Sun's Opteron box defies European power supply standards

Electro magnetic foul

By Ashlee Vance, 30th April 2004

SaaS data loss: The problem you didn’t know you had

Sun Microsystems has admitted to a problem with one model of its Opteron-based V20z server that, according to a source, is causing shipment delays.

Sun's v20z system with the Opteron Model 248 processor apparently runs too hot to meet some regional regulations governing electro magnetic interference, of all things. The problem revolves around the power supply units Sun has been shipping with the server.

"In regards to the power supply, as a part of our ongoing quality audit, Sun discovered a minor, local regional violation that affects eight countries in EMEA," said a company spokeswoman. "Sun has proactively addressed the issue. We have determined that the violation does not affect the rest of the world and we continue to ship in volume."

Sun insists that the pouty power supply caused no shipment delays, but one of our readers tells a different story. We hear shipments to EMEA have been put on hold for several weeks while Sun works to certify a new power supply for the fast chip kit.

Not surprisingly, Sun is actually bragging about how successful the Opteron line, which started shipping this quarter, has been.

"Our current demand has surpassed our initial forecast," the spokeswoman said. "To satisfy the additional demand, we are working with our factory to increase our production."

Sun attributes any shipping delays to "increased lead time" needed to keep up with all these orders.

Our source confirmed that Sun is using the Newisys 2100 reference design for its Opteron boxes. Sun, however, is doing its own manufacturing of the kit, according to the company.

Sun is also working to fix a "glitch" on its web site, discovered by El Reg, that prevented customers from selecting Solaris x86 as an operating system option for the V20z. (Not the best way to promote a struggling product - Ed.)

"The Sun Fire V20z server *is* available with Solaris x86, and the website is being corrected," the spokeswoman said. "Thanks for bringing that to our attention!"

You're welcome. (The consulting bill is in the mail.)

Sun will move away from the Newisys designs at some point in the future. It rehired "employee number one" Andy Bechtolsheim earlier this year, looking to bring his start-up's Opteron servers in-house. ®