product announcement - delete if not interested
David Hough
sun!Eng!David.Hough
Tue May 19 09:04:08 PDT 1992
Some people on this list like to get these PR announcements hot off the
wire, others don't.
As usual I can't answer questions about what's not said.
I will mention that with the Viking CPU chip,
there's no penalty for gradual underflow, and there are hardware
instructions for integer multiplication and division and
(at my instigation)
exact double-precision product of single-precision floating-point operands.
So single-precision complex multiplication and division will continue to
use double-precision temporaries at noticeably less cost than in previous
SPARCstations.
SMCC UNVEILS NEXT-GENERATION WORKSTATION
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- May 19, 1992 -- Sun Microsystems Computer
Corporation (SMCC) today introduced the world's fastest desktop
workstation: the SPARCstation(TM) 10. With this new computer, SMCC has
completely redesigned the SPARCstation architecture, taking an
innovative new approach to the memory, bus, disk and networking
subsystems that significantly boosts application performance. Built
around the fast new superscalar SuperSPARC(TM) chip from Texas
Instruments, the SPARCstation 10 achieves a multiprocessing performance
rating of up to 218 (SPECthruput89) and more than 400 MIPS in its
four-microprocessor configuration. It employs a modular design that
makes possible the industry's easiest, most cost-effective upgrade path
to higher-performance -- and multiple -- microprocessors. All
SPARCstations are binary compatible, meaning that they can run the same
software.
The SPARCstation 10 sets the standard for the next generation of
desktop computers by being the first RISC workstation from a major
vendor to include multiprocessing capabilities, which greatly improve
performance, upgrade-ability and scalability. The SPARCstation 10 is
also the first workstation with built-in Integrated Services Digital
Network (ISDN) capabilities, which give users a new way to use the
telephone by merging computer and phone functions into a single
system. The standard for global digital telephone and networking
services, ISDN is expected to enable a wealth of new applications for
integrated computing and telephony to provide global wide-area
networking and multimedia solutions.
Reinforcing its commitment to open systems, SMCC also announced today
that it has licensed for resale the logic chips for the SPARCstation
10. The five SPARCstation 10 ASICs are all available immediately from
LSI Logic.
SPARCstation 10: Leading Application Performance
The design of the SPARCstation 10 has been tuned to maximize
application performance even when the system is running under the most
demanding conditions. The new SuperSPARC CPU delivers two to four
times the performance of previous SPARC(R) microprocessors. SMCC has
quadrupled the speed at which data can be processed through the memory
on the SPARCstation 10 and has more than doubled the rate at which the
system can retrieve data from disks. Bus speed -- the rate at which the
system can send and receive information from peripherals -- has been
doubled over previous SPARCstation systems. The SPARCstation 10 is also
the first RISC workstation with a 1-megabyte external memory cache,
called SuperCache(TM), which gives an added boost to application
performance.
By offering multiple processors on its new systems, SMCC addresses
users' desire for ever-greater performance on the desktop.
Multiprocessing systems can achieve high performance because they use
more than one processor to execute multiple applications -- or parts of
single applications -- simultaneously. Multiprocessing also provides
the power and throughput needed for multithreading, object-oriented
software and multimedia applications.
SMCC is aiming the new workstation at "power users": professionals in
both commercial and technical markets who need fast application
performance for such areas as computer-aided software engineering
(CASE), financial modelling and simulation, electronic design
automation (EDA) and mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD). It comes
in four versions:
Model 30 Model 41 Model 52 Model 54
No. of Processors 1 1 2 4
MHz 36 40 45 45
SPECint92* 44.2 52.6 - -
SPECfp92* 52.9 64.7 - --
SPECthruput89** (est.) - - 109 218
MIPS 86.1 96.2 200+ 400+
* SPEC 92 ratings are measured on a different scale than SPEC
89 ratings and thus are not comparable.
** SPECthruput ratings are a measurement of computing speed for
multiprocessor systems.
The new workstation rounds out the high end of the best-selling
SPARCstation desktop product line, which already includes the
entry-level SPARCstation ELC(TM), the low-cost color SPARCstation IPC
(TM) and SPARCstation IPX(TM), and the SPARCstation 2.
