Sun Microsystems Announces Solaris(TM) 9 Operating Environment: Transforms #1 Unix Into Modern Services Platform

Extends Industry Lead - First to Offer Built-in Java 2 Platform(TM) Enterprise Edition Application Server and Identity Management Foundation; Major Performance and Security Enhancements

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW - News), a leader in systems and solutions that make the net work, today announced the shipping of the Solaris(TM) 9 Operating Environment (Solaris OE) ( http://www.sun.com/solaris ). Solaris 9 OE changes the market for operating environments by raising the bar on what it means to be a modern network services platform -- building services based on Web technologies. Solaris 9 OE also helps customers reduce costs and risks by making applications easier to deploy and manage. The Solaris OE is the foundation for Sun(TM) Open Net Environment (Sun ONE), the integration of Sun's award winning portfolio of software products.

"Solaris 9 OE is out in front and pulling away," said Scott McNealy, chairman and CEO of Sun Microsystems. "The industry's premiere Operating Environment for the enterprise just got better, giving developers the richest industrial strength platform for application delivery. Solaris 9 OE provides users with the most reliable, scalable, secure, and manageable operating environment today, and now we're converging it with critical areas of Java(TM) technology and XML middleware to extend the platform for even faster deployment. All still done in an open, standards-based world. As the UNIX market evolves and continues to expand through Solaris, Linux and the Mac OS X, we see a massive uptake in demand for the kind of operating environment partners can build on with confidence. Solaris 9 OE just helped extend that confidence even further."

Solaris 9 OE delivers several significant firsts for the industry. The most important of these is the integration of the new Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE(TM)) 1.3 compliant Sun ONE Application Server 7, Platform Edition with a single server development and deployment license for use on Sun systems. Solaris 9 OE also integrates the Sun ONE Directory Server, the industry-leading foundation for open, scalable identity management. The integration of these Sun ONE middleware elements into Solaris 9 OE makes it easier to build and deploy application and web services based on Java, XML and SOAP technologies, while helping customers to save on acquisition, integration, testing, support, and management costs.

"By integrating the Sun ONE Application Server and other important middleware into Solaris 9 OE, Sun provides customers with a more complete platform for developing and running applications in a J2EE environment," said Shawn Willett, principal analyst at Current Analysis. "The inclusion of application server middleware into Solaris 9 OE can help lower the cost of operations as companies develop Web services. However, Sun customers will still be able to work with third party applications and middleware with Solaris 9 OE, as the company is avoiding proprietary lock-ins."

In addition, Solaris 9 OE includes more than 300 improvements which enrich the meaning of the modern services platform. These improvements help save time and money and improve security, manageability, performance and compatibility:

    -- Time and Money Savings:  Save up to three-quarters of a million dollars
       in acquisitions costs alone depending on system configuration.  The
       integration of Sun ONE middleware, a firewall, Resource and Volume
       Managers, as well as enhancements to file system management and
       provisioning resources help drive down the cost of acquisition,
       integration and testing, while increasing efficiency and overall system
       manageability.  In many instances, the improvements in the Solaris OE
       lead to dramatic reduction in the time required to carry out routine
       system configuration activities.  In some instances, the time required
       for routine system updates can even be reduced from hours to minutes.
    -- World-Class Performance:  Solaris 9 OE holds world record performance
       numbers in three categories:  the ability for a system to run business
       applications using Java technologies; decision support database
       applications; and linear scalability for numbers of CPUs in a data
       wherehouse application.  The formal benchmarks that substantiate these
       claims are available from http://www.sun.com/solaris .
    -- Improved Security:  Solaris 9 OE is the first operating Environment to
       feature an integrated, full enterprise-class firewall.  Other features
       enable greater protection of data on the network, simplify and
       strengthen security administration, and help to reduce the impact of
       network attacks.
    -- Easier Resource Management:  Solaris 9 OE is the only UNIX(R) OE to
       have integrated resource management which helps drive service levels up
       while reducing system administration costs with a variety of tools
       designed to streamline system configurations, updates and patch
       management.
    -- Increased Availability:  Application service downtime can mean losing
       customers and millions of dollars in revenue.  Through the Sun Cluster
       3.0 software available immediately for Solaris 9 OE, applications such
       as Oracle9i RAC and SAP will run with a high degree of reliability.
       Solaris 9 OE also helps increase data and network availability.
    -- Guaranteed Compatibility:  Sun is the only vendor offering a guarantee
       of application compatibility with prior Solaris-based applications.
       Solaris 9 OE also brings improved compatibility with Linux through the
       addition of many new APIs, commands, tools, utilities and services.
       (For program terms and details see web page
       http://www.sun.com/solaris/programs/guarantee.html )

The Solaris OE continues to accumulate the most extensive UNIX application portfolio available with solutions that redefine industry practices and business processes and drive improved profitability in key industries such as healthcare, streaming media and financial services. Significant market segments include Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), and Enterprise System Management. Over 60 partners, including Oracle (R), BEA, VERITAS, J.D. Edwards, SunGard and BMC Software will rely on the extensive features included in the new Solaris 9 OE that make applications easier to deploy and manage.

