February 11, 2000 Web posted at: 8:36 a.m. EST (1336 GMT) by Ed Scannell

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(IDG) -- Underscoring its commitment to Windows 2000 as a strategically important platform for the enterprise, IBM on Wednesday announced a new technical support initiative that helps users and developers to better scale and integrate the upcoming Microsoft operating system into multi-platform environments.

Over the next few weeks IBM also will roll out two new Netfinity 4-way symmetrical multiprocessing servers (SMP) servers, the models 7100 and 7600, that will run Windows 2000. The new systems both will feature several technical elements that are integral to the company's X-Architecture, including chip-kill correction, which supposedly provides memory capabilities that are up to 100 times more reliable than existing ECC (error-correcting code) memory.

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By coupling Windows 2000 with many of the technical attributes of its X-Architecture, IBM officials are hoping its upcoming Netfinity servers are better armed to grab some market share away from several competitors in the e-business market, most notably Sun Microsystems.

"By blending Windows 2000 with our X-Architecture strategy, we think we can set a new vector for Intel-based servers, making the Netfinity line an attractive replacement for Sun systems in e-business environments," said Jim Gargen, director of marketing for IBM's Netfinity line of servers, based in Raleigh, N.C.

The company also announced it would make available through its resellers two new ThinkPad portables, the models 570e and 390X, preloaded with Windows 2000, along with a version of its ThinkPad 600 and its desktop model from its Series 300 series that can be purchased directly from IBM.

As part of the new technical support initiative IBM will offer users and developers, free of charge, some of its popular software and development software including: DB2 Universal Data Base 6.1, Domino Release 5, MQSeries 5.1, Websphere Application Server, the IBM Developer Kit and Runtime Environment for Windows and Java Editions, VisualAge for Java, 3.0.2, and IBM's Communications Server 6.1.

Business partners can register for the free software, which can not be resold, through IBM's Partnerworld Web site at www.developer.ibm.com.

"Windows 2000 is a very important platform for us in that it will be front-ending a lot of e-business applications. Our overall strategy is to ensure that it will scale as well as our users expect and that they can integrate it seamlessly into their environments," said Dick Sullivan, vice president of IBM's Solutions and Integrated Marketing group, in Somers, N.Y.

As part of the technical support program, which becomes effective March 31, users and business partners can port, test, and benchmark their applications in any one of the 15 IBM-run Solution Partnership Centers around the world.

Several of IBM's key middleware products will be available when Windows 2000 ships on Feb. 17, including DB2 and the MQSeries, both of which will fully exploit all of the new operating system's new technologies such as its Directory Services.

This quarter IBM will begin to roll out versions of its entire portfolio of software applications and tools, some 300 in number, that take full advantage of Windows 2000 capabilities. The rollout will last into 2001, officials said.

Besides the ThinkPad and desktop models to be delivered, the company plans to deliver an improved version of its Network Station Manager software to be bundled with its systems. The new software allows for better central management of large thin-client environments in Windows 2000 environments as well as access to applications residing on Windows 2000 and Windows NT servers.

Besides being central to some of its strategic initiatives, IBM believes Windows 2000 represents a lucrative financial opportunity across several of its major hardware, software, and services units.

"Market research is showing us that for every $1 spent on Windows 2000, users in turn will spend $10 more on hardware, software, and services," Gargen said. "Research also show that for users who already have existing servers and plan to upgrade to Windows 2000, 76 per cent of them plan on upgrading their hardware at the same time," he said.