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News about SPARC systems and related companies2001, March week 3 |
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| Sun Microsystems | Sun's New Entry Level HA
Servers PALO ALTO, CA - March 21, 2001 - In one of the largest technology unveilings in its history, Sun Microsystems, Inc., answers the "availability is everything" call by introducing the highly-anticipated Sun Fire servers. The new systems redefine the profile of traditional midrange servers and challenge the conventional economics of uptime with prices that start below $75,000. With this new arsenal of systems, Sun increases the competitive pressure on HP, IBM and Compaq and is poised to widen its existing marketshare gap and capture more of the $60 billion server market. The foundation for these Midframe systems is breakthrough technology and a next-generation, balanced system design that delivers mainframe-class functionality. Design innovations such as redundant component interconnection technology, the ability to dynamically split one system into multiple systems, duplicate hardware components, and "on-the-fly" processor upgrades -once unheard of in this class of system - are standard features. Scott McNealy, Sun Microsystems chairman and CEO said, "It's more bad news for the competition. After a year in which IBM and HP threw everything they could at us, including old products with new names and new products with "super" names, we still took marketshare away from them. This time we're tearing into what those re-branded mainframe makers thought was their safe haven- continuous up time, round-the-clock availability, and investment protection-and bringing it to customers who understand the value of a dollar." Sun claims that its Sun Fire systems are the only servers in this new class to offer online upgradability, which further contributes to maximum uptime. "Hot" CPU upgrades, I/O and memory upgrades, and the ability to modify core components of the Solaris Operating Environment will create shorter maintenance windows, which lead to higher uptime and service levels. In addition, the systems allow for concurrent maintenance, enabling repairs while the system - and applications - are up and running. Starting prices for the new Sun Fire server family are as follows:
Editor's note:- when Sun acquired fault tolerant SPARC manufacturer IMP in 1996, that class of high availability architecture was pretty rare. Today, as regular readers of this directory know, many of the manufacturers which make rackmount SPARC systems also offer High Availability SPARC products, and Sun's product announcement is really a catching up exercise with what other SPARC companies have been doing for quite a long time as they devise architectures to satisfy the needs of telcos and ISP's who need systems which are virtually failure free. Sun's CPU clock rates are a bit higher than some of the more established HA products from other sources, but that's a short term performance advantage. You can be sure that this is going to be a big market. |
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| SPARC Product Directory | Beware Rogue Web Site -
www.sunsparc.co.uk Baughurst, UK - March 20, 2001 - ACSL, publisher of the SPARC Product Directory today became aware that a rogue web site, www.sunsparc.co.uk, was without our permission running our web site header graphic, and also without permission had copied significant amounts of content from our UK reseller page. We have no connection with this site, and have taken steps to ensure that the content is removed, or that the site is shut down. We are also making readers aware that the rogue site is violating the use of other trade marks, including that of SPARC International, Inc, which has been made aware of the problem. Trademarks are powerful marketing tools, and they are designed to give reassurance of the bona fides of the companies which use them. We deplore the blatant theft of copyright material from our web site, including our site logo, and a table of links, which is the result of years of research and editorial selection from vendor supplied contributions, and would like to warn potential users to be careful, if they intend to transact business with the above mentioned site. Postscript:- ACSL contacted the offending web site owner and their web hosting company. In UK law a web host becomes liable for damages connected with copyright theft, passing off or other content related issues, if it has been sent notice of such content, and takes no action to shut down the site. SPARC International's legal team also contacted the site manager and indicated the legal consequences of cybersquatting and trademark infringement. Most of the offending content has now been removed from the site, and we expect it to be closed down. We always follow up such cases to defend our trademarks and copyright with no exceptions. Long time readers of our print directories may remember that every page included a copyright notice in the footer, to deter people from running the 240 pages through their Xerox. These actions minimise the risk that readers will be misled by web sites which may be breaking the law. We're going to feature an article to clarify this subject soon. | ||||||||||
