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Sun Announces New AMD-Based Product Line
Transfan76 writes "Today Sun Microsystems has officially announced an alliance with AMD. They "have formed an alliance to deliver a broad range of AMD Opteron[tm] processor-based systems, Sun also announced it plans to offer its Java Enterprise System on the AMD Opteron processor and is significantly extending the reach of its Solaris Operating System (OS) and leadership in the 64-bit space." You can read the official press release from Sun here. And the AMD release here." We previously reported rumored plans to this effect a few days back.
I think it's great that Sun is finally breaking into the commodity hardware business, while still optimizing their syndicated dynamic solutions marketbase through enhanced Solaris offerings. While this may be true, they have a long way to go to true cross-media functionalities, as the AMD processor is currently unable to support XDML enhanced DSS encryption, which is required in order to implement enterprise-level mindshare paradigms. As AMD states in their press release,
Sure, this all sounds good on paper, but how do they possibly intend to complete this task without relying on a steady influx of new-media, leading-edge partnerships that can emphasize one-on-one integrated infomediaries? For my money, it's just not possible.
Don't get me wrong. I wish them all the best. But still, good luck, Sun and AMD...you're going to need it.
.. to the term 'Solar Flare'...
*** rimshot ***
"A revolution without dancing is... a revolution not worth having"
and about time! With this new competition intel has really got to get their act together. For quite a while now AMD has been providing cheaper (but not always faster) processors, however with their new AMD64 line they've really come into themselves. Well done AMD!
When anger rises, think of the consequences.
Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)
I assume that AMD at this point in time has no plans for any SPARC CPUs, but I wonder how much AMD could do if they got all Sun's SPARC resources and basically bodged together a next gen SPARC from the Opteron. But something tells me that x86-64 is the way of the future if Sun don't want to slip behind more.
Air conditioning manufacturers specialising in cooling server rooms will be delighted with Sun's switch...
Slick, yet entertaining. 8 out of 10 troll points.
"...second only to the Windows..." gave it away. Any Sun employee uttering that phrase would probably be publically executed.
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
This is good for AMD, giving them additional credibility and sales in the short term. But it doesn't address Sun's long-term problems: they aren't competitive in terms of hardware and they can't make money from Java.
The Java Desktop they could create some serious revenue. Imagine a large company with Opteron workstation for engineering and scientific appilcations and SunRays as e-mail/web/StarOffice boxes.
Sun, the company who is now renowed for their expensive systems could use "commodity" computing to bring themselves back and Linux to the desktop. Who would have thought.
IBM is a major competitor of Sun. And since Sun has SPARC, it has all it needs in the way of non-x86 processors. It needs a good x86-compatible offering.
Why not Intel? I think Sun & Intel are old enemies over the SPARC/x86 competition.
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
That doesn't even make sense! Java is a language, not an OS! Yes these systems will have Java installed on them, but so will StarOffice, GNOME and other pieces of software. The reason why Sun went with the Opteron is simple, they can present a unified software solution to the customer. Run Linux or Solaris in 64bit mode no matter how large the machine is. Whether its single cpu Opteron, or 64way SPARC box. Makes alot of sense...
Interesting, I could not find the paragraph you mentioned in the release.
This is the original paragraph:
"By running the current version of the Solaris OS on the AMD Opteron processor platform, we are experiencing substantial improvements in kernel performance for Solaris over other x86-based systems, " said John Fowler, chief technology officer, software, Sun Microsystems. "With the Solaris OS running on the AMD Opteron processor, our customers and partners can take advantage of unique features such as containers delivering virtualization and high levels of security. Solaris has led the industry in proven military grade security built-in to the OS, and with Trusted Solaris OS, offering unmatched levels of privacy."
Either you added some creative additions (likely) or Sun changed it.
(If you never had doubts about Opteron's ultimate prospects, consider Alpha. It had more going for it than Opteron ever did, and generations earlier. Current Alphas (EV7 and EV79) are fully competitive with current Opteron and Itanium, even without a proper engineering team for several years, yet the Alpha is "dead".)
