Rapid Response Time Will Boost Customer Performance
    in OLTP Environments

    IBM SETS INDUSTRY TRANSACTION PERFORMANCE RECORDS

      SOMERS, N.Y., June 28, 1995 . . . Today IBM announced performance
 and price/performance enhancements achieved through the combined
 technologies of superior PowerPC Symmetrical Multi-Processor (SMP)
 architecture, industrial-strength relational database and a scalable
 UNIX**-based operating system. The new RISC System* 6000 (RS/6000)*
 eight-processor SMP Server employing IBM DATABASE 2 (DB2)* for AIX* and
 the new AIX Version 4.1.3 produced exceptional results in the industry
 standard On-line Transaction Processing (OLTP) benchmark, Transaction
 Processing Performance Council, Benchmark C (TPC-C).

      The RS/6000 SMP Server Models J30 and R30, with eight PowerPC 601s,
 combined with DB2 for AIX Version 2.1 and AIX Version 4.1.3 achieved
 3119.16 tpmC and price performance of 349 $/tpmC for J30 and 355 $/tmpC
 for R30. This performance tops all comparable TPC-C results for
 eight-processor SMP systems on the market today. AIX Version 4.1.3
 announced recently provides the SMP scalability enhancements needed to
 meet this performance level.

           DB2 for AIX, IBM's solution for open UNIX-based relational
 databases,is instrumental in meeting the demanding TPC-C requirements
 for this benchmark. For the power-hungry users, DB2 for AIX achieved
 1438.04 tpmC (492 $/tpmC) on the Model J30 4-way system in February 1995
 and four months later, the performance has more than doubled with the
 Model J30 and R30 eight-way systems. DB2 for AIX achieved 17% higher
 throughput than Informix Version 7.1 on the Bull ESCALA D401/8 which
 reported 2,660.03 tpmC and 530 $/tpmC, using Version 3 of TPC-C.

      "Today's announcement is a clear indication of the unequaled
 capability that IBM's SMP architecture can deliver to customers," said
 Jeff Mason, vice president, worldwide marketing, IBM RISC System/6000
 Division. "The combination of DB2 for AIX, our powerful RS/6000 SMP
 hardware, and the robust AIX operating environment add up to a system
 that customers can rely on to deliver industry-leading performance
 today, and in the future," Mason concluded.

      "These results demonstrate IBM's success in delivering powerful
 open systems technology. We were able to achieve these results due to
 DB2's optimal utilization of SMP resources," said Janet Perna, director,
 database technology, IBM Software Solutions Division. "Such results are
 critical for customers with intensive on-line transaction processing
 needs such as banks and insurance companies. Increased throughput and
 rapid response time translates to better value and performance for our
 customers." added Perna.

    IBM's Models J30 and R30 deliver outstanding customer value based on
 TPC-C, Revision 3 price/performance. The RS/6000 SMP Server Model J30,
 eight-way version, offers better price/performance than either HP, Sun,
 Digital or Bull. The J30 has 26% better price/performance than Sun's
 SPARCserver 20 at 440 $/tpmC (1,063.90 tpmC) and is 57% better than HP's
 9000 Model K400 at 550 $/tpmC (2,616.20 tpmC). Compared to Digital's
 Alpha 2100 4/275 at 555 $/tpmC (1,708.12 tpmC), the J30 has 59% better
 price/performance, and compared to Bull's ESCALA D401/8 at 530 $/tpmC
 (2,660.03 tpmC), the J30 is 51% better on price/performance.

     In complex commercial OLTP environments, IBM estimates that the
 Model J30 and R30's commercial performance exceeds HP's flagship 9000
 Business Server T500's eight-way performance and significantly exceeds
 the Sun 1000E eight-way system. Using list purchase price for comparably
 equipped systems, the Model J30 is one-fourth the price of the HP T500
 and three-fourths the price of the Sun 1000E.

     IBM's Software Solutions Division provides data management,
 application development and workgroup solutions for mission-critical
 applications on PCS, workstations, LANs and host systems.

     # # # * Indicates trademark or registered trademark of International
 Business Machines Corporation.

 ** UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other
 countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited.