[SunHELP] Re: SPARC / ULTRA/ NETRA

[Robert Novak]

On Mon, 1 Oct 2001, Korkmaz, Murat wrote:

>  Hello Folks,
> 
>  i am new to SUN and i have been trying to understand some SUN
> concepts, is there anybody can help me about what are SPARC, NETRA and
> ULTRA? what is the main differences between them? Which one is for
> what kind of purposes and so on?

Very vaguely and imprecisely:

SPARC is the architecture and processor family, from Sun4 through E15k or
whatever inbetween. SPARCstation/server/system are generally pre-Ultra
machines. Most of these pre-Ultras are no longer sold new by Sun.

NETRA is either a software platform for special-purpose servers
(Netra-I/J/NFS) that run on standard Sun hardware (SS4/5/U1 etc), or
rack-optimized servers (Netra t1/x1 and others) that are designed for
service provider and telco applications among others. 

ULTRA is short for UltraSPARC which is the latest incarnation(s) of the
SPARC processor, generally distinguished by being a 64-bit processor. It
can also refer to a Sun workstation or server that uses one or more
UltraSPARC processors, from an Ultra 1 through the latest ExK machines.

It may be to your benefit to find a Sun reseller and discuss your needs
with them, and let them explain the product line and what applies to your
needs. Alternately, browse www.sun.com to see what's currently out there.
As mentioned earlier, there is a documentation site at docs.sun.com, but
it's not a particularly good introduction to the basic concepts of Sun
hardware over the past 12 or so years. It's better if you want to know
about a particular hardware or software product. 

Good luck,
Rob
-- 
Robert Novak, Indyramp Consulting * rnovak at indyramp.com * indyramp.com/~rnovak
        "And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
           Maybe this year will be better than the last...." -- counting crows