InformationWeek

Sun Switches To Standard I/O Bus

By Mary Hayes

un Microsystems, faced with increasing com petition from both Unix workstation vendors and PC companies, is making the transition from its proprietary Sbus peripheral interconnect in its workstations to one that's compatible with the industry-standard PCI bus.

Pressure from lower-priced Windows NT-based workstations is prompting Sun to move to standard parts to cut manufacturing costs and keep prices down. "It's about time," says Jim Garden, an analyst with Technology Business Research in Hampton, N.H. Most Unix workstation vendors have already moved to the standard PCI bus, he says.

According to International Data Corp, a Framingham, Mass., market research firm, Sun had 41% of the Unix workstation market in 1996, up from 39% in 1995. The overall market last year was flat at 712,000 units sold.

Last week, Sun began shipping the Ultra 30, its first PCI-based system. The un its include a 64-bit, 66-MHz PCI I/O bus; Sun plans to offer a PCI Gigabit Ethernet network interface card in August. Pricing for the single-processor Ultra 30 starts at $16,495 for a 250-MHz UltraSparc II-based model, and $21,495 for a 300-MHz version. Sun also plans to introduce its first system priced below $5,000 early next year.

Longtime Sun users are delighted by the company's efforts to keep systems affordable. Says Dave Sartori, systems administrator with plumbing manufacturer Kohler Co. in Kohler, Wis., an early user of the Ultra 30: "It's good when a popular platform like NT comes along and brings down prices."

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