Sun Launches First Trusted Solaris For Intel x86 Platform

As part of a series of announcements this week, Sun said it was offering a Trusted Solaris Standard Edition for Unix-based SPARC processors and for Intel's x86 platform at a price of $999, as well as a higher-end Certified Edition for SPARC and x86 priced at $2,495.

The standard edition gives customers added security for commercial deployment at an attractive price. Moreover, the ability to run it on Intel's x86 platform gives Solaris better reach into the massive Intel customer base, which now uses Windows and Linux and, in some cases, standard versions of Solaris without the "Trusted" logo.

One Sun partner said it might help Sun snag some new users in the small- and medium-size business space. "I can't see any direct impact on our Fortune 1000 current customer base, which is mainly Solaris-based already," said Curt Stevenson, vice president of business development for Back Bay Technologies, Boston. "But it might encourage some smaller businesses to start experimenting with Solaris."

The certified edition also runs on both Sparc and x86, giving Intel users access to a version of Solaris with the highest level of security rating, known as the Common Criteria Certification at Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL 4), which is often required for government use.

Sun is boring down on security and price to shore up increased competition from Microsoft and Red Hat. Microsoft's Windows Server 2000 was awarded certification for EAL 4 last October. In February, Red Hat and Oracle announced a joint plan to submit Red Hat Linux Advanced Server for EAL 2 certification.

While the $999 Trusted Solaris for x86 and full-fledged Trusted Solaris Certified Edition rounds out Sun's offerings for Intel customers, Sun partners said they expect much of the Trusted Solaris functionality will be embedded in the next-generation version of Solaris, Version 10, due to be announced this fall.

"I suspect that Trusted Solaris, as we know it today, will eventually disappear and the traditional Trusted Solaris security features will be available in standard Solaris," said Dow Williamson, vice president of marketing for Trusted Computer Solutions, a Sun partner and consultant in Herndon, Va. "This is what the market wants and needs."