Ready for Future Innovation
The SPARCstation 10 gives users a clear path to the future, ensuring
that they will be able to take advantage of new technologies as they
evolve while preserving their current investment in hardware and
software. For example, anticipating the integration of telephones and
computers, the SPARCstation 10 is the first RISC workstation to provide
an ISDN chip on the motherboard as a built-in feature at no additional
cost. Already widely available in Europe and Japan, ISDN has the high
bandwidth needed for sending multimedia information such as video,
images, audio and data across digital phone lines. To facilitate this,
SMCC is also providing CD-quality (16-bit) audio and a microphone as
standard features on the new systems.
In effect, ISDN allows users to extend their networks to include anyone
who can be reached over a digital phone line, including telecommuters
and employees working at remote sites. By building ISDN into the
SPARCstation system -- the highest-volume RISC/UNIX(R) workstation on
the market -- SMCC ensures that its customers will be able to take
advantage of a new generation of ISDN applications from third-party
vendors. With ISDN, users will soon be able to access all of the
functions of today's phones -- including dialing, answering,
transferring and possibly identifying calls as well as sending faxes
and receiving voice mail messages -- from their workstations.
Optimum Expandability; Easy Upgrade Path
The SPARCstation 10 features a modular design that helps minimize user
costs and enables an easy upgrade to multiple CPUs and future
microprocessor technologies. Users can simply pull out the SPARC module
-- containing one or two processors -- that plugs into the motherboard
via the MBus interconnect and replace it with one containing new,
faster CPUs, including the 50-MHz SuperSPARC chip when it is available
in volume later this year from Texas Instruments. This modular design
also allows users to expand the system with up to 26 gigabytes of disk
capacity, up to 512 megabytes of highly reliable ECC memory and other
options such as more powerful graphics. Peripherals can be added
through four SBus expansion slots, two serial ports and a parallel
port.
For current Sun customers, upgrading to the new SPARCstation 10 is
easy. SPARCstation 1, 1+, 2 and IPX users can simply exchange the CPU
system cabinet for a new one, retaining their existing investments in
monitors, keyboards, SCSI disk drives and SBus boards. Upgrades from
the SPARCstation IPX and SPARCstation 2 are "no penalty": in other
words, customers pay no more to upgrade from these systems than if they
had purchased a new SPARCstation 10. Owners of previous-generation
(Sun-3(TM) and Sun386i(TM)) workstations can upgrade their entire
computer to a SPARCstation 10 system. Once customers have upgraded,
achieving even higher levels of performance will be as simple as
swapping SPARC modules.
Existing applications among the more than 4,000 SPARC hardware and
software solutions will run on the new workstations without
modification. The SPARCstation 10 runs SunSoft's Solaris(R) 1.1
operating environment (which includes the SunOS(TM) operating system,
the OpenWindows(TM) graphical windowing environment, the ONC(TM)
networking standard and DeskSet(TM) productivity applications) and is
being submitted for SCD compliance. Later this year, the SPARCstation
10 will run Solaris 2.0, which provides support for symmetrical
multiprocessing and which will feature a multithreaded kernel. The
Solaris 2.0 environment is based on UNIX System V Release 4 (SVR4) and
is source compatible with Solaris 1.1 so that applications that adhere
to Sun's Solaris 2.0 migration guidelines will only need to be
recompiled to run under Solaris 2.0.
SPARCengine 10: Power for Embedded Applications
Also unveiled today by SMCC was the SPARCengine(R) 10. Available in
two models, the new board-level version of the SPARCstation 10 extends
the company's lead as the world's largest vendor of RISC-based,
single-board computers for embedded applications such as factory
automation, medical instrumentation, telecommunications, laptop
computers and ruggedized command and control systems for the military.
Pricing, Availability
The uniprocessor models of the SPARCstation 10 will be available with
Solaris 1.1 in the third quarter of 1992. The SPARCstation 10/Model 30
is priced at $18,495 (U.S. list); the SPARCstation 10/Model 41 is
priced at $24,995 (U.S. list). The SPARCstation 10/Model 52 is priced
at $39,995 (U.S. list) and will be available in the fourth quarter of
1992. These workstations will be shipped with a future version of
Solaris 2.0 in the fourth quarter of 1992. The SPARCstation 10/Model
54 is priced at $57,995 (U.S. list) and will be available in the first
quarter of 1993.
