SUN UNVEILS POWERFUL DEDICATED NFS FILE SERVER

Netra NFS Server Sets New Standards in Speed, Easy Operation, Reliability

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. - MAY 14, 1996 - Sun Microsystems Computer
Company,the network computing leader and developer of the NFS standard,
today announced the Netra NFS server, the only dedicated NFS file server
available from a major systems vendor. Based on Sun's powerful, new Ultra
server architecture, the Netra NFS 150 server raises the industry bar for
speed, easy operation and reliable file access.

Highlights of the new product include:

* Blazing speed. The Netra NFS server has been optimized for file access
speed, resulting in a product that frequently gives users faster access to
files via the network than by access to a local disk.

* Unmatched ease of use. Pre-installed software enables the Netra NFS
server to be up and running in 30 minutes, and an HTML-based user
interface makes the system extremely easy to use. No other dedicated NFS
server on the market offers comparable operational ease.

* High reliability: RAID5 support, a built-in uninterruptible power supply
(UPS) and one year of same-day, on-site service round out the highly
reliable Netra NFS server offering.

* Industry-leading price/performance in a dedicated NFS server with RAID5.

"No product from any other company can match the Netra NFS server in
meeting customer's combined needs in these critically important areas,"
said Neil Knox, vice president and general manager of Sun's Internet and
Networking Products Group.

The new product fills a growing demand among workgroups and departmental
users for dedicated NFS systems. Using an independent research firm, Sun
surveyed current customers and other corporate users and determined that
the vast majority - a full 94 percent - were already dedicating
general-purpose servers solely to file service. "Clearly what these
organizations need is not a one-size-fits all solution, but a server
designed specifically for file service - built by the people who know NFS
from the inside out said Knox."

Sun is the leading provider of NFS solutions, having created the original
NFS standard in 1984, and licensed it to more than 300 organizations.
Today, Sun is the number one supplier of NFS servers, in a market that
supports over 10 million nodes. The NFS market is reported to be growing
at more than 25 percent annually (source: Dataquest, July 1995).

The new server builds on the success of another of Sun's
application-specific products: the award-winning Netra Internet Server.
The Netra NFS server is designed to accomplish for network file serving
what Sun's earlier Netra servers have done for Internet/intranet
connectivity and network administration - provide ease of installation and
operation in a system designed from the ground up to do a specific network
job, at the best price points available in the industry. Sun plans to
introduce additional Netra application-specific servers in the future that
meet needs of its enterprise and intranet customers.

Netra NFS Server Performance and Price Beat the Competition

The Netra NFS 150 server offers superior response times at significantly
lower cost than competitive systems. Utilizing a 167Mhz UltraSPARC-based
processor, and a hardware/software platform optimized for NFS operations,
the Netra NFS server delivers two to three times the NFS throughput of
comparable general purpose systems using RAID5 - allowing faster access to
data storage and extremely fast response times over the network. In tests
based on the LADDIS industry-standard benchmark, the Netra NFS system
delivered 1323 NFS operations-per-second at an average response time of
14.5 milliseconds - the best NFS performance using RAID5 in any workgroup
or department file server.

Yet Sun's new NFS server is priced 50-70% lower than comparable systems
from specialized NFS vendors. The baseline Netra NFS server configuration,
available in tower or rack-ready enclosures (up to four units mountable on
a single rack), is priced at $25,295. The Netra NFS server can be
factory-configured to support up to 512 megabytes of ECC memory and 25.2
gigabytes of file storage through 12 internal expansion slots, with
internal tape drives and support for Fast Ethernet, Token Ring or FDDI
network connectivity. This high-end, fully configured Netra NFS server
lists for approximately $55,000.

Easy to Operate, Scalable, Reliable

The Netra NFS server is the easiest to install and operate file server on
the market - a factor that frees up a customer's valuable MIS and system
administration resources. Sun has developed the first complete HTML
graphical interface for NFS system management, and the interface makes use
of a device-independent Web browser. This means that administrators can
manage the system without having to enter a single UNIX command, and can
do so from any PC, Macintosh or UNIX-based system on the network. An
integrated LCD panel allows for fast system initialization without the
need for a console. As with all Netra servers, pre-installed software
allows the server to get up and running quickly--providing FS file
services within 30 minutes.

Available in a new tower enclosure or rack-ready version, the Netra NFS 150
product is a highly scalable NFS server solution. A single Netra NFS 150
server can support from 10 to 100 active NFS clients in workgroups or
departments. By placing four rack-ready systems in a single enclosure,
large departments with up to 400 active NFS clients can be supported, with
no degradation in performance.

The server's uninterruptable power supply is tightly integrated with the
system software and permits a graceful shut down in the event of a power
failure, while internal circuitry protects against power-outage spikes.
Additionally, a specially-designed system controller protects against loss
of memory data in all catastrophic situations.

Price, Availability, Same-Day Support

The baseline Netra NFS 150 server configuration available in tower or
rack-ready enclosures (up to four units mountable on a single rack), is
priced at $25,295. The high-end Netra NFS 150 server with 512MB of ECC
memory and 25.2GB of file storage lists for approximately $55,000.

All Netra NFS systems sold in the U.S. come with one year of on-site,
same-day support from SunServiceSM, included in the purchase price. Sun is
also rolling out this unique same-day service offering for Netra NFS
systems sold in other geographies around the world. Sun is the only
supplier of dedicated NFS products to provide same-day support as part of
its standard offering.

The new Netra NFS servers may be ordered now through the Sun direct sales
force or via Sun authorized resellers. The systems will ship in volume
around the world beginning in July. Sun is offering special pricing for
customers who transition to the Netra NFS server from competitive NFS
products, and a build-to-order Netra program is available for large
customers that have special application requirements. Based on a minimum
unit-purchase commitment, Sun will pre-package additional
customer-specified applications directly on the Netra NFS servers at the
point of manufacturing.

Sun Microsystems Computer Company is the world leader in the design,
manufacture and sale of network computing systems and is a division of Sun
Microsystems, Inc. Recognized for quality and innovation, the company's
SPARC workstations and multiprocessing servers each hold the No. 1 UNIX
market share position. These systems are used primarily by businesses,
educational institutions and governments worldwide for technical,
commercial, industrial, and software development applications.

Sun Microsystems, Inc.
2550 Garcia Ave.
Mountain View, CA 94043-110 USA
 
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