From a sheer sales standpoint, it appears the PC architecture is gaining favor. Growing Up Intel-based servers emerged nearly 10 years ago, handling print, file and other mundane applications. Then they graduated to small workgroups, providing e-mail, groupware, intranets, local accounting applications and Internet access. Packard's worldwide product manager. A major breakthrough in PC server performance came several years ago with the introduction of four-way multiprocessing.
Database applications require more processing to extract information.
Intel's Pentium Pro chip, introduced last year, ratcheted up performance another notch by boosting processor frequencies and memory cache. Together, these improvements produce PC servers with enterprise-class capabilities. For example, Compaq's new ProLiant 7000 and ProLiant 6500 support up to four 200MHz Pentium Pro processors with 1MB of Level 2 cache memory, according to the company. These machines are built to take on demanding applications such as SAP back-office programs and Oracle databases, said Young. Now there are probably around 1,500 installations running SAP on Compaq servers.