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Managing Multivendor Networks
  
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Sun Microsystems
Company Background
un Microsystems incorporated in 1982 with Scott McNealy at the helm. Under McNealy's
leadership, Sun (the company's name was derived from the Stanford University Network
terminal) has become one of America's fastest growing and most efficient companies.
McNealy is active in the open systems movement, and Sun was one of the early pioneers
in this area. Today, Sun focuses on providing open solutions for enterprise-wide
networks and developing Internet technology for the expanding needs of online users.
During the first year of operation, Sun Microsystems sold approximately 400 workstations.
It went on to experience phenomenal growth. Its revenue for the year 1989, only seven
years after inception, approached $2 billion and by 1995 its revenues had reached
nearly $6 billion.
Sun Microsystems has entrenched itself in the high- performance workstation and
server market. In addition to providing high-speed computing units, however, Sun
has staked its claim in the area of open systems computing. To this end, Sun uses
UNIX as the basis for its Solaris operating systems, it uses TCP/IP over Ethernet
for networking, and it uses the industry-standard VME bus. Solaris comprises nearly
one-third of all UNIX systems sold worldwide. Similarly, Sun comprises 40 percent
of the UNIX RISC workstation market. Sun's strategic relationships with other manufacturers
and vendors has certainly been instrumental in its success to date. Sun has granted
commercial licenses on its Network File System (NFS) to a wide range of manufacturers,
including the apparent competitors (such as DEC, HP, and IBM). By making NFS available
to the industry as a whole, Sun has leveraged NFS as a de facto multivendor networking
standard.
In the late 1980s, Sun took a dramatic step by allowing other manufacturers to
produce clones of the Sun system hardware. On one hand, this is yet another example
of Sun's efforts to transform its products into industrywide standards. On the other
hand, many industry analysts regarded this move as an attempt to rekindle the explosive
growth that occurred when the IBM clones were released.
Product Line Overview
Sun is a focused manufacturer. Sun doesn't do terminals; it doesn't do printers;
it just does workstations. Sun is, however, the largest provider of UNIX workstations,
servers, and software. Recently, Sun released a platform-independent programming
language called Java, which provides a unique solution to programming for complex
networks, including the Internet.
In the past, Sun produced workstations based on Intel and Motorola architectures.
The most modern Sun systems use a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) architecture
that Sun has termed SPARC (scalable processor architecture). Originally introduced
as the Sun-4 line, SPARC systems have been scaled into a high-end group of uniprocessor
and multiprocessor workstations (SPARCstations), a group of network file servers
(SPARCservers), and the Netra Internet Server. The servers range from the single
processor, 110-MHz SPARCserver 4 and 5, to the 20-processor SPARCcenter 2000E. The
Netra Internet Server provides a complete Internet server solution; the Netra System
Management Server is used for PCs on TCP/IP networks.
The latest evolution in the SPARC line, the UltraSPARC, puts Sun firmly in the
lead of the workstation market by bringing supercomputer technology down to the workstation
level. A switch-based interconnect typically found only in supercomputers, the UltraSPARC
is based on Sun's Ultra Port Architecture (UPA), which permits multiple, simultaneous
transfers between the processor, memory, graphics and I/O. The older, bus-based architecture
common to most workstations is limited to a single data transfer at a time.
All Sun systems can support large amounts of memory (up to 512M per processor
in some models) and a sizable amount of disk storage (up to 147G on the high end).
The graphics resolutions on the workstations range from a low of 1024 x 768 pixels
to a high of 1600 x 1280 pixels. The UltraSPARC's visual instruction set provides
the technology for high-end graphics, including 3-D visualization, animation, and
video processing.