Intel could do a lot worse than to revive it. It may need to, to stay competitive with Opteron.
Good god man! You've created a Content Black Hole! You're dragging down the Scores of every post in the vicinity!
- Old Man of the Mountain ---- "I want to disturb my neighbor"
The AMD64 ( or x86-64, whatever we're calling it this week ) architecture is very promising, and Sun is still an excellent vendor ( despite numerous blunders...they've made some horrible mistakes, but they've also had some great successes ).
This has the potential to breathe new life into both vendors, and gives us all an alternative, which is important in a marketplace that has such a dynamic history but is currently being choked to death by certain vendors that think marketing is more important than quality.
Now who should I get my next worksation from, IBM w/ SUSE or RHWS, or Sun w/ their desktop Linux stack? Hmm...
PC moderators can suck my White pierced, tattooed dick. If you think pride == hate, s/dick/Aryan meat mallet/g.
I think it has something to do with the Itanium being a Fat slob of a pig.
I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
Solaris has led the industry in proven military grade security built-in to the OS, and with Trusted Solaris OS, offering unmatched levels of privacy, second only to the Windows .NET security framework.
Second to Microsoft? How is this good for SUN?
Don't waste time... procrastinate now!
Well, IBM is one of Sun's largest competitors, so it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to jump in bed with them. There probably isn't a whole lot of reason to not choose Intel, other than the fact that Sun operates on religious principles rather than business ones.
Sun likes to think they have the power to stick it to anyone they want. So, they are going after Intel by partnering with AMD. These practices haven't played out well for them in recent years.
Sun stuck with UNIX in a time when everyone was getting away from it. This paid off well for them a few years back. However, they have since used the same philosophy and have been digging a big hole. They tried to ride out on Solaris and SPARC, but the shift is towards Linux and x86. This move is a step in the right direction, but it might be too late. They have Java, but while Sun has been moping around, IBM jumped on the Linux bandwagon, and took a lot of the Java momentum away from Sun.
In short, if Sun would have played their cards right, they could be where IBM is today. Now, however, they have 2-3 years of catchup to do, and not many people are going to wait around.
-- Fighting mediocrity one bad post at a time.
What we all want to know is, when do we get to see 106 CPU Opteron systems!? Tiny little 8 cpu systems just don't cut it any more!
second only to the Windows .NET security framework.
I never thought Solaris was that bad
how long until
Wow, did they really just say what I thought they said? Lacking an OS? How could HP be lacking an OS for a processor (Itanium) it virtually built? How could IBM's usage of Linux be taken as anything but having an OS for those platforms. What a load.
... to boost the Opteron to the number two slowest selling server CPU position?
stands as a beacon for HP and IBM customers facing a dead-end Unix, and Microsoft customers frustrated with security and fragility
I wouldn't be surprised if they kicked a dog on the way off the stage...
PC moderators can suck my White pierced, tattooed dick. If you think pride == hate, s/dick/Aryan meat mallet/g.
>Considering that these are JAVA based systems, why
>pick the processor that bent over backwards to be
>x86 compatible?
Because despite the Java branding, Sun's Java Desktop System is really an x86 Suse-based Linux distribution, complete with Gnome. (Java Enterprise System is Solaris with Gnome.)
Of course, Java is also included, and is a key part in Sun's strategy with these systems. But the "Java Desktop..." and "Java Enterprise..." names are pure marketing.
Jesus, why would a company need all 64 bit desktops?
Think McFly!
I believe that in Sun's current worldview Java is a meaningless trademark to be slapped onto anything: hence Java Desktop. We should have seen the warning signs early with Javascript.
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
I wish the both of them the best of luck, and one of these days, may good engineering prevail. I hope.
We previously reported rumored plans to this effect a few days back.
Where "previously reported" means "we linked to the article on news.com".
Credit where credit is due?
Never approach a vast undertaking with a half-vast plan.
Doom IV?
"Murphy was an optimist" - O'Toole's commentary on Murphy's Law
Second to .NET's security? I have a bad feeling about this...
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
Since they are obviously in a period of decline. I wonder if Sun Microsystems will exist in its current form in the next 5-10 years. I wouldn't bet money on it.
