---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash Sun's Hottest Volume 3 Number 2 SunFLASH Vol 49 #13 January 1993 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the text of a newsletter, "Sun's Hottest", that is being mailed to Sun customers. It is an excellent summary of recent products and news. -johnj ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- C O N T E N T S Introducing the SPARCcenter 2000 Series The best applications throughput platform Unsurpassed growth and expandability Driving innovation in the data center Two new desktops: colorful, flexible, affordable Innovation has its cost: lower Applications the way you like them: faster Systems to grow with: roomier New one-year warranties Focus on Productivity SunTutor: your on-call, on-line "professor" SearchIt 1.0: your own personal "librarian" ShowMe: your on-line "conference room" Introducing Solaris 2.1 The standard for distributed computing solutions JumpStart: "hands-off" software installation NetWare SunLink 1.0 Integrate Novell networks with SPARC and Solaris environments Bargains galore! The best choices for open network printing NeWSprint software NeWSprinter 20 In Short 10-MB-per-second 2.1-GB differential SCSI-2 disk 1.05-GB high-performance 3.5-inch disk SPARCclassic engine SPARCengine LX SBus Expansion Subsystem Board PC-NFS(R) Programmers Toolkit 4.0 SPARCstation upgrades ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introducing the SPARCcenter 2000 Series: The perfect complement to your mainframe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The SPARCcenter(TM) 2000 isn't just new, it's breakthrough. Incorporating major technological advances, the SPARCcenter 2000 augments your mainframe at minicomputer prices. It's a compact powerhouse that lets you rightsize efficiently by offloading minicomputer and mainframe applications. And since it easily integrates into your existing environment, you can leverage your current resources and protect your investment in hardware, software, and training. The best applications throughput platform Featuring more than just a fast CPU, the SPARCcenter 2000 uses a balanced system approach to achieve industry-leading throughput for compute-intensive applications. Pump up compute performance by taking advantage of up to 20-way multiprocessing scalability. For off-the-shelf software, choose from hundreds of Solaris(R) 2.x applications, including all the major RDBMS packages. SPARC(R) application scalability from laptops to supercomputers reduces MIS maintenance and coordination costs dramatically. Unsurpassed growth and expandability The SPARCcenter 2000 is designed to expand according to the needs of your business, not your computer vendor. An entry-level SPARCcenter 2000 with two SuperSPARC(TM) processors, 64-MB memory, and 4.2-GB disk system can expand to 20 SuperSPARC processors, 5-GB memory, and 1-TB disk capacity -- factors of 10x for processors, 80x for memory, and 250x for disk. And Sun's upgrade program makes it easy and cost-effective for SPARCserver(TM) 690MP, SPARCserver 490, and SPARCserver 390 system customers to move up to the SPARCcenter 2000 Series. Driving innovation in the data center Innovation is built into the SPARCcenter 2000--from its elegant, modular design to its efficient packaging that delivers the most compact data center footprint. Built-in fault isolation and resiliency provide higher levels of system hardware availability than ever before. Plus, high availability and system management software products from Sun and third parties enhance performance capabilities even further. And with the SPARCcenter 2000, the fastest processors are always within reach. Simply unplug the current SPARC module and insert the new module when the next generation of processor becomes available. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two new desktops: colorful, flexible, affordable -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introducing the SPARCclassic(TM) workstation system and the SPARCstation LX: the industry's lowest-priced color workstations, featuring built-in innovation, outstanding application performance, and easy expandability. If low-cost color is your priority, choose the SPARCclassic workstation. For accelerated, yet affordable, 8-bit color graphics, go with the SPARCstation LX. Both run only Solaris 2.1 or later, the industry's most powerful and comprehensive distributed computing environment. The SPARCclassic system is also available as a desktop server that's ideal for file and print services. Add NetWare(R) SunLink(R) (see story inside) for a great PC networking solution. Innovation has its cost: lower For a lot of computer companies, making systems affordable means eliminating features or performance. At Sun, we believe in innovating rather than eliminating. So our engineers went right to the heart of the SPARCclassic and SPARCstation LX systems and, working with engineers at Texas Instruments, designed a completely new, miniaturized CPU--the microSPARC(TM) processor--that delivers the power