Phoenix Readies Firmware for Intel IA-64

Phoenix Technologies Ltd. today announced that its Ready64 firmware package with multiple operating system support now is running on engineering samples of Intel Corp.'s forthcoming 64-bit processors.

Phoenix's Ready64 firmware package is the very basic system software that allows a system's hardware and software to interoperate.

Featuring full backward BIOS (basic input-output system) compatibility with the current Intel IA-32 platform, Ready64 will support several operating systems optimized for the 64-bit IA-64 platform, Phoenix said in a statement.

Among the supported operating systems are Microsoft Corp.'s forthcoming 64-bit version of Windows, the IA-64 version of Linux, Monterey64, Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP-UX optimized for IA-64, Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Solaris for Merced, and Novell Inc.'s Modesto.

Intel is scheduled to start shipping the first IA-64 processor, code-named Merced, by mid-2000.

Separately, Compaq Computer Corp. today confirmed that it will not port its Tru64 Unix operating system to the 64-bit Intel platform.

The integrated IA-32 BIOS of Ready64 provides full IA-32 compatibility, Phoenix said, and includes hooks and interfaces for easy integration with Intel's 460GX PCIset and as well as other custom chip sets.

Phoenix said that it has already licensed Ready64 to leading computer vendors, including Groupe Bull, Hitachi Ltd., NEC Corp., Sequent Computer Systems Inc., Siemens AG, Stratus Computer and Unisys Corp.

Phoenix, in San Jose, can be reached on the Web at http://www.phoenix.com.