Sun Microsystems, Inc has extended the full benefits of the Solaris operating system (OS), the number one Unix platform, to Intel and AMD-based servers with the announcement of Solaris 9 x86 Platform Edition.
By expanding its products and services into the x86 server market, Sun is delivering enterprise-class stability and security to the entry level at a greatly reduced licensing cost.
While industry competitors are seemingly abandoning Unix, Sun's strategy guarantees continuity and global support for Unix on its entire line of SPARC and x86 systems, and on third-party x86 systems.
"With the release of the Solaris 9 x86 Platform Edition, Sun is giving customers a proven, highly secure enterprise-class OS for entry-level servers," says Tertius Bezuidenhout, national SE manager at Sun Microsystems SA. He explains that by offering management and hardening features previously unavailable on x86 servers, the Solaris 9 OS provides customers with an exceptionally secure and affordable option.
"With the cost of software licensing coming under increasing scrutiny from management, companies are looking for alternatives that deliver functionality and performance at realistic price points," comments Bezuidenhout.
"Solaris delivers an immaculate security and stability track record at unprecedented prices lowering the total cost of acquisition by a factor of as much as 15," he notes.
The Solaris 9 OS also offers newly integrated Sun ONE (Open Network Environment) products, along with secure networking and content delivery functionality. Sun expects to deliver an integrated Sun ONE software portfolio on the Solaris x86 Platform Edition within the calendar year.
Non-commercial usage is available at no charge, while commercial pricing starts at $99 - attractive OEM pricing is also available, as is source code for Solaris.
Unlike similar servers on the market, the Solaris 9 x86 Platform Edition includes the following enterprise-class services at no additional cost:
* Directory Server - The Sun ONE Directory Server 5.1.
* Enterprise-class firewall - SunScreen 3.2 software includes enterprise-class proxy and firewall features.
* Enterprise Volume Manager - The Solaris Volume Manager scales to thousands of disk partitions and includes mirroring and striping of volumes for data integrity and performance.
* Support for IPv6 - Solaris 9 OS includes production-quality implementation.
* Secure Shell - Solaris 9 OS includes this standard protocol for heterogeneous secure remote access.
In addition, the Solaris 9 x86 Platform Edition bundles the Solaris 9 Resource Manager, valued at $1 190, at no additional cost, providing guaranteed service level for applications and improving CPU utilisation through consolidation of applications.
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Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision - "The Network Is The Computer" - has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.
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