Volume 73.4

System News
   
News about Solaris and Sun Microsystems

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March 22nd, 2004 — March 28th, 2004
System News System News for Sun Users  
Volume 73, Issue 4
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Sun made news this week at the CTIA Wireless 2004 conference with its gaming server [12621] and partner announcements with RIM [12623] and AT&T [12626].

Other Partner news came from Sun and:

  • Pronto Networks (iForceSM Wi-Fi Hotspot Appliance) [12622]
  • Aligo (Mobile Enterprise Applications) [12619]
  • Metapa (data warehousing) [12620]

StarOfficeTM software continues to gain acceptance in India [12571]. New tools will be introduced [12575].

Industry sections this week:

  • Education
  • Healthcare
  • JavaOneSM Conference and JavaOneSM Online Program
News
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Multiplayer Java Technology Game Server Prototype Revealed
Industry's First Interconnects Different Games onto One Network

Sun's game server prototype integrates Java technology with IGN/GameSpy and TimesTen information to interconnect multiple game devices to a single game network. This prototype's architecture enables an infrastructure to support various games, making it appealing to developers and publishers, who'll save money deploying an online game.

Gamers Anticipate Release of Online Multiplayer Gaming Solution for Java Technology
Nokia SNAP Mobile Targets Java Technology Gaming Market
An online multiplayer gaming solution for Java technology-based games is scheduled for release during the third quarter of 2004. This new solution called SNAP Mobile incorporates Nokia and Sun technology enabling game developers to create Java technology-based games with a mobile online multiplayer gaming component.
McNealy Intrigues Audience with Sun's Latest Developments
Java Technology-based Technological Innovations Wow CTIA Wireless 2004 Conference

Sun CEO Scott McNealy summed up his keynote presentation at the CTIA Wireless 2004 conference in Atlanta by saying: "The Java technology-powered environment is now outshipping the Microsoft world. Deal with it." Sun impressed industry watchers with a multitude of new partnerships and developments.

Network Equipment Provider Lifecycle Services Program
Sun's New Program for NEPs Offers Custom Services

Sun is launching the Network Equipment Provider Lifecycle Services Program that targets product development to enable highly customized solutions be offered to the end user. NEPs will lessen their costs for product development, integration and supply chain monies through the NEP Lifecycle Services Program.

Java Technology Game Development Contest
Deadline: June 7th, 2004

Get ready independent video game developers, Sun is looking for innovative game applications using Java technology. Winners will be awarded a variety of prizes including a license and deployment license from IGN/GameSpy (valued at $40,000), Athlon 64 PCs from AMD (valued at $7,500) and two Zodiacs from Tapwave (valued at $800).

Sun Java System Application Server Selected by U.S. Navy
Solution to be Used for Top Command and Control Program

The U.S. Navy's Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Computer, Communications, Intelligence and Space (PEO C4I and Space) is selecting the Sun Java System Application Server Standard Edition 7. The solution will run all Global Command and Control -- Maritime (GCCS-M) deployments starting in 2005.

Sun Finances Promotions for UltraSPARC III Processor-based Servers
Get Some Interest Free Payments or Two Months Free

Sun Microsystems Finance is offering two promotions to help customers adopt UltraSPARC IV technologies. One is a 50 percent down deal on the Sun Fire 4800 systems and Sun Fire 6800 systems, and the other offer is called the "Two Payments on Us" Lease Option.

Economical Solution for Data Warehousing
Sun Teams with Metapa to Offer Viable Strategy
Bringing the power of low-cost computing to data warehousing is now available through the collaborative efforts of Sun and Metapa Inc. Integrating Metapa's Cluster DataBase (CDB) on Solaris Operating System (Solaris OS) (x86 Platform Edition) and three Sun Fire servers allows for an economical solution to store and perform detailed analysis of critical event data.
Mobile Java Web Services Technology to Improve Enterprise Productivity
Sun and RIM Offering Secure Delivery of Enterprise Data
Mobile Java Web Services technology will be extended to millions of BlackBerry customers in the near future. This current project between Sun and Research In Motion (RIM) is expected to enable the end-to-end secure delivery of enterprise data via BlackBerry, a leading wireless connectivity solution.
RFID and Java Card Technology to Help Reduce Traffic Congestion
New Sun Division in the UK

Sun will use RFID technology, Sensor Networks and Java Card technology for traffic management systems in the UK. The work will be done by the newly formed UK Traffic Systems Division.

