Archive | January, 2002

Sun Microsystems, Inc. has signed an agreement with Lineo®, Inc. to adapt and support Lineo’s embedded Linux operating system products to run on UltraSPARC® IIe-processor based end user-developed custom hardware. Lineo is working to create a full-featured UltraSPARC IIe processor-focused software development kit complete with the Lineo Embedix® operating system. This kit will be licensed and supported by Lineo. Developers will also have free access to a basic version of embedded Linux operating system fine tuned to run on the UltraSPARC IIe processor.

Susan Kunz, director of marketing for Sun’s Processor Products Group said: “Teaming up with Lineo to support embedded Linux development is an ideal solution for Sun to get a greater share of the embedded systems OEM market. It’s been a long-standing policy of Sun to supplement the SolarisTM Operating Environment with support for specialized, embedded and real-time operating systems. Lineo Embedix Linux is a best of both worlds situation for Sun as it offers the smaller footprint and real-time response of dedicated RTOSes, but also works well with the Solaris Operating Environment. Not only does this make it easy for developers to take on embedded projects but opens up very interesting opportunities for mixed Solaris Operating Environment/embedded Linux system designs.”

Alford Frost, Lineo senior vice president for marketing and business development, said, “The Lineo Embedix platform ensures the SPARC developer community with a familiar Linux API and hard real-time performance. Developers involved with devices from commercial off-the-shelf board-based products, to telco and Internet infrastructure, can now more easily develop and maintain their code base. Sun understands this market better than anybody and has addressed it with the Solaris Operating Environment. Now, the Embedix operating system adds another complete solution for SPARC-based custom OEM applications.”

The Lineo Embedix operating system and tools are carefully designed to ease complete product development and shorten release cycles, giving developers the ability to spend more time on product design. Lineo Embedix is a “100% Pure Linux” and royalty free solution. Embedix provides everything developers have come to expect from Linux combined with an infrastructure to support non-Linux services such as high performance hard real-time, multi-processor (DSPs, 16 bit, 32 bit, and non-heterogeneous architectures) support and native support for Legacy RTOS APIs. Embedix provides a tested, validated, approved, configuration managed software installation developed specifically at the target hardware.

Sun views the addition of embedded Linux as an application development option for end-user developed OEM products as a meeting point between the full featured, Solaris Operating Environment and hard-real-time embedded operating systems. Furthermore, owing to the royalty-free nature of the Linux licensing regime, developers can choose embedded Linux with hard real-time capabilities as a lower-cost alternative to commercial real-time OSes.

Embedded Linux also fits well into Sun’s vision of the evolution of embedded systems. In particular, the company believes that embedded systems such as digital TV, telecommunications switches, routers and other network edge devices will require hybrid systems software that offers some real-time capabilities on satellite/network edge devices mixed with the sophisticated features and standardization inherent in Solaris-based applications running on upstream main servers.

Licensing And Availability

The basic embedded Linux operating system fine tuned by Lineo running on the UltraSPARC IIe processor will be available from the Lineo and Sun websites beginning the first quarter of 2002. Lineo plans to offer the Lineo Embedix SDK with operating system and toolset, customized for the UltraSPARC IIe processor, in the third quarter of 2002. For more information, readers should contact either Lineo at www.lineo.com or Sun at www.sun.com/microelectronics/UltraSPARC-IIe/RTOS

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision–The Network Is The Computertm–has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the Internet and allow companies worldwide to take their businesses to the nth. Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.

About Lineo, Inc.

Lineo®, Inc. provides embedded systems and real-time solutions that cover the full spectrum of embedded development, including operating system software, host development environments and professional services. Lineo distributes vertical solutions that allow OEMs to create smart embedded devices and systems while helping OEMs to reduce system requirements, per-unit costs and time-to-market. Lineo’s key product lines include: Embedix® SDK (a fully featured and integrated embedded developer tool chain), Embedix® (embedded Linux system software for MMU-less and MMU-full processors), Embedix® BridgeWorks™ (operating systems and tools for multiprocessor device support and legacy code migration) and RTXC™ Quadros™ (a highly configurable microprocessor and DSP real-time operating system). Contact Lineo at http://www.lineo.com, via e-mail to info@lineo.com or by calling (801) 426-5001.

