Sun Beefs Up Linux Reputation
The companies agreed to extend Sun support for Oracle products across Sun's full line of SPARC, Solaris x86 and Linux systems. Previously, Sun only offered full support for SPARC products.
Sun also has unveiled new V60x and V65x rack-optimized servers; the latter boasts a 50 percent cost savings over a Dell 2650. In addition, Sun announced a global partnership agreement with Linux provider Red Hat, as well as adding 100 partners to its iForce partnership for Solaris x86.
A key component in making this strategy work will be Sun's channel partnerships. "We need our distribution partners to make this happen," says CEO Scott McNealy. "We're making investments and 'incentivizing' the channel to get the low-cost distribution we need in the marketplace."