IBM advises users to be wary of Win 2000
Manufacturing giant issues warning after finding problems with test version.
IBM warned partners and customers to be cautious of the forthcoming Windows 2000 operating system last week, after it uncovered several problems with the latest test version.
Patrick Gibney, director of Windows 2000 at IBM, identified a lack of synchronisation between the Active Directory system and other industry standard Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directories, as well as interoperability problems with Microsoft Management Console in the Release Candidate 1 version of the operating system.
Adam Jollans, software marketing manager for NT, Linux and Solaris at IBM EMEA, reiterated the vendor's commitment to Windows 2000 but admitted IBM will advise customers to evaluate the product for at least six months or "wait for the first service pack".
"We have gained experience of what works and what doesn't in Windows 2000, and there are a few things that need attention," he said.
But Mark Tennant, Windows NT server product manager at Microsoft, disputed IBM's claims: "IBM is entitled to its opinion, but I disagree that Windows 2000 will not be ready to go live directly after release to manufacturing."
Peter White, managing director of Microsoft Certified Solution Provider (MCSP) Hawke Systems agreed with IBM's warning.
"Our advice is not to hastily rush into Windows 2000. That is not because it is unreliable or full of bugs, but mainly to do with the significant differences and changes between the Windows 2000 and NT 4," he said.
James O'Neill, managing director of Microsoft Certified Technical Education Centre SHX, claimed: "There is more information in Windows 2000 than will fit inside one human head."
He predicted that the channel will have to fragment its skills to understand the operating system. "Windows 2000 is a great skills delivery vehicle for the channel, from helping customers with evaluation to launch. But smaller resellers will have to specialise on certain aspects.
"If a dealer thinks it can be an expert in Windows 2000, it is grossly underestimating the size of the product," O'Neill claimed.
IBM SELLS OFF NETWORKING CAPABILITY
IBM has agreed to sell its networking technology to Cisco, effectively ending its role as a manufacturer of computer networking hardware.
Cisco will pay a reported $300m for IBM's networking patents and will purchase $2bn of networking processors from IBM during the next five years.
Its Global Services arm will sell and service Cisco routers and switches.
Research company IDC has placed IBM third in the router market after Cisco with 73 per cent and Nortel with 10 per cent.
It is also the latest in a series of moves by IBM to position itself as a supplier of components to leading equipment manufacturers.
The vendor has signed similar deals worth a total of $30bn this year, including agreements with Dell for PC components, EMC for storage equipment and Nintendo for computer games.
Paul Strauss, analyst at IDC, said: "In terms of the potential, the deal is a good one for IBM."
Don Young, analyst at PaineWebber, said while he doubted the increased turnover from selling parts would offset the loss of sales of IBM routers and switches, IBM was "pruning its portfolio of a business that did not have an attractive outlook without a huge amount of spending".