Sun sponsors third-party programs to encourage independent companies to develop
and market applications for the Solaris operating system. In 1990, Lotus Development
Corporation committed to deliver its famous Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet to the SunOS
platform, and became the first of many third-party companies to write software to
run on the SunOS, and later, the Solaris operating system. This was a coup for Sun
because it was the first UNIX-oriented Solaris operating system (and because it was
the first UNIX-oriented system Lotus agreed to port to). Although in retrospect this
never resulted in the much hoped-for flood of PC applications being ported to UNIX,
Lotus 1-2-3 operating on the Sun platform was a significant achievement in itself.
Sun now offers versions of Solaris for several platforms other than SPARC, including
Intel.
The latest version of the Sun's network operating system, Solaris 2.5, offers
fully scalable NFS, NFS over TCP, and IPX/SPX connectivity. This support makes it
possible for Solaris to integrate enterprise workgroups. Solaris for SPARC and UltraSPARC
computers is highly scalable and secure, it is scalable up to the superserver level,
and can handle databases at the terabyte level. Version 2.5 has been optimized to
take advantage of the Ultra line of workstations and servers, and facilitates faster
visual computing. Solaris uses the Common Desktop Environment (CDE), a product designed
to give a common interface to all UNIX environments.
Sun offers a suite of infrastructure software along with Solaris, including:
- Solstice. Software for systems and network management.
- WorkShop. A set of visual tools for developing technical and business
applications.
- SunSoft NEO. Software for building applications based on networked objects.
- Java. A network-enabled programming language.
Solaris is scalable and secure. It is ideal for use with an Internet server, application
server, PC administration server, or high-performance workstation. Solaris is also
available for Intel x86, Pentium, Pentium Pro, and PowerPC computers.
Strategy for Connectivity
Sun Microsystems refers to its approach to networking as the Open Network Computing
(ONC) architecture. In implementing this architecture, Sun has recruited other computer
manufacturers and related companies into the fold. Many of these companies have,
in fact, bought into the Sun architecture--some completely, others restraining their
commitment to a particular service or set of services.
Sun's unique contributions to ONC are mainly in the upper application and service
layers (see Figure 5.1).
The lower layers of ONC are handled by TCP/IP running over Ethernet (or other
TCP/IP-compatible networks). The portions of TCP/IP that are relevant to understanding
ONC are as follows:
- Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). TCP delivers information between
systems participating in the TCP/IP network. As part of this delivery process, TCP
confirms receipt of the information and handles the retransmission of corrupted information.
- User Datagram Protocol (UDP). UDP is a facility available for applications
to deliver information between systems. Although similar to TCP, UDP does not provide
the automatic error correction facilities of TCP and cannot verify receipt of data.
FIG. 5.1 Sun's ONC Architecture
- Internet Protocol (IP). While TCP handles the delivery of data, IP determines
the best possible route between two systems. This might or might not include moving
the information between LANs or across WAN bridges.
TCP/IP is discussed in more detail in Chapter 9, " PC LAN Network Operating
Systems" (p. 198).
Sun's ONC services and functions lie on the standard TCP/IP layers as follows:
- Remote Procedure Call (RPC). RPC provides a common set of routines that
programs can use to communicate with each other throughout the network. Whereas the
TCP/IP UDP service facilitates the movement of information between two programs in
the ONC environment, RPC adds structure and context on top of the delivery mechanism.
From a broad perspective, RPC provides a common interface that two programs can use
to converse with one another.
- External Data Representation (XDR). XDR furnishes a common format for
information moved through the ONC environment. Because different systems in a network
might represent data in many different formats (for example, signed, packed decimal
fields are invariably unique to each system), a common format that does not sacrifice
efficiency for compatibility is necessary. XDR is a data description language that
applications can use with RPC to enable two programs sharing information on the network
to use a common format (even though the information might actually be stored on the
two systems in different formats).
- Network File System (NFS). In many respects, Sun is best known in the
networking world for its implementation of NFS. NFS provides a networkwide file system
that enables other systems supporting NFS to mount and access files (or sets of files).
