Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Database
    • Database
    • IT Management
    • Networking

    HP, Sun Microsystems Offer Solaris on ProLiant Servers

    By
    Nicholas Kolakowski
    -
    February 25, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems are jointly bringing Sun’s Solaris operating systems to HP’s ProLiant line of rack-mount and blade server systems

      The two IT giants announced the ProLiant partnership Feb. 25. The agreement allows Sun’s Solaris 10 operating system to run on HP’s x86-based ProLiant servers. The move by Sun and HP comes at a time when server sales have slowed and both companies are looking for ways to attract customers to some of their more significant offerings.

      For Sun, the announcement of a new Solaris partner reflects the company’s efforts to push its way into the volume x86 server market while still offering systems for customers that need systems based on UltraSPARC and SPARC chips. In addition to HP, Sun has cut deals with Dell and other rival server vendors to pave the way for greater Solaris adoption in the enterprise.

      The OEM and support agreement positions Sun as a strategic HP ProLiant OS distribution partner, in addition to elevating Solaris to the lineup of operating environments for the HP ProLiant platform. Other operating environments in the lineup include Microsoft Windows and Red Hat Linux.
      The deal will create “a single point of purchase, contact and accountability for Solaris on HP ProLiant,” the companies said in a news release. In addition, Sun and HP plan on a collaboration to integrate Solaris 10 and HP Insight software on HP ProLiant servers.
      “The endorsement of Solaris on HP ProLiant dramatically expands the available market for Solaris on x86 servers, building on the largest installed-base of any commercial Unix and Linux distribution,” John Fowler, executive vice president of systems for Sun Microsystems, said in the release.

      Analyzing the HP-Sun Agreement

      Mark Potter, senior vice president and general manager of BladeSystem and Insight Software for HP, portrayed the partnership as the best of all possible worlds during a conference call.

      “Why is Solaris 10 best run on a ProLiant, versus some of the other partners who have [been] announced?” Potter said. “You have HP standing behind Level 1, Level 2 support, and it’s a one-stop shop-[HP] is going to deal with the entire infrastructure, and be able to do that worldwide.”

      News of the partnership comes at a moment when Sun and HP, along with IBM and Dell, are watching their yearly and quarterly server revenue sink thanks to the U.S. recession.
      According to an IDC report, quarterly server revenue for HP fell 10 percent to $3.9 billion, while Sun’s revenue fell 14 percent during the same period to $1.3 billion.
      Thus, with both companies in a position of needing to sell more servers, the partnership announcement could be seen as a marriage of convenience.
      “I believe this is the fifth similar partnership that Solaris has done on the x86 server market, and HP was the last of the major vendors to sign onto this,” Charles King, an analyst with Pund-IT Research, said in an interview. “With server numbers down all over the place, vendors are looking for sales opportunities wherever they can.”

      King continued, “Sun has a significant base in the commercial server market, but a lot of it is old UltraSPARC equipment. That could be moved over to the Solaris on x86 pretty easily-which presents opportunities for companies like HP.”

      “Sun appears to gain the least from this agreement, as HP will gain support revenue that might formerly have gone to Sun,” Josh Farina, an analyst with TBR, said in a statement. “However, Sun is betting on sales of its closed-source Solaris to drive incremental revenue growth, as well as the sale of development and other software tools and services.”

      By ‘closed-source,’ Farina was referring to the Commercial Distribution model for Solaris 10, which Sun makes available under the CDDL open-source license.

      Editor’s note: This article was updated with clarification from an analyst.

      Nicholas Kolakowski
      Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×