Sun Adds Linux Boxes to Server Lineup

At a press conference in San Francisco Wednesday, the server and software company unveiled several new products and outlined its plans to support the open source software environment that competes with Sun's own Solaris software.

At the event, which was interrupted by the kind of power outage now plaguing California, Sun unveiled its first Linux servers. They're based on technology acquired from Cobalt and run Intel-compatible chips from AMD that are perfectly suited to running the Linux operating system. Sun also introduced its first Netra server that uses an UltraSparc chip and sells for less than $1,000.

The decision to embrace Linux so publicly comes at a critical juncture for Sun, which has long said that its sole focus on the proprietary UltraSparc chip and Solaris OS has helped it to be more competitive. Sun has long suggested that supporting multiple hardware systems and OSes distracts other vendors. The introduction of a Linux-based system is a sign that Sun sees a need to hit a lower price point to keep its market position. This is especially important in lower-end servers, said Sun president Ed Zander, who presided over Wednesday's event.

"Today we go after the cost-sensitive server marketplace," said Zander, who positioned the announcements in the context of fending off potential competitors in the server market. "Our targets are Dell, Compaq, IBM,anyone looking to get out of the PC debacle and go into the server market," he added.

In actuality, Sun is using the two lines to pursue two different markets, according to John MacFarlane, executive vice president of Sun's service provider group. The Netra servers are aimed at customers who install their own software, MacFarlane said, while the Cobalt server appliances come loaded with software to handle specific tasks.

"It's all about the applications," said Neil Knox, vice president and general manager of network systems at Sun. "For these servers, we have to think about that while we are designing the architecture."

The new Cobalt servers are the Raq XTR server and the CacheRaq caching appliance, which Knox said were the fifth and fourth generation of the products, respectively. "These are not general purpose Linux boxes. They're mature products focused on specific tasks," he added.

The general-purpose Netra server family received a low-end addition in the form of the X1, which starts at less than $1,000 for a model with a 400MHz UltraSparc IIe CPU, 128MB of memory and a 20GB hard disk. The rack-optimized box is targeted at high-volume service providers and could give a boost to MSPs whose hosting agreements may call for distinct subsystems.

The Sun announcements are the latest in a series of announcements geared toward solution providers. Compaq, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard have all made 1U server announcements in the last two months.