As previously noted, Sun's approach to ONC has been to recruit other vendors and
manufacturers into the ONC fold, and NFS has been a key factor in the recruiting
process. For example, DEC, HP, and IBM have NFS implementations for many of their
proprietary operating systems. In the world of UNIX, NFS is frequently bundled with
TCP/IP to provide a LAN-wide file system. In fact, nearly 100 different companies
have implementations of NFS, XDR, and RPC for their particular systems or applications.
However, NFS, XDR and RPC are not the sole components of Sun's ONC environment.
Other members of this environment include the following:
- Secure RPC. An implementation of RPC with additional security that verifies
the identity of each RPC user.
- RPC Generator (RPCGEN). A high-level program development tool that simplifies
RPC programming.
- RPC Application Program Interface (RPC API). The combined library of the
RPC and XDR interfaces made available for applications development on a given system.
This is normally a high-level interface used by programmers.
- Automounter. Works in conjunction with NFS to automatically mount and
dismount files and file sets as they are needed.
- Network Information Services (NIS). Maintains a common list (database)
of files that can be accessed by various systems in the ONC environment. NIS implements
a form of network security. Note that NIS was formerly known as Yellow Pages (YP).
- Network Lock Manager. Provides record- and file-level locking of information
accessed through NFS.
- Status Monitor. Enables one system to determine whether another system
has been restarted.
- Remote Execution (REX). Enables a user on one system to execute commands
and programs on other systems in the network.
- NETdisk. Provides a booting mechanism for diskless workstations in the
network.
- PC-NFS. Provides services in support of PCs in the ONC environment. This
topic will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter.
Application/User Relationship
Because Solaris combines two UNIX implementations (AT&T and Berkeley versions),
it uses the same multiuser, multitasking capabilities as these mainstream versions.
For the most part, Sun systems are used as engineering workstations. In this highly
graphical application, virtually every cycle of every available processor goes toward
maintaining the display and display quality (especially when manipulating 2-D and
3-D objects).
Sun also produces systems targeted as servers in large, multiuser environments,
and these models do not fall into the same general category of the engineering workstations.
Instead, they typically fall into one of two extremes:
- No-user systems. These systems are used solely as network devices (normally
file servers). Although other users access these systems, they are doing so through
their own native systems.
- Data center servers. The high end of the server line includes large-capacity
disk storage for local and networkwide use and support for a moderate number of terminals
(up to 64). This size of device is, in fact, multiuser oriented and is similar in
concept to the DEC VAX midrange systems.
The application's interaction with the user is somewhat at arm's length. The user
interacts with the operating system in a session, as with DEC's VMS and HP's MPE.
This session orientation gives the user a working area in which to function that
is (theoretically) independent from other users on the same system.
The application program, however, relies on system-level (or network-level) routines
to make the communications bridge between the user and itself. The information passing
across this bridge might be simple character-oriented data or complex graphics-oriented
information, depending on the application.
This approach to programming is common in the UNIX environment. In fact, in the
UNIX environment, much effort is made to isolate the program from the physical aspects
of the systems and the network. With Solaris and the ONC architecture, this same
philosophy is extended to encompass a much broader range of possibilities.
Terminal Attachment Philosophy
Where Sun's older architecture was based primarily on freestanding workstations,
Sun's new UltraComputing architecture is focused on the network. As Sun's products
became more accepted in a broader range of functions, Sun began to push into the
midrange computing market dominated by DEC, among others. In this market, the need
to provide a reasonable per-user cost dictated that Sun offer basic terminal connectivity
to the products they targeted toward this market. This terminal connectivity requirement
was in addition to a requirement for LAN connectivity.
To address this requirement, Sun provides simple, point-to-point connections between
terminals and its higher-end servers. The nature of this connection follows the approach
used by other UNIX implementations: a standard RS-232C connection to a variety of
character-oriented terminal devices (from a variety of manufacturers). Again, this
is similar to the approach used by other midrange computer manufacturers (such as
DEC and HP).
