---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash New Sun Server Configurations Deliver Industry's Best NFS Price/Performance SunFLASH Vol 26 #19 February 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Network Coprocessor And Other Enhancements Improve Overall NFS Performance 400 Percent MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.- February 19, 1991 - Sun Microsystems' high-end SPARCserver(TM) computers can deliver superior NFS(R) performance at the lowest price as a result of new hardware and software enhancements to these servers, the company said today. Sun announced that it is offering special configurations of its SPARCserver 470 and 490 that improve NFS performance - as measured by operations per second and response time - by 250 percent and are priced below comparable systems. Contributing to this performance boost is the NC400 Network CoProcessor, a board and software product designed by Interphase Corp. that is now available exclusively for Sun's high-end SPARCservers as a result of a joint marketing agreement between the two companies. Adding two more NC400s to these server configurations boosts NFS performance 400 percent. These specially priced NFS server configurations are equipped with two NC400 coprocessors and Sun Prestoserve(TM)-- an NFS accelerator that improves server responsiveness by increasing disk I/O throughput -- as well as other add-on hardware. The configurations will be priced 15 percent less than the cost of the separate components combined. NFS file sharing software is the de facto standard for file sharing in multi-vendor networks, allowing files anywhere on a network to be accessed transparently. NFS is part of Sun's ONC(TM) networking services, which have an installed base of 1.3 million users. "These new server configurations combine the best features of both general-purpose and specialized servers," said Anil Gadre, vice president of systems product marketing at Sun. "Our systems have the high NFS throughput of special-purpose servers, but can also handle NFS requests and perform application processing concurrently." This level of flexibility is not possible with special- purpose servers. New Network Coprocessor Boosts NFS Performance Interphase's NC400 Network CoProcessor combines an intelligent Ethernet controller -- a separate microprocessor on a 9U VME board -- with advanced networking software. The NC400 dramatically improves NFS performance for applications such as computer-aided design, geophysical modeling, software development and spreadsheet analysis. With the NC400, a SPARCserver 490 can support multiple Ethernet networks and more than 100 clients while maintaining fast response times. The NC400 off-loads the server's CPU by transparently processing network communications, freeing the CPU to focus on more compute-intensive tasks such as integer or floating point processing. With communications off-loaded to the dedicated coprocessors, applications can run faster, increasing workgroup productivity. For example, in a geophysical modeling application - where huge data sets are typical - the NC400 handles NFS tasks so the CPU can process data more quickly. These tasks would normally compete with NFS traffic and could slow down the processing speed of the application. The new server configurations offer superior NFS performance by working on two essential areas. The Interphase NC400 reduces network and CPU bottlenecks while Sun Prestoserve reduces disk I/O bottlenecks. New SPARCserver Configurations And Prices: SPARCserver 470 NFS configuration $89,900 SPARCserver 490 NFS configuration $114,900 Each configuration includes: two Interphase NC400 Network CoProcessors Sun Prestoserve NFS accelerator 32 MB of error correcting code (ECC) memory 1.8 GB of (6 MB/sec) intelligent peripheral interface (IPI) disk 644-MB SunCD(TM) CD-ROM drive 150-MB 1/4-inch tape drive The special NFS configurations are available in the United States now through May 31, 1991. The NC400 is available for current SPARCserver 470 and 490 customers from Interphase for $7,950. Service and support for the NC400 will be provided by Interphase. Sun Prestoserve is available from Sun for $5,995. Interphase Corporation, based in Dallas, Texas, is a leading supplier of high-performance networking and mass storage controllers. The company sells to computer OEMs, value-added resellers (VARS) and end users through a worldwide sales network. SPARC is a registered trademark of SPARC International, Inc. SPARCserver is a trademark of SPARC International, Inc., licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. NFS is a registered trademark and ONC and SunCD are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Prestoserve is a trademark of Legato Systems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. All other products mentioned herein are identified by the trademarks as designated by the companies who market those products. Inquiries concerning such trademarks should be made directly to those companies. For reader inquiries, telephone 1-800-821-4SUN PR contact: Carrie Dillon (415) 336-3564 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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.