Interlink Computer Sciences
Encyclopedia
Interlink Computer Sciences, of Fremont, California
, was a developer of hardware and software that allowed IBM
mainframe computer
s running the MVS
operating system to be connected to non-IBM networks.
Interlink was founded in 1983 by Lambert Onuma and Greg Thompson, formerly of Digital Equipment Corporation
. The company's first product, called simply Interlink, allowed IBM mainframes to be connected to VAX
computers on a DECnet
network.
In 1990, Interlink acquired a product called ACCES/MVS from Advanced Computer Communications, which implemented a native TCP/IP protocol stack on the MVS operating system. First released in 1986, ACCES/MVS had been the first commercial TCP/IP implementation for MVS mainframes. Interlink developed and marketed this product as SNS/TCPaccess. The prefix was later dropped, and TCPaccess
became the company's main focus of development by the mid-1990s.
Meanwhile, in 1989, IBM had introduced its own TCP/IP offering on MVS. This product had been ported
from the VM
operating system, and required expensive and inefficient protocol conversions. Interlink was able to successfully sell TCPaccess as a more efficient and better-performing alternative, and as late as 1996 it still held 25% of the TCP/IP market on MVS. As the decade progressed, IBM improved its product, and Interlink's market share steadily eroded.
In August 1996, Interlink became a public corporation, with an initial offering of $10 per share on the NASDAQ
exchange. In December of that year, a strategic agreement was announced with Cisco Systems
to jointly develop and market the TCPaccess product as Cisco IOS for S/390. Shares of Interlink stock jumped to $15 on this news, and ultimately approached $18. Sales of the re-branded Cisco product fell below expectations, and Interlink struggled to rebuild its own sales channel. Interlink stock eventually fell below $4 per share.
In 1998, Interlink introduced e-Control, a new TCP/IP network management product for the mainframe. The company came to the attention of Dallas-based Sterling Software Inc.
, which had its own product in this space. In March, 1999, Sterling announced it had agreed to acquire Interlink Computer Sciences Inc. for $7 per share. The deal was valued at $64 million. On May 3, 1999, the acquisition was completed.
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
, was a developer of hardware and software that allowed IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
mainframe computer
Mainframe computer
Mainframes are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.The term originally referred to the...
s running the MVS
MVS
Multiple Virtual Storage, more commonly called MVS, was the most commonly used operating system on the System/370 and System/390 IBM mainframe computers...
operating system to be connected to non-IBM networks.
Interlink was founded in 1983 by Lambert Onuma and Greg Thompson, formerly of Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
. The company's first product, called simply Interlink, allowed IBM mainframes to be connected to VAX
VAX
VAX was an instruction set architecture developed by Digital Equipment Corporation in the mid-1970s. A 32-bit complex instruction set computer ISA, it was designed to extend or replace DEC's various Programmed Data Processor ISAs...
computers on a DECnet
DECnet
DECnet is a suite of network protocols created by Digital Equipment Corporation, originally released in 1975 in order to connect two PDP-11 minicomputers. It evolved into one of the first peer-to-peer network architectures, thus transforming DEC into a networking powerhouse in the 1980s...
network.
In 1990, Interlink acquired a product called ACCES/MVS from Advanced Computer Communications, which implemented a native TCP/IP protocol stack on the MVS operating system. First released in 1986, ACCES/MVS had been the first commercial TCP/IP implementation for MVS mainframes. Interlink developed and marketed this product as SNS/TCPaccess. The prefix was later dropped, and TCPaccess
TCPaccess
TCPaccess is a software product which implements the TCP/IP protocol suite on IBM mainframe computers using the MVS operating system. It was developed in 1986 by Advanced Computer Communications under the name ACCES/MVS,...
became the company's main focus of development by the mid-1990s.
Meanwhile, in 1989, IBM had introduced its own TCP/IP offering on MVS. This product had been ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
from the VM
VM (operating system)
VM refers to a family of IBM virtual machine operating systems used on IBM mainframes System/370, System/390, zSeries, System z and compatible systems, including the Hercules emulator for personal computers. The first version, released in 1972, was VM/370, or officially Virtual Machine Facility/370...
operating system, and required expensive and inefficient protocol conversions. Interlink was able to successfully sell TCPaccess as a more efficient and better-performing alternative, and as late as 1996 it still held 25% of the TCP/IP market on MVS. As the decade progressed, IBM improved its product, and Interlink's market share steadily eroded.
In August 1996, Interlink became a public corporation, with an initial offering of $10 per share on the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
exchange. In December of that year, a strategic agreement was announced with Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
to jointly develop and market the TCPaccess product as Cisco IOS for S/390. Shares of Interlink stock jumped to $15 on this news, and ultimately approached $18. Sales of the re-branded Cisco product fell below expectations, and Interlink struggled to rebuild its own sales channel. Interlink stock eventually fell below $4 per share.
In 1998, Interlink introduced e-Control, a new TCP/IP network management product for the mainframe. The company came to the attention of Dallas-based Sterling Software Inc.
Sterling Software
Sterling Software was an American software company founded in Dallas, Texas in 1981 by Sterling Williams and brothers Sam and Charles Wyly. The company was acquired by Computer Associates International in 2000 in a stock-for-stock transaction worth $3.3 billion.Computer Associates sold Sterling...
, which had its own product in this space. In March, 1999, Sterling announced it had agreed to acquire Interlink Computer Sciences Inc. for $7 per share. The deal was valued at $64 million. On May 3, 1999, the acquisition was completed.