IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 18, 1992 -- AST Research Inc. today introduced the
Manhattan SMP, its fully symmetric multiprocessor, marking the company's
entry into the rightsizing/super server market. Engineered with open
architecture, the Manhattan SMP is designed to support a variety of
shrink-wrapped operating systems and is equipped with a host of
scalability and high-availability features.

AST's multiprocessor offers corporate users a cost-effective alternative to
proprietary minicomputers, an open-architecture platform for large
multi-user UNIX environments and/or a means to consolidate or add to
critical LAN server environments.

Through a co-development effort with AST, the Santa Cruz Operation has
enhanced its SCO MPX 2.0 software to support fully symmetric hardware. AST
will demonstrate the Manhattan SMP running the first implementation of the
enhanced operating system at SCO Forum in Santa Cruz, Calif., today
through Thursday.

According to SCO, support for AST's Manhattan SMP will be integrated into
the next release of SCO MPX. This defines the AST Manhattan SMP as a
standard platform for SCO MPX, its multiprocessing extension to the SCO
UNIX System. SCO will fully support AST's symmetric hardware with MPX 2.0
and future releases of SCO MPX.

The Manhattan SMP's non-proprietary architecture also provides full
compatibility with LAN environments, including Novell Netware, Banyan
VINES for SCO, IBM's OS/2, as well as Microsoft Windows NT and LAN Manager
for Windows NT when they become available. When combined with operating
systems like Microsoft Windows NT, AST's Manhattan SMP will be an ideal
platform for corporate rightsizing and client-server computing.

AST's multiprocessor provides the scalability traditionally found in
mid-range systems. With suggested retail prices beginning at $26,995, the
base system is priced at a fraction of the cost of a comparable
minicomputer. AST will be selling the Manhattan SMP through skilled VARS
and systems integrators with knowledge of SCO UNIX and other operating
systems. Each system will be custom configured by AST and can be preloaded
with the core operating system. Product is slated for general availability
in December 1992.

"The introduction of this class of machine that incorporates performance
and reliability levels comparable to minicomputers is like the
minicomputer revolution of the '70s all over again," said Michael Krieger,
AST's director of advanced systems marketing. "Whereas minis replaced
mainframes, multiprocessors -- such as AST's Manhattan SMP -- will replace
minis with lower cost, open system design that opens up the world of
industry standard software and peripherals to end users."

Businesses interested in rightsizing and those who need more power should
consider AST's Manhattan SMP, a more affordable open platform than a
mainframe or proprietary minicomputer, he added.

The system's compatibility with industry standard hardware and
shrink-wrapped operating systems, its acceptance of industry standard CPUs
and SIMMs, SCSI-2 backplane and EISA I/O bus design provide the
cost-effective scalable performance for which these customers are looking.


Fully Symmetric Multi-processing

The Manhattan SMP supports up to four microprocessors. Through symmetric
multiprocessing, all processing tasks are evenly distributed among the
available CPUs allowing any CPU in the system to service any I/O
peripheral or software interrupt. This full exploitation of multiple CPUs
provides accelerated I/O and CPU throughput.

"As you add CPUs you get nearly linear performance improvement with fully
symmetric multiprocessing," said Krieger. "In asymmetric design, such as
Compaq's SystemPro, bottlenecks may occur because only one processor can
handle the I/O interrupts and the full benefits of multiple CPUs cannot be
realized." 

Base System

The Manhattan SMP supports growth in all key areas, including CPU, memory,
disk array storage and connectivity.

The Intel 486DX/50 microprocessor was selected for the Manhattan SMP
initial models because of the variety of shrinkwrapped applications that
are compatible with Intel's x86 architecture.

The base system features an i486DX/50 microprocessor with 256KB of cache
with a system maximum of four processor boards; a 64-bit system bus design
able to expand to 128 bits; 16MB of error-correcting (ECC) memory,
expandable to 256MB system total; AST's five-channel disk array controller
with the capability to support up to 16 disk drives; two 500MB SCSI-2 hard
drives, expandable to a maximum of 16 drives in the enclosure; hot
replacement of disk drives and mirroring capabilities.