Sun is also providing a comprehensive suite of services to help customers upgrade or migrate to the new Solaris 9 Operating Environment including technical consulting to assess opportunities for mainframe migration and server consolidation. Solaris 9 OE is available immediately across the Sun server line and is planned to be available across Sun workstation product lines in calendar year 2003.

"Serious times demand a serious approach and enterprises are being challenged to do more with less as they make fundamental decisions about the architecture they choose," said Anil Gadre, vice president of Solaris software at Sun Microsystems, Inc. "True to Sun's DNA, Solaris 9 OE provides support for open standards with the ability to integrate, and positions Sun and Sun's partners as technology enablers. The options are clear -- choose an open, integratable approach as part of a complete end-to-end solution, or face complexity and closed options, which in time will restrict your opportunities for growth and integration. Solaris OE and the Sun ONE platform remain the best technology investment today."

In the 1Q'02 Servers Quarterly Statistics from Gartner Dataquest, Sun Microsystems was ranked number one in US UNIX server revenue with $924.9M, larger than the combined US revenues of IBM, HP, and Compaq. Sun and its UltraSPARC®-based systems experienced the highest level of revenue growth year on year of the top five IT vendors while most competing systems saw a decline.

Pricing and Availability

Sun includes a Solaris software license in the price of each hardware system shipped. Customers with Sun support contracts receive upgrades as part of the price of support. For all others, Solaris OE is available from $50 and up.

The Solaris 9 Operating Environment, SPARC® Platform Edition, is available for download at no cost for an unlimited number of systems with a maximum capacity of a single CPU. The Free Solaris(SM) Binary License Program is at http://www.sun.com/solaris/binaries . A Systems Administration kit with Solaris media, hard copy installation documentation and bonus software is also available at this site.

Solaris 9 OE will include a single server development and deployment license for Sun's next generation J2EE 1.3 compliant Sun ONE Application Server 7, Platform Edition, with full integration scheduled for the end of calendar 2002. The Sun ONE Directory Server is fully integrated today and is available immediately with a license for 200,000 named entries per Solaris Enterprise Wide Network on Sun systems. Full licensing and support information is available from http://www.sun.com/solaris . Customer webcasts will be available in June, at http://www.sun.com/sunonenetevent .

About the Solaris 9 Operating Environment

The Solaris Operating Environment is the premiere Operating Environment for the enterprise. With over 300 new features, Solaris 9 OE is the most scalable, available, manageable and secure service platform for the networked world. By focusing on industry standards, the Internet, innovation and integration, Solaris 9 OE delivers a documented lower cost of operation. Solaris is the leading UNIX operating environment with Sun servers owning 64 percent US UNIX market share in shipments and 54 percent US UNIX revenue share, according to Gartner Dataquest's "1Q02 Servers Quarterly Statistics."

The Solaris 9 OE is available on the SPARC Architecture platforms and supports more than 12,000 applications. Customers have access to many freeware programs, including utilities, productivity tools and development tools. In addition, the Solaris 9 OE will include the integrated Sun ONE Application Server 7, Platform Edition, and the Sun ONE Directory Server, along with special licensing for other Sun ONE products and the Oracle9i database.

About Sun Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) architecture

Sun ONE, the integration of Sun's award-winning portfolio of software products, is Sun's vision, architecture, platform and expertise that enables the delivery and deployment of services on demand. Through its open, integratable architecture, Sun ONE extends current enterprise systems to help reduce costs and complexity while improving organizations return on assets. More information on Sun ONE is available at http://www.sun.com/sunone .

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer(TM)" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com .

NOTE: Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun Logo, Java, J2EE, Solaris, Free Solaris, BigAdmin 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.

UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, exclusively licensed through X/Open Company, Ltd.

For a live audiocast of the Solaris 9 launch at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, please go to www.sun.com/webcast/solaris9.

CONTACT: Brett Smith of Sun Microsystems, Inc., +1-408-276-6143, or brett.smith@sun.com; or Heather Redfern of Citigate Cunningham, +1-512-652-2709, or hredfern@citigatecunningham.com, for Sun Microsystems, Inc.