Clustra Deal Reasserts Sun's Web-Services CommitmentClustra Deal Reasserts Sun's Web-Services Commitment

Sun Microsystems last week added a key component to its Web-services push by acquiring Clustra Systems, a provider of clustering technology that enables continuous real-time computing. The purchase price of the privately held Oakland, Calif., company wasn't disclosed.

Clustra's high-availability and data-repository software will be added to SunOne's iPlanet application server by year's end. It will work in conjunction with the Solaris operating system and Forte application-integration software, says Wes Wasson, a Sun VP. Clustra's repository will keep transactions running smoothly on clustered servers even if traffic to one iPlanet application server exceeds capacity and is routed to another, he says.Sun's 1999 acquisitions of Forte Software and NetBeans, a developer of Java-based integrated development environments, were also aimed at furthering the company's strategy of making applications and data available to users on demand."This acquisition shows Sun's commitment to Web services," says Naveen Bobba, a Bear Stearns research analyst. Between Sun and Microsoft, he says, there are really only two players competing for developers' attention, and that's why it's important for them to acquire mature technologies.