Could be because the Opteron is one of the fastest chip in the world at executing Java code right now, and that's when running in IA-32 (aka 32-bit x86) mode?
Check out the results for SPEC JBB2000. On a per-processor basis, AMD's Opteron chips are second only to Intel/HP Itanium2 based systems, and the Opterons are quite a bit cheaper. Actually, when combined with the new x48 Opteron chips announced alongside the Sun deal, AMD should make up most of the current 8% difference between the two chips.
So, they get better performance than anything IBM has to offer (even the full-fledged Power4 can't match the Opteron in Java if the above test is to be believed) and a much lower price tag than what Intel is looking for. Seems like a pretty good choice if you ask me.
The Java part is a red herring, it can be made to run on just about any platform. Also the Jave Enterprise System offerings from Sun are not written in Java - yes, they do have some Java components, but the majority of the code is C/C++. the Java labeling is just Sun marketing stupidity.
The real reason for the choice of AMD is the 64 bit architecture of the chip. If you have been following the news about the rival AMD and Intel 64 bit offereings, you will have noticed that any somewhat unbiased observer gives the AMD chip a big edge over the Intel chip.
Intel have problems with their 64 bit architecture, which is sowing in the low adoption rate of that device.
AMD on the other hand, is doing very well.
Sun chose the best architecture, and thus the best (potential) performance. The fact that it also sticks one in the eye of intel is a fortuitous by-product.
Yes. In my opinion that this is a last-gasp effort by Sun. Their failure to remain competitive in a market moving towards more open standards and interoperability - in other words, their priggish adherence to their outdated business model - has brought them (literally) to their knees (begging at AMD's door for a non-SPARC CPU to compete in the Linux market) in an attempt to appear to have a competitive platform. IBM's e325 (Opteron) announcement and subsequent performance had to be a revelation... What I'm going to be most interested in seeing is whether or not HPaq jumps on this bandwagon. Since HP was so integral to the Itanium design (and HPaq has really staked their entire future on Itanium) and Compaq had and sold Alpha to Intel (another subject into which I will not venture)... it's interesting, at least. I will be very surprised if they do, since they seem to be indexing everything they do these days to Dell (ask your friendly HPaq rep what their future in the 8-way Xeon space is...).
Netscape created Javascript (formerly Livescript), not Sun. There was some, er, ...interesting..., uses of trademark around then. here's what someone from Netscape had to say at the time
a competitive move towards the OTHER major x86 unix-like system, linux. why would sun do this? 2 reasons..
1. Make it look like they arent with linux to avoid any crap with sco
2. After helping linux, they realize this thing could turn into a giant that could eat them in one bite
thse could be the reasons.. that or they really mean to compete with IBM and intel and microsoft, who has often rubbed them the wrong way (mainly the ugly java incident) I bet their main goal is microsoft, and since intel is often in bed with microsoft, intel's probably their second target, that and amd doesnt share ties with microsoft (none that I've heard of) so the amd platform would be a much safer choice, that and they are technologically better at times.
What I really wouldnt mine seeing pushed is PPC cpu, that's a good little processor, and let's face it, x86 is old technology that keeps getting stuff added on. PPC's are perfect for multimedia and most things that people do, sell them in a mass production, they become as low priced as the x86...
intel and microsoft are the only reasons we're still using x86's.. would be cool if AMD started on a PPC clone (if legally possible) as a secondary market for processors..
if we could start seeing that, then that would be sweet, and that could help sun too if they want to enterprise on their product.
Sure, Sun is such an important player that they have drug down the entire stockmarket....
When has Sun abandoned Solaris on x86? Isn't that wahat x86 Solaris 9 is?
1. overheating issues with OEM heatsink/fans
I guess they can replace the OEM's fans with some better ones. One might even think that they would ship some better HS/F for such a big partner.
2. fans locking up
Hmmm. See 1. I still don't see how this is a big problem.
3. motherboard chipsets frying
Well, bad motherboard. Don't put the blame on AMD, but on the Mobo manufacturer.