Sun Services Survey
Make Sure You Get the Information You Need

Sun Services is conducting a survey to see how effective their communications are. They are asking how satisfied people are with Sun Services' product information. Let them know if you'd like to get that information as part of this news report.

Partners
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Taking the Desktop Experience Outside the Office
Sun and AT&T Collaborate on Flexible Desktop Solution
Coming this fall, Sun and AT&T Wireless will offer customers the EDGE-enabled Sun Java Desktop System that will provide any time, anywhere accessibility to vital business applications. This new solution takes the desktop experience outside the office.
Ready to Deploy iForce Wi-Fi Hotspot Appliance
From Sun and Pronto Networks
Operators looking to capitalize on the growth in the public hotspot market now have a solution available to them from Sun and Pronto Networks. Operators can roll out a medium-sized public hotspot network licensed for 25, 50 or 100 hotspots with the iForce Wi-Fi Hotspot Appliance.
Accelerate Deployment of Mobile Enterprise Applications
Sun and Aligo Combine Technologies for Speedy Solution
Aligo's mobile platform is now available on the Solaris 9 Operating System (Solaris OS) (x86 Platform Edition) and the Solaris OS (SPARC Platform Edition) as an out-of-the-box solution for real-time access to mission-critical data in the field.
Sun Java System
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Sun Java Studio Enterprise 6 2004Q1
For Accelerated Web Tier Application Development

Sun Java Studio Enterprise 6 2004Q1 is a comprehensive development platform for the Sun Java Enterprise System. This version contains enhanced debugging and development support for Web Services and Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) application development.

Four Sun Software Downloads Available
Updates on the Sun Java System Application Server
Download four new software updates from Sun's Download Web site - Sun Java System Application Server, Standard and/or Platform Edition 7 Update 3; Sun Java Application Server Platform Edition 7 Update 3 Solaris 9 Operating System Upgrade and the Sun Java System Application Server 7 Update 3 Add-ons.
Sun Java Enterprise System Pricing for Governments
Sun to Offer Software Based on Number of Citizens
Sun is working on a pricing program to offer the Sun Java Enterprise System to governments based on the number of citizens in the country. According to a story on CNET News, Jonathan Schwartz, executive vice president of Sun's software group, said the pricing will be aligned with the definitions offered by the UN of developed, developing and least developed countries.
Software
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ICICI OneSource Finds Savings with StarOffice Software
Company Plans to Continue the Switch from Microsoft Office

CXOtoday recently reported on the switch ICICI OneSource, a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service provider located in Mumbai, made from Microsoft Office to StarOffice 7 software. The move has already saved the company Rs 72 Lakh. Thus far the company has only deployed StarOffice software on 10 percent of its desktops, but it plans to expand that number to 25 percent soon.

Sun Plans to Release New Tools with StarOffice Software
Converters for Moving Macros from Microsoft Office to StarOffice Software and More

Sun has made plans to release new tools as part of its StarOffice desktop software package, reports Mike Ricciuti of CNET News.com. The company hopes to use the tools to attract users of Microsoft Office. The new tools, which will be released sometime this year, include converters for moving macros in Microsoft Office to StarOffice software.

Jim Waldo Discusses Jini Network Technology
The Current and Future Applications of Jini Network Technology
Sun recently posted an interview with chief Jini network technology architect and Sun Distinguished Engineer, Jim Waldo, on its Java technology Web site. Jim discusses the future of Jini network technology and how it is currently being used. He also discusses what is happening with the "networked home."
Sun Releases N1 Grid Provisioning Server 3.1, Blades Edition
Offers Users a Management Environment for the Sun Fire B1600 Blade Platform

Sun is releasing the N1 Grid Provisioning Server 3.1, Blades Edition, which offers users a management environment for the Sun Fire B1600 Blade Platform. This allows the user to quickly design, configure, provision and scale blade-based server farms automatically.

Events
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TheServerSide Java Technology Symposium
May 6-8, Las Vegas, NV

TheServerSide Java technology Symposium is a limited attendance event of 500 people. The event focuses on server-side Java technologies and development practices and features a technical and advanced set of technical sessions.

