Sun debuts low-cost, low-end strategy
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Sun Microsystems has unveiled a low-cost server range intended to enable customers to build large-scale computing resources from scores of low-end units.
20 May 2003 Sun Microsystems has unveiled a low-cost server range intended to enable customers to build large-scale computing resources from scores of low-end units.
Accepting the hegemony of Intel architecture for commodity servers, the company said it would offer a line of servers based on the Intel Xeon processor rather than on its own Sparc chips. The systems will be powered by either Red Hat Linux or the Solaris x86 operating systems.
With the move, Sun has proclaimed that it is "serving notice on Windows-based, high-priced alternatives", saying its Sun Fire V60x and V65x systems will undercut Windows-based servers from companies such as Dell Computer, Hewlett-Packard and IBM by up to 50%.
Backing the initiative, software vendor Oracle said it would offer all of its core products on the new Sun boxes — including its database, application server, business applications and clustering software.
Other software, drawn from Sun's N1 grid computing strategy, will enable organisations to create consolidated processing power from server units.
The Sun Fire V60x and V65x are priced at $2,450 and $2,650 respectively. The former is a third less expensive than equivalent machines, such as the IBM x335 or the HP DL360G3. And a Sun Fire x65 running Solaris comes in at about half the price of Dell's equivalent Windows machine, the Dell 2560, claims Sun.
The company will follow these up with a series of x86 blade servers, its first platform to enable customers to mix and match Sparc, x86 , Solaris and Linux in the same chassis.
