---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SunFlash April 1991 Table Of Contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash is an electronic news service for Sun Microsystems computer users. It is distributed by more than 80 Sun offices and by about 40 Sun Local Users Groups in more than 20 countries. This is the April table of contents for the Florida SunFlash. If there are any items that you missed and really want to see, please send the required volume.issue numbers to flash@sunvice.East.Sun.com. For more information about SunFlash, send mail to info-sunflash thus: $ mail info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM Subject: info info ^D $ John J. McLaughlin, SunFlash Editor, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary Of April's Messages -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Line Count Vol.# Title 66 28.01 Sun Reports Wins In Eastern Europe 120 28.02 SunNet License Available On Non-Sun 156 28.03 Sun User Group Membership 66 28.04 TI-RPC Available Via The Internet 116 28.05 Sun Commercial: Client/Server Computing 1772 28.06 Introduction to the Internet Protocols 126 28.07 New SPARCompilers Improve Performance 143 28.08 Sun/Informix TPC-B Benchmark Results 60 28.09 Catalyst Program for Education Developers 241 28.10 Sun-4/SPARC Hardware Configuration Guide 113 28.11 Interactive & OpenWindows Distribution 60 28.12 Sun In Finland, Belgium And Brazil 80 28.13 Encyclopedia In Printed And CD Versions 105 28.14 Sun's Third Quarter Results 382 28.15 Third Party Product/Service Announcements 550 28.16 Third Party Product/Service Announcements 238 28.17 CD-ROM Software Distribution For ISVs 535 28.18 Network Information Services (NIS) 106 28.19 Subscriptions to SPARCline 281 28.20 Life & Physical Sciences Group Meeting 76 28.21 J. Phillip Samper to Board of Directors 90 28.22 Sun In The Worldwide Education Market 74 28.23 Sun, MAI Systems Form Partnership 80 28.24 Sun Expands Network Services Offerings Total 5636 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary of Messages Sent This Month -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28.01 Sun Reports Wins In Eastern Europe Major Contracts in Poland; New Sun Resellers Added MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 8, l991-- Sun Microsystems has been awarded a contract for the initial purchase of 50 Sun SPARCstation(TM) and SPARCserver(TM) products by the prestigious Polish Academy of Sciences (Polska Academia Nauk) in Warsaw, Poland. 28.02 SunNet License To Be Made Widely Available On UNIX Platforms MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 3, 1991-- Sun Microsystems today announced that SunNet(TM) License, its software license management package, will be available for a wide variety of UNIX(R) systems in addition to those offered by Sun. The company has signed a master distributor agreement with UniPress Software to port SunNet License to the HP 9000 Series 300/400, DECstations, IBM RS6000 and SPARC(R)-compatible platforms. Sun also announced that it is incorporating SunNet License into its own unbundled software products, offering its customers the benefits of software asset management through its extensive reporting tools and intuitive OPEN LOOK(R) user interface. The first such product to be shipped is SunLink(R) CG3270, a color graphics terminal emulator that allows Sun workstation users to access IBM host mainframe applications. 28.03 Sun User Group Membership This is a description of the Sun User Group that was posted to the USENET newsgroup comp.org.sug by Peter Salus. -johnj 28.04 Transport Independent RPC Now Freely Available Via The Internet TI-RPC source is on titan.rice.edu. It is in the /incoming directory: file: tirpcsrc.tar.Z. Size is about 1.1 Mb. -johnj Sun has posted the latest version of its Remote Procedure Call technology to internet archives. Any software developer or systems vendor may make use of the RPC libraries or port the code to other systems without incurring license fees or royalty charges. The new RPC, known as Transport-Independent RPC, or TI RPC, is compatible with the existing ONC RPC but permits applications to be insulated from the underlying network transports. This means that, for example, applications written for TCP/IP networks will run unmodified over OSI-based networks, thereby greatly easing the migration from today's standards to emerging OSI standards. 28.05 Sun Commercial: Client/Server Computing STYLISH TV COMMERCIAL FROM SUN MICROSYSTEMS IS FIRST EVER ON CLIENT/SERVER COMPUTING MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 8, 1991-- Sun Microsystems is launching the biggest advertising campaign in its history, highlighted by the first primetime television commercial on client/server computing. Such a big step would have been unthinkable just a year or so ago, when networked workstations ("clients") and the "servers" that support them were used mainly by technical professionals. But Sun's explosive growth in the business world is rapidly bringing awareness of client/server computing to critical mass. 28.06 Introduction to the Internet Protocols This paper by Charles L. Hedrick, of RUTGERS University, is a pretty good introduction to this topic. 