The system also features eight EISA slots and two ISA slots, one 3.5-inch
floppy drive, two serial ports, one parallel port, one keyboard/mouse port
and Super VGA.

Compatibility The Manhattan SMP incorporates six key compatibility

features:

* Non-proprietary architecture with the capability, using cross compilers,
for migrating applications from proprietary systems, as well as the
compatibility with industry-standard operating systems allowing it to run
thousands of off-the-shelf applications;

* Extended BIOS Interface (EBI) which insulates software from hardware
upgrades and enhancements;

* Use of common microprocessors, such as the Intel 486DX/50 which is
incorporated into the first models, with the capability to support other
current and future microprocessor technologies;

* An EISA I/O bus allowing the use of current and future 32-bit technology
and use of existing ISA computer peripherals;

* Industry-standard SIMM memory modules for easy memory upgrades;

* SCSI peripheral support implemented with a SCSI-2 backplane allowing the
system to be configured with industry-standard hard drives and peripheral
devices.

Scalability, High Availability, Upgradeability, Serviceability 

At the heart of the system design is an advanced bus architecture
separating the CPU from the EISA bus. This provides the capability to
support both current and future high performance processors, including
advanced CISC and RISC microprocessors.

Providing the high availability necessary for critical applications, the
Manhattan SMP is designed with disk array technology, including RAID
levels 0, 1 and 5; hot replacement of disk drives while the system is in
use; ECC memory circuitry for correction of single-bit errors to protect
data integrity; and 625-watt power supply with optional current-sharing
backup supply and UPS support for optimal fault resilience.

The Manhattan enclosure has room for up to sixteen 3.5-inch SCSI-2 drives,
each mounted in a slide-out, plug-in tray for easy replacement. Hinged
front and side doors provide easy access to all drive and system
components. Like AST's Premium servers, the Manhattan SMP also can be
configured with an optional expansion cabinet. The cabinet supports up to
16 additional 3.5-inch SCSI-2 drives, netting the Manhattan more than 32GB
of on-line redundant storage.

For ease in system monitoring, a front panel provides two-way interaction
between the system operator and the system itself where error codes can be
reported and processed, processor activity can be monitored at a glance
and number of logged-in users and disk channel activity can be
determined.

Service and Support

AST will support the Manhattan SMP through its worldwide network of
reseller-operated AST Advanced Systems Support Centers, staffed by
AST-trained technicians offering on-site service.

Twelve-month on-site warranty maintenance service is standard. Optional
service upgrades include support for SCO UNIX and Novell NetWare operating
systems, two or four-hour maintenance response time, 12-hour coverage five
or six days per week, and 24-hour coverage seven days per week.
Availability of these programs vary by country.

AST also provides a toll-free Advanced Technical Support hotline for
answers to technical questions. AST technicians are certified on major
industry standard operating systems and software in addition to hardware.
AST On-Line!, a 24-hour per day electronic bulletin board service, and AST
Info-FAX service provide access to AST information via modem or facsimile
machine. 

Corporate Background

Recently ranked No. 431 on the Fortune 500 list of America's largest
industrial companies, AST Research is a leading market share holder of
desktop, file server and notebook computers. The company's product lines,
which include the Premium, Bravo, Advantage! and Premium Exec families,
allow users to choose from a full range of price and performance options.


AST is represented in more than 100 countries and operates 39 subsidiaries
and sales offices worldwide. The company reported record revenues of
$944.1 million for the 1992 fiscal year which ended June 27, 1992,
compared with revenues of $688.5 million for fiscal year 1991.

AST Research corporate headquarters is located at 16215 Alton Parkway,
Irvine, Calif., 92718. Telephone: (714) 727-4141 or (800) 876-4278. Fax:
(714) 727-9355.
--------------------------------------------------------
SCO FORUM, SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Aug. 18, 1992 -- Through a codevelopment
effort, AST Research Inc. and The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. (SCO) today
demonstrated the first implementation of SCO MPX 2.0 software to support
fully symmetric hardware on AST's new open-architecture Manhattan SMP
multiprocessor.

