Solaris PC NetLink Software

Familiar NT Services on a Reliable, Scalable Platform

While Windows based desktops continue to proliferate in todays corporations, some of the key problems with Windows NT networks continue to go unsolved. Windows NT environments still have reliability issues, and IT departments still have difficulty scaling Windows NT environments quickly to meet volatile demand for network services.

Solaris PC NetLink software puts an end to those core challenges by putting the network services on the Solaris Operating Environment and Sun servers.

Native Windows NT Network Services

Solaris PC NetLink software (based on AT&T Advanced Server for Unix) delivers native Windows NT network services--which include directory, authentication, and file-and-print services--on Solaris environment servers. Users continue to receive the full functionality of the services as if they were running on a Windows NT server. This way users get more access to their files and data.

Specifically, Solaris PC NetLink software provides the following native NT networking services on Solaris environment servers:

• A complete implementation of Windows NT 4.0 Server Directory (PDC/BDC - NTDS) on Solaris environment
• Security and authentication (SAM/SID)
• NetBIOS and WINS
• Network browser
• File and print (NTFS)
• Service Pack compliant

In addition, Solaris PC NetLink software supports most major Windows client operating system releases, including Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95/98, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. It is important to note that Sun is not running the Windows NT environment itself on Solaris environment--just the network services.

Leveraging Solaris Reliability

Solaris PC NetLink software can be the most reliable way to run Windows NT network services because its foundation is the most mature, tested, proven operating environment in the industry: the Solaris Operating Environment.

The Solaris environment is extremely reliable because the kernel was designed for mission-critical applications and has been refined over more than 10 years of rigorous testing and tuning for large user environments. Solaris Operating Environment offers superior Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) features for uptime, and it provides remote administration, allowing companies to manage a network of servers from one central location.

How can users tell that Solaris environment is now serving their Windows NT desktops? They can't. But system administrators can tell easily, because the network is suddenly more reliable, and the server does not have to be rebooted frequently.

Multi-Dimensional Scalability

The other key advantage to the Solaris PC NetLink software is that it scales easily in terms of number of services, applications, users, CPUs, and platforms supported. It has been tuned to handle large user workloads, supporting 20,000 concurrent connections on a single system, and runs on Sun's broad range of server platforms all the way up to the Sun Fire 15K server. Any way you need to scale, the combination of Solaris PC NetLink software and Sun servers makes it simple.

Furthermore, customers can now consolidate their NT network services along with their mission critical applications -- all on one server. This reduces complexity, administrative costs and overall total cost of ownership.

Aggressive Pricing, Easy Installation

Sun has made it extremely easy to obtain and install Solaris PC NetLink software. The product, which is now orderable, is available at no charge. And the software comes with unlimited client access, so there is no client license fee.

Installation is equally simple--there is no change to clients, no retraining for system administrators, and transparent integration into Windows NT server networks.