Solaris PC Netlink: Performance, Sizing and Deployment provides system planners and administrators information that enables them to install, tune, and use their PC NetLink server to its maximum functionality and performance. This BluePrint includes information to help system planners scale their PC NetLink server to their own PC client environment.

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INTRODUCTION

The Solaris PC NetLink product is a fundamental part of Sun's PC interoperability product offering. It is fully compatible with network technology from Microsoft, and provides the network services and resource sharing facilities required by Microsoft Windows 3.11, Windows NT, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000 clients. The PC NetLink software is a native implementation of the core Microsoft Network services found on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server, but it is also engineered for Sun's scalable servers and the Solaris operating environment. With the PC NetLink software, IT managers can consolidate the functionality of multiple PC servers onto a single, highly reliable Sun platform scaling up through the Sun Enterprise Server product line, as well as Solaris Intel Platform Edition environments.

The PC NetLink software running on scalable Sun servers and the Solaris operating environment itself enables you to configure departmental servers for enterprise levels of reliability, availability, and seviceability. It provides the following benefits to small and large enterprises:

• Increases the reliability of Windows NT environments
• Transparently provides key Microsoft network services to users
• Reduces complexity and lowers total cost of ownership
• Provides throughput and headroom to accommodate demand and growth
• Offers higher scalable systems than traditionally offered in the PCs market
• Enables the consolidation of many applications onto fewer servers, reducing management costs
• Provides simple, familiar installation and administration tools
• Is fully year 2000 compliant

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Don DeVitt has been on the development teams of almost every software and hardware PC interoperability product Sun Microsystems has produced over the last 13 years. Don is currently a PC Interoperability specialist within the Enterprise Engineering group and is a member of the PC NetLink Server engineering team where he has focused on performance-related issues. Don started his career as an electrical engineer and has worked in the Automated Test industry (Teradyne Inc.) and PC operating system market (Digital Research from CP/M fame) before coming to Sun.