1. What is TCP/IP? 1 2. General description of the TCP/IP protocols 5 2.1 The TCP level 7 2.2 The IP level 10 2.3 The Ethernet level 11 3. Well-known sockets and the applications layer 12 3.1 An example application: SMTP 15 4. Protocols other than TCP: UDP and ICMP 17 5. Keeping track of names and information: the domain system 18 6. Routing 20 7. Details about Internet addresses: subnets and broadcasting 21 8. Datagram fragmentation and reassembly 23 9. Ethernet encapsulation: ARP 24 10. Getting more information 25 28.07 New SPARCompilers From Sun Improve System Performance 10-18% New OPEN LOOK Versions of SPARCworks Developer Tools and NSE Available MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 9, 1991-- Sun Microsystems today introduced new releases of several members of its SPARCompiler(TM) family of language products. The new releases improve SPARC(R) system performance by 10-18%, according to benchmarks published by the Systems Performance Evaluation Cooperative (SPEC). The performance gain results from improved code generation and optimization technology. The new SPARCompilers include C, C++, FORTRAN, Pascal and Modula-2 products. The SPARCompiler family also contains Common Lisp, Ada and COBOL products. Sun also introduced OPEN LOOK(R) versions of its SPARCompiler software developer tools, and NSE(TM), Sun's workgroup development product. Now called SPARCworks(TM), the developer tools consist of dbx and dbxtool debugging tools and Sun SourceBrowser, a window-based search tool. SPARCworks tools are integrated with other Sun productivity products such as OpenWindows(TM) Developers Guide, File Manager, Mail Tool and other DeskSet(TM) tools, so a development team can take advantage of a visually consistent desktop environment. SPARCworks tools are bundled with Sun C, C++, FORTRAN, Pascal and Modula-2. 28.08 Sun/Informix TPC-B Benchmark Results SPARCservers Running Informix Tops in Price/Performance MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 10, 1991-- Both high-end and low-end SPARCservers(TM) from Sun Microsystems running the INFORMIX-OnLine 4.0 RDBMS achieved some of the industry's best ratings for throughput and database price/performance according to the most accurate, widely accepted benchmark, the two companies reported today. The benchmark is defined and monitored by the Transaction Processing Performance Council and is called the TPC Benchmark(TM) B. The Sun/Informix results, audited by Codd and Date, follow strict standards set by the TPC's 37 members, comprised of industry-leading hardware and software vendors. Sun's low-end SPARCserver 2 running the OnLine DBMS performed at 39.7 tpsB (transactions per second/Benchmark B) and was ranked at 2.6 K$/tpsB, a measurement of price/performance (the cost in thousands of the hardware, software and current maintenance over five years is divided by the transactions per second). The high-end SPARCserver 470 with OnLine was measured at 75.2 tpsB and achieved 4.5 K$/tpsB. Identical tpsB performance can be achieved on Sun's SPARCserver 490. 28.09 Sun Extends Catalyst Program To Education Developers SANTA CRUZ, Calif. --April 11, 1991-- Sun Microsystems today extended its highly successful commercial Catalyst(TM) Program to developers in the academic and research community. The new program offers more than 20 services, including discounted equipment, porting support and targeted marketing activities, to educational and non-profit research organizations that develop value-added products for the SPARC(R) platform. The announcement was made at the Sun Education and Research Conference here. Sun offers a range of UNIX(R) workstations, servers, networking solutions and system software products that are sold in more than 20 markets, for commercial and technical as well as scientific applications. The company has systems installed in more than 1,100 academic institutions worldwide. 28.10 Sun-4/SPARC Hardware Configuration Guide The document described in this article is too long to be sent out as email. It is sufficiently useful that I thought there would be interest in the introduction and table of contents. Harcopies can be obtained from your local Sun office. -johnj This guide has five chapters, and three appendices: Introduction - describes the basic features and distinctions of the SPARCsystems product family. Standard Configurations - describes standard SPARCsystem configurations, keyboards, displays, enclosures, and cabinets. Options and Peripherals - describes optional devices available for SPARCsystems configurations. Hardware Features - gives an overview of several hardware features, including the VMEbus, serial ports, SCSI interface, FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), and Ethernet information. Power Requirements - tells you how to calculate current draw and thermal dissipation of your configured system. Appendix A, Environmental Requirements - lists the SPARCsystems environmental specifications and lists any exceptions. Appendix B, Sun SCSI Information - contains SCSI information dealing with SCSI devices that can be part of the configuration in some Sun systems. Appendix C, Glossary - defines some of the technical terms and acronyms used in this guide. 