For the most part, the Oracle Sun Fire X4170 found favor with the reviewer for V3.co.uk, Alan Stevens, who pronounced the server " ... A good choice for companies looking for maximum performance from a 1U package," and a prime candidate for virtualization service. The X4170 compares quite favorably with its chief competition, the HP ProLiant DL360 G6 and the Dell PowerEdge R610. Stevens gives the Oracle Sun product such high marks in part because " ... it's a dual-processor server capable of accommodating the same range of dual-core and quad-core Xeon 5500 Nehalem chips."

Oracle-Sun and Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) will end the long-term reseller agreement HDS originally had with Sun on March 31. Announced by HDS via an email to its solution provider partners on March 2, the company wrote "With the acquisition of Sun Microsystems, Hitachi Data Systems and Oracle agree that the time is right to evolve this relationship into one reflecting the priorities of the new company."

Industry analysts say Oracle’s purchase of Sun is the most game-changing corporate technology play made during the economic downturn, reported the NY Times, with it now being able to provide all the parts needed to be an end-to-end service provider. "It's the most significant deal of the decade," said Dan Olds, an analyst with Gabriel Consulting. "Oracle has a shot here to change the rules of the industry and usher in a new era."