The SPARCengine 10/Model 30 and SPARCengine 10/Model 41 will be
available with Solaris 1.1 in the third quarter of 1992. The
SPARCengine 10/Model 30 is priced at $11,500 (U.S. list). The
SPARCengine 10/Model 41 is priced at $18,000 (U.S. list). A server
version of the SPARCstation 10, with prices beginning at $16,995 (U.S.
list), is also available. (See separate press release.) The new
products will be available through all Sun distribution channels
worldwide.
===============================================================================
SMCC DEBUTS NEW MULTIPROCESSING SERVER;
ENHANCES SPARCSERVER 600MP SERIES
SAN FRANCISCO -- May 19, 1992 -- Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation
(SMCC) today significantly expanded the SPARCserver(TM) product family
in breadth and performance, giving users an improved choice of
multiprocessing server solutions to meet their computing needs.
Introduced today was the new SPARCserver 10, the lowest-cost
RISC/UNIX(R) multiprocessing server on the market. It is particularly
well-suited for workgroups, including PC LANs. SMCC also announced a
CPU upgrade featuring the high-performance SuperSPARC(TM) chip for the
SPARCserver 600MP Series of multiprocessing servers, as well as new
versions of these servers that feature the SuperSPARC chip. SuperSPARC
effectively doubles the performance ceiling of these systems while
maintaining the same range of price points.
Both the SPARCserver 10 and SPARCserver 600MP servers employ a modular
design that makes possible the industry's easiest and most cost
effective upgrade path. To increase server throughput, users can
replace existing SPARC(R) modules with higher-performance modules that
plug directly into the system board, preserving their investment in the
system, memory and peripherals. For example, current SPARCserver 600MP
users can upgrade to SuperSPARC simply by exchanging their current
SPARC module for a new SuperSPARC module offering twice the
performance.
Sun(TM) SPARCserver systems are designed to maximize application
throughput. They offer an innovative system architecture that balances
a fast CPU with superior disk, I/O, memory and bus subsystems. All
SPARCserver systems are binary compatible, meaning that they can run
the same software.
SPARCserver 10 Brings Multiprocessing to the Workgroup
The new SPARCserver 10 brings many of the features found in high-end
multiprocessing servers to a low-cost desktop package, resulting in a
new level of performance and flexibility for users looking for an
entry-level server. SMCC estimates that this new server will deliver
more than 800 NFS(R) operations per second in a single-processor
configuration and more than 200 transactions per second (tps) in a
four-processor configuration, thus achieving better overall performance
than competing systems costing three to four times more. Prices for
the new server begin at $16,995 (U.S. list), making it a very
cost-effective file, application, compute or database server for the
workgroup.
In addition, the SPARCserver 10 introduces a compact new version of the
popular desktop "pizza box" enclosure. By lowering the bottom of the
pizza box a few millimeters and stacking MBus and SBus expansion slots,
SMCC engineers have given users a more powerful desktop server with the
same footprint as the SPARCserver 2 but up to five times the
applications throughput, five times the memory capacity, double the
internal disk storage and 25 percent more expansion capacity.
The system houses two MBus slots into which users can plug SPARC
modules (for up to four CPUs) containing the SuperSPARC chip recently
introduced by Texas Instruments. SuperSPARC is a BiCMOS, superscalar
CPU that executes up to three instructions in each clock cycle,
maximizing application performance. SMCC has also added a 1-megabyte
external memory cache, called SuperCache(TM), to the system's new
SuperSPARC CPU, which will make appplications run even faster.
The SPARCserver 10 is available in four versions:
Model 30 Model 41 Model 52 Model 54
No. of Processors 1 1 2 4
MHz 36 40 45 45
tps (est.) 100 120 180 220
NFS ops./sec. 700+ 800+ - -
SPECint92* 44.2 52.6 - -
SPECfp92* 52.9 64.7 - -
SPECthruput89** (est.) - - 109 218
MIPS 86.1 96.2 200+ 400+
* SPEC 92 ratings are measured on a different scale than SPEC
89 ratings and thus are not comparable.
** SPECthruput ratings are a measurement of computing speed for
multiprocessing systems.
To upgrade to multiple CPUs and new, faster microprocessors --
including the 50-MHz SuperSPARC chip from Texas Instruments when it is
available in volume -- users can simply pull out the SPARC module and
replace it with a new one.
