SUN Announces the First NETRA Server to Use Latest UltraSPARC® III Technology

The Netra 20 Server Beats UNIX Competition by Delivering the Most Compute Density of Any NEBS Level 3-Certified Two Processor Server

Santa Clara, Calif.
October 29, 2001

Taking reliability, performance, and total cost of ownership (TCO) to the next level in the Netra[tm] server product line , Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced the first UltraSPARC® III processor-based Netra server. The new Netra 20 server is rack-optimized and ruggedized for telecommunications and government customers who need to deploy highly reliable and high performance servers.

Built on 750 MHz UltraSPARC III processors, the Netra 20 server uses the same Sun[tm] Fireplane interconnect technology that makes the Sun Fire[tm] 15K high-end server the leader in its class. The excellent I/O performance of the blazingly fast Sun Fireplane interconnect at 4.8GB/sec, links all critical components of the system (CPU, memory, network and storage devices) and transfers data at unprecedented speeds. The result is superior real world application performance when compared to IBM and HP. In addition, the Netra 20 comes with the industry’s only removable System Configuration Card, which allows a system to be serviced with only minimal disruption due to system downtime.

The Netra 20 ruggedized server brings the power of the rock-solid Solaris[tm] Operating Environment and latest UltraSPARC III technology to customers building the next generation IP infrastructure. The Netra 20 server maximizes real estate by offering the highest compute density of any major competing NEBS Level 3-certified dual processor UNIX® system. Netra 20 meets mandatory requirements for deployment in Central Office through NEBS Level 3-certification, DC power, and shallow depth. As a replacement to the highly successful Netra 1120 and 1125 servers, the Netra 20 will be used in the next generation of services deployment in both service provider and telecommunication network infrastructure.

The Netra 20 server reduces total cost of ownership and allows easier network management by enabling an architecture that scales readily, provides binary-compatibility with existing applications and provides a platform to build solutions for softswitch deployment, IP infrastructure, session initiation protocol, and Java[tm] technology-based wireless applications.

“The feature set of the Netra 20 combined with the performance that the UltraSPARC III processor provides will enable continuing industry leadership for customers who demand the lowest cost of ownership for ruggedized server applications,” said Neil Knox, vice president and general manager, Volume Systems Products, Sun Microsystems. “The Netra 20  integrated server is reliable and is the ideal system for rack-intensive deployments in less-than-ideal environments.”

“The UltraSPARCIII based Netra 20 server gives our Department of Defense customers the opportunity to leverage Sun’s latest technology innovations for the commercial telecommunications market. Its high density compute performance in a 4U space claim will enable their Tactical Operations Centers to scale services without compromising mobility,” said Scott Butler, director of engineering, General Dynamics Communication Systems.

The Netra 20 server offers a variety of features that provide customers with significant competitive advantages and benefits, including:

  • NEBS Level 3-Certified Packaging: The Netra 20 comes with intensely ruggedized packaging that gives the server the ability to operate in hot, humid and polluted environments. Compact footprint (4U) with less than 20-inch depth enables room for cable management in the rack.
  • System Configuration Card (SCC): Facilitates easy transfer of the system configuration, enabling quick replacement of faulty systems and minimizing downtime. The SCC maintains the system’s host ID, MAC address and NVRAM settings enabling the end user to quickly reset these network specifications into a replacement server. This eliminates much of the costly downtime associated with system serviceability.
  • Ease of Management and Serviceability: Lights Out Management has become the industry standard for mandatory datacenter management features including remote shutdown, restart, troubleshooting and environmental monitoring. Lights Out Management (LOMLite2) is standard on all Netra 20 servers and features front and back LEDs providing visual identification of faults. In today’s challenging economic environment where limited human resources are available for managing the datacenter hardware and software, LOMLite2 is the industry’s leading tool to effectively manage and control server farms and network infrastructure.
  • Binary Compatibility: Because the Netra 20 is based on the SPARC architecture, it maintains binary-backward compatibility from generation to generation, including support of the more than 12,000 applications developed for the SPARC/Solaris platform. Customers can deploy systems with confidence knowing their applications can grow and their investments in networking infrastructure and training will be protected.
  • Enhanced Connectivity: The Netra 20 server is equipped with extensive external connectivity ports, including PCI, Serial, Parallel, SCSI, FC-AL, USB & Ethernet.

Pricing and Availability

The Netra 20 server is available today through Sun and Sun’s existing sales channels. Netra 20 server with one 750 MHz UltraSPARC III processor starts at $11,495 with one 36 GB FC-AL hard drive and 512 MB of memory installed.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision — The Network Is The Computer[tm] — 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, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, Solaris, Netra, SunTone, Sun Fire and StorEdge are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and in 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. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries exclusively licensed through X/Open Company, Ltd.