch of its sub-#1,000 ProSignia 200 server in January. Following the release of the IDC figures, the supplier dropped the price of the server from #995 to #895 to build on its market share.