4. AGP slot working
I don't this this is going to be any issue on a server. Plus, see 3.
5. etc...
Well, I guess the "etc" includes the real problems then. Care to elaborate?
Write boring code, not shiny code!
Even tough Sun might be *extremely* late in their response to the market, this move certainly seems like a good one. Let's just hope they can write their device drivers quickly to be in the same league as Linux.
Ma gavte la nata
It is entirely possible that the original poster was making multiproc workstations for 3d artists.
I really like AMD, and I've heard all of the "Sun is dying and losing it's big business name" stuff.
There's no way that Sun can drag them down right? This can only benefit AMD, right?
Sounds like they're really taking a big RISC.
Sun offers a fairly advanced compiler and, perhaps more importantly, "performance libraries" on their Sparc machines. Intel is doing the same on their machines -- Linux, FreeBSD (via port), and Windows. Will Sun do likewise with AMD or will they just help GCC in the amd64 optimization area(s)?
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
A. These aren't remarked chips. They were bought from a good vendor (NewEgg) and were retail box with AMD approved heatsink/fan combo.
B. AMD provides the specs for the chipsets TO the manuafacturers. Put on some glasses sometime and check out the name on the chipset. It'll say AMD.
C. The systems ran fine for about 8 months straight.
D. The fans in question were the AMD approved fans. On the Athlons we still have left, I have replaced the OEM ones with Thermaltakes.
This is a test. This is a test of the emergency sig system. This has been only a test.
Yes, Netscape made a scripting language and Sun was happy to stick a meaningless 'Java' label on it although it has nothing to do with Java. Sun agreed to let Netscape use the trademark.
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
And on the other side of the anecdotal and completely irrelevant evidence fence, I've never once had a problem with AMD's processors on the very large number of installs that I've done and supported. Not a single one.
Of course, I've also been smart enough to make sure each unit either comes equipped with a set of quality fans, or to pass along the order for the same to staff. And we don't select for substandard motherboards either. The smart professional will spend the few extra bucks to avoid the problems inherent in cheap knock-off equipment, especially if the units are running 24/7.
Leaving these sorts of decisions to manufacturers - who're quite likely to give you the worst parts available - is just begging for trouble. No matter who produces the actual CPU.
Max
My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
I don't know what you were doing wrong, but i've build HUNDREDS of machines based on AMD products, from Duron 700's to current generation Athlon XP/MP's. I have NEVER had a problem with one of their chips. If your fan is locking up you might want to look into your environment. Where do you have the damn servers, in a woodworking shop or something?
Opteron is cheaper, faster, and requires less power than Itanium. AMD's 64-bit ISA is a hell of a lot cleaner than Itanic's. And AMD appears to be making the switch to 90nm technology faster and better than Intel, which will further help their power/cooling story.
- Old Man of the Mountain ---- "I want to disturb my neighbor"
When they announced Solaris 9, they said something fairly vague, like that it wouldn't be available for x86 at the time it was released for SPARC. Of course, people wanted them to be more specific and explain whether this meant a delay in the release of x86 version or no x86 version ever. As you can expect, they didn't answer that question.
They released Solaris 9 for SPARC. Then, some time passed (maybe a year?) and they released the x86 version of Solaris 9. During that time, they continue to support Solaris 8 customers on x86.
Now, they are making available some beta releases of Solaris 10, and they are available for both SPARC and x86, so it looks like the two versions will have simultaneous release this time.
So basically, Sun didn't abandon their customers, but they did make them really uneasy for a while there. (It was during a time when Sun was *really* short on cash, so it's partly understandable.) Whether they had intended to axe it and changed their minds or whether they always meant only that it was delayed, well that's up for debate...
Christ. I nearly "Foe"'d you on the spot for that.
However, on second and third reading I decided against it.
It's actually chocka full of goodies if you read it closely!
YAW.
Your head of state is a corrupt weasel, I hope you're happy.
Netscape created Livescript, renamed it to Javascript. At the point, Sun stepped in. Sun has the trademark on the word Javascript now.
Sun had nothing to do with Javascript other than that.
