SunSoft Inc rolled out its feature-for-feature, bug-for-bug version of Solaris 2.0 for Intel Corp iAPX-86 architectures at its 1,700-strong Software Developers Conference in California last week, pitching it as a system for enterprise-wide client-server computing. Deliveries on a CD-ROM won’t start for another 60 days. The software requires a minimum 33MHz full 80386 machine with an 80387 co-processor, 12Mb RAM – though 16Mb is recommended – and a 200Mb disk, though 300Mb is better. It supports the AT, EISA and Micro Channel buses, IDE and SCSI disk controllers and any Adobe Systems Inc PostScript-compatible printer. Some 300 native applications are said to be in the process of moving to Solaris x86.

Reinvented

Users can also access the 1,800 applications currently converting from Solaris-on-Sparc 1.X to 2.X by downloading them from a Sparc server to an Intel client. Many of the 2,000 Interactive applications will run uner Solaris x86. Admitting the channel has to be reinvented, SunSoft still intends selling Solaris x86 wholly indirectly. Its newly established corporate sales force is intended only to drum up demand among the Fortune 1000. Sun Microsystems Computer Corp, the company’s hardware arm, will put the operating system in its end-user price book and AST Research Inc, CompuAdd Corp, Dell Computer Corp, Toshiba Corp and Zenith Data Systems Inc, all of them companies committed to Solaris x86 since the middle of last year will take it OEM. SunSoft has also lined up several large US distributors namely Ingram Micro Inc, Merisel Inc, Tech Data Corp, Access Graphics Inc and Gates F/A Distribution Inc to peddle it and says it has authorised over 2,000 US resellers to handle the product. SunExpress, the company’s catalogue operation, will start moving it in July. In Australia Solaris x86 will be distributed by Tech Pacific. In Europe it will move through Bacher, Bytek GmbH, DSD SA, ComTrad International, Merisel Europe, Scribona Sverige AB, Morse Computers Ltd and Technology Plc. ComTrad will also open South America. Sun chief executive Scott McNealy indicated aggressive volumes are expected from the software but would not discuss actual numbers. SunSoft pooh-poohs any conflict between Sun and the resellers. Support will be initially provided by Sun’s worldwide support organisation under a non-exclusive arrangement. SunSoft expects to authorise other service partners later in the year. It stuck to its guns on pricing, listing the client-side Solaris Desktop at $800 in single quantities. It reckons its targeted accounts will pay the premium for high-performance software and that the channels need a decent margin.

By Maureen O’Gara The Solaris Workgroup Server for small to mid-range departments is $2,000 in single quantity. The Solaris Enterprise Server is $6,000 in single quantity. The Software Developer’s Kit is $500 and the Solaris Driver Developer’s Kit for hardware vendors for building drivers is $200, both quantity one. SunSoft claims it is offering better value for money than its nearest competitor Univel Inc which just dropped the price of its UnixWare client to $250 anticipating predatory pricing by Microsoft Corp on Windows NT. SunSoft says it would actually cost $843 to get from Univel what the Solaris Desktop offers at $800 since it includes symmetric multi-processing, three-dimensional graphics, ToolTalk and Solaris Live!, new hardware-independent network multimedia facilities. Similarly it would cost $1,300 with Santa Cruz Unix, $1,000 with NeXTstep, $1,350 with IBM Corp and $1,200 with Hewlett-Packard Co. SunSoft has enhanced Solaris 2.0 to 2.2 (though it’s not officially calling it that) boosting symmetric multiprocessing performance by 60% over the previous version as measured on an eight-way system. Perhaps most importantly, it will the system Sun uses to add the Motif toolkit, compliments of IXI Ltd. It provides a set of user-accessible threads to accelerate input-output and concurrency, particularly for database applications. Networking is said to be 10% to 15% better on transferring data and the

re’s on-demand access to CD-ROM and floppy disks as well as remote file systems. System administration and the desktop are improved with the latter adding an Image Tool to create, load, view, rotate, zoom and crop images for documents among other enhancements. Solaris 2.2 also has XIL, the industry’s first bundled imaging and video library, as part of Solaris Live!. Sun Microsystem Inc should have the stuff on its entire product line in May. Availability is in 60 days – Motif prices are due in 30 days. SunSoft has several configurations of Solaris x86 available. Solaris Desktop, the $800 client piece, includes SunOS 5, ONC+ networking, multiprocessing, system and network administration, installation, DeskSet and run-time support for OpenWindows, ToolTalk and the XGL graphics toolkit. The $2,000 Solaris Workgroup Server gives users access to print service, file service and networking service and multi-user access to applications.

Solaris Desktop

It includes all of the Solaris Desktop features and additional technologies such as server networking, naming services and remote administration. The $6,000 Solaris Enterprise Server allows for compute-intensive tasks, data transaction processing and high-performance multiprocessing. It incorporates all the Solaris Workgroup technologies plus advanced system administration, commercial-grade input-output and enterprise-wide installation. SunSoft says Solaris x86 will run on Intel Corp-based Acer, Advanced Logic Research, Grid, Olivetti, Apricot, Compaq Computer Corp, Gateway, IBM, NCR and NEC machines even though it doesn’t have OEM deals with these companies. Targets for the second half include multiprocessors from the likes of Acer, ALR, AST Research Inc and Compaq. It currently supports graphics boards from ATI, Compaq, CompuAdd, Diamond, Genoa, IBM, Orchid, Paradise and STB; SCSI and disk controllers from Adaptec, DPT and IBM; network boards from Standard Microsystems, 3Com and IBM; tape subsystems from Archive, Sun, Tandberg and WangTek; input-output devices from Logitech and Microsoft; and CD-ROMs from LMS, NEC, Sony, Sun, Texel and Toshiba. Since this is mass market time and peripheral connections are very important, SunSoft’s wish list for the second half is stuffed full.