However, with the increased popularity in graphics-based user interfaces and X
Window terminals, Sun--and the rest of the industry--was forced to take a stand on
implementing a noncharacter terminal interface. Sun's response was to use a graphics-oriented
user interface it had co-developed with AT&T for UNIX. This product was named
Open Look, and it worked with existing X Window terminal standards. In the interest
of establishing a common UNIX desktop, however, Sun agreed to forsake Open Look in
favor of Motif, as specified by the Common Desktop Environment (CDE).
One of Sun's earlier GUI innovations was its SunTools product, which enabled a
user to have more than a single terminal emulator on the screen at one time. SunTools
included two terminal emulators, the Terminal Tool, which was a true VT100 emulator,
and Command Tool, which recorded a history of the login session. SunTools later became
OpenWindows, although it still required two separate terminal emulators. Later, the
Open Software Foundation came up with the Motif interface--which Sun did not immediately
embrace, despite a tremendous user demand for the Windows-like GUI. Sun now sells
an implementation of CDE that runs on top of Solaris, which effectively put an end
to OpenWindows.
In terms of actually manufacturing any character or graphics-oriented terminals,
Sun has kept its distance. In fact, instead of embracing the X Terminal approach
as a manufacturer, Sun has introduced diskless workstations that offer the functions
of an X Terminal at a low price but with the advantages of an engineering workstation.
Sun unveiled this approach with the SPARCstation SLC, a SPARC-based workstation
that comes close to the price of X Terminal offerings but still provides the basic
functions of a workstation. Although the SLC is diskless, the ONC/NFS architecture
enables the SLC to retrieve programs and data from the network to which it is attached.
This is not altogether different from using diskless workstations in PC LANs.
Succeeding the SLC is the SPARC Xterminal 1, which boasts a clock speed of 50
MHz and runs the microSPARC processor. This X terminal offers strong performance,
and a high-resolution color display. Besides running X terminal applications, the
Xterminal 1 can run software that would otherwise require an additional system, such
as Windows or Macintosh. The Xterminal 1 includes standard X11R5 software, giving
it access to a variety of servers using TCP/IP, NFS, SNMP, BootP, Telnet, and several
other networking protocols.
Peer-to-Peer Relationships
Peer-to-peer processing is a critical element within Sun's concept of workgroup
computing, and it significantly influences Sun's approach to networking. In Sun's
world, people with similar information requirements must be able to share this information
with one another to reduce duplication and increase efficiency. Sun provides two
critical functions to establish and maintain peer-to-peer relationships: Network
File System (NFS) and RPCs.
NFS provides common access to shared information. Multiple programs and users
can access the same set of information, such as files and records, as peers via NFS.
Because NFS can oversee multiple systems accessing the same information, NFS can
be a focal point for this sharing or exchange of data. A key factor in this technology
is NFS's capability to perform record-level and file-level locking to prevent the
simultaneous update of the same information (see Figure 5.2).
FIG. 5.2 Peer-to-Peer Communications via NFS
RPCs are used for customized program-to-program communications. From another perspective,
programs on different systems can establish peer-to-peer communications with one
another via Sun's RPC architecture. After the communications link is established,
the two (or more) programs can freely exchange information with one another, regardless
of their respective locations in the network (see Figure 5.3).
FIG. 5.3 Peer-to-Peer Communications via RPC
Furthermore, these functions are not mutually exclusive. Combined RPC and NFS
solutions can, for example, be implemented to share data in localized work groups
via NFS, while RPC functions are used to distribute a subset of the local information
to a wider audience within the total network.
Thus, implementing NFS and RPC on a wide variety of systems produced by different
manufacturers is an attractive possibility. NFS and RPC can be used in a multivendor
environment to create peer-to-peer relationships between systems and programs that
previously could not recognize one another or exchange information.
PC Integration Strategy
Sun's underlying approach to integrating PCs with its technology focuses on PCs
operating on the same LAN as the Sun equipment or networking products. Within that
LAN, Sun concentrates on enabling the PCs to access standard ONC/NFS services. In
the case of file services, this means that the PCs can access a non-PC NFS server.
