Sun Adds Low-End Servers

At the Supercomm show in Atlanta Tuesday, Sun Microsystems announced the release of another entry-level server in its Sun Fire line, along with a repositioned Netra offering. The Sun Fire V120 joins the Sun Fire V100 as it migrates from the Netra family to the Sun Fire one, and the Netra 120 will serve as its counterpart in the Netra line.

Both products began shipping in volume on Tuesday.

The Sun Fire V120 and Netra 120 represent repositioned servers from the Netra line. Both are third-generation uniprocessor thin servers. The previous iteration of the Sun Fire V120 was the Netra T1 AC200, and the Netra 120 was the Netra T1 DC200.

The main difference between the systems is that the Netra 120 is NEBS-certified, whereas the Sun Fire V120 is merely NEB-compliant, Laura Finklestein, group marketing manager at Sun told ServerWatch.

Earlier this year Sun had announced it was tightening its Netra line and would thus require all servers carrying the Netra label to be NEBS-certified.

Both the Netra 120 and the Sun Fire 120 use the UltraSPARC IIi processor. Both come standard with a System Configuration Card that contains the server’s key identity information, which enables customers to transfer information to a standby server should the original server ever go down. The servers also come with Lights Out Management software pre-installed.

The new systems offer up to 512 KB of Level 2 cache, an increase from 256 KB in the previous versions; an option of 550 MHz or 650 MHz processor speed, up from 500 MHz; 4 GB of maximum memory, up from 2 GB; and 36 GB hard drives, up from 18 GB.

Finklestein cites performance gains of 88 percent due to these enhancements.

Software-wise, the Sun Fire V120 and Netra 120 include the Sun ONE Web Server, Apache, and Sun ONE Active Server Pages (formerly ChiliSoft! Software).

The key differentiator for the two servers is that the Netra 120 is a ruggedized package being positioned for applications like softswitch, signaling and media gateways, and wireless applications. The Netra 120 will be marketed to telecommunications customers, service providers, and government institutions.

Sun is also offering various add-ons for the two servers. The Sun Crypto Accelerator 1000 Board (SCA1000) provides beefed up security delivering more than 4,300 new SSL transactions per second when used with the Sun ONE Web server. The Sun Fire V120 also supports Sun’s iForce Integrated Security Solution, which helps to deploy perimeter defense security for enterprises and service providers. It is designed to provide increased prevention and detection, improved capture systems, and faster responses to security threats.

Both servers are available for immediate purchase from Sun’s online store. The SunFire V120 is priced starting at $2,495, and the Netra 120 is priced starting at $3,395.