[LWN Logo]


Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 09:20:11 -0700
To: "Elizabeth O. Coolbaugh" 
From: "Vincent M. Schiavo" 
Subject: Re: Update - Linux High-Availability Server Clustering by
  PolyServe


For immediate release . . .

POLYSERVE=99 INTRODUCES UNDERSTUDY=99
HIGH-AVAILABILITY SERVER CLUSTERING FOR E-BUSINESS

Web and network managers can now create and maintain high-availability
server clusters at a breakthrough price point.

LINUXWORLD, SAN JOSE, Calif.  August 9, 1999  PolyServe today announced
Understudy, a high-availability server clustering software suite for
e-business.  This new software product provides: sophisticated process
monitoring, server failover, network administrator notification, content
replication/synchronization and reintegration.

Understudy monitors IP services including HTTP, SMTP, TCP and FTP.  Upon
detection of a failure, Understudy removes the failed server from the=
 cluster
and fails-over to the secondary backup host.  Understudy then generates a
network administrator notification via email and/or page. Understudy also
includes the first commercial application of InterMezzo=99, state-of-the-art
distributed file system software developed by Stelias Computing.  Via
InterMezzo, Understudy provides sophisticated data replication and content
distribution.  InterMezzo ensures that all servers in the cluster always=
 have
the most up-to-date version of every relevant file.  Thus, if a server fails
and drops out of the cluster, all file activity from that server prior to
failover will have been accurately replicated on the other servers in the
cluster, enabling uninterrupted service.  Upon recovery, a failed server can=
 be
re-integrated into the cluster where it will be immediately and=
 automatically
updated with all relevant file changes.

=93Many of our customers have been asking for a simple, affordable,
high-availability solution,=94 said Mark Orr, VP of Business Development at
Cobalt Networks.  =93Understudy=92s automatic failover, along with it=92s=
 content
replication and synchronization substantially reduces the cost and=
 complexity
of creating, and more importantly, maintaining server clusters.  When=
 coupled
with Cobalt=92s server appliances, the simplicity, scalability and cost=
 savings
are truly amazing.=94=20

=93It just doesn=92t make sense to expect a customer with two servers=
 costing
somewhere under $4,000 each to have to pay $10,000 to $40,000 more to ensure
high-availability.=94 said Vincent Schiavo, President and Co-Founder of
PolyServe.  =93Before Understudy the only path to high-availability was very
expensive hardware switching products or equally expensive specialized
software.  In introducing Understudy, we=92re making sophisticated server
clustering and redundancy available to anyone with multiple servers of any
kind.  Understudy costs at least one order-of-magnitude less than any other
solution on the market.  With this kind of breakthrough affordability we
believe high-availability failover and replication will become a 'best
practices solution' just like data backup or virus protection.=94   =20

Pricing and Availability=20
Introductory versions of Understudy are available now.  More information is
available on the PolyServe website at www.polyserve.com.  General=
 availability
of Understudy will be on September 1st, 1999.  Pricing is $999 for Linux,
$1,499
for NT, and $2,499 for Solaris versions.  The price includes a free year of
support (maintenance and upgrades), documentation, and distribution media
(CD).   Pricing is per server pair.  Volume pricing and site licenses are
available by contacting PolyServe directly.  (The NT version of Understudy=
 does
not require NT Server Enterprise Edition.)

About PolyServe
Based in Berkeley, California, PolyServe is a developer of high-performance,
high-availability network server software products for Internet based
applications and services.=20
PolyServe's financial backing comes from The Roda Group, a venture=
 development
firm best known as the technology incubator behind Ask Jeeves (NASDAQ=
 =93ASKJ=94,
www.ask.com).=20

For more information PolyServe can be reached at (650) 665-2929 or visit
PolyServe=92s web site at www.polyserve.com.=20

Press Contact:
Gary Hemminger
PolyServe
(650) 665-2929
gary@polyserve.com=20