The plural of anecdote is not data.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Not only do I run an Athlon-XP at home, I have a K6 that has been serving web-pages since 2000. Continuously, in a non-airconditioned apartment and in a dusty hayfield. While there were a few chipset oopsies for my mother board, that was Via's goof. They made the mobo chipset (and the Linux kernel compiled around it.) BTW, intel chipsets have every bit as many work arounds.
Fans you are on your own about. Having had fans quit on PIII's as often as Athlons I'd say your argument is a straw man.
Did you have problems? I don't doubt it. Do they have anything to do with your AMD microprocessor? Hell no.
"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
--Dr.W.Edwards Deming
...I want my Sun Operton systems to have a real OBP. I don't care for peecee compatibility as long as the Big Aluminum (tm) boxen, if such ever get produced, aren't tied to some crummy BIOS.
In the immortal words of Socrates, who said; 'I drank what?'
Your XP on the other hand is different. A lot higher clock speed, higher memory speed, a LOT more heat and you probabaly turn the sucker off at night. Here we don't. We leave them on 24/7 to run analysis software.
I don't see what the big deal is with everybody getting pissed I said I wouldn't buy AMD again. I am sure they are very good for gaming. But for true processing and analysis their stability is the issue. That's all I'm saying.
This is a test. This is a test of the emergency sig system. This has been only a test.
'Java64' architecture based ...
"Sun is in a unique competitive position against HP and IBM - who now find themselves lacking an operating system on either Intel or AMD Opteron, and fighting a systems war without weaponry"
Then what is linux with 64 bit support?
Java isn't an OS, but it seeks to make the underlying operating system completely irrelevant from the standpoint of the user. Ideally you should have all the same applications and they should behave in precisely the same way on every system. Heh heh heh. Still it is not necessarily an unreachable goal, save that some applications will always need some more customization on their end to be able to behave precisely the same on every system. (Most any kind of disk utility, for example.)
Meanwhile the goal of the operating system is to make the underlying hardware irrelevant, such that any application can be run on any other system with nothing more than a recompile. Linux and netbsd in particular have put freakish amounts of work into this, and of course, doing some things just makes it harder. Bridging the gap we find the assorted libraries that we have all come to expect to be on Unix systems to make software both easier to write and less dependent on particular flavors of Unix.
Java above, OS below. Both seek to do more or less the same thing, just at neighboring levels. Microsoft too sees the wisdom in this, and failing to railroad Java away from Sun, buys a bunch of companies, and picks them for their best programmers while generally their product in some form, often as a Windows feature - and produces .NET in the process. An excellent idea really, and they've had lots of experience with Java in the interim to learn what does and does not work. One would assume they've been working on .NET for quite a while.
It is not unreasonable to believe that one day we will have products simply sold in stores for .NET or Java, and actually be able to expect it to work. Generally speaking, products are guaranteed to work only on certain versions of the JRE and often only on specific operating systems - Just requiring a specific JRE generally limits the places you can expect the software to run. Things are obviously getting better all the time, no one is simply sitting on their thumbs here. But Sun realizes that unless it can sell a bunch of Java stuff, whether it's licensing or training materials or directed development, Microsoft is going to continue slowly strangling them.
Anyway, returning to your comment, it is not clear that Linux will necessarily be on the most powerful Opteron-based systems from Sun, if they bother to develop some system which has a ridiculous number of processors. They certainly could do it, but I can easily see why they might choose not to. I think it would be a mistake, because someone will develop Linux for it anyway, and you won't be able to get the biggest piece of supporting it.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
And frankly, the only thing Netscape's implementation of Java did for Sun was get the word out there about "Java". The implemenation on Netscape sucked. Javascript just confused things further.
I guess that this will change how the weather derivatives options are priced.
Don't you know it is now both immoral and criminal to think beyond the next quarterly report?
"With the Solaris OS running on the AMD Opteron processor, our customers and partners can take advantage of unique features such as containers delivering virtualization and high levels of security..."
