"Network Ready" PC from HP Launched

Step by step, information technology is finally heading towards network computing. And this time the company initiating the: evolution of a network machine” is New Delhi based Hewlett-Packard India.
Hewlett-Packard Company recently announced the arrival of what it calls a “most manageable network-ready personal computer” the HP Vectra XM Series 4 PC. Prices start from Rs. 97,590, HP India sources informed. “When we talk about a network ready PC, we need to have a network card on board, which is not a unique feature. However, what is unique about the HP series of network-ready PCs is the LAN remote power on feature, which lets the machine switch on automatically using the network switch,” said Ashwini Aggarwal, market development manager, Computer Products Organization, Hewlett Packard India Limited. “It’s the first step towards the network computer,”: Aggarwal added.

“We have gone one step ahead of the plain vanilla PC in launching the network-ready PC, “said Ashwini Aggarwal.

Targeted at medium and large corporate organizations, HP is hoping to increase its present installed base of PCs in India, which is currently in the range of 30,000 machines. According to Aggarwal: “initially HP India expects to get responses only from enterprises having an existing networking infrastructure”.

Apart from HP India, the network ready PC series will be marketed and supported in the country by HP’s battery of distributors and dealers, including giant HCL-HP.

The new PC series is expected to become available in March it self, and will be backed by a limited three-year warranty with next-business day on site service for the first year and return to dealer service for the next two years.

According to HP India sources, the Pentium ® based HP Vectra XM Series 4 is the first PC in the industry that can be turned on remotely from any where on an Ethernet LAN, a feature HP calls LAN Remote Pentium processor the 166 MHz-to the 75 MHz Pentium processor.

The systems under this new range are stated to be ideal for networked workgroups with sophisticated IT demands. The HP Vectra XM series 4 PC’s built in Ethernet PCI interface and standard multiprotocol boot ROM enable a host of networking features that complement its advanced management attributes,” said a company source.

“HP is providing MIS directors with the tools they need to manage their PCs more efficiently and less expensively,” the soruce added. Besides, the Indian corporate user have started believing that information is money, and the necessity is that the cost of information needs to fall. Network computing is going to achieve this,” opined P. Narayana, manager-IS, Asea Brown Boveri Limited, New Delhi. ABB is a major user of Hewlett-Packard machines. According to Narayanan, “Network ready PCs reduce in installation and conference time, and the hassle of ensuring compatibility of operating systems. In addition, the network card drivers will make life much easier since the product is expected to be tested in the plant for all the compatibility issues,”

For long ABB has been planning to go for network ready PCs, and according to Narayanan, the company will make its purchase moves soon.

Remote Power
Meanwhile, LAN Remote Power, the unique feature of the network ready PC, is an industry standard that lets network managers turn on, perform administrative/maintenance tasks and turn off PCs from the management console. For example, routine software updates can be done at night when it is more convenient for users. Also, network managers won’t have to waste time walking around to PCs that were mistakenly turned off by their users. When the software update is completed, all the PCs can be turned off or returned to sleep mode, saving electricity and reducing costs.

The HP Vectra XM Series 4 PC also includes other built-in management and security features, such as industry-standard local and remote DMI (Desktop Management Interface) agents for Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups and OS/2 clients, as well as management support for HP Open View, the industry’s leading management platform, Microsoft(R) SMS and Intel Landesk consoles. Configuration information and passwords are stored in non-erasable EEPROM for increased security, it is stated.     
‘HP’ unveiling of the Vectra XM Series 4 PC demonstrates the rapidly growing importance of desktop systems management for networked PCs,” said Ed Ekstrom, general manager of Intel’s Network Products Division. “Customers can now team the HP product with Intel’s LANDesk Management suite to take full advantage of DMI instrumentation and enable real time remote management that monitors, controls and diagnoses networked PCs. In addition, LANDesk Management Suite identifies over 300 DMI attributes in the HP product for complete asset management.”

Network ready, the HP Vectra  XM Series 4 PC includes a built in 32 bit bus master PCI 10 Base T network interface the provides high-data throughout with low CPU usage. It is preconfigured as a client for Novell and Microsoft networks and is preloaded with drivers for NetWare 3.x/4.x, Windows for Workgroups 3.1/3.11, Windows 95, Windows NT 3.2x, Vines, Pathworks and OS/2 Warp for fast and easy LAN installation. An LED that indicates when the PC is accessing network resources is conveniently located on the front panel.

The HP Vectra XM Series 4 PC is available in a wide variety of configurations. Customers have a choice of no hard drive, an 840 MB hard drive or a 1.28 KB hard drive. All models come in a slim-line desktop form factor with four accessory slots (PCI and ISA).

Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.