of four chips in one. This innovative integration lowers costs and requires less cooling and power. Then our ace engineers accomplished even more integration, reducing the traditional seven I/O controller chips down to two new ASICs. By reducing the chip count, we were able to increase application performance (more on this below) and reliability. Our manufacturing efficiencies allowed us to pack in even more innovative features: roomy memory and disk capacities, internal speaker, microphone, built-in Ethernet and, on the SPARCstation LX, accelerated color graphics and next-generation ISDN technology. Applications the way you like them: faster Purchasing the lowest priced color workstations in the industry doesn't mean you have to compromise on performance. The spirited microSPARC processor in both the SPARCclassic and SPARCstation LX systems delivers very fast application performance. In addition, a 64-bit wide memory subsystem and redesigned bus architecture improve overall system performance. Systems to grow with: roomier Providing the performance and capabilities you need today, the SPARCclassic and SPARCstation LX systems have plenty of room for memory, bus, and disk expansion. So your system will be every bit as useful tomorrow. Preserve your existing investments and upgrade to the SPARCstation LX from many SPARCstation desktops and from Sun 3(TM) and 386i(TM) desktop systems--Sun's upgrade programs make it easy and affordable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New one-year warranties -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By engineering unprecedented levels of integration into our new SPARCclassic and SPARCstation LX systems, Sun has significantly improved system reliability. So we're offering oneou a one-year, return-to-factory warranty on these systems. Look for this valuable 1-year warranty on many of our new peripherals, as well. The industry's premier volume workstation product line SPARCstation ELC(TM): Lowest-priced monochrome NEW! SPARCclassic Workstation System: Lowest-priced color NEW! SPARCstation LX: Lowest-priced accelerated graphics SPARCstation 2: Entry-level 3-D graphics SPARCstation 10: Power-user system Plus: for those requiring Solaris 1.x, Sun continues to offer the best-selling SPARCstation IPC(TM) and SPARCstation IPX(TM) desktops. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Focus on Productivity -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because enhancing efficiency is a mandate for companies in the '90s, Sun offers a variety of products that provide the productivity boost we're all looking for: SunTutor(SM) interactive training series, the SearchIt(TM) search-and-retrieval product, and ShowMe(TM) computer conferencing software. SunTutor: your on-call, on-line "professor" Gain the benefits of Sun's expert classroom instruction--without leaving your office. SunTutor is Sun's newest training technology: a portfolio of multimedia training products. The first course in the the SunTutor series of interactive training tools, "OpenWindows(TM) Environment for Users," condenses more than 16 hours of classroom lecture into a lively multimedia experience combining audio, video, text, graphics, and simulation. The course helps you get up to speed and make the most of OpenWindows Version 3 (OWV3) and DeskSet(TM) 3.0 tools. SunTutor courses let you learn in your own style. If you're a visual learner, click on an icon to initiate a simulation. If you prefer verbal instructions, click on a "speaker" icon for audio instructions. Navigating is simple. You can explore any topic at any point or use the on-line "professor" to complete a task in real time. Designed to take advantage of SPARC workstations with audio capabilities, SunTutor courses require no special hardware or software--and better yet, no travel or hotel expenses. SearchIt 1.0: your own personal "librarian" So much information on your corporate network could be extremely valuable to you--if only you could find it quickly and easily. SearchIt lets you do just that. You don't need prior knowledge of the contents or location of documents--just the words or phrase to describe what you're looking for. SearchIt provides an intelligent ranking of the documents that are relevant to your query, so you can quickly zero in on the most meaningful documents, then simply click on the selection to display it. SearchIt lets you search through your own data or allows a group to share files, such as instruction manuals or on-line newspaper archives. Making vast quantities of information immediately accessible, SearchIt sets a new standard for fast and easy corporate information retrieval. ShowMe: your on-line "conference room" You no longer have to meet in person to have a productive meeting. ShowMe not only replicates the functionality of the visual aid equipment found in most well-appointed conference rooms, it also preserves the natural dynamics of a face-to-face conference. Going beyond the so-called electronic "shared whiteboard," this full-featured computer conferencing product allows graphics and images, as well as text, to be shared across the network by multiple users. Using on-screen, color-coded markers, participants in a ShowMe conference can annotate shared documents simultaneously in real time, so people can interact and communicate in much the same way they do in a meeting room. ShowMe lets you be even more productive than in a face-to-face meeting by allowing you access to on-line information in spreadsheets, desktop published documents, and CAD documents and then lets you rapidly redisplay them for additional collaboration. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introducing Solaris 2.1 The standard for distributed computing solutions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Solaris 2.1 environment is the cornerstone of Sun's distributed computing strategy. It represents the first high-volume shipment of an operating environment based on the industry-standard SVR4. In fact, Solaris 2.1 includes all the features of SVR4 plus significant enhancements by Sun. For example, full symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) support, customized installation facilities, security enhancements, and realtime support were added--all while maintaining the SVR4 standard. Also new in Solaris 2.1 are the easy-to-use GUI-based Administration Tool and XGL Graphics Library Runtime Environment. Supported on all new and existing SPARC platforms, Solaris 2.1 provides the link to the next generation of computing in both hardware and software. Whether you're a developer, application user, or system administrator, you'll appreciate the many benefits of Solaris 2.1: the portability of applications, the interoperability with different vendors' systems, the multithreaded kernel that enables SMP, the JumpStart(TM) installation facilities (see accompanying box), and the path it provides to future technologies. JumpStart: "hands-off" software installation JumpStart, included with Solaris 2.1, revolutionizes software installation, saving considerable time and effort for system administrators. JumpStart lets administrators boot, install, and upgrade systems remotely, in a true hands-off manner. From their desks, administrators can create profiles and initiate installation for different users in each department, building, organization, or country--anywhere in the world. JumpStart is extremely flexible, allowing system administrators to customize users' complete environments--not only the operating system, but also unbundled Sun and third-party products--for their own specific needs. Providing the perfect balance between automation and customization, JumpStart gives system administrators the choice of generating their own customized profile or using one of the Sun-supplied profiles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NetWare SunLink 1.0 Integrate Novell networks with SPARC and Solaris environments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you're one of the many organizations using Novell(R) NetWare and Sun SPARC/Solaris systems as complementary rightsizing solutions, you'll really appreciate our new NetWare SunLink product. Enabling DOS, Windows, and OS/2(R) NetWare system users to share data, files and print services with UNIX system workgroups, NetWare SunLink protects your existing investments while providing access to a wider range of resources and capabilities. Simply by adding NetWare SunLink to a Sun(TM) SPARCserver system on the network, desktop NetWare users gain direct access to UNIX system files, applications, and services, including distributed processing, client-server computing, and open systems. Plus, the multitasking capabilities, rich development environment and built-in networking services of the 32-bit Solaris system and the high-performance of SPARC processing units also become instantly accessible to NetWare system users. In addition, two of the industry's leading database vendors, Oracle and Ingres, have announced development of NetWare-based interfaces for SPARC systems using NetWare SunLink. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bargains galore! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are just too many bargains for us to detail here. Contact your Sun reseller for details on new prices for the following products: --Some configurations of SPARCstation IPX --SPARCengine(R) 2 board --Upgrades from Sun-3 and Sun 386i to SPARCstation IPX --SunLink 7.0 TE320 software --Some configurations of SPARCserver 670MP and 690MP systems --Plus...longer warranties, latest technologies, and great prices on peripherals, boards, and memory products -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The best choices for open network printing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NeWSprint software NeWSprint(TM) software is the open network printing solution that prints from virtually any computer to any printer--in any format. NeWSprint software lets you choose from a full range of popular printers and application packages, comes with 57 F3(TM) hinted outline