I would also like to add that you'll see the first Opteron workstations and servers about the same time that Solaris 10 technology preview is available. Sun has chosen to implement IA-64 into the kernel in the Solaris 10 release, which also adds some great new functionality such as true virtualization and containers that are even more powerful than chroot jails. Think of the ability to partition a single box into as many different virtual machines as you want, each completely isolated from each other and each having their own unique root account. The benefits for server consolidation projects and virtual hosting applications are obvious.
"When the president does it, that means it's not illegal." - Richard M. Nixon
According to the Inquirer:
AMD IS LIKELY to get a boost from Hewlett Packard today, with reports saying the firm will start selling a Presario 8000Z as soon as Wednesday.
According to the report on cnet.mp3.com, HP will offer a variety of different options with the desktop, which will be available in retail this week.
The machine, the report says, is just one of a family of Athlon 64 desktops HP will sell, and costs $1,239 for a basic machine.
But HP won't start using the Athlon FX - a sort of Opteron - for a little while, it appears. If and when it does, it will be offered as a gaming machine.
The announcement is a boost for AMD, coupled with Sun's expected endorsement of its Opteron microprocessors today.
Peace and love, y'all
Your groupthink is obviously broken. After all, every problem with an AMD box is the either the fault of the user or a 3rd party hardware maker or a bug in the software or it's a bogus chip or blah blah blah...
I've had two Athlons. Both boxes are flakey especially(!) if you don't use conditioned power. I've had much better luck since I put it on the UPS.
The obvious Good Thing about this announcement is that SUN will need to provide a heavily optimised, 64-bit Java implementation for the Opteron.
--
Adam Sherman
Freelance Geek
The meat in "Java-based systems" is good old C and C++ software. Sun's "Java desktop" is Gnome with a Java runtime shipping with it. Sun's "Java server" stuff is a C kernel with C userland stuff and a Java runtime.
Sun loves to attach the name "Java" to anything they can, to cover up the fact that what people actually do with Java is pretty limited. In that sense, they aren't all that different from Microsoft and ".NET".
I've been an AMD fan for quite a while
You must be very dizzy. My AMD fan goes 5000 RPM.
Sorry, couldnt resist. I like AMD too, and yes, Anand could take Tom any day.
Im dreaming ofa big bndwdth, That can resist the
Perhaps that, but also there is the fact that Intel and Sun have a long history of not making their relationship work. One of the reasons support for Solaris x86 within Sun has varied so much over the years.
Now before I get modded down, I be to remind whoever might read this that what I am saying is FACT. - bogaboga
Sun won't touch Intel for much more than old SPARC/x86 competitions. Intel has bet a lot money on trying to take over the high end CPU market with it's Itanium architechture. This includes Sun's Sparc chips. So, from Sun's point of view, an enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine. And a stronger AMD is a weaker Intel. It's not that difficult a choice, especially since the Opteron is clearly competitive with any x86 stuff from Intel.
Their only strength was hardware and support. Now they will ship commodity hardware and compete with a company that kicks ass in support (IBM). I kinda feel sorry for them, they should have fired Scott McNealy LOONG time ago.
Not true. It's not like Sun is going to stop doing what it normally does. It is simply expanding it's product offerings in the same way that IBM has.
People that were going to buy AMD or x86 now have the option of going with Sun, where they would have had to chosen a different vendor before.
The reason that it can be true that 1+1 > 2 is that very peculiar nonzero value of the + operator
Let's see, they need an x86 processor because Sun is losing out in the non-x86 world. Fujitsu already can make a better UltraSparc, and IBM is constantly hounding on Sun with their Power4, just to name a couple.
Why AMD? Two easy reasons:
1. Intel is single-handedly responsible for the rise of inexpensive x-86 based servers. Lots of bad blood there. As for IA-64, Sun would probably give in and buy Fujitsu-made UltraSparcs before they ported to anything Intel.
2. The AMD Opteron has flat 64-bit addressing over the Xeon, but here is the key point: AMD's on-processor memory controller, plus dual Hypertransport busses for inter-processor communication mean that Opteron sees MUCH HIGHER efficiency in multi-processor configurations versus the Xeon.
Man is the animal that laughs.