Sun's main product in the PC arena is PC-NFS, a PC-resident software package that
permits DOS and Windows users to share data and resources with UNIX systems, minicomputers,
and mainframes running TCP/IP and ONC/NFS. PC-NFS works with a PC Ethernet card and
provides basic connectivity to the network (via TCP/IP) and to NFS servers. The three
basic PC-NFS functions (see Figure 5.4) are:
- NFS Client. This function within PC-NFS handles the interface between
MS-DOS and the NFS server. In this role, the NFS Client performs the necessary network
activity (in concert with the network hardware) to communicate with the NFS server.
Because the NFS file structure (native UNIX) is foreign to MS-DOS, the NFS Client
function also handles the mapping of the NFS names into MS-DOS names. And finally,
the NFS Client works with both MS-DOS and NFS to support and maintain networkwide
record and file locks.
FIG. 5.4 Connectivity via Sun's PC-NFS
- VT100 emulation. Because the lower layers of PC-NFS depend on TCP/IP to
handle the networking services, the product also includes VT100 emulation for TELNET
access. This enables the PC to act as a terminal to access other systems in the NFS
and/or TCP/IP network.
- File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Most implementations of TCP/IP include FTP,
which transfers files from one system to another. PC-NFS includes FTP to provide
a high degree of functional compatibility with other TCP/IP systems in the network.
Whereas the NFS Client can provide online access for a user or application to an
NFS file, FTP makes a copy of a file on another system.
In addition to the main PC-NFS package, Sun offers the following add-ons:
- SolarNet PC Management. This software gives PC users access to the UNIX
operating system, and permits administrators to manage networked PC systems. The
system enables users to share enterprisewide data across multiple, heterogeneous
servers through TCP/IP connectivity and NFS integration. PC clients can become equal
members on the LAN and all resources will appear to the PC as if they were local.
- PC-NFS LifeLine Mail. This package supports the TCP/IP standard Simple
Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and the Berkeley UNIX's Post Office Protocol (POP)
to enable the PC to participate in electronic mail.
- PC-NFS LifeLine Backup. Because NFS servers tend to have a large disk
capacity, the Backup package enables a PC to use an NFS server as a backup device
for local and network information. In addition to backing up to the NFS server, PC-NFS
LifeLine Backup also supports networkwide backup to a tape drive attached to an NFS
server.
- PC-NFS Programmer's Toolkit. This product includes a set of Sun's XDR
and RPC library routines that programmers can use to establish communications between
PC-resident programs and other programs operating in the Sun RPC/XDR. These routines
enable programs operating on PCs to establish peer relationships with programs operating
anywhere on the network.
Another event that fortified Sun's PC integration strategy was a joint announcement
in late 1989 by Sun, Novell, and Netwise, in which they revealed a plan to support
Sun's RPC and XDR in Novell networks. Under this plan, Sun provided the ONC/NFS standard,
Novell's NetWare was enhanced to support RPC, and Netwise revised its product, RPC
TOOL, to include support for both Sun and OSI RPC formats.
Office Automation
To date, Sun has no strong offering of its own in the area of office automation.
Instead, it relies on TCP/IP's SMTP, Berkeley's POP, and third-party products to
provide stand-alone and integrated multivendor office automation solutions. This
approach is really no different from their approach to any other general application.
Sun bundles the Ultra Pack with its Ultra workstations. Ultra Pack is a set of
applications and tools, including several collaborative applications. Sun's ShowMe
shared whiteboard application is included for collaboration. The Ultra Pack also
includes the Netscape Navigator World Wide Web navigator, Sun's own Hot Java browser,
several multimedia tools, an MPEG II player, and a music player.