The SPARCserver 10 also offers exceptional expandability. The system
can be expanded to contain 512 megabytes of memory and 26 gigabytes of
SCSI mass storage. Disk I/O throughput can be increased by adding up to
five 10-megabyte/second SCSI-2 bus controllers. In addition, the system
features four SBus expansion slots, built-in Integrated Services
Digital Network (ISDN) capabilities, Ethernet, two serial ports and a
programmable parallel port.
Existing applications among the 4,000 SPARC hardware and software
solutions will run on the new server without modification. The
SPARCserver 10 runs SunSoft's Solaris(R) 1.1 operating environment.
Later this fall, the SPARCserver 10 will run Solaris 2.0, which
provides support for symmetric multiprocessing and will feature a
multithreaded kernel. The Solaris 2.0 environment is based on the UNIX
standard, System V Release 4 (SVR4).
The SPARCserver 10 will be especially attractive to organizations that
need to connect their PC LANS into the enterprise network, but need
more power and functionality than a PC server offers. A SPARCserver 10
can connect to UNIX, IBM SNA or DECnet environments; using NetWare(R)
SunLink(R), a new software product from Sun Microsystems' SunSelect
business unit, it can connect to Novell NetWare PC LANs. NetWare PC
users can then access data from these networks via the SPARCserver 10
and share resources such as printers with Sun(TM) networks. The
SPARCserver 10 is a superior application server for NetWare clients,
offering better performance, a more robust application environment and
a better development platform than a PC server.
High-Performance CPU, System Enhancements for SPARCserver 600MP Series
Introduced in September 1991, SPARCserver 600MP systems are the
fastest-selling UNIX multiprocessing servers on the market: more than
5,200 systems have been installed within the last six months. Today,
SMCC announced the availability of the first SPARC module upgrades for
these servers containing the SuperSPARC chip and a 1-megabyte
SuperCache external cache. Current SPARCserver 600MP users can easily
upgrade to the higher performance of SuperSPARC simply by swapping
SPARC modules; the price of a SuperSPARC upgrade is $6,000 (U.S.
list). Prices begin at $47,000 (U.S. list) for the SPARCserver 600MP
Series with SuperSPARC, making these servers the least expensive such
systems available today when compared with similarly configured
mid-range systems. With a single SuperSPARC processor, Sun estimates
that these systems can achieve 130 tps and more than 1,000 NFS
operations per second; when configured with four processors, they can
achieve more than 250 tps.
Each system in the SPARCserver 600MP Series (SPARCserver 630MP,
SPARCserver 670MP, SPARCserver 690MP) is available with SuperSPARC in
three versions:
Model 41 Model 52 Model 54
No. of Processors 1 2 4
MHz 40 45 45
tps (est.) 130 200 250+
NFS ops./sec. 1,000+ - -
SPECint92 52.6 - -
SPECfp92 64.7 - -
SPECthruput89 (est.) - 109 218
MIPS 96.2 200+ 400+
SPARCserver 600MP systems with SuperSPARC upgrades run Solaris 1.1,
ensuring that customers can continue to run their current applications
unmodified. Later this year, these systems will run
the Solaris 2.0 environment. The SPARCserver 10 is being submitted for
SCD compliance.
Other enhancements to the SPARCserver 600MP Series are support for
10-megabyte/second SCSI-2 host adaptors, increasing the speed with
which the systems can access data from disks, and new ECC memory that
allows users to increase memory up to 1 gigabyte using 16-megabyte
single in-line memory modules (SIMMs). SMCC continues to offer the
lowest pricing on disk and memory of any vendor, making it
cost-effective for users to expand their systems. In addition,
SPARCserver 600MP systems now offer enhanced backup with new 5-gigabyte
8mm tape drives that not only double capacity but also double the speed
at which backup occurs. For example, on the SPARCserver 690MP, these
new tape drives provide unattended backup capability for as much as 25
gigabytes at a time.
Availability
The uniprocessor models of the SPARCserver 10 and the SPARCserver 600MP
system with SuperSPARC will be available with Solaris 1.1 in the third
quarter of 1992. The SPARCserver 10/Model 52 will be available in the
fourth quarter of 1992. These systems -- including the two-processor
model -- will be shipped with a future version of Solaris 2.0 in the
fourth quarter of 1992. The SPARCserver 10/Model 54 will be available
in the first quarter of 1993. SuperSPARC upgrades for existing
SPARCserver 600MP systems will be available in the third quarter of
1992.
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