SAPPHIRE '04
May 11-13, New Orleans, LA
SAP's SAPPHIRE event is designed for senior executives, business managers, and government and education professionals who are looking to gain competitive advantage, achieve profitable growth, learn the latest strategies in supply chain management, CRM, portals and more.
Retail Systems 2004
May 17-19, Chicago, IL
Retail Systems 2004 conference and exposition offers retailers and suppliers opportunities to discuss both technology and business issues from a retailer, wholesaler and manufacturer perspective. Topics include RFID, IT Finance and Management, Stores of the Future, and Data Synchronization.
Entry Level Servers
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Sun Fire V20z Server ATO Option for Compute Grid Rack System
Single Rack Grid Computing Offers Increased Flexibility, High Performance for Compute-intensive Applications

The recent release of the Sun Fire V20z server compute node ATO options and base rack package for the Compute Grid rack system offers three new compute nodes, deeper rack, terminal server and all cabling.

Course: Sun Fire V20z Server Maintenance & Troubleshooting
Replace Components and More

The Sun Fire V20z Server Maintenance and Troubleshooting Web-based course (WET-4682-90) focuses on training in replacing components in the server.

Sun Launches the Sun Fire V20z Server in Malaysia
The Release Represents the First x86 Server from AMD Alliance

A recent article that appeared at The Star Online discusses the Malaysian launch of the Sun Fire V20z server, which is the first hardware product to be released since Sun's alliance with AMD. The product features x86 dual processors capable of running on the Solaris Operating System (Solaris OS) (x86 Platform Edition) or Linux.

EOL: 900 MHz-Based Sun Fire V1280 and Netra 1280 Server Configurations
Price Reduction on 1.2 GHz Configurations

The 900 MHz configurations of the Sun Fire V1280 server and Netra 1280 server are being discontinued. The last order date is May 14, 2004. The prices of the 1.2 GHz configurations for these servers and CPU boards are being reduced. A certain configuration of the Sun Fire V240 server is being replaced.

Storage
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Get Increased Throughput with the Sun StorEdge 3120 SCSI Array
Up to 320 MB/sec. Data Transfer per SCSI Channel
The Sun StorEdge 3120 SCSI array supports up to four 3.5" hard disk drives and supports a wide variety of hard disk drive capacities and rotational speeds. With its Ultra320 SCSI support, it can achieve up to 320 MB/sec. data transfer per SCSI channel for fast access and I/O transfer.
Repricing the Sun StorEdge 9980 System and Sun StorEdge 9970 System
Sun Maintains Competitive Market Position for SAN Solutions
Sun has reduced the prices of its Sun StorEdge 9980 system and Sun StorEdge 9970 system in order to maintain the competitive position of both solutions in the marketplace. For typical hardware configurations the list price is reduced by approximately 12-15 percent. There are no reductions on Sun StorEdge 9900 series software products.
EOL: 36 GB 10K rpm Configurations on Sun StorEdge T3 Array, Sun StorEdge 3900 Series and SunStorEdge 6900 Series
Replaced with 36 GB 15K rpm HDD

The 36 GB 10K rpm configurations will be ended on these systems: Sun StorEdge T3 array, Sun StorEdge 3900 series and Sun StorEdge 6900 series.

Sun Awards Dot Hill with Advanced Technology Storage Program
Innovative Products Expected to Result from Expanded Agreement
New advanced technology storage products for Sun will be designed and engineered by Dot Hill Systems Corp. following Sun's specifications. This OEM partner agreement expands on the current agreement between the two corporations.
Education and Research
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IT Masters Offers System Development Degree in Java Technology
Curriculum Includes Object Modeling, Web Component Development, Data Communications and More
Sun is offering its Masters of System Development degree in Java technology through the IT Masters program at Charles Sturt University in Australia.
Canadian Higher Education Institutions Benefit from Higher Performance
Education Institutions Choose Sun Technology to Improve Research and Development

Several higher education institutions are choosing Sun technology to improve research and development on their campuses. Technologies such as the StarOffice 7 office productivity software, Sun Fire servers using Solaris Operating System (Solaris OS) and Linux operating environment and Sun StorEdge storage systems are all proving successful to schools.

Sun Provisions for Tomorrow by Partnering with Australian Educators
Sun Invests in Educators with Sun Ray Thin Clients
Sun is partnering with Australian educators in order to better create and define the information economy of tomorrow. By investing in educators, Sun helps them come to grips with trends such as online learning environments, collaborative research systems, student portals, wireless campuses, streamlined administrative processes and digitized information assets.
Sun Reprices 14 Sun StorEdge Enterprise Backup Software ScholarPAC Licenses
Brings Costs into Alignment with Current Discount Structure

Sun is repricing 14 licenses for Sun StorEdge Enterprise Backup software for the ScholarPAC education market in order to provide the appropriate discount level. With this reduction, the cost of these licenses comes into alignment with the current ScholarPAC discount structure.

