As key components of Stratus' availability strategy, VOS and the Stratus fault-tolerant architecture were expressly designed to complement and strengthen each other. Created to work together seamlessly, they provide maximum availability and performance, even in the face of failure and reconfiguration.

Designed as a high-security transaction-processing environment, VOS offers you optimum power, flexibility and efficiency for critical online computing tasks. Users and developers benefit from convenient program development facilities with efficient system and user resource scheduling and allocation, along with extensive networking capabilities.

VOS Continuous Availability

VOS takes full advantage of the Stratus multiprocessor architecture. A single copy of the operating system manages tightly coupled processors within a module. This enables processors to be added to a module without modifying software or shutting down the system. And because multiprocessors share the workload for the greatest throughput, system performance is maximized. When combined with Stratus Continuum 600 and 1200 Series, VOS users benefit from the advantages of the most powerful computing environments offered by Stratus along with the strongest availability program in the industry. The scalability features of these systems ensure an easy migration and growth path, further protecting the significant investments you've made in online transaction processing (OLTP) applications.

Because continuous availability is built into Stratus' hardware architecture, it is achieved automatically at the application level - without special coding or fail-over scripting. As a result, VOS applications are easier to write, simpler to maintain, portable, and economical to customize and administer. Recognizing these strengths, Stratus software partners offer a broad portfolio of leadership VOS applications and tools with a proven record of success across a range of industries.

Easy-to-use programming environment

VOS offers a secure, easy-to-use programming environment that incorporates an advanced set of development tools. Exceptionally loyal to VOS, programmers and developers find it easier to write applications and rate the VOS multi-process debugging facilities superior to those found on any other system.

• Programming languages - The selection of high-level programming languages available to VOS developers include C, COBOL, BASIC, PL/1, FORTRAN, and Pascal, with full ANSI-compliant versions of the major programming languages.
  
  
• OpenVOS technologies - Third party open-source technologies enable you to increase VOS compatibility with open systems technologies.
  
  
• Symbolic debugger - The VOS debugging facility works with any of the available languages to significantly reduce the amount of time required to bring an application into production.
  
  
• Secure data management - The Transaction Protection Facility protects the consistency and integrity of data and provides tools for creating and administering a fast and efficient transaction processing system.
  
  
• Large number of communications protocols - VOS communications software products offer a full range of functionality, including networking, device emulation, and terminal connectivity.

Customer Service - the cornerstone of Stratus' availability strategy

Keeping your system continuously available demands more than a maintenance program designed to fix problems after they occur. At Stratus, service is never an afterthought. It is designed up-front into every system, providing a built-in competitive advantage against downtime. Pioneered by Stratus, this unique service strategy employs onboard diagnostics that allow the system itself to diagnose and report problems automatically - often before the customer even knows they exist. This is accomplished through the Remote Service Network (RSN^®).

Running over phone lines, the RSN forms a continuous direct line between every Stratus computer and the Stratus Customer Assistance Centers (CACs). Essential maintenance services such as event reporting, diagnostics, and parts shipment are all performed automatically. The CACs' experienced professionals stand ready around-the-clock to provide you with remote online service.

With Stratus, component failure does not mean system failure. Major components within the system are duplex. If one component fails, its partner continues processing; system performance is unaffected. Replacement of faulty parts, as well as system upgrades, can be accomplished easily without specialized training. Processors, main memory, disks, and communications lines, can also be added online without rebooting. All the while, the system continues normal operations.

Together, these features work to keep critical services continuously available and performing at levels that exceed the most stringent customer expectations.