28.11 Interactive & Sun Sign OpenWindows Distribution Agreement This is a press release from INTERACTIVE, thanks to reginafr@ism.isc.com (Regina Freeman) and jaybr@i88.isc.com (Jay Bretzmann). -johnj Santa Monica, CA -- April l7, l99l -- INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, and Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced that it will distribute and sublicense Portable OpenWindows Source, Version 2.0 from Sun Microsystems, Inc., extending the existing SPARC software licensing and consulting services relationship between the two companies. Portable OpenWindows Source, Sun's newest fully integrated windowing environment, implements the OPEN LOOK graphical user interface jointly developed by Sun and AT&T's UNIX System Laboratories (USL). 28.12 Sun Establishes Subsidiaries In Finland, Belgium And Brazil MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 17, 1991-- Sun Microsystems has established three new subsidiaries in Finland, Belgium and Brazil that will allow the company to provide sales, service and marketing support directly to its customers. With these additions, Sun now has a total of 10 subsidiaries in Europe and its first wholly-owned subsidiary in Latin America. The new Brazilian subsidiary underscores the rapid increase in sales of Sun's UNIX(R)-based workstations outside of Europe and the United States. With Europe contributing approximately 30 percent to Sun's overall revenues, adding subsidiaries in Belgium and Finland further supports Sun's growth in this important region. 28.13 Encyclopedia In Printed And CD Versions SPARCstation Produces Best-Selling UK Encyclopedia In Printed And CD Versions MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 16, 1991-- The high-performance SPARCstation(TM) 2 workstation from Sun Microsystems is being used to compile the United Kingdom's biggest-selling single-volume encyclopedia, the Hutchinson Encyclopedia. In addition, the SPARCstation 2 will produce and display a version of the encyclopedia on compact disc, called the Hutchinson Electronic Encyclopedia. The on-line reference book, the first on CD in the United Kingdom, is very easy to use because of the OPEN LOOK(R) Graphical User Interface (GUI) that is part of the Sun Workstation. The Hutchinson Electronic Encyclopedia runs on a SPARCstation's CD drive and will be included with all CD players sold in the United Kingdom by Sun. 28.14 Sun's Third Quarter Results MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- April 24, 1991 -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (SUNW), today reported major year-to-year gains for its third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 1991, ended March 29, 1991. Revenues for the third quarter were $848.3 million, a 34% increase over the $632.2 million reported in the same period a year ago. Net income for the quarter increased 60% to $58.7 million, or $0.56 per share, from net income of $36.7 million, or $0.40 per share, in the corresponding period a year ago. For the first nine months of fiscal 1991, revenues were $2.279 billion, up 29% from the $1.766 billion reported in the corresponding period of fiscal 1990. Net income for the nine-month period nearly doubled to $123.9 million, or $1.21 per share, from the $62.1 million, or $0.70 per share, in the same period a year ago. William J. Raduchel, vice president and CFO of Sun, said "It was an excellent quarter for us in all respects. We reported a major increase in revenues, record bookings, we ended the quarter with a record backlog of orders, almost $700 million in cash and a balance sheet that's never been stronger. Despite concerns over the Middle East war and the recession, our business remained healthy. Apparently, our strategy of SPARC/UNIX/OPEN LOOK/ONC, is a winner with customers." 28.15 Third Party Product/Service Announcements As usual, inclusion of an article here does not imply an endorsement by Sun Microsystems. -johnj - AutoPLAN - A NEW Project Management Tool - Writeable CD-ROM system: "CD-Maker" announcement - OSFAX New Version - Running Macintosh Apps on X Workstations - NetFind, whitepages service for the Internet 28.16 Third Party Product/Service Announcements As usual, inclusion of an article here does not imply an endorsement by Sun Microsystems. -johnj - POSIX Programming Manual - LAN Dialup Connection Service - eXamine Graphical Interface - X based system performance monitor - Xylogics introduces Annex Three Communications Server - ydb - a symbolic debugger for yacc grammars and parsers 28.17 CD-ROM Software Distribution For ISVs This is an article by Tom Stapleton of Young Minds, Incorporated. The views expressed herein are those of the author. (Thanks, Tom.) As SunFlash editor, I would be pleased to receive more articles like this one by Tom. I am looking for articles that have a high information content. Limit product references to ones that support the technical thrust of the article. A simple product description will not be of as much interest to the general community as an article positioning a product or service within the greater trends in our industry. -johnj Revolution In Software Distribution Tom Stapleton Young Minds, Inc. CD-ROM is causing a revolution in software distribution for the UNIX workstation market...... 