| Sun Microsystems | Sun Delivers First in a
Family of Plug and Play Cluster Configurations
PALO ALTO, CA - March 19, 2001 - Sun Microsystems, Inc., today announced the availability of its first Sun[tm] Standard Cluster Configuration -- a factory tested, configured and cabled hardware and software platform that assists in rapid, low-risk implementation of highly available, failover protected network-based applications. The Sun Standard Cluster Configuration B1 is the first platform in a family of integrated cluster configurations. It is based on the Sun[tm] Cluster 3.0 software, Sun Enterprise[tm] 220R servers running the Solaris[tm] 8 Operating Environment, Sun StorEdge[tm] D1000 disk arrays, and the Netra[tm] T1 Model 105 management server. Redundant servers and storage arrays are designed to provide failover protection for improved uptime. Rigorous testing and system qualification by Sun improves the reliability of the system and the single rack factory integration of the platform streamlines the time, cost component and IT resources required for a integrating a cluster. The hardware and software in Sun Standard Cluster Configurations is integrated and tested at the system level using established best practices extracted from engineering recommendations or through field experience, to help increase system availability. "With this Sun Standard Cluster Configuration, Sun gives customers the ability to put HA environments on a fast and simple track," said Raj Das, director of marketing for the integrated products group at Sun. "With systems that can be deployed more quickly and reliably, companies can focus IT resources on revenue generating services or applications -- instead of systems integration." ...Sun Microsystems profile Editor's note:- it's good to see that standardization and the real-time demands of the electronic economy have converted these types of systems into almost commodity products. Users can't afford to wait days, or even hours to get new infrastucture installed and running. | ||||||||||
| GNP Computers | GNP Announces Record Growth
for 2000 and Strengthens Corporate Management Team with Addition of New Chief
Financial Officer
MONROVIA, Calif.- March 19, 2001 - GNP Computers today announced record revenues for 2000. The company's gross revenues increased over 230 percent from the prior year. Additionally, head count grew to 181 from 110 employees during the same period, and facilities have expanded to over 100,000 square feet from 65,000 square feet at year-end 2000. "GNP's strong customer focus, track record of providing quality products and its solid reputation as a solutions provider in the telco infrastructure market is driving our success," said Roger Baar, Ph.D., president and CEO of GNP. "We have built an organization that strives to understand and then rapidly address the varied needs of our customers. Our ability to design, manufacture, test and deploy complete client-specific solutions that meet the demanding 'Five-Nines' (99.999 percent) quality levels of the telco environment has been instrumental in our growth." To support its expanding business, GNP has added Mark Shain as its new chief financial officer. Shane's executive management experience includes 24 years in finance and administration. Most recently, he was executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Landmark Capital Enterprises, Inc. Shain began in the manufacturing sector with General Motors Corporation and United Technologies Corporation and then moved to venture capital and telecommunications firms. ...GNP Computers profile | ||||||||||
| Ideal Hardware Sun (UK) |
Ideal Hardware Forms
Partnership with Sun Microsystems UK UK, March 19 2001 - Ideal Hardware today announces the signing of an agreement with Sun Microsystems. Ideal will add to its portfolio Sun Microsystems' Microelectronics components, including SPARC-based motherboards and processors. Richard Broadbent, EMEA channels manager at Microelectronics, comments: "Sun is keen to continue driving its board-level and processor products into the telecom, XSP and OEM markets. Ideal has firmly established expertise in selling into these markets and has plans to expand its investment in these areas. This, coupled with Ideal's strong reseller network and successful track record in selling complex products, makes it the unrivalled choice as a distribution partner. Ideal will be promoting a flexible and competitive offering of SPARC-based solutions that will address the requirements of its reseller community." Seamus Twohig, Ideal's relationship director, comments on the alliance: "We recognise Sun as an incredibly significant distribution partner of today, and a key technology partner of the future, instrumental to our continuing success. Ideal recognises that the market has fragmented into a multiplicity of vertical markets where one solution does not suit all. Therefore, Ideal will work to create a strong presence in vertical markets such as Storage Service Providers (SSPs) and Telecommunications, both in the UK and Europe. ...Ideal Hardware profile | ||||||||||
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