According to SCO, support for AST's symmetric hardware specification will
be integrated into the next release of SCO MPX. This defines the AST
Manhattan SMP system as a standard platform for SCO MPX, its
multiprocessor extension to the SCO UNIX system.

"By working together throughout the development process, AST and SCO are
spreading the message that joint efforts provide an effective means to
reach the end user who can benefit most from these emerging technologies,"
said Michael Krieger, AST's director of advanced systems marketing. AST
also has worked closely with other software vendors to ensure that AST's
hardware is fully compatible with all the leading operating systems, he
added.

"Shrink-wrapped support for Intel-based multiprocessing with SCO MPX,
combined with AST's fully symmetric hardware, provides the type of
throughput previously realized only on proprietary minicomputers," said
Grover Righter, SCO's director of product management. "This performance
can now be had with the Manhattan SMP and SCO MPX at significantly less
cost."

AST's Manhattan SMP is designed as a cost-effective alternative to
proprietary minicomputers, an open-architecture platform for large
multi-user UNIX environments and/or a means to consolidate or add to
critical LAN server environments. It supports up to four microprocessors
with the first models incorporating the Intel 486DX/50. The multiprocessor
is engineered to support other current and future CPU technologies as
well.

SCO MPX is an extension to the SCO UNIX Operating System and SCO Open
Desktop that unleashes the full power of 386 and 486 multiprocessor
computers. SCO MPX is the only shrink-wrapped solution for Intel-based
UNIX systems that can take advantage of more than one processor on today's
386/486 multiprocessor systems.

"SCO's significance in the marketplace as a provider of highly reliable,
multifunctional industry-standard operating systems make it an ideal
partner for promoting open-system architecture," said AST's Krieger.

An AST/SCO Engineering Services Agreement, in place for several years,
includes both AST's newly introduced Manhattan SMP and SCO MPX current and
future software releases. The agreement is designed to ensure that both
companies' support staff can be well-versed in the latest product
developments of each company. Service problems can then be taken care of
quickly through established procedures.

AST and SCO share many of the same channels of distribution.

"Open architecture and shrink-wrapped software provide the most flexibility
to the developer community and resellers," said Krieger. "In the case of
the Manhattan, we will support the VAR by preloading the kernel as an
option to reduce the burden of configuring the system."

The VAR, in turn, adds value by tuning the system to the application.

AST originally approached SCO to determine what hardware design would best
support SCO's future operating systems. 

"SCO provided valuable feedback in both architecture and system design,"
said Krieger. For example, the attention button located on the front panel
of AST's Manhattan SMP was designed specifically with SCO UNIX in mind. It
provides an easy method to bring the system into the single user mode for
maintenance or service.

The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. is a privately held company recognized
internationally as the business choice for open systems software. SCO's
wide range of UNIX System software solutions for 386/486 computers
includes SCO Open Desktop, the SCO UNIX Operating System and the SCO MPX
multiprocessor extension. To date, SCO has shipped more than 700,000 UNIX
Systems -- more than any other vendor -- and fields one of the largest
technical teams in the world.

Founded in 1979, SCO maintains corporate business and development
headquarters in Santa Cruz, Calif., London and Toronto, and major regional
offices in Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Singapore,
Sydney, Tokyo and throughout the United States.

AST Research, on the Fortune 500 list of America's largest industrial
companies, is a leading market share holder of desktop, file server and
notebook computers. The company's product lines include the, Premium,
Bravo, Advantage! and Premium Exec families.

AST is represented in more than 100 countries and operates 39 subsidiaries
and sales offices worldwide. The company reported record revenues of
$944.1 million for the 1992 fiscal year which ended June 27, 1992,
compared with revenues of $688.5 million for fiscal year 1991.

AST Research corporate headquarters is located at 16215 Alton Parkway,
Irvine, Calif., 92718. Telephone: (714) 727-4141 or (800) 876-4278. Fax:
(714) 727-9355.

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