Compaq Computer Corp yesterday modernised its line with a raft of hardware and software releases. The goodies ranged from a jazzed-up version of the LTE laptop, through to workgroup servers and enhanced networking. The LTE Elite, Compaq’s latest laptop, is designed to be processor- and peripheral-upgradable. The unit can house processors from a Am486DX2/40 up to a DX4/75MHz chip. It will also be able to house the new 100MHz DX/4 and supports removable hard disks with capacity from 170Mb to 510Mb, and offers memory from 4Mb to 20Mb. The 9.5 thin-film transistor liquid crystal diode display is available in monochrome and colour versions. Other features of the unit include two PCMCIA Type II slots which can be used together as a type III slot, and Local Bus graphics. There is an integrated trackball and Compaq SCSI adaptor. The system, which comes with a three-year warranty, has been developed under the Frontline agreement with Microsoft Corp, which according to Compaq means that the machine is optimised to work with the up-and-coming Chicago Windows 4.0 release. The unit includes standby and hibernation facilites to save power, and starts from UKP2,600.

Docking modules

Users wanting to plug their LTE Elite into something more substantial can buy the Compaq Smartstation or Compaq Ministation docking modules. The Smartstation includes VCR-style automatic docking which eats your Elite once you’ve inserted it. It supports docking in any mode either on or off, and includes integrated Ethernet and EZ-SCSI. The system can support a 1,280 by 1,024 graphics board with a monitor, and costs UKP500. The Ministation is a smaller expansion base but includes a Token Ring network option, and SCSI-2 capability. The Ministation costs from UKP245. The desktop Prolinea Net1/33s is an addition to the 25MHz Net/1 product launched in November last year. The Net1/33s has a larger hard drive, more software and – big surprise – a larger processor. The machine uses a 33MHz 80486SX processor with 8Kb cache, upgradable all the way through to a 66MHz 80486DX2. The machine uses 4Mb RAM, and can hold 20Mb. It comes with either integrated Token Ring or Ethernet networking, and includes software such as Tabworks, the firm’s licensed Windows desktop manager, and unlike its smaller brother it comes with Compaq’s Network Setup facility which facilitates the installation of NIC drivers for all major network operating systems. It also includes Novell Inc’s Universal NetWare Client software. Like other Compaq kit, the machine comes with a three-year warranty. It is also Energystar-compliant. It starts at UKP900. Compaq wants to take advantage of the burgeoning workgroup market sector with the launch of its Prosignia VS workgroup server. The machine, designed to slot in at the entry level below the Prosignia server, is aimed at networks with fewer than 20 users. Coming in 486SX/33, DX/33 and DX2/66 versions, the unit has five mass storage bays. The 80486SX version houses 8Mb memory and the others have 16Mb. Memory is expandable to 128Mb. It has four or five EISA slots compared with the Prosignia’s six, and includes either a Netflex-2 ENET board or a NetFlex-2 TR board, either of which give users double bandwidth on the network by eliminating collision detection. There is a SmartStart option for the Prosignia VS, and the machine starts at UKP1,300. SmartStart, which is Compaq’s Compact Disk-Read-Only Memory server configuration technology, will be upgraded in April and will include support for the new Compaq Ethernet and Token Ring controllers, and options to upgrade to Windows NT Advanced Server. SmartStart costs UKP50. Finally, the Houston, Texas company launched the Compaq Insight Manager 2.10, which is a new version of its monitoring tool for server machines. It now supports the Compaq Prosignia VS machine, and can manage the full-duplex Ethernet Compaq NetFlex-2 board. In the event of an internetwork failure, the program is designed to keep the administrator in touch with all servers being managed, and now enables users to connect remotely to perform cont

rol functions.