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Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. SPARC® and UltraSPARC® are registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. UltraSPARC is licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing the SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. Press announcements and other information about Sun Microsystems are available on the Internet via the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com/ at the URL prompt.

Lineo and Embedix are registered trademarks of Lineo, Inc. BridgeWorks, RTXC and Quadros are trademarks of Lineo, Inc. Linux is a registered trademark owned by Linus Torvalds. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Sun Delivers on Innovation in 2001 with New Server Launches and Software Products

Riding high on a successful year of major server launches, Sun Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) momentum, and processor upgrades, Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) is poised to capitalize on its progress during 2001, having been selected by CMP Media’s Intelligent Enterprise magazine as one of its “Companies to Watch” in 2002. Sun also earned four top honors in the magazine’s Readers’ Choice awards beating out IBM for best IT products in Operating Systems with the Solaris™ Operating Environment (OE); the Portal Server Category with the iPlanet[tm] Portal Server software, the High-End Server category with the continually successful Sun Enterprise™ 10000 server, also known as Starfire; in the mid-range with the new Sun Fire™ Midframe server family.

Sun was chosen by the editors of Intelligent Enterprise as an infrastructure company that is well positioned to be a key enabler of the intelligent enterprise in 2002, reflecting the tremendous success of Sun’s heavy push on software and services on demand as part of the Sun ONE initiative, in addition to the roll out of the highly anticipated copper technology UltraSPARC[tm] III Cu processor, the launch of its new line the Sun Fire Midframe servers for the midrange, plus the debut of the Sun Fire 15K high-end server.

The Solaris OE and its recent upgrades also bolstered Sun’s ratings among the readers of Intelligent Enterprise. As the foundation for Sun systems, the Solaris Operating Environment enables IT organizations to deliver on the promise of massive scalability, continuous real-time computing and trusted, secure systems. Recent updates to the Solaris 8 Operating Environment and the planned release of Solaris 9 OE continue to make Solaris the most mature foundation for a networking stack in the industry. Wins for both Solaris and the iPlanet Portal Server validate Sun’s important role in the future delivery of Web services through the Sun ONE initiative. The iPlanet Portal Server will serve as the delivery mechanism for Web services, as well as the point of aggregation and personalization of applications and information.

“We really made the most of 2001, delivering to the marketplace some of the most advanced and innovative technology ever to come out of Sun Microsystems – from key elements of the Sun ONE offering, such as Solaris and the iPlanet Portal Server, to our 900 MHz UltraSPARC III processor, the Sun Fire Midframe, to Sun StorEdge™ 9900 and our new flagship high-end server, the Sun Fire 15K,” said Shahin Khan, Chief Competitive Officer for Sun Microsystems. “These accolades from Intelligent Enterprise and its readers validate the quality of our products and prove that closed, costly and complex systems are not what customers want. Sun is an integral part of helping businesses get where they need to go. We’re on course for another great year and plan to take even more ground from IBM as we roll out more technology in 2002.”

“Our selection process for our distinguished ‘Companies to Watch’ award involved a thorough assessment of the past year’s coverage and reader feedback. More importantly, we based our decision not on just one criteria, such as total revenues or simple name recognition, but on criteria that really matters in today’s business world: technology leadership, customer innovation and satisfaction, and a solution partner that can provide the hardware and software infrastructure needed to power the next wave of computing and services on demand,” said David Stodder, editorial director of Intelligent Enterprise.

Readers Choose Sun for Strategic Value and Real-World Performance

Sun once again ascended to the top of the pack, this time selected by the readers of Intelligent Enterprise as the number one provider of IT products in four categories, including two key components of the Sun ONE stack – the Solaris Operating Environment and the iPlanet Portal Server:

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision — “The Network Is The Computer]™” — has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the Internet and allow companies worldwide to take their businesses to the nth. Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Sun Fire, Sun Enterprise, Solaris, iPlanet, Sun Fireplane, StorEdge and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.