Intel gives Solaris a telco squeeze

For the Linux loather in you

By Ashlee Vance in Mountain View • Get more from this author

Posted in Servers, 16th July 2007 20:15 GMT

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Intel and Sun Microsystems have found some telco-filled fruits to go with their labor. The former mortal enemies and now partners have revealed a pair of Intel-based boxes certified to run Sun's Solaris x86 operating system.

Customers so inclined can turn to Intel's TIGW1U Carrier Grade Server to handle their telecommunications needs. The 1U, 20-inch-deep box supports the NEBS 3 telco standard and ships in both AC and DC flavors. It runs on a pair of Intel's 5148 low-voltage Xeons and can now handle Solaris in all its glory.

Intel claims that its OEM customers demanded the Solaris support as a complement to the already-supported Linux operating system. Sun has long had a dominant presence in the teclo market, so such claims make sense.

In the third quarter, Intel will release another Solaris-ready option in the form of the NetStructure MPCBL0050 single board computer, which is an ATCA blade also aimed at telcos. The system runs on a pair of LV 5138 Xeons.

In January, Intel and Sun put an end to years of aggression by forming a partnership around Xeon and Solaris. The companies have agreed to tune Solaris for Intel's Xeon chips and to co-market the gear to a degree.

Sun already has a number of Xeon-based boxes from other vendors certified to run Solaris and has its own new Xeon-based blades prepped.

We're told that Sun plans to add Xeon chips to its Netra line of telco systems in the near future as well. ®

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