Sun Microsystems Thursday rallied more support for servers running its Solaris operating system on x86 compatible processors with the addition of some 100 new third-party systems and 100 new components to its Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).
The Santa Clara, Calif.-based network computer maker also introduced a hardware certification test suite (HCTS) and promotion program that lets integrators, system vendors and independent hardware vendors to self-certify their x86 platforms. The idea, say Sun execs is to make sure Solaris OS x86 is available on the widest range of x86 systems.
“As we continue to kick the Solaris x86 program into high gear, our partner response has been overwhelming,” Sun vice president of marketing Ann Wettersten said in a statement. “We’ve seen more than 250,000 additional registered licenses of Solaris 9 x86 from industries such as finance, government, retail and telecom in the past four months alone.”
New to the list are servers and peripheral devices from big players such as Hewlett-Packard .
“EBS has been authorized by HP to support the Solaris OS x86 platform on their ProLiant servers,” said Electronic Business Solutions president and CEO Fran Oh.
Also onboard is San Jose, Calif.-based Xoriant, which says it will act Sun’s certification partner to help customers and OEMs certify their specific x86 systems with the Solaris OS x86.
Licensing for the latest version of Solaris 9 OS on x86 starts at $99. Sun also offers Trusted Solaris OS for x86 for telcos or corporations that need military-grade security.
Currently, more than 1,000 applications from more than 600 ISVs are available on Sun’s Solaris x86 Platform Edition ranging from database, security and Web services applications to government and defense applications.
Sun said its customers are turning to the company’s Solaris options as a result of two global IT influences: a growing rash of viruses such as the SoBig variants that plagued mail servers last week and the threat of UNIX copyright litigation by the SCO Group .
The Lindon, Utah-based firm’s licensing division turned its legal guns on IBM in March when it launched a multi-billion lawsuit alleging breach of contract and the sharing of trade secrets.
Sun has a licensing deal with SCO for some of the UNIX code but has repeatedly said it will indemnify its customers for all Solaris Operating Systems. The company said it is taking additional steps to adding as much of the UNIX IP to its portfolio as it can for Solaris.
“Ten years ago we saw something coming, so we decided we would work on getting full rights to the kernel so we could incorporate it as much as possible into Solaris,” Sun Solaris Group Marketing Manager Bill Moffitt told internetnews.com.
The company also boasts servers running Solaris remained virtually unscathed during last week’s virus attacks.
