Barr Systems Announces Barr Enterprise Communications Server™ ,the First Fully Configurable Mainframe Connectivity Solution

Gainesville,Fla.-Barr Systems, Inc. today unveiled its Barr Enterprise Communications Server™, the first fully configurable channel-attached communications controller. Based upon the Microsoft Windows NT® operating system, Barr offers all the necessary tools in one complete package for making the mainframe part of the network. With up to four host connections using the reliable BARR/CHANNEL adapter for either Bus & Tag or ESCON and up to five network connectivity options including Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Token Ring, ATM, and FDDI, the Barr server is built to fit into any network topology. Additionally, market leaders, such as Microsoft’s SNA Server or IBM's eNetwork Communications Server, provide the SNA gateway functions for Windows NT.

With the emergence of the Inter- and Intranet as a business medium and IP as the premier networking protocol, Barr Systems evaluated today's trends and responded with a turnkey solution for network integration and web-to-host implementation. One trend is to completely eliminate SNA from the network, or at least seamlessly integrate it with IP. Another trend, cited by Barr, is to make the mainframe an integral part of the Intranet and accessible to everyone with just a web browser.

"We interact with our customers on a daily basis," Tony Barr, President and CEO of Barr Systems, Inc. explains, "We see how much they have to deal with and how hard their jobs are. We try to make it a little easier. And, providing a fully-configurable turnkey solution goes a long way toward achieving this goal."

Barr customers are given a choice in the basic configuration of the Barr server, including CPU, hard drive, RAM, and removable media. This ensures that the machine received is truly what the customer wants and is scalable enough to meet future needs. The server comes with all software preloaded and pre-configured to the customer's specifications. Truly a plug-and-play solution, the Barr Enterprise Communications Server is meant to take the headache out of network integration.

Barr Systems, Inc. leads the industry in design, manufacture, and support of high-performance data communications products. Its PC-based software and hardware products provide solutions to Fortune 1,000 organizations for enterprise-wide connectivity and printing. Incorporated in 1978, the company serves an international customer base that has installed more than 32,000 products. For more information about Barr Systems and its full range of connectivity and high-speed printing solutions, call 800-BARR-SYS, or 352-491-3100, or visit the Barr web site at www.barrsys.com.