Sun Microsystems' work to provide a viable alternative to currently available x86 operating system software has received a boost with the announcement that its Solaris operating system (OS) is available on a wider variety of AMD Opteron and Intel Xeon-based systems. The vendor says a further 15 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have agreed to produce systems running Solaris, bringing to 20 the total number of Sun's x86 platform partners.
"The OEMs represent a range of servers, workstations, supercomputers, telecom equipment platforms, VPNs, notebook computers and other products. The addition of new system and embedded device OEM partners helps Sun to extend the reach of the Solaris while opening up new market opportunities for OEMs by providing them with an established enterprise-class OS," says Dumisani Mtoba, senior systems engineer at Sun Microsystems SA.
"Following the agreement with Rackable Systems announced last month, this further support from OEMs demonstrates a market need for a proven alternative x86 platform."
As Sun actively grows the independent hardware vendor (IHV) ecosystem for Solaris x86, Mtoba believes a snowball effect will occur in terms of driving independent software vendor (ISV) adoptions. "Key ISVs like BEA, Sybase, and Veritas have already signed on to support their solutions on Solaris x86. With over 900 solutions from more than 600 ISV partners on Solaris x86, Sun is rapidly expanding the community for the Solaris, giving our clients a secure, reliable and cost-effective alternative x86 operating system."
The OEM programme for the Solaris x86 is a low-risk, high ROI initiative since there is no cost involved for system builders to participate. OEMs are able to freely certify their systems using Sun's Hardware Compatibility Test Suite. They can also license the Solaris OS for redistribution to customers under flexible general purpose or embedded use licensing. As part of the programme, Sun provides worldwide backline support, contractual support at the development coding level, as well as low-cost training and free resources.
OEMs can also participate in the Sun Software Express programme for Solaris OS to preview the next-generation Solaris 10 OS and enable faster time-to-market with the latest technologies.
Sun's hardware compatibility list (HCL) for Solaris x86 has doubled in size in the last six months and currently includes more than 200 supported x86 systems from both Sun and third-party vendors. The Solaris OS HCL offers certification to system builders and IHVs looking to leverage the Sun brand and the growing market for Solaris x86.
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