fonts, and supports Type 1 fonts. It has the power to make almost any output device PostScript(R) language-compatible and available to anyone on the network. So whether you use workstations, PCs, or Macintoshes, you get high-quality resolution on every page. With NeWSprint, you're free to choose the printing solution that's right for you. NeWSprinter 20 Built tough to meet the demands of high-volume workgroup and department printing, the NeWSprinter 20(TM) laser printer is the first printer in its price range to offer 20-page-per-minute speed and a 50,000-page-per-month rated duty cycle. Equipped with everything needed to print out of the box, the NeWSprinter 20 comes with NeWSprint software and 57 F3 scalable fonts for high-quality output from your favorite applications. The dual paper-tray design is ideal for spreadsheets, CAD/CAM, and desktop publishing applications. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Short -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The new 10-MB-per-second 2.1-GB differential SCSI-2 disk provides improved SCSI disk throughput and increased capacity for SPARCserver 600MP Series and SPARCserver 10 systems. The drive offers better performance and 62% more capacity than previous high-end drives at half the price of similar products from other major UNIX system manufacturers. Our new 1.05-GB high-performance 3.5-inch disk drive is available internally on SPARCstation 2, SPARCstation 10 , and our new SPARCclassic and SPARCstation LX desktops. It is also available as a Desktop Disk Pack and in two new Option Packs: the Fileserver Option Pack includes a disk, a 5-GB 8-mm tape drive, and a desktop CD drive; the LAN Server Option Pack comes with all of the above plus NetWare SunLink. We've expanded our SPARCengine family of single-board computers with the new low-cost, high-performance SPARCclassic engine and the SPARCengine LX. The SPARCclassic engine offers twice the performance at less than half the price of our previously lowest-cost SPARCengine board. The new boards' small form factors, low prices, and high performance make them ideal for embedded applications such as color laser printers, color plotters, routers, gateways, telecommunication switches, industrial controllers, and ruggedized workstations. Designed for reliability, both boards are backed by Sun's new one-year warranty. An SBus Expansion Subsystem Board is now available for all SPARCserver 600MP Series systems. The newest board provides valuable extra SBus slots to improve the flexibility and expandability of Sun's industry-leading, midrange multiprocessing servers, the SPARCserver 670MP and SPARCserver 690MP systems. The servers can support up to two SBus Expansion Subsystem Boards, each of which provides an additional four SBus slots. PC-NFS(R) Programmers Toolkit 4.0 continues Sun's tradition of providing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that facilitate development of distributed applications in a DOS-to-UNIX heterogeneous networking environment. This version brings together a multitude of industry-standard APIs on the DOS platform that give applications access to one another across a variety of network transport protocols. If you require support for Microsoft C V5.x and 6.0a compilers and/or Borland C V2.0 and 3.0 compilers, you can now use PC-NFS Programmers Toolkit 4.0 to successfully develop your applications. Box-swap upgrades from SPARCstation 2GS to SPARCstation 10GS Model 30 or Model 41 include Sun's new GS frame buffer, which delivers as much as a 20% performance improvement over the GS board used in SPARCstation 2 systems. Product availability may vary by country. Contact your sales representative. Credits: Lance Lawson, Product Marketing Programs Manager; Victoria Ryan, Marcom Manager; Alice Hausladen, Sales Program Representative; Diane Merrick, Marcom Manager, International; Bill Shinnick, Editor; Harding & Associates Design Group, Design and Production; Kathy Cooper Parker, Writer; Ironwood Lithographers, Inc., Printing; Marketing Response Systems, U.S. Mailing. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please send electronic mail to comments@joes.Corp.Sun.COM (c) 1992, Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Solaris, SunService, SunLink, Sun-3, Sun386i, ELC, IPC, IPX, SunTutor, SearchIt, ShowMe, OpenWindows, DeskSet, JumpStart, PC-NFS, NeWSprint, F3, and NeWSprinter are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks, including the SCD Compliant logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. SPARCcenter, SPARCstation, SPARCserver, SPARCclassic, and SPARCengine are licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX and OPEN LOOK are registered trademarks of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. All other products or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu, uunet.uu.net, sunsite.unc.edu, src.doc.ic.ac.uk and ftp.adelaide.edu.au All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770. TRACE: To: sunflash@suntri Errors-to: owner-sunflash@suntri.east.sun.com