The industry is taking system design to a new level - one that sees the deployment of an architecture that treats the network as a computer. This architecture is called N1, a component-based foundation that comprises of computers, storage systems and IP networks.
When Sun entered the business 20 years ago, system components always included processors, disks and network I/O (input/output) All of this has changed - technology today is geared towards advancements such as Web services. N1 is designed to create a single pool of resources that can be dynamically provisioned to meet a whole list of requirements. This essentially means that whenever the demand for a service goes up or down, the N1 architecture will automatically adjust to it.
The results are quite simply, mind-blowing. Change-management can be automated, complexity reduced, resources are better utilised and total cost of ownership (TCO) lowered.
As an open architecture, N1 provides the means to virtualise the elements of a network - the servers, storage and even cabling - for it to be managed more easily and cost-effectively.
High availability is no longer just an afterthought. Redundancy is an intrinsic part of the N1 architecture. Furthermore, the architecture provides the 'Principles of Operations' that will redefine they way organisations' system resources ie processing and communications are used and organised.
With N1, computers don't just attach to networks, they are built from networks. The shift enables radically higher scale such as 10 000-plus processors, exabytes of storage and millions of IP connections.
All this is imperative if we want to move forward. This is why N1 represents Sun's long-term vision - an extension of grid computing and the whole utility model we've been promoting for years.
To sum it up, N1 will enable technology providers to offer value-add services to their customers. Helping them to manage the complexities that go with Web services.
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