The SunSoft WorkShop includes tools that permit developers to take advantage of
the UltraSPARC instruction set. WorkShop includes the SunSoft Visual WorkShop for
C++, SunSoft WorkShop for C, SunSoft Performance WorkShop for Fortran 90, SunSoft
WorkShop for FORTRAN 77, and SunSoft WorkShop for Ada. These new compilers offer
a significant performance improvement and require minimal code modification. The
SunSoft Performance Library is an optimized implementation of common numerical algorithm
libraries used for applications such as structural analysis, computational fluid
dynamics, and simulation.
Network Architecture
At the simplest level, Sun's foundation for networking is based on running TCP/IP
over an Ethernet network. In doing this, Sun uses the same network topology (bus),
the same network discipline (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection),
and the same basic medium attachments (transceivers) that Digital Equipment uses.
In fact, Sun workstations are frequently found on the same physical LANs on which
DEC equipment resides (although this does not necessarily mean that the two types
of equipment communicate).
In a Sun network, then, the workstations and servers attach to a thick or thin
LAN (see Figure 5.5). TCP/IP manages communications over the 10 Mbps Ethernet. Communications
among the systems on the LAN can occur in two different fashions.
FIG. 5.5 Sample Sun Network Architecture
Because Sun's underlying network protocol is TCP/IP, the standard TCP/IP mechanisms
for system-to-system communications can be used. In Sun's environment, the two most
widely used communications are TELNET for terminal access and FTP for file transfer.
Sun has added its own network services above TCP/IP. These services are commonly
referred to as Open Network Computing/Network File System (ONC/NFS). They include
NFS for sharing files and records throughout the network, and RPC to enable a program
running on one system to communicate with a program running on a different system.
Connectivity with PCs starts with the PCs being connected to the Ethernet LAN.
Running with MS-DOS, Sun supplies PC-NFS to implement TCP/IP on the Ethernet connection
and to provide three essential services that enable the PC to participate in the
Sun network: NFS Client for access to files stored on NFS servers, VT100 to give
the PC TELNET access, and FTP for file transfers.
In terms of interfacing with other systems, Sun has focused on connectivity with
DEC and IBM, enabling its ONC/NFS partners to establish other connectivity options
with other systems. Sun uses a gateway approach between the Sun and IBM network environments.
Its SunLink connectivity solution for IBM equipment can connect to an IBM mainframe
system via a channel attachment, a SNA SDLC data communications connection or a non-SNA
bisynchronous data communication link. The SunLink IBM solution offers the following:
- IBM 3270 terminal emulation to access IBM applications.
- RJE and NJE emulation to facilitate bidirectional file transfer.
- LU 6.2 support for native IBM program-to-program communications (APPC).
For DEC connectivity, Sun supplies two approaches with SunLink DNI and implements
support for DECnet. This solution provides the following:
- VT100 emulation for access to DEC systems.
- Support for standard DECnet file transfers.
- Support for standard DECnet task-to-task communications.
Alternatively, Sun provides a solution that implements NFS (and TCP/IP) in a VAX
environment, thus enabling the DEC equipment to participate in the Sun network.
Other connectivity solutions are provided by the companies subscribing to the
ONC/NFS strategy. Also, because Sun implements standard TCP/IP over Ethernet, virtually
any standard Ethernet bridges can be used to tie Sun networks together over a wide
area.
High-Speed Networking
Sun offers switched Fast Ethernet and Fast/Wide SCSI 2 functionality directly
on the motherboard of the Ultra series of workstations and servers. No other workstation
vendor is currently offering Fast Ethernet directly on the motherboard. Sun's SunATM
Adapter 2.0 provides for 155 Mbps ATM networking. Sun also offers a 10/100 Mbps auto-sensing
SunFastEthernet add-on adapter and the SuNFDDI adapter for connectivity to 100 Mbps
FDDI networks.
The dual-speed Ethernet add-on is the most efficient way to migrate to high-speed
networking; it can operate at either speed and automatically switch to the highest
possible rate. The same gradual migration approach is taken with the SunATM Adapter.
