-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUN UNVEILS NEW SPARC SERVERS SunFLASH Vol 12 #3 December 1989 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Products Highlight Sun's Server Strategy: Complete Solution for Workgroup Computing MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --December 6, 1989-- Sun Microsystems today introduced two new SPARC(TM) servers, including a new high-performance, general-purpose server with a better balance of compute power, I/O performance and networking capabilities than any competing product. These new systems complement and expand the existing SPARCserver product family, giving Sun the most complete RISC/UNIX(R) solution available today for workgroup and departmental computing. These new systems, the powerful, next-generation SPARCserver(TM) 490 and the entry-level, low-cost SPARCserver 1, deliver on Sun's network computing strategy and address the most demanding computational, file server, database management, compute, and multi-user server requirements of professionals in both small and large organizations. "Sun pioneered the open, client/server model of computing and today's announcements strengthen our number one position in workgroup computing," said Scott McNealy, Sun president. "These new products further strengthen our leadership position in technical markets and also open up new opportunities in commercial and personal productivity environments." Sun's workgroup computing model is uniquely designed to meet the needs of professional workgroups. These range from small, price-sensitive organizations with a few users to large departments with hundreds of users. Sun's solution includes a range of servers and high-performance workstations that can easily be connected to existing computer resources, even if they are from different vendors. This Sun hardware is combined with comprehensive networking and data management products that cost-effectively store, route and manage large amounts of data and automate complex, computationally intensive group processes. New Servers Add to SPARCserver Family The SPARCserver 490 and SPARCserver 1 complete the high and low ends, respectively, of Sun's software-compatible server family. Like all SPARCservers, these new systems can access the largest library of UNIX/RISC applications available today: more than 1,400 third-party solutions. They also take advantage of recently introduced networking and data management products from Sun. Sun's SPARCserver family ranges from low-cost office servers to large data center systems. Existing products in the family are the SPARCserver 330 and SPARCserver 370, geared for entry- and mid-level departmental needs, and the SPARCserver 390, which is a more powerful and expandable mid-range data center server. High-End Server Uses Advanced I/O Technology The SPARCserver 490 is the most powerful server ever developed by Sun. As a database server, for example, the SPARCserver 490 can sustain 47 transactions per second . This performance is higher than the quoted transaction performance of the top-of-the-line VAX 6000 and the HP Series 800 systems, which are two to four times more expensive. As a compute server, the new SPARC system offers more than 90 percent faster floating point performance than the Hewlett-Packard Model 855S, yet is less than half the price. The SPARCserver 490 delivers performance of 22 MIPS , 16.8 SPECmarks and 3.8 MFLOPS (double precision Linpack). It utilizes Intelligent Peripheral Interface (IPI) disk subsystems, which use a sophisticated I/O technology previously found only in mainframes and supercomputers. This gives it the performance and throughput needed for the most demanding file, database management, multi-user and compute server applications. The SPARCserver 490 is housed in a highly expandable, 56-inch, 16-slot data center cabinet and supports up to 160 megabytes of error correcting code (ECC) main memory and 32 gigabytes of disk capacity. Sun is the first distributed computing vendor to utilize IPI, first offering this advanced technology in the SPARCserver 390, introduced in April. With Sun's implementation of IPI, the SPARCserver 490 can sustain extremely fast disk I/O transfer rates of more than 9 megabytes per second. In addition to supporting multiple high-speed, front-loading 1/2-inch tape drives, the SPARCserver 490 can also be configured with up to two high-capacity, 8-millimeter cartridge tape backup drives. Each cartridge can store up to 2.3 gigabytes of data, minimizing operator intervention and lowering storage costs. "What you see here is not a traditional Sun workstation, or even a compute server. This is Sun's unveiling of a true general-purpose server, with balanced features that go far beyond a `hot box'," said Dr. Eric Schmidt, vice president of Sun's General Systems Group. "For example, with the combination of IPI disk technology and an I/O cache, we have virtually eliminated I/O as a bottleneck in the SPARCserver 