Protogate Teams with Stromasys to Provide Solutions for Existing Customers with DEC and Simpact Hardware and Software

- A DEC VAX VMS system using Simpact ICP boards can now be replaced with a PC and Freeway server with minimal software changes -

SAN DIEGO, California, 1 March, 2017 -- Protogate Inc. has teamed with Stromasys to provide easier replacement solutions for customers who are running VMS applications on older DEC hardware and interfacing with Simpact ICP boards on Q-bus, VME, or VAXBI based systems.

Stromasys provides a software product called CHARON-VAX that runs on a Windows or Linux PC. The CHARON-VAX software emulates the low-level interface to several DEC VAX and Alpha systems. This allows a customer to run a copy of a VMS disk image on a newer PC rather than on the existing VAX hardware.

Protogate provides its Freeway server product with PCI-based ICP2432B communication boards. The Freeway/ICP2432 combination is the network-based replacement for the existing Simpact ICP products (for example: ICP1622, ICP3222, ICP3232, and ICP6000).

Protogate also provides a software product called SQIO. The SQIO software is designed to read packets from the VMS application program in the "old" ICP format, convert them to the new DLI format, and send the packets to the Freeway. It does the reverse conversion for packets coming from the Freeway. The function calls to the SQIO software are designed to be as similar as possible to the original Simpact device driver calls. This minimizes the software changes to the original VMS application program.

The following diagrams show examples of a typical VAX hardware and software replacement using the Stromasys and Protogate products:

For further information, contact the Protogate sales department via email at sales@protogate.com or via phone at (U.S.) (858) 451-0865.

Stromasys website: www.stromasys.com

Stromasys
Stromasys is the original and leading provider of enterprise-class cross-platform virtualization solutions, including PDP-11, Digital VAX and Alpha, HP 3000, and SPARC servers. The company extends the life cycle of business and mission-critical systems through virtualization, modernization, and system enhancement.

Freeway
Freeway servers are used worldwide to cross-connect, convert, translate, and monitor digital data streams between a wide variety of serial Wide-Area-Network (WAN) lines and Internet Protocol (IP) connections. They are most commonly used to provide WAN protocol line access to LAN-connected systems.

Protogate
Protogate Inc., founded in March, 2000, designs, manufactures, markets, and supports communications servers that link WAN networks to IP networks. Protogate's headquarters are located at 12225 World Trade Drive, Suite R, San Diego, California 92128, USA, telephone: 858-451-0865; fax: 877-473-0190; email: sales@protogate.com; web: www.protogate.com.

Freeway is a registered trademark of Protogate, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective holders.