The ATM adapter includes an implementation of LAN Emulation 1.0, a specification
that permits an ATM network to appear as an Ethernet LAN. (For more information on
ATM and LAN Emulation, see Chapter 11, "Network Management," p. 242.) With
LAN Emulation, a hybrid network can be created that leverages the higher bandwidth
possibilities of ATM using existing wiring.
Java Internet Programming Language
The Internet presents a number of programming and networking challenges. Sun's
Java is the first programming language to offer a platform-independent environment
for programming for the Internet and other complex networks. Java is portable and
secure, and offers a previously unavailable level of interactivity to programmers
and users working on the World Wide Web.
Java is loosely based on C++ and has rapidly come to be an open standard for Internet
programming. Hundreds of small Java applets have been created by Sun and third
parties, which are downloaded across a network and run locally. Java applications
are platform-independent, so long as the receiving platform holds the Java Virtual
machine. This works as an interpreter between the end user's computer and the Java
application. Potentially, Java could end the need to port applications to multiple
platforms.
UltraSPARC Technology
Sun introduced its UltraSPARC technology in November, 1995. With the Ultra family
of workstations (see Figure 5.6), Sun has raised the bar in workstation computing
by bringing out technology for high-speed networking and collaborative computing
and complex data designs.
The Ultra design replaces the bus-based interconnect with a faster, switch-based
interconnect. The Ultra design is based on the Ultra Port Architecture (UPA), a switch-based
interconnect that is typically found only in supercomputers, which can accommodate
a data transfer of up to 1.3 Gbps. The UPA serves as a central switching mechanism
for integrating all system components, creating a close integration and high-speed
connection between the processor, I/O, graphics, memory, and networking. The UPA
lends itself to efficient multitasking and significantly reduces memory latency.
Consequently, users will experience fewer delays when running complex processes.
In any networking model, messages are broken up into packets, routed to a destination,
and reassembled. Under the UPA model, packets from multiple subsystems can be interspersed,
so multiple transactions can take place simultaneously. In the bus-based scheme,
however, a single subsystem has complete and exclusive control over the bus while
its message is being delivered; other subsystems are unable to use the lines during
the transaction. Currently, Sun is the only vendor to offer this technology in workstation-class
machines.
The UPA brings five innovative technologies to the UltraComputing architecture:
FIG. 5.6 Sun Ultra 1 Workstation
- UltraSPARC. The latest of the SPARC family of microprocessors, the UltraSPARC
has a 64-bit architecture and is one of the fastest microprocessors on the market.
The superscalar design enables four instructions to be executed per clock cycle.
The UltraSPARC has several advantages over traditional processors. Its non-blocking
load/store unit can continue functioning after a cache miss--that is, when instructions
are not on the on-chip cache and must be located in external caches or main memory.
In addition, its multilevel trap handling facilities provide for speedy context-switching
and better multitasking performance.
- Visual Instruction Set (VIS). The VIS is built into the motherboard, and
is able to significantly improve graphics and multimedia performance without the
need for add-in cards. This set of instructions can execute 2-D and 3-D technology,
image process-ing, real-time video decompression, pixel format/conversion, fast data
transfer, and animation.
- Creator Graphics. A graphics engine that produces speedy graphics manipulation.
It offers true 24-bit color, and accelerates windowing and graphics manipulations.
- 3D-RAM. 3D-RAM is a subset of Creator Graphics that incorporates memory
management technology to increase performance for 3-D graphics.
- Fast Ethernet. Fast Ethernet technology is built directly into the motherboard.
The Ultra architecture remains compatible with 10BaseT Ethernet and supports other
networking standards, including ATM and ISDN.
The Ultra is compatible with the existing base of applications developed for the
Solaris operating system. Through Sun's Wabi (Windows application binary interface)
emulation software, Ultra workstations can also run Windows applications. In addition,
Wabi enables Solaris users to cut and paste between Solaris programs and several
popular Windows applications. Typically, Windows emulation carries an excruciatingly
high processing burden. Wabi eliminates much of this burden by mapping Windows function
calls directly to native X services.