And occasionally whores for Karma.
Didn't SGI pull a similar stunt with the Itanic? Granted, this is a bit different (SGI was also leaning toward Windows NT) but this sort of move makes me nervous.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Because Apple says so, of course!
Sun Operating System... am I the only one that instantly thought of S.O.S. as an acronym?
As it turns out, Sun did release Solaris 9 for x86...and I stayed on Solaris 8 anyway.
I guess that's is the beauty of an open market where we aren't cornered into a propriety solution. If one vendor does something we really don't like we have options.
Only big ligs use sigs.
FWIW my XP is on 24/7. But I will qualify that. It has run 24/7 since I reformatted it Linux. Prior to that it ran ME, later XP, and it wouldn't stay on for more than a few hours before dying horribly. I eventually traced the problem back to the Via chipset and the drivers for the old ATI graphics card I was using.
Linux makes the system run much cooler, and the Kernel has workarounds for the issues with the Via chipset. I run a special build of X for the ATI card that also allows me to use the TV tuner.
"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
--Dr.W.Edwards Deming
Ding! Right.
Bzzzt! Wrong.
Java Enterprise System is the re-branding of the Sun ONE server stack -- web, application, directory, identity portal and a few more things --, with a fixed, yearly per-employee license price and a synchronized quarterly upgrade schedule.
If I'm not mistaken, Java Desktop System will become the default desktop for Solaris as well.
Always keep a sapphire in your mind
Hey -
just a guess, but as the JVM is generally a 64 bit VM (a lot of the numerical types are 64 bits in length) - I would imagine running on a native 64 bit platform will result in better performance. Instead of using 2 32 bit nuggets to store 64 bit values (not to mention the overhead needed to track which two 32 bit registers or memory blocks are storing it), the underlying physical CPU implementation more closely matches the registers and address space used inside the JVM.
Just a guess.
I suspect Sun will work very hard to keep people from comparing SPARC hardware with Opteron units, since the RISC systems will get killed.
But Sun customers should insist on seeing this comparison.
http://www.pricewatch.com/menus/m3.htm
I don't know about Itaniums, but Opterons are not cheap.
I sure do want to build a dual Opteron box though, perhaps when the dual proc board drop below 400$.
"There is nothing to do it. But to do it." -Floyd Pepper
The name on my PC's chipset says "Via", yet the CPU is 850Mhz AMD Duron. How can this be?
Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
This could be one of the final nails in itanic's coffin (or maybe the iceberg that finally sinks it.)
When will Carly wield the axe? And what will intel do now?
Stick Men
Did you know that comparable Intel-CPU's generate even more heat?. And with Athlon64 that difference is getting even bigger. Prescott is reported to generate over 100W of heat, while
Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
Opterons are not cheap, Itaniums are flat-out expensive. The absolute cheapest Itanium2 chips that Intel sells (their 1GHz, 1.5MB L3 cache version) cost $744, and the top-end model running at 1.5GHz with 6MB of L3 cache tips the scales at $4225. The top-end for 4P configurations (the Opteron 848) will set you back $3,199, though it really hits a nice price-point for dual-processor setups, where the Opteron 248 costs only $913.
Now, obviously the price of the total system is a different matter altogether, and unfortunately it's there isn't much info out yet on the price of 4P servers. I was able to get a price for a quad Opteron servers from Penguin computers, and at ~$23,000 for 4 x 846 Opterons and 8GB of memory the price was pretty comperable to an HP Integrity rx2600 server with 2 x 1.5GHz/6MB L3 Itanium2 chips and 2GB of memory (trying to keep other components to a minimum but as similar as possible, ie both had 15Krpm SCSI drives and redundant power supplies).
I think Sun & Intel are old enemies...
I think it's more an on-again off-again relationship. A long time ago, Sun did try out 386-based workstations, and I heard about a 486-based one that was not produced in volume. My SunPCi co-processor card has a Celeron in it. Sort of a bitter-sweet rivalry, I guess.
Healthcare article at Kuro5hin
Mandrake has in beta stage.
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http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/92amd64beta.php
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