Sun Details Linux Desktop Plans

Sun Microsystems

The new Linux-based desktops, which Sun officially calls enterprise clients, will be bundled with servers and software and sold as part of an entire system, said Neil Knox, executive vice president for volume systems products at Sun.

The enterprise clients, code-named Zebra, are part of Sun's Project Mad Hatter, which combines Java Card authentication, an open-source desktop software stack, and off-the-shelf hardware to allow a user access to his or her client system regardless of location or workstation.

Sun will focus Mad Hatter on users in cost-sensitive and security-sensitive areas such as call centers, retail banks and education, where PCs are under-utilized.

Knox said the final configuration of the enterprise clients has yet to be determined. However, he said there will be only one configuration available. "We want to make sure everybody knows we are not selling PCs," he said.

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Except for evaluation units, Sun plans to sell the enterprise clients in chunks of 100 units, said Knox. He explained that selling individual PCs is not Sun's sales model. "It's not where we want to go," he said. "If you want to buy a single server, that's OK. But Zebras travel in herds."

Sun will offer the enterprise clients with servers and bundled software under a single SKU, the configuration of which will vary according to need, Knox said. The servers will typically be LX50s, which Sun unveiled recently in its first move into the Intel-based server market. However, he said they could be bundled with any Sun Fire server from the V100 to the E-class models, depending on the number of users.

The Mad Hatter solutions are also available with Sun Ray appliances instead of the enterprise clients, Knox said. The difference is that with the Sun Ray, all files and applications are on the server, whereas the enterprise clients can have local applications and data.

The enterprise clients are expected to be in general availability during the first quarter of next year, Knox said. Sun plans to make them available in its iForce centers for demo purposes over the next two months, he said.