AMD Opteron Technology and x86: Raising the Standard on Industry Standards

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1. Any benchmarks comparing the Solaris OS to Linux on AMD Opteron processor-based systems?
2. For those who are used to Windows machines and related software, would getting a Sun/AMD Opteron processor-based system be practical?
3. Will SRSS support Red Hat 64-bit/Fedora AMD64 on the V20z/V40z?
4. Will Sun be working with Checkpoint to provide Solaris OS/AMD Opteron support?
5. When you say the Java Desktop System (which I understand to be your SuSE Linux) will be integrated into Solaris OS, does that mean bye-bye to Sun's Linux offering?
6. Why did Sun move to SuSE, being initially available on Red Hat? Any advantages to SuSE?
7. You say that 64 bit will be supported with the release of the Solaris 10 OS at the end of the year. Will that be the first beta release or an FCS?
8. Is the 64-bit version of Red Hat Linux available on the AMD Opteron processor-based systems?
9. Will the Solaris OS and Windows 64 have compatible software as well as price?
10. When will the Solaris 9 OS offer 64-bit support?
11. What percentage of your AMD-based sales are installing Linux vs. Solaris OS?
12. I've read which operating systems are supported, but Netware is not listed. Will it work? If so, are there any issues surrounding that?
13. What special security features are provided on platforms running on the AMD Opteron processor-based systems?
14. What versions of the Solaris OS can run on current AMD Opteron processor-based offerings?
15. What are the benefits of 64-bit x86 Solaris OS vs 32-bit x86 Solaris OS on a vV20z?
16. Are any Linux operating systems ready to run native 64-bit today (on AMD Opteron-processor-based systems), and is it currently available and supported?
17. Will Sun support mixed environments, e.g., Microsoft and Linux?
18. Will you port Solaris compilers to Linux? We need the ability to optimize HPC applications for AMD Opteron processor-based systems. The ability to develop under Solaris and deploy to Linux would be a bonus.
19. What OS are you recommending for AMD Opteron processor-based systems? Have you convinced any EDA vendors to port their design apps to it?

Q: Any benchmarks comparing the Solaris OS to Linux on AMD Opteron processor-based systems?

A: We are submitting benchmarks to a variety of sources, and in these we specify the operating system. In general, the latest version of the Solaris 9 OS and Solaris 10 OS are faster than Linux on the same hardware. For example, we just submitted a new SPECjAppServer number in which the results with Solaris/AMD Opteron were $82/TTOP — the next closest were Red Hat and Windows at $151 and $150/TTOP. Beyond that, it's hard to generalize. We will test and report every chance we get.

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Q: For those who are used to Windows machines and related software, would getting a Sun/AMD Opteron processor-based system be practical?

A: Yes. All of our systems are certified to run Windows. There is a promotion designed for Windows Certified Professionals at www.sun.com/mcse.

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Q: Will SRSS support Red Hat 64-bit/Fedora AMD64 on the V20z/V40z?

A: Yes, we will support these; in fact, we showed this at Linux world. You can look in our press center to see the press announcement. We'll be shipping this product in the fall, giving you the choice of Solaris/SPARC and Solaris/x86 technologies, JDS, and Red Hat as SRSS hosts.

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Q: Will Sun be working with Checkpoint to provide Solaris OS/AMD Opteron support?

A: Yes. I met with them personally last week.

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Q: When you say the Java Desktop System (which I understand to be your SuSE Linux) will be integrated into Solaris OS, does that mean bye-bye to Sun's Linux offering?

A: JDS will continue to support Linux and Solaris OS going forward and we will continue to offer choice

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Q: Why did Sun move to SuSE, being initially available on Red Hat? Any advantages to SuSE?

A: We fully support both Red Hat Linux and SuSE Linux for our systems. We sell and provide support for both. Our Java ES system is only available on Red Hat due to demand factors.

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Q: You say that 64 bit will be supported with the release of the Solaris 10 OS at the end of the year. Will that be the first beta release or an FCS?

A: The Solaris 10 OS is already in beta, and we have been releasing the latest builds via the Software Express program since Sept. 2003.

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Q: Is the 64-bit version of Red Hat Linux available on the AMD Opteron processor-based systems?

A: Yes, Sun's AMD Opteron-based products support the 64-bit version of Red Hat Linux today.

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Q: Will the Solaris OS and Windows 64 have compatible software as well as price?

A: The Solaris OS will continue to offer both lower acquisition and TCO compared to Windows. We will offer a broad application portfolio.

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Q: When will the Solaris 9 OS offer 64-bit support?

A: The Solaris 9 OS offers 32-bit support today. The Solaris 10 OS, being released at the end of this year will support 64 bit.

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Q: What percentage of your AMD-based sales are installing Linux vs. Solaris OS?

A: We ship every system with Solaris OS, and we also sell Red Hat Linux as well as SuSE Linux. However, customers can install whatever they want, including dual booting, so it's difficult to know what they are running. We know we have significant customers on all four operating systems, although there are many more people on Red Hat Linux than on SuSE Linux.

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Q: I've read which operating systems are supported, but Netware is not listed. Will it work? If so, are there any issues surrounding that?

A: There are no known technical reasons why Netware would not work, but it is not an officially supported platform at this time. We do not have plans to certify it at this time.

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Q: What special security features are provided on platforms running on the AMD Opteron processor-based systems?

A: Sun's AMD Opteron-based products offer secure remote login through greater than 64-bit encryption.

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Q: What versions of the Solaris OS can run on current AMD Opteron processor-based offerings?

A: Both Solaris 8 and 9 operating systems.

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Q: What are the benefits of 64-bit x86 Solaris OS vs 32-bit x86 Solaris OS on a vV20z?

A: Generally, 32-bit apps see immediate performance improvement. The main benefit is the larger memory size and address space

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Q: Are any Linux operating systems ready to run native 64-bit today (on AMD Opteron-processor-based systems), and is it currently available and supported?

A: Yes, both Red Hat and SuSE have 64-bit Linux implementations available and supported.

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Q: Will Sun support mixed environments, e.g., Microsoft and Linux?

A: Sun sells and supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SuSE Linux Enterprise server. All of our AMD/Intel-based hardware supports Solaris OS, Linux, and Microsoft.

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Q: Will you port Solaris compilers to Linux? We need the ability to optimize HPC applications for AMD Opteron processor-based systems. The ability to develop under Solaris and deploy to Linux would be a bonus.

A: The Solaris OS already supports GCC and other open source tools and will continue to do so going forward.

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Q: What OS are you recommending for AMD Opteron processor-based systems? Have you convinced any EDA vendors to port their design apps to it?

A: The Solaris OS/AMD Opteron processor combination is recommended for the ability of the Solaris OS to take best advantage of the AMD architecture. Linux is a good option, too. We are working with all of the EDA ISVs, and they have plans to support the Solaris OS.

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