SEQUENT ANNOUNCES BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY FOR DECISION-SUPPORT
APPLICATIONS

New Capability Speeds Large-Scale Queries by Using All Processors in
Four-Node Cluster

BEAVERTON, Ore. - April 17, 1995 Sequent Computer Systems, Inc., today
announced new technology providing breakthrough performance for very large
decision-support applications. The advanced parallel technology, called
Scalable Data Interconnect (SDI), expands the performance of Sequent
symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) systems by allowing complex queries to be
distributed across more than 100 Intel Pentium processors in a system
consisting of multiple SMP nodes clustered together.

With the SDI technology, users can obtain results of complex queries on
very large data warehouses up to 100 times faster than with previous
single-threaded query capabilities. SDI increases the range of
applications where proven SMP technology can be used to meet the
processing demands of enterprises that are implementing large-scale
decision-support data warehouses.

SDI further expands the performance range of Sequent's SMP systems,
enabling the power of distributed processing to transparently scale the
performance of decision-support queries across multiple nodes of a Sequent
clustered configuration. Sequent's clustered configurations support the
integrated operation of up to four Symmetry 5000 systems, with a combined
total of up to 120 Intel Pentium processors. All current Sequent systems
are SDI-ready. Oracle Corp. will deliver a version of Oracle7 later this
year that will take advantage of SDI to process a query in parallel using
processors on multiple nodes in an SMP cluster.

The combination of SDI and Oracle7 will allow users of Oracle7 to
transparently apply the enormous processing power of SDI clusters to the
parallel execution of complex parallel queries in very large
data-warehouse environments. This advanced technology will allow more
users to generate flexible queries against larger databases with faster
response times.

"The increasing commercial demand for decision support has sparked e
normous growth in the size of databases and the complexity of queries,"
said Lary Evans, vice president and general manager of the Platform
Division at Sequent. "By delivering an advanced combination of
high-performance parallel query operation and highly available
mission-critical databases, Sequent is providing new data management
capabilities that enable businesses to extract real, measurable value from
the data they collect and far more quickly than was previously possible."

SDI is the latest achievement from Sequent's cooperative alliance with
Oracle, in which the two companies work together to apply the benefits of
open SMP technology to solve business problems in commercial computing.
SDI is an extension of joint development work on the Oracle Parallel
Server, which has been available on Sequent systems since 1993 and is in
use at some of the largest commercial sites in the world. "Oracle will
take full advantage of Sequent's SDI technology with specific database
enhancements later this year," said Richard French, vice president of the
Intel UNIX products division at Oracle. "We will fully support SDI to
leverage all the processors in a distributed SMP query. With SDI, Sequent
has demonstrated the ability to deliver this key decision-support
function."

THE EVOLUTION OF CLUSTERED SMP SYSTEMS

SDI represents the next logical step in the evolution of SMP systems.
Clustered Symmetry SMP systems deliver both the high performance and high
availability required by today s business-critical decision-support
applications. Symmetry clusters can be configured for application and
database failover, and with the addition of Oracle Parallel Server
technology, clusters enable out-of-box scalability as well as higher
availability. With the introduction of SDI, business problems previously
thought solvable only through the use of proprietary or exotic mass ively
parallel processing (MPP) can be handled by proven, mature clustered SMP
solutions.

SCALABLE DATA INTERCONNECT

SDI consists of integrated hardware and software technology including an
I/O controller, firmware and cluster software that provides up to
200MB-per-second memory-to-memory channels that can be used exclusively as
a high-speed data pump between instances of Oracle7 on separate nodes.

Sequent's SDI and related components are scheduled to be available in the
third quarter of 1995. To take advantage of SDI, users must have the
Oracle7 upgrade that will be available later this year, Sequent's new
QCIC-E I/O controllers, DYNIX/ptx 4.1, ptx/CLUSTERS 1.3 and ptx/SDI
software.

Pricing is dependent on system configuration.

Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SQNT), based in Beaverton, Ore., is
a leading architect and provider of open client/server systems for
business computing. Sequent provides professional consulting, educational
and support services, and develops scalable multiprocessing computing
systems.

The World Wide Web address for Sequent OnLine is http://www. sequent.com/.
This news release and other information is available from Sequent's
news-on-demand fax service at (800) 356-0834.

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