28.18 Network Information Services (NIS) This is an article by Tony Brooks of Sun's Technical Information Services (TIS). Please send any comments, corrections etc to me and I will forward them to Tony. -johnj Introduction I. Becoming a NIS Master Server II. Becoming a NIS Slave Server III. Becoming a NIS Client IV. NIS Tools and Utilities V. Problems with NIS References 28.19 Subscriptions to SPARCLINE, SPARC International's Monthly Newsletter This is an announcement from SPARC International. -johnj Responses should be directed to: sparcline@sparc.com For the first time, direct subscriptions are available to SPARC International's monthly newsletter SPARCLINE. SPARCLINE focuses on SPARC suppliers and vendors covering the range of SPARC products from chips to systems and add-in peripherals. Regular features also cover technical developments of SPARC and related standards, developing distribution channels for SPARC products and new business opportunities in the SPARC market. 28.20 Life & Physical Sciences Group Meeting I was asked to forward this message about an upcomming special interest group. Here it is. Hit d if you are not involved with the medical, biotechnology, and pharm/chem market segments :-) -johnj Hello, My name is Susan Lee Miller and I am the Chairperson for SIGMA '91, the user's group meeting for the Life and Physical Sciences Group. This meeting is for users in the medical, biotechnology, and pharm/chem market segments. It will be held at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, San Francisco International Airport on the 16 & 17 of May, 1991. 28.21 J. Phillip Samper to Board of Directors MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 29, 1991-- Sun Microsystems, Inc., (SUNW) announced today that J. Phillip Samper has been appointed to its board of directors. Samper is a former vice chairman and executive officer of Eastman Kodak Company and served as president and chief executive officer of Kinder-Care Learning Centers, Inc. He is presently a private investor. Samper's experience as a senior operations executive at Eastman Kodak and his international experience in Europe and Latin America will be especially valuable for Sun as a global company deriving half its revenue from outside the United States. 28.22 Sun Gains Momentum In The Worldwide Education Market Universities in Brazil, Japan, Poland and United Kingdom Move to Sun's SPARC Platform MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- April 29, 1991 -- Sun Microsystems announced today that universities in Brazil, Japan, United Kingdom and Poland recently purchased Sun workstations and servers to be used in a broad range of applications, from research and instruction to administration. These recent wins underscore the rapid worldwide growth of Sun systems in academia. Sun has computers installed in more than 1,100 academic institutions worldwide with more than half of these institutions located outside the United States. After an intense bidding war between major U.S. computer companies, Sun was selected by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) for the purchase of 526 desktop workstations to be donated to universities throughout Brazil. CNPq is the national council for technological development. Among the factors that favored Sun was its education software promotional program, ScholarPAC(TM), which offers reduced pricing on Sun's unbundled software. 28.23 Sun Microsystems And MAI Systems Form Global Business Partnership MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 29, 1991-- Sun Microsystems announced today that is has teamed with MAI Systems Corporation to expand and strengthen its presence in commercial markets through a reseller and new product development agreement. MAI Systems, a leading international reseller of hardware and software business solutions, will sell Sun workstations and servers as well as market a new full-featured set of accounting modules it designed specifically for Sun's client/server environment. According to Dataquest, the number of workstations used for commercial applications will grow 63.4 percent between 1989 and 1994. Sun's relationship with MAI will allow it to leverage this growth and further penetrate commercial industries such as manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail, hospitality and construction/property management. 28.24 Sun Expands Network Services Offerings Forms Partnerships with AT&T and Anixter Brothers Extends Agreement with Cabletron MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 30, 1991-- Sun Microsystems today announced it has signed strategic partnership agreements with AT&T Computer Systems and Anixter Brothers for networking services and components. Sun also renewed its contract with Cabletron for similar products and services. As a result of these agreements, Sun offers its customers expanded network solutions, from initial network design and installation to networking expansion and support. These are the latest in a series of agreements based on Sun's "open service" concept of leveraging the products and expertise of its partners to offer customers "one-stop shopping" for their service needs. In 1990, agreements for hardware support were signed with Kodak and Bell Atlantic Business Systems Services; in February 1991, Sun formed partnerships with Andersen Consulting, Cincinnati Bell Information Systems, and INTERACTIVE Systems for software consulting services, for a full implementation of open service. Sun has more than 90 service partnership agreements with companies worldwide. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu and paris.cs.miami.edu. 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@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.