Microsoft plans "Scalability Day"

The message is clear: Windows NT is for real and Microsoft wants to tellanyone who listens that the network operating system is ready for theEnterprise. Hardware vendors will join Microsoft next month at "ScalabilityDay" and demonstrate multi-processor systems running Windows NT.

Scalability Day, which premiers May 20 in New York, is an invitation-onlyevent that Microsoft will use to announce new versions of Windows NT andforthcoming eight-processor systems that will be supported by NT and SQLServer. Four-, six-, and ten-processor systems will be demonstrated by anumber of manufacturers and four-server clustering will be shown. Unisysand Data General will soon release twelve-processor systems as well.

Microsoft is rewriting the way NT handles multiple processors so that itis more efficient with a large number of CPUs, allowing it to compete withmainframes in the Enterprise. Cache and Schedule processing will be able toaccess 4GB of memory soon, up from the 2GB in NT 4.0, and 3GB in NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3, due this summer.