490." SPARCserver 490 Includes Other I/O and Networking Enhancements The SPARCserver 490 includes other high-performance features such as a 64-bit memory bus with sustained throughput of 120 megabytes/second, a Sun-patented I/O cache for fast disk and network throughput and a higher-speed VMEbus that supports I/O transfer rates up to 22 megabytes/second. The system also utilizes a new memory management unit that dramatically increases the context switching speed of the system for fast response times in large multi-user applications. The SPARCserver 490 delivers its full performance potential to the network by supporting multiple Ethernet or high-bandwidth 100-megabit/second FDDI network connections. Literally hundreds of workstations, PCs, terminals and X-terminals can be connected to the system through the network. SPARCserver 1: Lowest-Cost Server Solution For Small Workgroups The SPARCserver 1 is Sun's entry-level, low-cost server. With its compact office package (2.8 x 16 x 16 inches), the system delivers a powerful 12.5 MIPS , 8.3 SPECmarks and 1.4 MFLOPS, with industry-leading price/performance for small workgroups of Network File System (NFS(TM)) clients. In addition to supporting other workstations, the SPARCserver 1 is an ideal file server for personal computers running PC-NFS. Apple Macintoshes can also be integrated into Sun's ONC/NFS(TM) heterogeneous distributed computing environment via TOPS for Sun(TM). The SPARCserver 1 delivers roughly the same performance as a DECsystem 3100 server but is priced at least 40 percent less, supporting approximately 10 times the number of applications. The system has 8 megabytes of memory, expandable to 16 megabytes. Up to four external 327-megabyte SCSI disk drives are supported for a maximum of 1.3 gigabytes of fast, low-cost mass storage. This desktop server also supports the new SunCD, a Compact Disk-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) storage device with audio and data capabilities for a UNIX workstation or server. For local backup requirements, a 150-megabyte 1/4-inch tape drive is also available. In addition, the SPARCserver 1 features three SBus expansion slots that can be used for adding features such as a second Ethernet card. New Networking and Data Management Products Enhancing the functionality of Sun's new servers are recently introduced networking and data management offerings. NetISAM is Sun's networked Indexed Sequential Access Method (ISAM) product, which developers use to create applications that can access, retrieve, add, delete and modify data files across a heterogeneous network. For more demanding data management needs, Sun systems support powerful relational database management systems (RDBMS) and applications from leading vendors, such as Informix, Ingres, Oracle and Sybase. Sun's servers can also benefit from the products that are part of Sun's comprehensive networking solution for a distributed computing environment, called SunNet(TM). SunNet products deliver industry-leading network functionality across Sun's entire range of SPARC servers. This family includes the SunLink(TM) products, which allow connectivity to proprietary environments such as DECnet and IBM's SNA; the Open Networking Computing (ONC(TM)) products for the development of distributed applications; and Sun's new network management tools. Configurations To Meet All Needs The SPARCserver 490 comes in several pre-packaged configurations. A system with 32 megabytes of main memory, 2 gigabytes of IPI storage and a data center cabinet is priced at $113,900. Sun will begin initial shipments of the SPARCserver 490 by the end of December, with volume shipments in 60 days. Sun is offering upgrades for its existing customers. Those with a SPARCserver 390 can move up to the more powerful SPARCserver 490 simply by swapping CPU and memory boards. Upgrades are also available for the Sun-4/280, Sun-3/280 and Sun-3/480 data center servers. The entry price of the SPARCserver 1 is $18,900, which includes 8 megabytes of main memory, 654-megabytes of disk storage and a 150-megabyte cartridge tape backup. The SPARCserver 1 will begin shipping in 30 days. Sun Microsystems, Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., is a leading worldwide supplier of network-based distributed computing systems, including professional workstations, servers and UNIX operating system and productivity software. Footnotes: 1) based on the TP1 transaction throughput benchmark. 2) based on the Dhrystone benchmark v.1.1. 3) SPECmarks are based on the publicly available SPEC Benchmark Suite, which calculates a mean from a series of application performance results. ### SPARC, SPARCserver, ONC, SunLink and NFS are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T. All other products or services mentioned in this document are identified by the trademarks or service marks of their respective companies or organizations. Press Contact: John Loiacono (415) 336-6424 Carrie Dillon (415) 336-3564