Tenon Intersystems : Press Release

iTools for Mac OS X: Serious Tools for the Internet

Santa Barbara, CA, May 10, 1999. Tenon Intersystems today announced a new suite of internet tools for Apple's next-generation Mac OS X. Building upon their award-winning WebTen software, Tenon is creating a suite of internet tools for both Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server. Tenon's new iTools extends and enhances Mac OS X 's networking performance, efficiency, ease-of-use, and functionality with a family of tools essential to serious, commercial content delivery and eCommerce.

Based on standard, open source protocol implementations, iTools is designed to complement and extend the Apache that is included with Apple's OS X Server and to make it easy for webmasters to set up and support sophisticated network servers. Using Apple's bundled Apache as a point-of-departure, Tenon's iTools extends this underlying server platform with a point & click interface and a rich set of new features. Included with iTools, in addition to extensions and enhancements to the Mac OS X Apache web server, are a powerful WEBmail server, a state-of-the-art domain name server, a multihoming FTP server, a robust SSL encryption engine to support eCommerce, a powerful caching engine with state-of-the-art proxy support, and a Sherlock-savvy search engine. All of the tools are supported using a secure, point & click, browser-based administration tool.

Mac OS X's iTools for Apache is an evolution of Tenon's WebTen for Mac OS, heralded for being the easiest and fastest Apache in the world. The WEBmail tool turns a Mac OS X system into a complete POP3, IMAP and anytime, anywhere, 'hotmail'-style mailserver. The DNS tool enhances and extends Mac OS X's domain name service with dynamic load balancing. The FTP tool includes support for virtual FTP hosts, password protected FTP and anonymous FTP. In accordance with Apple's Darwin Open Source Initiative, many of the tools will also be available with complete source code under GNU open source licensing.

Apple's Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server is built on a Carnegie Mellon MACH kernel and Berkeley BSD 4.4 foundation. This framework provides a rich multiuser environment, with preemptive multitasking and memory protection - making the new G3 processors ideal platforms for internet servers. "With the G3 machines, Mac OS X and iTools all the components for world-class content delivery are in-place," said Steve Holmgren, President and CEO of Tenon. "With WebTen (for Mac OS) and iTools (for Mac OS X and OS X Server), content creation and delivery can begin on Mac OS and, as requirements grow, gracefully evolve to OS X and OS X Server, giving webmasters an evolutionary path across Mac OS systems of all sizes and power. Webmasters can start with a traditional Mac OS system and, as their needs grow, graduate to Mac OS X and ultimately to larger workstations, all with a consistent architecture for secure web & mail delivery systems."

iTools for Mac OS X Server will ship in June; iTools for Mac OS X will be available as soon as Mac OS X ships. WebTen 4.0, a point and click Apache for OS X Server and the precursor to iTools, is currently being offered at the introductory price of $299. All WebTen 4.0 customers will receive a free upgrade to iTools for Mac OS X Server. Price for iTools on OS X Server and OS X has not yet been determined.

Founded in 1989, Tenon Intersystems is a leader in high-performance networking. Tenon technology, combined with the power of Apple's G3-based machines, is providing the framework for world-class networking on the Macintosh. WebTen was recently selected as the Macworld Editor's Choice for Best Server Software, outpacing WebSTAR and Apple's ASIP. Tenon Intersystems can be reached in the U.S. at 805-963-6983, by the internet at sales@tenon.com, or via the web at .