Sysadmin
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"Data Center Best Practices for High-End Servers"
Sun BluePrints OnLine Article Focuses on Installing, Configuring, Securing and Maintaining Availability and Performance

A recent Sun BluePrints OnLine article offers readers best practices for installing, configuring, securing and maintaining availability and performance for the Sun Fire 15K server.

"Dynamic Reconfiguration for High-End Servers: Part 1 Planning Phase"
Allocate Resources in the Sun Fire 15K Servers and Sun Fire 12K Servers While Domain is Running

Part one of a two-part Sun BluePrints OnLine series about planning and implementing Sun Fire 15K server and the Sun Fire 12K server Dynamic Reconfiguration (DR) in the Solaris Operating System (Solaris OS) offers an introduction to the Sun Fire 15K server and the Sun Fire 12K server DR, as well as details about the planning phase. The article serves as a primer for part two, which will focus on the implementation phase.

Finding Free Physical RAM and Putting it to Good Use
Increase Application Speed while Avoiding Paging to Disk

A recent Sun article advises readers on how to determine how much free physical RAM they have available, and how to effectively use this information. Users of the Solaris Operating System (Solaris OS) will find the document provides a routine to determine available physical memory, as well as a sample program that demonstrates how the interface can be used.

JumpStart Enterprise Toolkit 3.3.0 Download Available
Simplifies Solaris Operating System Installation

The Jumpstart Enterprise Toolkit simplifies the installation of the Solaris Operating System (Solaris OS). It also simplifies customizing and patching it and installing third-party software components. It does not require advanced system administrator skills as does the Solaris JumpStart.

Java Technology
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Modifications to the Reflection API in Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition
Code Samples

Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) 1.5 (also called Tiger) has new language features that require bytecode changes and modifications to existing APIs such as the Reflection API. Michael Nascimento Santos outlines modifications to the Reflection API that are now available to the public as part of JDK 1.5 beta 1, and shows how you can take advantage of them in your code.

Course: Distributed Programming with Java Technology
Working with CORBA and COM

The Distributed Programming with Java Technology course (SL-301) provides Java technology programmers and network application programmers with the essential information for building distributed computing solutions. This course also addresses interoperability issues among Java technology, CORBA and COM technologies.

I'm Technologies to Ship Java Technology-based Smart Cards
High End 32 Kilobyte Cards
I'm Technologies of Singapore signed a Technology Licensing and Distributorship Agreement with Sun to develop its smart card operating system with Java Card technology.
Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition RMI Optional Package
Can be Deployed without Modification

With the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME) RMI Optional Package (RMI OP), programmers can publish distributed application protocols that applications can use to manipulate objects on remote systems.

Healthcare
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Prime Clinical Systems Unveils OnSTAFF and WebSTAFF Solutions
Solutions Developed in Java Programming Languge

Prime Clinical Systems introduced its two new software solutions, OnSTAFF and WebSTAFF, during the recent 2004 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition. Both solutions were developed in the Java programming language.

Healthcare Technology Vendors Enjoy Profitable Fourth Quarter
Analysts See Trend Continuing as Spending Increases, Standards Emerge

Jack Berman found analysts with an optimistic view of the Healthcare Technology sector as he reported recently for Health-IT News. Earnings were generally up during Q403.

Electronic Medical Recordkeeping Takes a Giant Step
Objections to Lack of Standards, High Initial Cost are Being Addressed

Brian Reid, reporting for Health-IT World News, has uncovered two reasons behind the reluctance of physicians to invest in healthcare technology: cost and the absence of standards. Both issues are finally being addressed by HL7 and AAFP.

Amisys Synertech Releases AMISYS Advance
Healthcare Payer Information System Offers Faster Batch Processing

UCare Minnesota of Minneapolis, Capital District Physicians' Health Plan of Albany, NY, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Scott & White Health Plan of Temple, Texas -- all current users of the AMISYS 3000 healthcare payer information system -- are early adopters of its successor solution, AMISYS Advance.

Cleveland Clinic Uses WorkForce Software to Monitor Resident Training
Solution Employs Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition and XML Technology

The Cleveland Clinic now uses Workforce Software to track the attendance and duty hours of its residents. The software comprises badge reader and biometric collection, employee self-service, labor tracking, accruals/leave management and data exchange with payroll, human resources and ERP systems.

Trademarks
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Copyrights and Trademarks
For Volume 73, Issue 4

(c) 2004 System News, Inc. All rights reserved.


 


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