The Ultras run the latest version of Solaris, the Solaris 2.5 SPARC Edition. This
version of Solaris has been optimized for the Ultra, and supports the Ultra's high-speed
VIS instructions and 3-D graphics.
The Ultra family includes the following:
- Ultra 1 Model 140. An entry-level machine suited for computationally intensive
desktop applications. It comes with a 143 MHz UltraSPARC processor.
- Ultra 1 Creator Model 170E. Uses a faster, 167 MHz processor and is better
suited to computationally-intensive 2-D graphical applications.
- Ultra 1 Creator3D Model 170E. Has a 167 MHz UltraSPARC processor and is
meant for higher-end 3-D and imaging applications, such as scientific visualization
or CAD.
- Ultra II Creator3D Model 2200. A multiprocessor system with two 200 MHz
UltraSPARC processors. It is best for extremely intensive applications, such as fluid
dynamics or high-end animation.
- UltraServer 1. Model 140 (143 MHz), Model 170 (167 MHz), and Model 170E
(167 MHz) combine the benefits of the UltraSPARC architecture and 100BaseT networking,
with enhanced cache management and reduced memory latency (see Figure 5.7).
Through the UltraSPARC's UPA technology, these devices can offer superior server
performance for common network applications, such as Lotus Notes or SAP R/3. The
UltraServer can integrate with and manage PC, UNIX, and Macintosh networks. The servers
support all major network protocols, including TCP/IP, SNA, OSI, and DecNet. This
level of support permits end users to access data on mainframes, minicomputers, and
desktop systems.
Sun's Ultra architecture optimizes computing to accommodate rapidly growing public
and private networks. This model significantly reduces latency, and is able to accommodate
a wide range of data types. The Ultra architecture addresses four challenges that
have come to be pervasive in modern network computing: the need for superior computational
performance, visual computing, fast networking, and network-based software.
Several software vendors support the Ultra platform. The systems are compatible,
for the most part, with other Sun systems.
FIG. 5.7 Sun UltraServer 1 Workgroup Server
The SPARCstation/SPARCserver family includes the following:
- SPARCstation/SPARCserver 4 Series. This is Sun's entry-level system. It
is binary compatible with the entire family of SPARC systems and can be upgraded
with a chassis swap. It is best for smaller workgroups of up to ten users and has
up to 12G of disk storage.
- SPARCstation 5/SPARCserver 5. The SPARCserver 5 system is a mid-range
workgroup server, intended for workgroups of up to 40 users, and has up to 25 GB
of disk storage.
- SPARCstation 20/SPARCserver 20 Series. Several different models of the
high end SPARCstation 20 series are available, from uniprocessing SuperSPARC machines,
to multiprocessing hyperSPARCs. The hyperSPARC HS21, HS22MP, and HS14MP models are
especially well-suited for compute-intensive applications. The hyperSPARC processor
is an ideal platform for applications such as simulation and modeling, and the machines
can easily connect with the enterprise through built-in 10BaseT and AUI Ethernet
networking features.
- The SPARCstation machines can integrate well into a multivendor environment.
As with other Sun systems, the hyperSPARC machines support industry-standard Ethernet,
Token Ring, Fast Ethernet, ATM, and FDDI. Mainframe and minicomputer connectivity
can be achieved through Sun's support of SNA, TCP/IP, OSI, and DECnet protocols.
The SPARCstation 20 might be well-suited for data warehousing and other high-capacity
applications when used along with the SPARCstorage Model 200. The SPARCserver 20
is designed for up to 70 users and has up to 50 GB of disk storage.
- SPARC Storage Library. This storage system uses a robotic handling mechanism
to automatically transfer tapes. The library is a high-capacity system that can easily
handle major backups on an unattended basis. This highly automated system is capable
of performing a self-inventory and automatically cleaning its own drives. The Tower
model works with mid-range servers and a rack-mounted model is available for larger
systems. The device works with most data management software and it can support a
hierarchical storage management environment.
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